Contents: 00:05 Analog vs. digital mixers 01:46 Mixer overview 05:53 Input connectors 07:00 Channel strip tour - mono and stereo channels 10:42 Gain setting procedure 14:34 Pad and HPF switches 16:35 Compressor knob 17:00 Equalization (EQ) section 22:43 How to set the semi-parametric midrange (boost-sweep-cut technique)
Hello, you did a great video many thanks. what options would I have to record out from this mixer, I see your recorder right on the side and I would be interested to record clean sound from the mixer?
Very Nice.......Even your so called "Old" videos are great, including this one. I've watched them all and learned a great deal. You should have way more eyeballs on your work....... :)
Hi there, great review of this mixer. I'm looking to get a 16 channel mixer and I was debating between a Mackie or a Yamaha. What would be a good choice?
You would need to compare the models that fit your budget and choose the one that has the features that you need for your application - you can't decide based on brand alone.
Bruno your simply a Legend!!! Thank you so much for this. I have the MG12XU. I have watched many tutorials online & learned very little. I have learned everything I need to know here in 20 minutes. I said it before and I will say it again, "You were born to teach!"
There are several ways of doing this, but I would use the groups to create a custom monitor/headphone mix for the performer, that is not send to the LR outputs.
Is it possible to connect this to a Yamaha Music cast soundbar to transfer music via a network to 3 music cast 50 devices? I also have 2 guitar inputs and 2 microphone inputs with active speakers that need to function at the same time.
im still new to this and I'm trying to get sound. I might be misunderstanding something about mixers. does the mixer itself create sound? I've only been able to get sound by plugging in another line to the input on my guitar amp to the phones plug on the mixer. No fx. And I had to raise the phones knob above the master stereo which has no effect when i dial it up or down.
No, the mixer does not create sound - it is like a 'grand central station' where signals come in and go out in different combinations, just like trains arriving to and leaving from a train station.
Phantom power sends +48V DC current down pins 2 and 3 of the microphone cable in the opposite direction to the audio signal - this provides power for condenser microphones and active DI boxes.
Thank you for making this video it's quite informative. My question is do you recommend turning up each channel volume fader to 0 and then bringing up gain to see where is hits 00, or turn up gain to at least 12 O'clock position and then bring up the volume faders for each channel?
You're welcome Andrew. Actually I recommend the following for each channel: depress the PFL button and input signal to the relevant channel. Monitor the meters while turning up the gain knob, and stop when the meters read around 0dB - this will provide the most accurate gain setting for that specific channel.
Dear Bruno, thanks for your RU-vid explanation about the Yamaha MG20UX. I understand that I cannot use internal effects for Aux. Can you give me a diagram of how I can connect an extra delay/echo module to get an effect in my aux monitor? Yours sincerely,
You would use Aux 4 output to send signal to the external effects unit and then return the signal into any of the stereo channels - this will allow you to send the FX to any of the mixer's outputs, including the stage monitors.
It was a very informative video Sir Thank a lot for uploading it waiting for the 2nd part plz help me with the connection to get Stereo effect in mixer
Hey Bruno, I want to thank you so much. You are such a Legend you explain everything so simple and clear. I have a question. I have been following different youtube videos regarding to digital recording. In digital recording, other videos says we should keep the meters around -18dB because analog interface of digital systems expect a signal around that level. At 12:32 you are talking about to keep the meter around 0dB. Now I am a little bit confused. I know the signal is not cut because it is not so hot but do you think we should keep the gain around -18dB or 0dB for best practice during recording?
Hi Deniz, that's a very good question and I should do a video on it! In short, setting gain for live sound and recording is a little bit different: in live sound you want the meters to be around zero because that gives you the best signal to noise ratio - most analog consoles will clip/distort around +18dB, and this is generally enough headroom (safety level) for live sound applications. With digital recorders, the recorder will clip at 0dB, hence why you set levels at -18dB, to give you the same amount of headroom. In live sound occasional clipping is acceptable - in recording it is not! So if you are using this mixer to feed an external recorder, I would set gain on the mixer to be around 0dB, and then set the input level on your recorder such that 0dB on the mixer equals -18dB on your recorder. Does that make sense?
Hi, great tutorial, Ive set my MG16XU using your guide and no longer have any sound issues. I have a question. I recently saw another vid about setting up a mixer. The young engineer set his Master volume to 0, then he set all faders to 0 *BEFORE he adjusted the gain. He was using a different mixer and powered speakers, is this ok to do or only with powered mixers? It doesnt seem right to me, your way works and I havent had any feedback or other sound issues using your tutorial.
The problem with the method you describe above is that it does not give the best signal to noise ratio, although it can still yield acceptable results. In the real world there are actually several sources of signal gain in your sound system: channel gain, EQ, channel fader, master fader etc. However the one I show in the tutorial is the one I have found to deliver the cleanest results.
