David wyman Vet Music

Industries

Dummies
guide to setting
up a PA system
Table of
contents
Overview………………………………………………
…3
Safety……………………………………………………
4
Equipment list……………..……….…………….
………..5
Signal flow…………………….
…………………………..6
Signal chain (diagram)……………………………….
……..7
Equipment hire
costs………………………………………8
..…………………………………………….
…………..9
Microphone input
list……………………………………...10
Steps (1~6)
………………………………………...11~17

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 Step 1: Equipment
placement…………………………11
Step 2: Running
power……………………………….12
Step 3: Connecting equipment using audio
cables………...13
…………………………………………………...14
Step 4: Turn on
power………………………………..15
Step 5: Check for
signal………………………………16
Step 6: Make some
noise!!!....................................................17

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Overview
This is a guide to teach beginners how to set up a
standard PA system with foldback for a live band. Not
every PA set up is the same and equipment varies,
however most concepts covered in this guide will apply
to most standard systems with similar setups.
This Guide will cover an equipment list & hire costs, a
signal flow diagram and step by step instructions to
setting up a foldback PA system for a live band.

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Typical FOH speaker set up with foldback speakers.

Safety
1. Ensure that all power is
off before you begin to
plug in the equipment.

2. Heavy equipment may

require assistance for
moving and set up.

3. Make sure to lift “with your knees” as it is easy to

do serious damage to your back by lifting heavy
equipment in an unsafe
manner.

4. It is always good to
have another person
around in case
something goes wrong
and someone needs help.

5. Be cautious of volume. Loud noises can severely

damage your hearing for life. Avoid putting your
head close to a speaker whilst there is a risk of
signal coming through.

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 6. Remove jewellery, such as rings and earrings,
which could get caught on equipment that is being
carried.

7. Make sure all cables are neat and your workspace

is clear to reduce the risk of an accident.

Equipment list
2x AKG D112 mics
5x SM57 mics
3x SM81 mics
3x SM58 mics
2x DI boxes
1x 16 input Mixing
desk
1x Power Amplifier
2x FOH speakers
18x XLR cables,
medium/long
1x 16 input
multicore
2x Speakon to XLR
cables, long
2x Speakon to Speakon cables, long
1x TRS to XLR cable, long
2x Speaker stands

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 Suitable amount of power boards/ extension
leads
2x kettle power cords
2x foldback speakers
13x mic stands, 5 short, 5 tall, 3 clips for rack
toms & snare

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Signal flow
The signal flow is the signal chain in any PA or
recording setup. A transducer such as a microphone is
commonly used to convert sound into an analogue
signal.
A transducer is something that either converts sound
into signal or signal into sound. A microphone does this
by picking up vibrations in the air (also referred to as
“sound”) using a diaphragm, a thin circular sheet that
sits in the top of the microphone.
This diaphragm vibrates a magnetic coil inside the
microphone to induce a current. This current is signal,
which will travel through your signal chain via audio
cables, through your mixer and power amplifier, until it
reaches the transducer on the other end, your speakers.
These work in the reverse way to your microphone. The
signal pulse causes the thin sheets of paper inside your
speakers, which vibrates particles in the air, creating
sound.

We use a power amplifier in the signal chain to amplify

the

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current so it can vibrate a larger transducer without
using an active speaker.

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Signal chain
Sound

Transducer (dynamic mic)

Mixe Mixer
FOH FB

A B
Power Power Amp (amplifies signal)
amp
A B

Foldback

FOH Speakers

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Equipment hire
costs
Store DJ quote:

Pro Sound and Lighting quote:

Subtotal: $545.00

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Equipment hire
costs
Hire company: Store DJ Contact Name:
Jack Ritchie
Contact Numbers: 1300 858 394
Website: https://www.storedj.com.au/
Address: Melbourne: Richmond VIC - 03 9912 2858
Melbourne: Fitzroy North VIC - 03 9486 8552
Pick up Date: 6 / 3 / 19 Time: 10:00
Return: 6 / 4 / 19
Other Hire company # (website):
https://prosoundlighting.com.au/

What to look for:

In this case, it would be much better to hire your
equipment from Store DJ. This is for multiple reasons.
Firstly, Store DJ is much closer, with two locations in
Melbourne. Pro Sound and Lighting is based in NSW
which means that it will be much more difficult to
transport the equipment, and they may charge a lot for
delivery.
Store DJ is a much bigger business, and has a wide
catalogue of equipment for hire. The other place has a
much more limited range of items and doesn’t hire out

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power amplifiers. This means you have to buy that
separately or hire it from somewhere else.
Store DJ also charges much less for hiring out there
equipment and the website is much easier to read and
understand in terms of what you are hiring and how
long you will be hiring it for. Store DJ also has a large
team of online sales consultants to assist you.

