Basic Sound Terms

You may or may not have some knowledge about sound and production terminology, but it’s always good to get on the same page with the words we use. Here are your need-to-know audio terms for this lesson:

• Public Address System (“PA”): the speakers used to amplify sound to an audience/congregation. This is the main tool of “live sound reinforcement,” which is the purpose of all this technology.
• Inputs & Outputs: the way sound is routed and controlled for a mix.
  • “Inputs” are anything that goes into a mixing board: computer programs like Spotify, microphones on stage, a digital keyboard, etc. A similar helpful term is “source.”
  • “Outputs” are any kind of routing of those inputs on their way to a PA system, computer recording program, or other way of getting the mix out. Outputs may also output somewhere else!
• “Gain”: the actual level of an input source into a mixing board, measured in decibels (dB)
• “Clipping”: this is when a source is gained up too high and it distorts unpleasantly.
• “Unity”: in audio, unity is -0dB on the mixing board. The master fader is always set at unity.
• “Faders”: the switches on a sound board that mix multiple input sources for output through a PA system

Basic Band Terms

• Arrangement: Each song has an arrangement of its parts (i.e. “Verse,” “Chorus,” “Bridge,” etc.) that are important to know so you can anticipate where a song needs to go
• MD or “Music Director”: This is the member of the band who is directing the other band members and starting/stopping tracks.

Signal Flow

Somehow, we have to get what’s on the stage to our public address system (”PA”) in the Worship Center so everyone can hear! Here’s what that looks like in our Worship Center:

What is a mixing board?

A “mixing board” (also known as a “sound board,” “mixing console,” etc.) is where all of our sound sources are mixed to be heard through our PA (”public address system,” I.E. the speakers in the Worship Center and Atrium). At Rock Point Church, we use a Midas M32 mixing board.

You can go in-depth to understand the Midas M32 above, but for now let’s get generally familiar with the sections of the mixing board.