Can you pls reply to this? My dad saw this video and he says that somewhere u mentioned that pfl should always be pressed even during performance and now he's just not using it the ryt way. Please help me!
Certainly! The PFL button is used for two purposes: firstly during gain setting, to show the input level of the selected channel on the meters, and secondly at any time during the performance to monitor the signal and levels to that channel. So there will be times during the performance when it is pressed, but it should not be pressed all the time, as this prevents the output levels of the mixer from being shown on the meters. Hope that helps :)
I've been out of the mixing/recording world for a long time and I am just buying gear to get back into it in a small way. I've yet to make up my mind which one to buy but I am already convinced that I ought to buy one of the Yamaha MG series. It is great to see them so comprehensively described. Most of the tricks in your series were once familiar to me but much of the detail was forgotten, so thank you for these videos. I watched all of the ones covering the MG mixers and got loads of reminders and even learned some new tricks.
Glad the videos were helpful! Analog gear has not changed that much in the last 20 years, aside from the addition of USB connectivity and the ability to record internally to an SD card for some mixers.
NEED Help Looking for products For a Simple SETUP of...... Radio Show host! --being able to add phone calls to machine Working with "Mixing Console MG16XU"
Thank you for this helpful video! Generally would you set the boost-cut-sweep technique for midrange first before tweaking the highs and lows if necessary?
In the case of this mixer the EQ bands do not really overlap so I would adjust the low, mid and high bands separately. You can use also use the boost-sweep-cut technique to find possible feedback frequencies in advance.
Hi sir thanks for good coaching I tried to listen effect back in aux there is no effects so how I can listen effects in aux 1 or 2 in Yamaha mg 20 xu please reply Thanks 🙏 GOD BLESS YOU
This three part series is remarkable and I would recommend anyone doing sound watch it, no matter what level of experience. We use many of these exact techniques in our setup. Thank you for posting this!
6:50 combos are good because you can "dodge" the phantom power on a port by using a TRS instead of XLR on boards where one button turns on phantom for either ALL inputs or NONE. Sending phantom power to equipment that is not designed to receive it can destroy that equipment in some cases.
That can also be done with older mixing consoles that use a separate quarter-inch connector for the line input. And yes, global phantom power can be troublesome!
The best mixer is the one that has the functions and features that you need, at a price you can afford, with good after-sales service and support. I have a video on how to work though this process: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Jb-Hfgo3kck.html
Your videos have been absolutely invaluable in understanding my new MG12XU. Thank you so much. You have a great voice and cadence for explaining complex topics. Just curious, what country/region is your accent from? I can't quite pick it.
@@caiaphasflagg673 No idea what that is ;) I'll check it out. I have no lack of creativity - quite the opposite, as a matter of fact - which can be a doubleedged sword.
I just taught this exact topic in one of my face to face classes! I don't have a video on it, hopefully one day after the pandemic when I get back to posting content 😅
Dear Bruno, at 20:00, I wonder why you chose to put down the gain but not put down the fader of the channel or the fader of the master volume? In the part of the gain settings procedure, the gain volume should be set to ensure that the input level for PFL is around 0 in the upper-right level monitor. After putting down the gain volume, the input level is no longer around 0.
Ah yes, I did that in order to reduce the sensitivity of the channel as feedback had just occurred when I boosted the low frequency EQ knob. This is a classroom/training situation where I do certain things that I would not during an actual show. You are correct that in the real world one should try not to make big changes to the gain setting once soundcheck is complete.
thank you bruno, you are the one of best sound teacher, very clear and very slow , not like other teachers and youtube tuts they are too fast and they blabber more than to teach... thank you ..I been mixing wrong my whole life, you cleared it up for me.
Great video, sir! I've watched all of your tutorials, and have found them all to be extremely well done and informative. Great detail that's easily understood by guys (like me) who are still learning how to use this equipment. I own several Yamaha MG series mixers, and I really like them. However, the one thing I absolutely HATE about my MG20XU is the channel strips that offset to the right at the top. That has caused so much confusion, since I don't use it frequently. I understand that they did this in order to squeeze 20 channels into the same size chassis as the MG16 mixer, but it's still annoying! Keep up the good work!!
Yup that channel misalignment is a major compromise, as is the lack of an FX return fader and the inability to send the effects to the monitors. Glad the video was helpful, thanks for watching!
I own the 16 channel version of this mixer and have been getting very good sound out of it already for my band live but still like watching videos to learn better strategies. I also just watched another video on the same series of Yamaha mixers where like yourself the controls were explained very well but the 2 of you differ greatly in setting the gain. The other man put the channels slider to unity then achieved his final level with the gain knob , you have the slider off then set the gain with a large amount of gain , anytime I have tried to add that much gain it has run into feedback issues , I tend to keep those gain knobs below or maybe in the grayed out section around 20% of the available sweep on the gain knob so any input on those 2 different strategies so myself and anyone reading these comments can have a sound reasoning behind setting a channels fader and gain would be helpful.