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Mic input list
Microphone Input List
Foldback
Instrument / Mixer Group
Microphone Stage send &
sound Channe assignme
used / DI Box # amount
source l# nt
(in dB)
Kick AKG D112 1 1 3 Drum
Snare SM57 2 2 0 Drum
High Hat SM81 3 3 2 Drum
Tom 1 SM57 4 4 1 Drum
Tom 2 SM57 5 5 1 Drum
Floor
AKG D112 6 6 2 Drum
Tom
Over
SM81 7 7 2 Drum
Head R
Over
SM81 8 8 2 Drum
Head L
Bass DI 9 9 0 Bass
Guitar 1 SM57 10 10 1 Guitar
Guitar 2 SM57 11 11 1 Guitar
Keyboar
DI 12 12 1 Keys
d
Main
SM58 13 13 3 Vox
Vocal
Vocal 2 SM58 14 14 1 Vox
Vocal 3 SM58 15 15 1 Vox

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Steps (1 ~ 6)
1. Place all equipment in the appropriate

locations
Set up all FOH speakers in their appropriate location,
generally in front of the stage and facing the audience,
slightly angled if necessary to guarantee optimal sound
quality.
Place your foldback speakers on the front of the stage,
facing the performer, but not directly into any
microphones.

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Don’t worry about any cables or leads just yet, this
comes in a later step.
Set up your mixing desk and power amp in the desired
location. This will be set up to the right side of the
stage, but commonly you will see mixing desks set up
at the back of the venue, behind the audience. Make
sure that your mixing desk is set up on a table for ease
of access. Avoid placing equipment on the floor to
reduce the risk of tripping or damage to equipment.
This is also to keep things neat and easy to access. Place
your stage box (multicore) at a central location on your
stage, out of the way. This is commonly behind the
drum kit. Mic up the stage according to the mic input
list, placing each microphone close to the sound source,
and isolating the mics as much as possible to prevent
bleed.

2. Running power

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Connect the power. When running power for a PA
system it is crucial to avoid running equipment from
multiple circuits.
This could cause dangerous electrical currents to travel
through your equipment, which creates the risk of
death. This could also cause unwanted hums in your
system.
Use a power board to keep everything running from
the single outlet. Use kettle plugs or the power cords
that come with the power amp or mixer to plug them in.
Make sure that your power leads are run neatly to
reduce the tripping hazard
You may need to use extension leads depending on the
location of power points at your venue. Do not turn on
the power yet.
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 3. Connect the equipment using audio
cables

1. Connect all mics from the stage to the stage

box according to the mic input list using XLR
cables.

2. Connect the keyboard and bass into DI boxes

and send them to the stage box as well.

3. Connect each corresponding XLR output from

the multicore into the inputs of your mixer.
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 4. Send one XLR from the main
output of your mixer into side
A, or channel 1 of your power
amp.

5. Send another TRS to XLR

cable from AUX 1 output on
your mixer into side B or
channel 2 of your power amp.

6. From the power amp, send

side A, or channel 1, back
down the multicore to output 1

7. From the power amp, send

side B, or channel 2, back
down the multicore to output 2

8. From output 1 of the

multicore, send an XLR to the nearest FOH
speaker, and send another from the parallel out
of that speaker, to your other FOH speaker

9. Do the same with your foldback speakers, with

the signal coming from output 2 of your
multicore.

4. Turn on the power

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When powering on equipment, it is important to follow
the signal chain, turning on any equipment towards the
start of the chain first. Doing this incorrectly can result
in a loud pop that may possibly ruin your speakers.
In this setup we turn the power on at the wall, then the
mixer, and finally the power amp. When switching off
equipment, remember to do this in the reverse order.

5. Check for signal

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We do this to check the levels and make sure we are
getting signal to the mixer. Have one person constantly
speaking into a mic to test for signal. Turn on the PFL
on your mixer and watch your signal metre light up.
Adjust the gain on your input signal so that the level is
as high as it can be without going into the red
(clipping).
Make sure that all other knobs on your mixer are set to
12 and check the signal on each of your inputs.

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 6. Make some noise!!!

Turn the volume to full on your power amp.

Flick off the PFL switch on your mixer.
Ensure all inputs are being sent to M (Main).
With someone on the microphone testing levels, bring
up the main fader, with each input fader set to an
appropriate level.
Set the levels being sent to the foldback using the aux 1
level control for each input channel on your mixer.

And now you have a fully functional PA setup for a live

band!

