Input level and gain staging are two fundamental concepts in live sound. It's the process of setting the right 'loudness' levels for your audio gears.
By understanding gain staging, you can make sure your sound is clean, clear, free from clipping. It's like finding the sweet spot on your car's volume dial, where the music sounds perfect without being too loud or too soft.
Microphone-Level:
Microphone input is the lowest input level, normally we use a preamp to make them louder. On the CPA series, the input volume/gain is like a volume control for your microphone. If you set it at noon (12 o’clock) in the first step and your voice sounds clear without any issues, that's perfect. But if you start hearing strange noises or feedback, it means you've turned it up too high. Just dial it back a bit to keep things sounding good!
* We encourage you to stay curious to explore your ideal sound!
Instrument-Level:
Instrument level works well for guitars, bass guitars, and instruments without extra pickup, like banjos or sitars.
If your guitar or bass has active pickups, it might be somewhere between instrument and line-level, but it's safer to stick with instrument level to avoid clipping.
To set the right level for your instrument, turn up your instrument's volume (or active pickup's volume control), then dial the input/gain volume no more than 3 o'clock (70%) on the CPA series until you hear any noises or distortion.
Line-Level:
Line-level is the big league – it's the highest level before things get cranked up. Gear like CD players (yep, those are still around), audio interfaces, mixing consoles, keyboards, synths, and drum machines all play in this arena.
Here's how to set it up: Switch the level selector to Line and crank up your line-level gear's output control to about 3 o'clock (that's 70%). Then, gently nudge the input volume/gain level up until you start hearing any nasty clipping noise.
Always be sure to check your input levels on the CPA series to make sure your signals are strong and balanced.
Remember, when in doubt, start low and take it slow!
Speaker-Levels: For powered loudspeakers, gain staging may involve adjusting the speaker's input gain to match the signal you're sending. This ensures the speakers reproduce the audio accurately.
IMPORTANT! Speaker signals are much higher in voltage than line level and require solid speaker cables for safe signal transfer.