Volume control

Portable PA
1

I  work with backing tracks and have to adjust volume between tracks. I use a laptop and find it distracting having to adjust two channels to find the right volume. Is there an easier way to control volume. I use the T4S mixer with the L1. Open to suggestions. 

2

Step 1 would be to import your tracks into audacity or other editor, and even out the volumes to a -.03 db peak.  You may have to EQ first to match the density or RMS if the tracks are from different creators and not using the same instruments with same EQs on them for each song

3

Hi, Barbara Ellen.

Barbara Ellen posted:

I  work with backing tracks and have to adjust volume between tracks. I use a laptop and find it distracting having to adjust two channels to find the right volume. Is there an easier way to control volume. I use the T4S mixer with the L1. Open to suggestions. 

Tomdavisdotcom has given you some great advice. If you still want to manage the volume with one channel, and you are running mono anyway, then you can use the USB B from PC connection.

Make sure your T4S is up to date.

T4S/T8S Firmware Update Instructions



Then check out this article T4S USB B from PC



You'll see you can route both Left and Right channels from the laptop to either T4S channel 3 or 4. This will allow you to control the laptop volume on one channel. 



You can also experiment with the T4S Compressor effects to level out volume peaks.  See Tonematch Mixers / Compressor for more information.




All set?




ST

4

let me add that you can select MONO audio on your laptop sound settings too so that you don't have to adjust two channels

5

Or - while you have each stereo track in Audacity (a free downloadable audio editor) to adjust EQ and overall loudness -- I usually NORMALIZE to -1 dB -- you can also convert them to mono and when saving the new "Performance" copies of the tracks in a new folder. 

Then use those for your shows.

6

I’m sorry I use an IPad not PC. I used Audacity to level the songs but I’m still having issues with The volume on some  of the songs.

7

There's a difference between "level" and perceived loudness once the audio is played back through your system.

Even when the files are "normalized" to the same level, the perceived loudness can be significantly different between tracks.

All I could suggest is to rank the tracks vs. perceived loudness in your system and use Audacity to lower the ones that are "too high" (reduce overall gain) to achieve a consistent perceived loudness level through your system for all of the backing files.

8

Hi Barbara Ellen,

Barbara Ellen posted:

I’m sorry I use an IPad not PC. I used Audacity to level the songs but I’m still having issues with The volume on some  of the songs.

You can set the audio output of the iPad to mono.

  • Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
  • Tap General.
  • Tap Accessibility.
  • Under the Hearing section, turn on the option for Mono Audio.

Assuming you are using an analog connection from a headphone jack to the T4S, with two plugs for left and right, you can use either one but no longer have to use both. That way you're only using one channel, with only one volume control to manage.

How's that?

ST

9

Easy - Buy a USB volume control knob - just plug into your laptop and it will control the "laptops" volume - saves all the messing around - cost about $30 Australia

 

10

Love it, Jim -- sometimes low tech backup solutions are the best...