Using the Control Room Audio Board

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Using the Control Room Audio Board

• Samuel Edsall

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Basic Layout Lower Area
Mute Button
Fader

• At the lower end of the audio board are your
  controllers
• Faders
• Allow you to fade up and down audio sources
• Mute buttons
• Turns on and off the audio source

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Basic Layout Upper Area

• Upper left part of the audio board has your
  source meters
• LEDs above each source indicate how much audio
  is coming INTO the audio board
• This does not necessarily mean audio is going OUT
  of the board
• For instance, an anchor may be talking off camera
  during a break

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Basic Layout

• Upper right part of the audio board has your
  output meters
• The VU meters indicate how much audio is GOING
  OUT of the audio board
• Even though there may be plenty of input audio,
  if the sources are muted, nothing goes out
• Right now no audio is going out
• This is how the show should start and end when
  the program monitor is black, your board is quiet

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Basic Layout

• The lower right part of the audio board are your
  monitor and meter controls
• Control room monitor adjust
• Studio monitor adjust
• Talkback adjust
• Output meter select

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Getting a Good Level
Trim Knob

• All sources have to be calibrated so their input
  is set _at_ 0dB
• This is done by adjusting the trim knob at the
  top of the audio board for that source
• Mikes
• Trim knob is red
• Line inputs (VTRs, CD, Clipstore)
• Trim knob is gray

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Getting a Good Level
Trim Knob

• Have the anchor speak at their normal voice level
• Open their source and adjust the trim knob so the
  LEDs peak around 0dB
• When you are done, move on to the next anchor and
  have them do a mike check

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Getting a Good Level
Trim Knob

• Sources like your CD, clipstore, and VTRs need
  to be checked
• Play the source you are checking and set the
  trim
• Remember, line source trim knobs are also at the
  top of the board, but are gray in color.

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VTR Levels
Trim Knob

• One package audio level may be different from the
  next
• With every video watch the LEDs and adjust if
  necessary
• The package audio may change while its playing
• Keep a close eye on the LEDs
• If the level drops down, turn the trim up
• If the level gets too high, turn the trim down

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Using the Mute Button
Mute Button

• Quick way to turn on and off a source
• When the source is on the air, the mute button
  for that source should be off
• Light is turned off
• When the source is off the air, the mute button
  should be on
• Light is turned on

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Muting Unmuting

• One shot
• Anchor
• Only the anchor mike source should be on
• Two shot
• Two anchors
• Both anchor mikes should be on
• Four shot
• All four anchors
• All anchor mikes should be on

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Muting Unmuting

• News or sports pack (package with reporter)
• Only the VTR source should be on
• Making the anchor-to-package transition
• Anchor is reading the package lead
• Anchor mike is on
• Get ready to open the package VTR source
• Director takes VTR
• Open package VTR source
• Mute anchor mike
• On headset tell floor director, Mikes are out.

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Muting Unmuting

• B-Roll
• Video that plays while the anchor reads a story
• Some B-roll may or may not contain audio
• B-Roll without audio
• Anchor mike stays on
• VTR source stays off
• B-Roll contains audio
• Known as a VOSOT voice-over sound on tape
• Anchor mike stays on
• VTR source stays on

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Keeping up with the Show

• Audio sources change quickly
• Ex. two shot, one shot, VOSOT, tease, clipstore
  back to one shot
• Watch your program and preview monitors
• Whatever is in program should have its source
  turned on
• Whatever is in preview you need to have ready to
  turn on

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Using the Fader

• For the anchors and VTRs
• Stay in the up position at 0dB
• Some inputs may need to be faded up or down
• Clipstore
• Newscast intros and outtros
• Stinger music

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Fading a Source

• Fade up
• Have the fader all the way in the down position
• Infinity setting
• Unmute the source
• Mute light should be off
• Slowly move the fader to the 0dB position

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Fading a Source

• Fade down
• Fader should already be in the 0dB position and
  unmuted
• Mute light is off
• Slowly move the fader to the infinity setting
• All the way down

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Cross Fading Two Sources

• Cross fading
• Allow you to bring down one source and seamlessly
  bring in another
• Typically, our crossfades will be between CD
  music and clipstore
• Information graphic to public service
  announcement
• And sometimes back to CD

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Cross Fading Two Sources

• Procedure
• Have BOTH sources unmuted
• The current source fader should be at 0dB and the
  source you are going to at infinity
• When its time for the transition, simply swap
  fader positions for the two sources

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Lower Right Audio Controls

• Control room monitor adjustment (CR)
• Adjusts how loud the control room audio speakers
  are
• Does not effect the audio board output levels
• You must have a source open in order to hear
  something from the audio monitors
• If the producer/director asks to have the monitor
  turned up or down, this is what you adjust

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Lower Right Audio Controls

• Studio monitor on/off and adjust
• Any line source can be fed into the studio
• No microphones in the studio can be on if the
  studio monitor is turned on
• Mikes and speakers in the same room dont get
  along and cause feedback
• Be sure all mikes are muted if this is turned on

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Lower Right Audio Controls

• Meter select
• This tells the VU meters what to indicate
• In our situation should be CR
• If your output meters dont seem to be moving
  when they should, this is the first thing you
  should check
• If CR is on, check the A/B switch below it
  should be in A

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Lower Right Audio Controls

• Talk back
• This is the Studio Announce circuit (SA)
• Allows you to speak to everyone in the studio
• This button momentarily turns on the studio
  monitors so those there can hear you
• Push the talk back button (TB) and speak into the
  mike
• Curiously, the mike is not in the Talk Back area
  of the board, but above the oscillator

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Lower Right Audio Controls

• Talk back buttons
• Aux 1 4 will lay an audio slate to any source
  that is receiving an aux audio input
• Slate allows you to lay an audio slate to any
  line input
• I dont think this is hooked up
• TB this is the only one you will need to use

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Lower Right Audio Controls

• Talk back mike adjust
• This adjusts how loud your voice is in the studio
  when you talk into the mike
• If the setting is too low no one will hear you
• If the setting is too high people will mistake
  you for God speaking to Moses!
• A setting around 1200 100 is normally fine

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Lower Right Audio Controls

• Oscillator
• Used to calibrate the audio input settings of any
  VTRs recording your production
• Press the tone button and adjust the frequency
  setting, if necessary
• Tone at 0dB is sent to any VTR with program input
  selected
• Any source you send out of the audio board will
  be calibrated with the recorders

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Lower Right Audio Controls

• Solo
• Like CUE on an radio on-air board
• Solo sources, if muted, are heard, but do not go
  on air
• Every source on the audio board has a solo button
• Right below the mute button

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Lower Right Audio Controls

• Solo
• Only solo sources can be heard on the control
  room monitors when solo is turned on
• Even if the other sources are unmuted!
• If you intend to solo a source, warn everyone
  first

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Lower Right Audio Controls

• It is possible to accidentally turn solo on
• If you suddenly dont hear what is unmuted, look
  for a red light below the mute buttons and turn
  it off
• The big red light on the right will turn of if
  any solo button is turned on
• You can control the solo volume with solo knob
  right below the indicator light

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Doing the Two-Step

• During the show you are basically doing two
  things
• Making sure whatever is in program is unmuted and
  whatever is in preview is ready to be
• When a new source is unmuted, check the input
  levels (LEDs) and adjust the trim, if necessary,
  to peak the source level
• OK, one more thing
• When anchor mikes are turned off (studio is
  clear) tell the floor person, Mikes are out.
• This will give the talent time to clear their
  throats, cough, talk to the floor person, etc.

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Using the Control Room Audio Board

• Samuel Edsall