How do you get consistent sound every week? Is it even possible with different people running the mixer? I’ll let you in on one of the most helpful tools for getting the same great sound every week, no matter who is behind the mixer.
I’ve been after this for over fifteen years, mixing great sound every week and teaching my ten thousand-plus students to do the same.
We were already getting great sound at my church using the simple strategies in my flagship course called Church Sound Made Simple.
But when we set up this dedicated RTA screen, whoa! It took something that was already awesome and made it better.
This setup lets us see in real-time what is happening in our room across the entire frequency spectrum. There’s an accurate dB reading at all times to make sure things do not get too loud. But even more important is the EQ curve we are all aiming for.
Our EQ curve is something I’ve developed over many years of trial and error. It is the key to creating pleasant yet powerful sound. It’s warm. It’s clear. It’s big and spatial, but not harsh.
If that’s what you are going for, download my EQ Curve Cheat Sheet here. It will make it easy for you to implement. Let’s dive into the details of this setup.
We’re using an M1 Mac Mini with a 15” portable display. The Mac is mounted under the desk, and the display is mounted using a tablet stand.
You’ll need a microphone with a flat frequency response. We use the DBX RTA mic. It’s a budget-friendly mic that gets great results.
The RTA software is called Open Sound Meter and is free to download. We use the triple-chart configuration.
The top chart is the current dB reading. This gives us the same information as a standalone dB meter. However, you need to calibrate the reference mic’s gain for this to be accurate.
Since we value the ear health of our listeners, we invested in a sound-level calibrator that you place over the reference mic. It emits a ninety-four dB signal at one kilohertz.
This enables you to hover over the one-kilohertz line in Open Sound Meter and set the gain on the reference mic to read 94dB. Once this is done, your mic is calibrated. Make a note of the gain setting, and don’t change it.
The middle chart is a Spectrum reading, showing you what is being heard by the reference mic across the entire frequency range.
The bottom chart is a Magnitude reading, which compares the pure signal going to the speakers with what is being heard in the room. For this to work, be sure to configure your measurement inputs correctly.
The M input should be the reference mic. The R input should be your main mix.
One of the biggest problems this has solved is keeping the bass at the right level weekly. It used to vary a bit based on who was mixing because we all hear those low frequencies differently.
But now, we set the level of the bass guitar using the RTA curve and build everything else upon a solid foundation.
This setup is well worth the investment. Be sure to grab my free Frequency Curve Cheat Sheet to help with setup.
You should also consider enrolling in my Room EQ Made Simple course because if you don’t have your room dialed in, you’ll have a really hard time hitting the right frequency curve.
