In a recent post on the Rane DJ Blog Shaun goes over some important information about setting up your gain to get the best possible sound from your Rane DJ mixer. As a proud authorized Rane dealer you will find great service and great prices from Real DJs just like you. Every DJ on the front lines that takes a call, answers a chat, or replies to an email is a real working DJ. We proudly refer to what we do as #DJsHelpingDJs
How to properly set Rane mixer level controls
level controls
DJ mixers have a lot of level controls (wouldn’t be much of a mixer without them). Knowing the proper setting for each control is a bit confusing, especially when adding a software program to your system. Luckily, audio software and DJ mixers include similar controls. Both include individual gain/trim controls, level meters for each channel, and a master output level control.
meter levels
Follow the golden rule and keep your level meters out of the red. Think of a level meter as a traffic light. Green means you’re OK to proceed, yellow means caution and red means stop. Your goal is to turn the gain controls up so that your level meters are peaking in the high yellow- almost to red but not quite. When level meters hit red, you run the risk of clipping or simply distorting the heck out of the audio. In case you’re wondering, both sound terrible.
When using a software program it’s important to adjust your level controls properly within the program before tweaking the level controls on your mixer. Once the level meters within the software are adjusted properly (i.e., no red), you’re ready to adjust the level controls on your mixer.
using Rane mixer metering
Rane mixers use Quasi-Peak meters with peak hold. What the heck is quasi-peak you ask? Quasi means, having a likeness to or resembling something, so quasi-peak refers to the peak-like meter function of the Rane meter. The fast responding quasi-peak value (lower portion of the meter) shows you what signal is doing real-time, relative to the dynamic range of the mixer. Audio transients can be relatively fast, making it easy to miss brief overload events, so the meters are designed to hold the maximum value for at least half a second (top portion of the meter).
Like other peak hold meters, the ones found on Rane DJ mixers will appear to have gaps between the average level and the peak levels. This can throw DJs off at first, thinking the meters are malfunctioning, but this is not the case. The LED floating above the rest represents the peak level of the audio and the LEDs below the peak represent the quasi-peak audio level.
The basic idea behind using peak hold meters is identical to using peak meters; keep the top meter out of the red. Using the PGM gain controls on your mixer, adjust the level so that your meters barely hit the red and then back the level down until out of the red. Repeat this process for each PGM channel.
a quick note about Rane master level controls and master meter levels
The main difference DJs may notice about the master output level meter is that the master level control has no affect on the meter levels (see above picture). This may seem a bit weird when compared to other DJ mixers, but there’s a very good reason behind this design. With Rane professional DJ mixers, the master output level meter is the summed total of all PGM channel levels. In other words, the master output meter is a true representation of your combined output mix level. As long as the output level meters stay out of the red, you won’t be in danger of clipping or distorting audio, not that you can clip or distort a Rane mixer anyway, but that’s beside the point. You can still blow the sound system speakers (and your chances of getting booked to play that venue again).
Calibrating your Rane mixer with a sound system
It was mentioned earlier that the main level control has no affect on the master level meter, and this is by design. The design intent is to use the master level control to calibrate the mixer with a sound system. Ideally, during sound check, the sound tech running the sound system will calibrate the system to the output level of the Rane mixer, so that red meters on the mixer indicate red (or almost red) on the main sound board and/or near clipping of the amplifiers.
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Start with the master level control knob all the way down.
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Make sure the audio levels meters within the software you’re using are not peaking red.
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Start with the PGM channel 1 fader all the way up and adjust the
upper rotary gain/level control so that your meters barely hit the red
and then back the level down until out of the red, giving yourself a
little room for sudden level peaks. Repeat the same process for PGM
channel 2, if using more than two channels, PGM channel 3 and PGM
channel 4.
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While playing audio, using each PGM channel, check the master output
level meters. If the master output level meters are in the red make
small adjustments to each PGM channel gain control until the master
level meter is peaking into the yellow. Now that your mixer level
controls are properly set, you’re ready to turn up the master level
control.
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Here’s where you grab the sound tech running the sound system. The tech may have you do one of the following:
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Increase the mixer’s master level control until you’re told to stop.
If you stop at 8, this is your maximum level output for the mixer and
you do not want to exceed this level setting. Increasing the master
level control past 8 may cause the sound tech to give you dirty looks,
or worse, damage the sound system.
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Turn the mixer’s master level control all the way up. Once your
master level control is at max, the sound tech will slowly increase the
level on the main sound board until the sound system is at the peak
level. When it comes to preventing damage to the sound system this is
the sound techs safest way to calibrate a mixer to the system.
wrapping up
Optimum sound quality requires correctly setting software level and DJ mixer level controls. The correct procedure begins by properly setting software level controls and then mixer gain level controls. Once your mixer levels are properly set, calibrating the master output level control with the sound system is the last step. Following these simple steps ensures you'll get the best possible audio quality from your Rane DJ mixer.
View more Rane DJ Blog posts here
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