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Troubleshooting Sound Systems
Many times sound systems seem to stop working right when we are trying to set up for a big event. Invariably, we may try locating the source of trouble with no set method of handling the problem in mind. However, it’s better to have a guide to quickly get through troubleshooting a sound system that’s not functioning properly.
Where in the System is the Problem Located?
The first thing you will want to do is determine what is working and what is not. This saves time, so that you’re not trying to fix things that aren’t broken and also it will allow you to know what parts of the system you can use to verify what is not working. If, for example, a mic channel in your mixer has stopped functioning, but you can use the others to determine which one is the problem.
What Should You Do First?
The first step is to use an input connector from a good channel located on a console and plug it into the channel you think is malfunctioning. If the channel starts working, then the problem is not with the console but perhaps with the mic. If the channel does not start working, you have determined which half of the system is working and that the problem is located somewhere after that particular input. In other words, there may be a bad channel, or insert jacks with buildup.
What is Malfunctioning?
If the console is fine, you can go to the opposite end of the system and narrow your search again by repeating the previous step on the snake on the stage side. First, put the console’s cables back as they were and take a cable from a good mic and plug it into the channel that’s not working on the stage box. The snake is the problem if the channel doesn’t start working. However, the problem is located between the mic and stage box and has nothing to do with the snake if the channel does start working. Try changing the mic or its cable to determine whether or not one of those is the problem.
Testing…
Beyond the console, you can keep using the same method. If an amp is malfunctioning, use the input cable from another amp to test it. (Make sure that amp works and can take the frequency range you’re testing if it’s a bi-amp or tri-amp. Of course, you shouldn’t test an amp that’s amplifying horns with a bass line.) Once the system starts working go back to the console and move towards the amps and change the left and right signals. The line is the difficulty if the problem goes back and forth between sides.
Don’t Be Impatient!
Once again, it’s easy to try random things to try to get a sound system working again… wiggling cables, banging machines, or unplugging and plugging things back in. You may correct the problem, but you won’t figure out what the problem is and how to deal with it, especially if there is more than one problem in the system. Using a step-by-step process will help you troubleshoot sound systems.
Need Help? We’ve Got the Qbox.
A portable generator/monitor unit which is used to make or
capture signals anywhere in the sound system can help you troubleshoot your
system. This can include mic levels or amp drive levels. After the support team
at Whirlwind heard about people building these or contemplating the task, the
sound engineers began considering the possibility themselves. In fact, Whirlwind
created the Qbox. A signal generator and a monitor make the two components of
this testing unit.
The Generator
The generator must make audio signals at different pitches which when used on different areas of a system can be used to determine if the entire system (including the power amps and the mics) is assembled and working properly. The Qbox has an internal condenser mic or a 400Hz tone generator which can make signals at the line, instrument, or mic level.
The Qbox can be used without having to speak by just observing whether not the signal reaches the board after inserting a mic signal at the stage box. Without using the mics, you can check that the system’s path is working or set up to the output correctly by inserting a mic signal at the console and verifying its trajectory. With a dead power amp channel, you will introduce line level signal at the power amp’s input. If the amp works, you must introduce the signal as you move back to the console, making sure to check the amp rack input, the cable from the crossover output, the crossover input, and other such connections. In this manner you will find the problem efficiently once you come to the channel that is malfunctioning.
The Monitor
To listen to the mic or line signal in the system, you will use the monitor, letting you confirm that the signal is in the system or what its level is. The Qbox has a speaker and headphone element as well as a volume control that shows the signal’s level. The presence of phantom or intercom power causes LEDs to light up on the monitor.
The monitor can also be used for giving directions as the system is set up (It clips on belts or can set on a stage.) Furthermore, it can be used as monitor speaker for isolated broadcasts with one being used as a console or a line monitor as well being used as a free 2-way intercom by connecting two units together and activating the mic and headphone areas.
Consider buying or building one of these useful sets as you begin to troubleshoot your sound system with ease and fluency.