Aux fed subs on SQ

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This topic contains 16 replies, has 5 voices, and was last updated by Profile photo of Jens-Droessler Jens-Droessler 5 years, 5 months ago.

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  • #72445
    Profile photo of Craig
    Craig
    Participant

    Our church recently purchased an SQ5 and we’d like to be able to run aux fed subs. Our old church had a GLD112 and I set up aux fed subs on that board by setting up Aux 8 as post-fade and then ran the output of that aux send in mono to a crossover then to the sub amp. Then I could add various input channels to the aux fed subs as needed. I could do something similar but the problem is that if you turn out the main LR faders, this will bring down the levels of the FOH speakers but not the subs. I guess an alternative would be to run the LR mix and the subwoofer aux to a DCA and then use the DCA fader to control the house mix. I don’t prefer this because we just have volunteers doing sound and they probably wouldn’t get the concept of using the DCA fader instead of the main LR fader to control house levels. Is there a better way to do this on the SQ?

    #72453
    Profile photo of Loren
    Loren
    Participant

    I just registered here to ask essentially the same question. Our Aux Fed Sub configuration with our SQ6 at church is as described above and I have been trying to find a way to link the faders for the LR master and the Aux Sub master so that the levels adjust together just by moving the LR master fader. A DCA would work but may be unclear to volunteers. Last week I walked into church in the middle of service and there was no sub. I went to investigate later and the system operator had forgotten to bring up the fader for the Aux Fed Sub.

    I’ve searched the reference guide but don’t find any answers.

    #72454
    Profile photo of GCumbee
    GCumbee
    Participant

    I routinely use a QU32 with Aux fed subs. I just generally don’t pull the Master LR fader down. I have 2 DCA’s for band and music I will reduce those if needed. That said I installed another brand console about 8 yrs ago and encountered the same problem. I just put the sub feed on a DCA and placed it as the last fader next to the Master. So it’s a 2 fader pull but it worked.

    I just installed a SQ6 and my church today. On that system the subs are just on the overall mix from a speaker processor. We never had the need to do aux fed. Even on the old analog board I removed.

    #72455
    Profile photo of Jens-Droessler
    Jens-Droessler
    Participant

    Yes. If you can’t make it work with subs just on mains or subs on additional bus, but only turning channels on/off for that bus (no different levels per channel), somethings wrong with your overall setup. Get the tops subs in phase with the subs and set them to equal volume. No “fun boost” for the subs. After that, the input channels highpass should always be enough.

    Other than that you have no option but to use a DCA at the moment. AFAIK there is no LCR or LR-Sub option for main right now and there is no way to gang main and aux master. If aux fed subs is a must for you, take some tape, glue down the actual main fader with it and put a “main” DCA on the rightmost fader in all layers.

    #72457
    Profile photo of Loren
    Loren
    Participant

    Hi,

    I agree, we don’t need aux fed subs and I would prefer we didn’t have them, but I’m not the decider. The system is new and was configured that way by the install company. We had aux fed subs on the old system that existed before I got there so it’s kind of a thing that everyone there has some illogical attachment to. I’m the most in the know person there about our sound system, but I don’t have the authority to just go in and reconfigure the system they just paid $70k for. So since there’s no way to gang those faders I guess we will just have to emphasize to the other volunteers to remember to have both at the same level and go with that.

    #72459
    Profile photo of GCumbee
    GCumbee
    Participant

    Doesn’t matter how much you paid for the system. If it’s not right it’s not right.
    I would only install AFS if it was a situation with professional operators.
    Your situation is easily fixable especially if you have a speaker processor. If not one could be added for few hundred dollars. Or newer power amplifiers generally have processing. The sub amp could be set as bandpass and just take a full range input from the mains.

    #72465
    Profile photo of Loren
    Loren
    Participant

    Of course it’s easily fixable; processor is very capable and a simple adjustment in the routing there is all that would be needed. Unless I’m wrong though, as long as LR and AFS faders are at the same level it will perform the same. I’ll press the case with the deciders to change it.

    Thanks again,
    Loren

    #72466
    Profile photo of Jens-Droessler
    Jens-Droessler
    Participant

    It will only be the same when the aux master will be at the same level as the mains fader AND the aux per channel will be set to post fader AND the send level to that aux per channel would always be 0dB or off.

    #72473
    Profile photo of Loren
    Loren
    Participant

    Yes. Thanks for pointing out that it must be post fade with sends either at 0 or off. That’s how we have it.

    #72511
    Profile photo of Jens-Droessler
    Jens-Droessler
    Participant

    I have to add that in that case you could also use a group instead of an aux, which doesn’t even offer anything but “straight to the group at 0dB” and off. Might be even easier to handle and is more misuse-proof.

    #72533
    Profile photo of Craig
    Craig
    Participant

    Thanks for all the suggestions! I ended up setting up a Subwoofer aux (aux 8) after converting it to mono and then set this to post-fade. As before, I simply assign different input channels (e.g. bass, kick, iPod, keys) to Aux 8 as usual, then run this to the speaker processor (DCX2496) via the stage snake returns. On Fader Layer A, I have the Aux 8 send fader placed next to the main fader so it is a simple matter of adjusting the subwoofer level by that aux control. Ideally, it would be great if it was possible to gang the LR fader to the subwoofer aux send fader. Alternatively, it would be nice if you could assign a DCA to the main LR fader. Either would work to simplify this setup.

    #78931
    Profile photo of JoelKlein
    JoelKlein
    Participant

    Hi everyone,
    Thanks for this valuable discussion, since I face the same issue, The SQ5 dosnt have (yet) a LRC.

    I’m still stuck at trying to set up a crossover/low pass filter for the sub sends.
    I don’t want to add an additional speaker controler in the gig rack.

    I was able to do it on the X32 brand, I’m shocked the SQ5 doesn’t allow to lowpass??
    Please correct me if I missed anything.
    Thanks!

    #78942
    Profile photo of Jens-Droessler
    Jens-Droessler
    Participant

    You can set the highest PEQ band of the mix to hicut/lowpass. But it’s a bad idea to use only mixer-internal functions to process speakers. How do you even highpass your mid-hi speakers?

    #78967
    Profile photo of JoelKlein
    JoelKlein
    Participant

    Hi,
    I did that, I rolled the high shelf down to 160Hz, and pulled the db down, but….I was only “reducing it” with 15db, not completely filtering it out.
    for the FOH speakers, they get a full range and have built-in crossovers.

    #79008
    Profile photo of Jens-Droessler
    Jens-Droessler
    Participant

    Oh right, there is no highpass/lowpass on the PEQs yet.

    Other than that, if you use fullrange speakers on the mains output, how do you expect to get subwoofers and fullrange speakers in phase in the bassrange?

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