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FAQ
1. From start to finish, how is a PA set up, connected
and operated? (200 words)

The first step is to make sure you have all the required
equipment for the PA system you would like to set up.
Then you need to ensure the safety of everyone setting
up the PA by making sure they have a decent
understanding of the OH&S risks.
Then, place all equipment in the appropriate locations
and start to run power to your power amp and mixer.
Set up your signal chain by plugging in your Mic or aux
cable into your mixer, sending the output from your
mixer to the input of your power amp. From the output
of your power amp you can plug in your speakers.
Now you can turn on the power. Make sure the volume
of the amplifier is set to full and ensure all the knobs on
your mixer are set to halfway. Use the PFL button to
test your gain levels, making sure that your signal is
reading high into the green zone.
Now you can switch off your PFL and turn up the
channel fader and then the main or stereo faders,
depending on how you chose to output the signal.

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You can now operate your microphone or audio source
as desired. When packing up your equipment, do
everything in the opposite order. Turn down your
faders, turn off your power amp and mixer, then you
may unplug and pack everything away neatly.

2. What are three possible career paths of an audio

engineer?

1)Live sound engineer

2)Audio visual technician
3)Audio post production

3. What is the difference between mic level and line

level

Mic level describes the minimal level of a signal

coming straight from the microphone. Line level refers
to this signal when it has been through some sort of
amp or pre amp. This signal is usually 1000 times
stronger than the mic level.

4. What equipment is on a typical audio signal flow

chart?

Generally on a typical audio signal flow chart you will

see the sound source, a transducer, or microphone, a

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mixer, maybe FX and eq. typically it will also show the
amplifier, and finally, the speakers.

5. What does dBSPL stand for?

dB SPL stands for decibels of sound pressure level.

6. If I am standing 1m away from a speaker and I move

back to 4m away, how many dBSPL will I lose?

You will lose 12 dB at a distance of 4m as there is a

sound level drop of 6dB per doubling of distance.

7. If frequency is the number of cycles per second, how

many cycles is 2.2kHz?

2.2kHz = 2200 cycles per second

8. True or false? 100Hz is four octaves lower than

400Hz.

False. 100Hz is two octaves lower than 400Hz

9. What is phase cancellation?

Phase cancellation occurs when two signals of the same

frequency are out of phase with each other. If two
identical signals are perfectly out of phase they will
cancel each other out completely when combined.

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10. What is feedback?

Feedback occurs when a fraction of the output signal

from a device that produces sound goes back through
the input of the same device. This will often create
distortion of sound and often a piercing ringing noise.

11. What is foldback?

Foldback is the sound sent back to onstage performers

via an onstage monitor. This is often a separate mix to
the FOH mix as it is used by the performer so he/she
only hears what she needs/wants to.

12. What is unity gain?

Unity gain is keeping the input and output levels of an

audio device equal. Unity gain is important for
preserving a fuller, cleaner sound.

13. What are five OHS concerns in a live audio

production?

1)Raised equipment, if not secured properly, may

fall, injuring workers or performers.
2)Heavy equipment, if not carried properly, may
result in lifelong back injuries.
3)If some electrical wires are faulty, or set up
incorrectly, may result in electrocution.
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 4)Leads, if not run neatly, create a tripping hazard
which can be dangerous around stages and heavy
equipment.
5)Ladders, if not up to workplace standards, present
the risk of falling to workers.

14. What is the threshold of pain in dBSPL?

The threshold of pain varies with age and exposure.

Generally the threshold is between 120 dBSPL and 140
dBSPL.

15. Is it generally safe to store sound equipment in a

hot, damp room?

It is unwise to store equipment in a damp place as

moisture can cause corrosion. It is also best to keep it in
a warm, not hot, place and keep it dry. Anything
slowing down oxidisation will help your equipment live
a longer life

16. What is the best power up and power down process

for a basic PA system

You should always start the process of powering up

closest to the source of the signal, and turn on
equipment following the signal flow until you reach the
speaker. Powering down should be done in the opposite
order

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17. What does a pre fader send do? And what is a
common use for this?

Pre fader sends are most commonly used for foldback.

A pre fader send is a signal being sent to the aux
outputs before being affected by the fader. When used
for foldback this means that any adjustment to the FOH
mix will not affect what the performers are hearing

18. What does DI stand for?

DI stands for Direct Input.

19. What does RMS stand for?

RMS stands for Root-Mean-Square, and determines the

measure of constant power an amp can output, or a
speaker can handle.

20. What piece of equipment commonly has a woofer,

tweeter or driver?

Most speakers will have a woofer and a tweeter.

21. What generally occurs when you lay unbalanced

audio cables parallel to power cables?

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You may experience an electrical hum coming through
your system if you lay unbalanced audio cables parallel
to power cables. To avoid this it is always
recommended to avoid running audio cables alongside
power cables, along with switching to balanced leads.

The end

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