Automatic Line Check Feature

[DilettantParticipant]

Suggestion of some “more sophisticated” Feature:

Anyone who sets up live shows knows the Problem: you

need

to check your cablings after setting up all devices, but sometimes there is low time.

Some automated line checking function in the Mixer could at least give a first, very fast analysis.

In the past, sometimes I simply did that by clapping my Hands and watching the Input Level Meters of my Mixer. But the SQ has too many channels for that and no view of all Input Levels on one App or Touch Screen Page and it is not so easy if there is a bunch of DI Channels that of course won’t react on Hand Clapping.

So there should be a better way.

How could that work?

1. save the show for restoration after the test

2. let the user select inputs and outputs to use for check via touch screen (or include a “automated line check” switch in each channel as a show setting)

3. create a temporary DCA group with all selected outputs and assign it to a defined fader (Master, #1 or the most right channel fader). Set the DCA Master to zero and all outputs to 0dB.

4. remove any routing of all selected inputs to avoid feedback.

5. connect all selected outputs to the signal generator. Set the generator to generate some easy-to-detect signal, for example a 3-4 sine frequencies distributed over the spectrum.

6. set Channel EQs of all selected Inputs to filter out almost anything but the signal from the signal Generator (e.g. if using some sinus frequencies, set high-q high-gain Bandpasses on that frequencies)

9. display a blue sign for all selected Inputs on the display and setup some level detection after the EQs that turn that sign green if there is a reasonable signal level and red if there is clipping on them.

10. Now let the user raise the DCA Master so the Test signal will be sent to the selected outputs. Those Outputs normally will be some Monitor Speakers on stage and the selected Inputs will be Microphones that will catch up the monitor sound (which is normally unwanted but helps with testing here so maybe the gains or trims must be raised before the testing, too). The User can just watch the signs on the screen turning green or red.

If one doesn’t when reaching reasonable loudness, that line should be checked in detail for switched-off mics, missing phantom power, broken cables, wrong physical patchings or similar things. Phantom power could be even displayed on the test screen.

For more easy analysis, not only the channel names but also the input patching of the show (Connection type and Port Number) should be displayed.

11. When the user presses a “test finished” Button, simply restore the original Show and return thew Mixer to operation.

Since it should be possible to automate most of that steps, that way you get a simple but really fast checking of any Microphones on any stage with loud enough monitoring or Front Line, with a little experience he also may identify much too high gain settings.

Of course, that won’t work with DI Channels and there may be still other failures, but if it is possible to do that from the App as well, at least it is possible to remove some of the more frequent show stoppers very fast and gain more time for solving other problems. And if there is no time at all, it at least gives some fast check possibility that can be done in just some seconds.

[ShowtimeParticipant]

I hope this is a yoke.

Why not take an tablet. See what the input does on the tablet and check every mike and di on stage. You can set a low output on the monitor to check.

Are you really professional audio engineer?

Richard

[Author]

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