1. +
CHANNEL STRIP
THE SIGNAL FLOW THROUGH
AN ANALOG MIXING BOARD

2. +
WELCOME
 Hello
my name is Lafayette Larrimore and
I am from the sunny city of Miami Florida
USA. Thank you for reviewing my simple
project. It is a short journey into the
amazing world of sound. We travel along
the path a signal flows through a channel
strip

3. +
The Channel Strip Diagram
Here is a block diagram of a typical flow of sound through a
channel strip. Keep in mind that there are several variation of
this diagram but generally this is the path the signal will flow.

4. +
THE INPUTS
 A mixer has two general types of inputs:
Microphone
Line Input
Input

5. +
INSTRUMENT/LINE INPUT
 A line input is a signal that
is already at the higher
level than that of a mic
input (thus not need a
preamp to boost the
signal)
 A 1⁄4-inch male phone
jack is most often found at
the end of an audio cable
commonly called an
“instrument cable,” and on
a mixer is the companion
1⁄4-inch female phone
jack .

6. +
MICROPHONE INPUT
 A balanced XLR (3 pin)
socket for the relatively
low signal level from
microphones. To
accommodate differences
between two types of
microphones—a “dynamic
microphone” and a
“condenser
microphone”— a feature
called Phantom Power is
often included on mixers.
 Mic inputs commonly
need a preamp to boost
the signal to a suitable
level.

7. +
MIC PREAMP
 Microphones, which, by nature, produce only a small electrical
current, need boosting to be compatible with the mixer. Such a
device or circuit called a “microphone pre- amplifier,” is used for
this purpose. Its task is simply to boost the microphone’s small
electrical signal. Frequently, this “mic preamp” is called the
Gain Control and is located at the top of each channel strip.
Correct adjustment of the Gain Control is essential to reduce
the ever-present noise of electronic components while
producing a strong, clean audio signal from a microphone.. The
boosted signal from the input section next travels to the
channel strip.

8. +
INSERTS
 Inserts allow you to send the signal to an external device for
further manipulation.
 These external devices include compressors, equalizing or
even reverb.
 Again as with many components of the channel strip the insert
can occur at different location on a mixer with after the preamp
being the most common location.
 The insert uses both balanced and unbalanced cables
 After processing the signal is returned back to the mixer to
continue moving along the channel strip.

9. +
EQUALIZATION
 Equalization is the process of adjusting the balance between frequency
components within an electronic signal. The tonal adjustment section of
the strip. Will usually be in the form of a two or three band EQ (lo, mid, hi
frequencies). If, for example:
 To much can sound muddy either by itself or when mixed together with
other instruments, deemphasizing the lower frequencies will clarify the
sound.
 At the other end of the (frequency) spectrum, if a voice or instrument
sounds “dull,” increasing the high frequency con- tent of that sound, using
the high frequency control on the mixer, can add “sparkle” and “presence”
to the sound.
 With respect to the mid-frequency portion of the sound spectrum—where
most sound energy is located— equalization can be incredibly effective.
Boosting the mid-range frequency content of an instrument or voice can
add a sense of “girth” or “body” to sounds that may seem “thin.”
Decreasing that same frequency content can often make a voice or
instrument sound “clearer” with the other sounds traveling through the
mixer.

10. +
AUXILLARY (AUX) SENDS
 This is where things start getting interesting... An Aux send allows you to
send a copy of the channel signal somewhere else, often combining it with
other channels to a separate output. Why? Well, this allows you to do
things like send a different mix to a monitor system, or add effects to some
of the channels but not to others. Tasty, and comes in two flavors: pre- and
post-fader. Pre fader is what you will usually use for monitoring - the signal
is taken before the fader changes the level (often before the EQ too -
check your mixer's block diagram). The reason for using pre-fade aux
sends for monitoring is so that as you mix - changing the level of an
instrument in the main mix - using the fader, the volume of the instrument
stays constant in the monitors, keeping the musician happy. For effect
send we use post-fade so that as you bring down the level of an
instrument, the effect level also diminishes. It's nice if a mixer gives you
the option to change an aux send from pre to post, but not essential.
Some mixers have the sends preconfigured as pre or post and call them
'monitor' and 'effects' respectively.

11. +
VOLUME FADERS
 The fader is where you set
the level of the channel -
the volume in the mix of
the instrument you want.
Try to have the fader set
somewhere around the
0dB mark or lower (usually
marked clearly on the
mixer). This gives you
some 'headroom' so that
you can push the channel
higher when needed
(solos, etc.).

12. +
PANPOTS
 Positions the instrument in a stereo mix. Usually this is done
by distributing the sound signal either left or right. Adjustments
made in turning the knob changes our perception of the
placement of the sound in the stereo field. Therefore adjusting
the know to the right makes the signal to the right more
prominent and vice versa turning the knob to the left

13. +
MUTE/SOLO SWITCHES
Mute Switches - Allows
you to turn a channel off
completely. Useful to
mute mics not being
used for a particular
song Solo Switches -
Solo Switches - The
opposite of a mute
switch. Switches off all
the channels not
soloed. For setting trim
levels and hearing one
track in isolation

14. +
REFLECTION
 Well I tried to keep it brief as possible per the requirements.
There are a lot more information that could be added but that
would take us beyond the scope of this project. Again thank for
taking the time to read this assignment and good luck in with
the rest of the class.