That's a great question! The short answer is that the method of setting gain I show will give you the best possible signal to noise ratio at the mixer - final system volume is then determined using the level controls on the power amplifier and/or powered speakers. If you are experiencing feedback using my method, I suggest you try turning down the level of your power amplifier by 6-10dB.
I have sat and watched this for 14 minutes wondering why has this man got a torn white piece of paper stuck over the meters. Then realised it`s the stupid reflection of the light box. This getting old lark is going to drive me crazy.
Great job on this series... can you let me know if there is a way to route effects to monitors on MG20XU... there seems to be separate controls to do this on the 16 channel version? Thanks for your help
You choose the one that has the greatest impact on the sound. Also note that you are cutting the frequency in question, not sweeping it - sweeping the frequency knob through its range is the process for finding the problem area, you then use the boost/cut knob to cut that frequency.
@glb productions - Please advise. When using the USB port from the MG20XU to a laptop for playing sound, a feedback noise presents itself ever minute or two. I suspect it's b/c the laptop is using the USB as sound output and sound input. Is there a way to prevent the feedback? thank you.
Correct - a feedback loop is created when the same laptop is used for recording and playback at the same time. On this model mixer the only real solution is to avoid this situation - use another device for playback eg a smartphone, CD player or another laptop connected to the analog inputs, and dedicate the laptop to just recording.
Hi very informative and useful video. I have 1 question, do I need to press the Pad button when I connect wireless microphone phone, cause when I connected the Shure wireless, even the gain was almost to the zero the sound was very loud , and the fader was also very low. I would love to hear your advice and suggestions. 🙏🏻 Thank you
Hi there Raju. This situation is exactly when I would use the pad button - not just on wireless mic receivers, but on any source where you have too much gain even with the gain control fully counter-clockwise. Alternatively, you can reduce the output level on the wireless mic receiver.
Thanks for great explanation. Really appreciated. I am new to this and want to ask about cable for connection for stereo input for example channel 13/14. Can I use 1/4 inch TRS or I must use 1/4 inch TS. I want to connect DJ controller to it.
So I just this console today and the only good reason I got it was to make a digital recording with my DAW (Cubase 5) Unfortunately when I tried to select the Yamaha Steinberg USB Asio from the Device Manager I get 'Device could not be opened' message. I've tried all the options : Reinstalling, changing the USB cable, changing the USB ports, following the installation guidelines. I run a Windows 7 64bits. I've also downloaded the drivers from Yamaha's website all abortive. I feel like I just wasted money getting this gadget. Or does anyone has a clue?
I'll be very honest with you - anything to do with ASIO seems to be a real minefield. Hardware, software and firmware all have to be compatible, sometimes you even need to have the right brand of cable! If you can't get it to work take it back to the person who sold it to you and see if they can help. You can also contact the Yamaha distributor in your country/region - they will often have a technical support person you can speak to. All the best!
Yes - this mixer has no insert points so you'd need to connect the compressor inline between the source and the mixer, or between the mixer and the next part of your signal chain. This video explains how to do that: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RLf8jXGtF8w.html
GLB Productions I’m so sorry I’ve watched the video multiple times. I still don’t understand. The equipment that I have is a behringer multicom pro XL. I don’t have anything besides that and my mixer. So I’m not sure what you mean by the source
No problem. Let's say you want to compress an acoustic guitar. Your signal chain would be guitar -> compressor -> mixer. On the other hand, if you wanted to compress everything in the mix, it would be mixer -> compressor -> power amplifier/active speakers. 'Source' in this case refers to the signal that you want to compress.
GLB Productions thank you so much! I appreciate you taking time out of your day to answer my questions! so if a microphone requires 48v there’s technically no way to route it to the compressor with out going mixer --compressor--power amp
The MG series can be used for both live sound as well as studio use. Note that it does not have direct outputs for each channel, which may be an issue if you need to track each channel individually.
Hi Bruno, question, can I use both Dynamic and Condenser Mic at the same time? when I turn the Phantom Power for Condenser Mic what happens to my dynamic mic that is also connected with a condenser mic? is it going to be affected since the phantom power is ON? Thanks
Yes you can - dynamic mics are not affected by phantom power. Just remember not to plug and unplug XLR cables while the phantom power is turned on as you will get big bangs and thumps going through you system 😉
Hi Bruno it is okay to get your personal opinion? I am involved in recording song for my church, right now I am looking for a budget mixer/USB interface (maybe around 400 US) 8 to 12 channel, based on your past reviews on mixers what do you recommend to buy for recording? Thanks.
