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- What is vca in mixing live sound how to#
- What is vca in mixing live sound update#
- What is vca in mixing live sound pro#
Finally, I have an overall strings group fader at the end so I can manage the balance of strings in the complete mix. I have created subgroup faders for each section, which means that I can easily set the internal balance in each section with the track faders, then control the balance between passes with the subgroup faders. These are routed to three subgroubs ('Strings3sb' and so on), which are in turn routed to a single 'strings sub' group controlling the level of the entire string part.The screenshot above shows the strings section from a recording session, where three passes from the same section of around 13 players, with a mic per instrument grouping, were used to create a 'bigger' sound.
![what is vca in mixing live sound what is vca in mixing live sound](https://livesound.pl/i/images/8/0/6/dz04MTYmaD01NTI=_src_806-2379vca.png)
Three passes of the string section were recorded, each containing four tracks. This mixer screen shows a typical Session where grouping is used. Another advantage of VCA groups is that you can 'group' channels that are routed to different outputs, which would be impossible using conventional grouping and group faders.įor both of these reasons, I always try to specify a VCA group–capable desk when handling larger, more complex live sound jobs, and configure the desk so that I end up managing most of the show on the VCA faders. If, however, you use a VCA group, the group fader is changing the gain of each channel, so the amount of signal fed to the post–fade send also reduces by the same amount and the dry/wet balance is maintained. If you are adding reverb to individual tracks from a post–fade send, and use a conventional group channel and fader to bring down the level of all those tracks, you will end up with a wetter signal, because the gain has been reduced in the dry path but the wet path has stayed the same. Well, for one thing, the existing system can cause problems with post–fade effects. After all, if you want to adjust and automate the levels of multiple channels simultaneously, why not just create a group and use the group fader to achieve the same result?
What is vca in mixing live sound pro#
The invention of VCA automation was a major step in the development of mixing technology, but you might be wondering why Digidesign saw fit to include it in Pro Tools, which already has a very sophisticated automation system. This makes it possible to 'move' a raft of faders together, maintaining any offsets within them, by moving a single control fader. In a large–format analogue mixer, a VCA, or Voltage Controlled Amplifier, is a channel gain control that can be adjusted by varying a DC voltage on the control input. One of the major additions in Pro Tools HD version 7.2, which appeared two years ago, was the addition of VCA grouping. Open up the Mix Console with F3, then right click on any track and choose Add VCA.Used correctly, VCA groups can make a big difference when you're faced with a complex mix and lots of automation. This has its benefits, but let’s focus on VCAs and their benefits. But ultimately they work very well, as opposed to routing tracks to a bus channel, where the tracks are summed at the bus. Obviously, they’re not controlled by voltage like the analog version. So the same concept applies with VCAs in the digital domain. This made it possible to move a collection of faders together, maintaining their offsets by the movement of this single VCA fader. On a console, this is a channel gain control that can be adjusted by varying the DC voltage on the input. VCA stands for Voltage Controlled Amplifier.
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VCAs are channels used in analog consoles, and the concept has been moved across into the digital domain.
What is vca in mixing live sound how to#
Let’s take a look at how to set these up and how they can help you with your next track. They are a jump back to how analog consoles worked, but they worked there for a reason. These are great to use when you want to group and link tracks together but not sum them to a bus channel.
What is vca in mixing live sound update#
The Studio One 3.2 update now includes VCA channels in its arsenal.