Newbie here – just trying to understand signal flow and where gain can be adjusted. All our mics come through an AB168 stage box via a dSNAKE. On our Qu-Pac (and Qu-Pad) an input channel shows a gain value (on the Processing screen – maybe elsewhere also). My reading indicates this is a preamp value – which to me means that the AB168 preamp is amplifying the signal to line level before it gets to the Qu-Pac. When I use the slider on an input channel (Channel screen) is it adjusting the gain for that channel that goes into a particular mix? And (I think) this gain adjustment via the slider is separate for each mix. Ex. If the preamp gain was 24dB and my slider was -5dB is the gain for this channel for the selected mix 19dB?
This system was set up when (as a church volunteer) I “inherited” it. What are guidelines for how to set the preamp gain?
This is more a general Audio concept, rather than an enquiry particularly with the console, but I’m happy to clarify the best I can.
The gain stage and the ‘Slider’ adjustments are two completely different things, and although they relate to each other for the same goal (A good gain structure and signal level), adjusting one and adjusting the other one, does not mean that you are adjusting the same thing.
The gain adjustment happens at a preamp stage while fader adjustment relates more to an ‘Output’ stage.
Another way to put it is, Gain adjustment sets how much signal of that source will be coming into the console, while fader adjustment sets how much of the processed signal will be going to the selected Output bus.
Hence the best practice for Gain stage is adjusting this with your fader at unity level.
Here’s some documentation that might help you get your head around this concept:
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