Arden Worship Center Monitor Console User Guide
This guide is intended to help the Arden worship team better understand a few of the terms used on the monitor console, as well as make the interface more user friendly!
MonitorMix only allows 10 simultaneous device connections. If you are having trouble connecting, there could simply be too many people attempting to connect at once
Terms to Know
General Abbreviations & Acronyms
- IEM - In-Ear Monitor
- xxx-L / xxx-R = Stereo Channel (an instrument or source with a Left and a Right signal path)
- VOX, VX = Vocal
- Drums
- SN = Snare
- T1, T2, etc. = Toms
- OH = Overhead mics (captures the cymbals/an overall sound of the drums)
- TRIG = Trigger (a device that's mounted to a drum shell to generate additional sounds)
- SPD = Drum Pad
- TRAX = Backing Tracks (synths, keys, guitars, etc)
- PERC = Percussion Tracks
- AG, EG = Acoustic Guitar/Electric Guitar
- FOH = Front of House (main audio console)
- Send Types
- Pre-Fade = A source sent before the fader (volume changes are not heard in the in-ears)
- Post-Fade = A source sent after the fader (volume changes are heard in the in-ears)
- MD = Music Director
- TB = Talkback (mic used for discreet communication between those onstage and offstage)
- ARD SP = Arden Service Producer
- VRB = Reverb/Echo
- HH = Handheld
- PB = Pastor Bruce
FOH Media and All TBs
- The "FohMedia" channel is post-fade mix of all media-type channels. This blend comes from Front of House and includes:
- Graphics computers (including the countdown audio)
- FOH Music Player (walk-in music)
- Announce mics
- Pastor's mic and backup mic
- The ALL TB's channel is a blend of all talkback mics. This includes:
- MD talkback
- Vocal 2 talkback
- Vocal 5 talkback
- Monitor Console talkback
- Front of House talkback
- Service Producer intercom (Cynthia; cues the band to return to stage for response)
Room/Audience Mics
- Room-L/Room-R is a stereo channel of room mics pointed at the audience. These are helpful for creating space in your mix, as well as being able to hear the congregation.
What's ALL-VOX?
- The "ALL-VOX" channel exists as a mix of all 6 vocal channels at once, helpful for musicians who want to hear an overall blend of vocals.
This vocal mix is post-fade, which means that volume changes made at Front of House are reflected on this channel, such as whoever is leading the song.
- If you are a vocalist, you should not be using the ALL-VOX channel. Using both the individual channels and the ALL-VOX blend with cause phase cancellation issues, which sounds very unpleasant in your in-ears
Troubleshooting 101
Can't hear what you need to hear? Check these things first:
I Hear Nothing
- Ensure that your in-ears are fully plugged in and that your pack is on
- Check that you didn't accidentally bypass the output of your mix. It is easy to accidentally hold down the button with your thumb, which will turn off the main output
Everything Sounds "like I'm in a tunnel"
- If your in-ears sound spacey, muddy, distant, etc; it could be the Room mics . Ensure these are off, or at a comfortable level.
- It could also be the Reverb. Ensure these are off, or at a comfortable level.
- If what you're hearing sounds like lots of drums, ensure the Overhead Mics are off, or at a comfortable level.
- If you only have one in-ear in, check to see if a channel got panned to only one side:
It is highly recommended that you do not use only one in-ear while on stage. This interview with Dr. Michael Santucci (Doctorate of Arts, Audiology; Illinois State University) explains the risk of permanent hearing damage while being on stage without proper hearing protection.
We love our worship team and want you to be safe!
Connecting to Your Pack
- When connecting to the Monitor Console network (Arden WC Monitors) first thing on a Sunday or Wednesday, be sure to hit Connect and not Resume.
Resume will always revert back to the last mix you were connected to, which may belong to a different pack from a previous Sunday. Once you have connected, you can use Resume for the rest of the morning
Always refer to the backstage screen to determine which mic/pack belong to you, then connect to the corresponding mix
How to make MonitorMix easier to navigate
Hide Unused Channels
- The Hide Unused Channels button is a quick way to hide unused channels on the console, as demonstrated below
This applies to channels that are turned off, not just blank
Personal Group Order
- Another way to clean up the appearance of MonitorMix is by using the Personal Group Order option
- The grouping of channels will be saved to the preferences of your device only, not your specific pack. This means that if you often change packs between weeks you serve, your phone/tablet will remember the groups you previously created the next time you connect to any pack.