CGM777

Well I am back. Took all the tips and tactics and implemented them and we still experience something strange. I would like to know exactly what trim tracking does to the sound? I know the advanced manual says it doesn't alter the output levels, but something does. We 've turned down all the output levels of the amplified instruments that have their own amps. So the only instruments with any sound going out of the Stagescape into the PA are keyboards, electronic drum acoustic guitars (direct input to mixer) and vocals. The amped instruments fill the room on their own. The only reason they go through the Stagescape at all is to record them. Here's my process: 1. When running level check each vocalist speaks into the mic and I adjust the levels in SETUP mode. I use the auto trim to get good S/n ratio. Do same for acoustic guitars. 2. I go to monitor and send vocals and acoustic guitar outputs only to a stage monitor via monitor output A 3. I go to perform mode and adjust levels of each performer individually and get good levels through the PA. 4. I do the same with the guitars and keyboards 5. Individually everything sounds good. 6. When the who group starts to play, the vocals disappear in the mix. The singers can't hear themselves in the PA. My choices are to raise the level of the vocals...problem is the vocals are already maxed. When I raise the levels we get feedback. Or my choice is to lower the levels of everything else in the mix. Problem is everything else is already minimal in the mix. I have never had this problem with my Mackie analog mixers, so I am frankly puzzled by this.

many thanks to all for excellent feedback! And thus ReoWolf's suggestion of saving scenes would also make sense: Scene 1: When playing live and recording, set the Stagescape Perform levels of all the amplified instruments lower. Scene 2: When playing back the recording through the Stagescape, raise the Perform levels of the amplified instruments. I think that makes sense too - yah? C-Dog

Thanks for your quick responses guys. I think Rewolf48 has a great point there: Because the instruments and drums all have their own amplification in addition to the PA, there is a doubling effect, compared to the vocals which are solely amplified through the PA. Seems to make sense now: to run all the instruments into the mixer for recording purposes (set the line input levels), but pull the outputs way down or even completely off, so that the vocals are not drowned out by all the live instruments with their amps. The other thought would be to send only vocals to the monitors so that the vocalists can hear themselves singing amidst all the amplified instruments, while still allowing the audience to receive a well tweaked house mix through the PA. Thoughts? C-Dog

So last night I brought my new Stagescape mixer to our 7 piece band practice to set up and tweak our sound and record a few songs. We use a Bose L1 model II sound system as our PA, which has incredible sound and serves our small to medium size venues quite well (under 500 people). We decided to insert the Stagescape into the chain and, send the Main mix outputs to the Bose, using it as our P.A., plus we had a few stage monitors, to which we sent a monitor mix out of the Monitor A output on the Stagescap. Ok enough backstory...onto the issue. The guys were all abuzz with the new toy. I had done a pre-set up before practice to save time, placing each vocal mic and band member's instrument onto the stage and assigning an input on the unit. At practice we plugged everyone in and started with a sound check. There are 6 vocalists in the band so I utilized the auto-trim feature and hit "start analysis" for all 6 vocalists as they sang acapella harmonies into their respective Mics. Levels were set and it all sounded beautiful! Then I muted all the Mics and had the guys all play their instruments and I set all the instrument levels (guitars, bass, mandolin, keys and drums). All sounded great! Then we decided to play and record a song to the 32GB SD card. That's were the issue came into play. When we started to play, the vocal levels went way down and were almost unheard against the instruments in our PA. We finished the song. I stopped the recording and played it back through the Bose system and all the vocal levels against the instrument levels were fine!! We tried it again, and over and over the same issue: The vocals all dropped down under the instruments during our live playing and recording. But on playback of the recording the levels were good! I'm sure there is a reason behind this and so I wanted to put this out to all those with more experience that me on the Stagescape. Is there something I don't know about the Trim tracking? Could it be that the instrument outputs from all the amps on stage are bleeding into the microphones, creating hotter levels and thereby causing the Stagescape to use Trim Tracking to compensate by adjusting the MIC input levels down? Why does this only happen on live playing and not on playback then? Any solutions to how to overcome this? Thanks in advance for your thoughts! C-Dog, Vancouver Island, BC, Canada

I had the freezing issue a while back (see my earlier posts). This was disappointing to say the least. I took it back to the dealer (Long and McQuade) who replaced it with another unit. It had the old 1.0 software on it, but it did not freeze. I updated to 1.2 and the unit works fine, and has not frozen once yet. I left the unit on for a week and it still did not freeze. I connected and disconnected inputs on the unit to see if it would cause freezing, and no freezing. I would say hang in there and press your dealer to make the situation right. I'm sure Line6 wants to see this issue through as well. C-Dog