Here’s a few words and phrases to know regarding audio engineering. This is in the context of a small club, venue or event.
Aux Mix: A mix of the music provided to a stage monitor, or to another device. This mix can be adjusted so that different levels of each channel and instrument are sent. This is a customized mix that is different than the mix that is coming out of the main speakers. It gets its name from the Auxillary Outs on the back of the board. Auxillary means additional, so these are additional mixes.
Use in a sentence: We have three separate monitor mixes on stage…but the board has a fourth aux mix, so I will send that mix to the fourth monitor.
Board Mix: A mix of the music which is heard in the room, in the main speakers, and could also be called the “house mix” as it’s in the house. It can be provided to a recording device, such as a recording device used by a videographer. This means it is a mix that is the same as the board’s main sends.
Use in a sentence: I can send you the board mix, but it’s not going to have the guitar amps or the drums in it, because we do not mic them.
Direct Out: The direct out is the XLR out of an amp, and the signal of the amp will go directly into an XLR cable, and then to the house.
Use in a sentence: I do not need a DI box because my bass amp has a direct out, so just give me an XLR.
House: The house is the room or venue, specifically the area where the audience is. The word comes from theater. It can refer to the audience area as well as to the mixing board which is sending signal to the house speakers. The mix heard in the room from the main Left and Right speakers is called the Front of House or FOH mix.
Use in a sentence: It sounded great on stage, but how did it sound in the house? Or, I can take the signal from the keyboard and put it in the monitors, but not in the house.
Returns: Sometimes the audio signal is sent to a device or unit, then it returns to the main mixing board. This is so that the signal can be affected or adjusted by the device, then returned for use.
Use in a sentence: The returns on the snake are not working, there is no signal.
Sends: The sends are the outs on the board where the signal travels out from the board to another device or unit. Literally the signal is being sent somewhere else.
Use in a sentence: We have three sends for the three separate mixes in the monitors.
Snake: a collection of XLR cables and/or quarter-inch cables that are all wound together with a box at the end. This is so there can be a “run” to the stage, even if it is far away from the board and each cable will not have to be laid out indivisually. A snake is a way to group a set of cables. The end of a snake is called a fan.
Use in a sentence: I plan to use the 100-foot snake for when the stage is far away from the mixing board.
Split the Difference: If the engineer over-corrected an adjustement, such as turning it up way too loud when you just needed it a little louder, say “split the difference” which means cut the adjustment you just made by half.
Use in a sentence: Yes I hear it now. Can you split the difference?
Tape Down: to tape down all the extra cables so that they are out of the way so people do not trip, and so the stage and event space looks neat and discreet.
Use in a sentence: I am never going to tape down before testing the cables ever again, we had to re-run the cable to the stage after we alredy tapes it down and it took 20 minutes. And, be sure to tape down those cables, this is a walkway.
Wedge: a monitor on stage that produces sound so that the performers can hear themselves, or any other music elements that are part of the show. It’s called a wedge as it looks like a black wedge of cheese (kinda)?
Use in a sentence: Can you move that wedge, it’s in the way.