🎚️ Issue #12: Advanced Sub-mixer Tricks: Pre-Fader Sends & Polarity

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SUNDAYMIX MAIN LESSON

Let's get to it.

Last week, we talked about the basics of hooking up a sub-mixer for your keyboardist or drummer. Today, we're going to dive into a couple of advanced techniques that give you even more control and help you solve some tricky audio problems.

Technique 1: Creating a Separate Monitor Mix with "Pre-Fader" Outputs

Have you ever had a keyboard player who uses a sub-mixer, but needs their own speakers on stage to be much louder or quieter than what you need in the main house mix? This is a common problem. If their master fader controls both their stage volume and the volume they send to you, you're constantly fighting each other.

• The Pro Solution: Pre-Fader Outputs.

  • Many small mixers have a second set of outputs, often labeled "Aux Send," "Monitor Out," or "Sub Out," that are "Pre-Fader." This means the signal is sent out before it gets to that mixer's master fader.

  • How it works: You, the FOH tech, connect your main soundboard to these Pre-Fader outputs. This gives you a consistent, strong signal that is completely independent of the sub-mixer's main fader.

  • The keyboard player can then use their main fader to adjust their personal on-stage speaker volume up and down all they want, and it will not change the volume of the signal being sent to you. This gives both of you independent control and is a total game-changer.

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Technique 2: The Polarity Check for a Fuller Sound

When you combine multiple microphones from a sub-mixer down to one or two channels (like a full drum kit), you can run into phase cancellation issues that make the final sound thin and weak.

• The Problem: A microphone on the top of a snare drum and a mic on the bottom are capturing sound waves moving in opposite directions. If you just mix them together, they can cancel each other out, robbing your snare of all its "punch."

• The Pro Solution: The Polarity (⊘) Flip.

  • Before the service, have the drummer play. In your main console, find the two channels coming from the drum sub-mix.

  • Press the Polarity (⊘) button on just ONE of the channels.

Listen carefully. Does the combined drum sound suddenly get fuller, fatter, and punchier? If so, you've just fixed a major polarity issue. If it sounds thinner, just flip it back. You should do this check any time you are combining multiple mics from a sub-mixer.

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Deeper Dive: Grounding & Isolation

We mentioned last week that a shared power source is key to avoiding ground loop hum. But what if you absolutely cannot plug into the same circuit?

While some people might be tempted to break off the third ground pin on the sub-mixer's power cable (NEVER DO THIS—IT IS DANGEROUS!), the professional solution is to use a transformer-isolated DI box.

You would run the outputs of the sub-mixer into a stereo DI box, and then run XLR cables from the DI box to your main console. The transformers inside the DI box will electrically isolate the two systems, breaking the ground loop and eliminating the hum while still passing a clean audio signal. This is the safest and most reliable way to solve stubborn buzz problems between two pieces of gear.

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SUNDAYMIX ACTION STEPS

3 THINGS TO IMPLEMENT THIS NEWSLETTER TODAY

Action Steps

1. Investigate "Pre-Fader" Outputs for Independent Control.

   • Action: The next time your keyboardist or drummer brings in their sub-mixer, take a look at the back of it with them. Look for outputs labeled "Aux Send" or "Monitor Out." Check the manual online to see if these are "Pre-Fader." If they are, talk to your musician about using those outputs to feed your main board.

   • Why it works: This one change can eliminate the most common point of conflict between the FOH and the stage. It gives the musician freedom to adjust their personal volume on stage while giving you a consistent, reliable signal that never changes, leading to a much smoother service.

2. Make the Polarity Check a Habit.

   • Action: During your next soundcheck with a drum sub-mix, make this a standard part of your process. Have the drummer play a steady beat. Solo up the two channels from their sub-mix, and while you're listening on your headphones, press the Polarity (⊘) button on just one of the channels.

   • Why it works: You will instantly hear the mix either get fuller and punchier (Correct!) or thinner and weaker (Incorrect). This simple, 5-second A/B test is the key to fixing hidden phase problems and can make your drum mix sound twice as powerful without touching the EQ.

3. Identify Your "Ground Loop Killer" Tool.

   • Action: Even if you don't have a hum problem right now, be prepared. Go to a site like Sweetwater and search for a "Stereo DI Box with Ground Lift." Look at a few options from brands like Radial or Behringer. Read about how they work.

   • Why it works: The day will come when you have a persistent, nasty buzz that a shared power strip can't fix. Knowing that a transformer-isolated DI box is the correct, safe, and professional tool for the job means you'll know exactly what to reach for (or ask your church to purchase) to solve the problem instantly, instead of wasting hours troubleshooting in frustration.