Basics About the Soundcraft Sound Console
This is intended to provide basic operational information on the Soundcraft Si Expression Consoles in MB 1, 2 and 3. The console has far greater capabilities than what is outlined here.
Powering on/off the console
To turn on the console, press the power button at the top right once. Do not press and hold the power button as that will put you in a setup mode.
To turn off the console, press and hold the power button until it flashes. Once it starts flashing, press it again to turn off the console.
Faders
In the default show file, the faders are all pre-assigned and the faders have been labeled accordingly. The label across the top of the faders indicates what is patched on each fader on the various fader pages.
The fader pages are indicated on the right side of the faders as A, B, C and D. The buttons light up to indicate which fader page is active.
The mic lines in the theater all directly correlate to the mic lines on the faders. So when a mic is plugged in to mic line 1 in the theater, it will come up on the console as Mic 01 on the fader. This is the case with all of the mic lines in the theater.
The tie lines on the faders correlate to the console tie lines that are in the patch panel in the amp room. These can be used to connect a mic if all of the available mic lines in a particular location have been used.
These are different from the ties that are distributed throughout the room. The tie lines in the theater itself are just lines that are not connected to anything until they've been patched.
Several of the mixes show up on the main faders as do the sub, and matrixes. The use of these gets a bit more complicated that a basic user guide can go in to.
Please note, in MB 2, mix 1 is set up as the "fold back" speaker for the stage. This is necessary for dance or other groups that need to hear the audio that's going to the mains. The default show file has the Qlab channels saved in that mix so that they should generally always be on unless a client has made changes.
The Qlab channels (1 - 4), the CD player, the CDR and PCDI all show up on the faders on various pages and control the volume for each of those devices. Some are set up as stereo faders, and some are not.
Mixes
As mentioned above, in MB 2, mix 1 is already set up as the fold back for the stage. The Qlab channels are saved in the default show file to that mix. Any other devices added to the set up would need to be added to that mix for the stage.
The microphones set up for streaming in each of the theaters are set up on Mix 14. These are patched to OP 1/2 on the console and are sent directly to the IP camera in the theater.
For events that are streamed, the sound technician may need to make adjustments to the base EQ of mix 14 if time allows. A base EQ was set when the mics were installed and should give a good general sound quality.
Matrixes
There are 4 matrixes that are preset in each theater. In MB 2, only matrix 1 and 4 are used.
In MB1, 2 and 3, matrix 1 is the sub and matrix 4 is the video record line. In MB 1 and 3, matrix 2 and 3 are for the additional arena speakers. MB 2 does not use matrix 2 and 3.
To access "control" of that matrix, double tap the relevant button until the faders light up. This will give you control of the stereo and mono signal and overall signal level. Generally these levels shouldn't be adjusted unless designing a specific audio set up for a show.
Video Record Line
As mentioned above, matrix 4 is preset as the video record line. This takes the signal that is going to the mains (L/R and mono) and sends it out to be available to connect to a video camera. Adjustments to the level shouldn't be necessary as long as the volume to the mains is sufficient to be heard.
The video record lines appear in the patch panel in the amp room and can be connected via patch cable, to the videographer via the patch panel.
A videographer may also tap in to the streaming mics if desired. This requires the signal from the streaming mics to be split using the mults in the rack in the amp room, and is something that goes further than a basic guideline for using the system.
The Mains
The main faders are set up with a L/R signal and a mono signal. Generally you will want to move those in tandem so that the volume is staying equal between the speakers. This may not be the case if someone is designing a specific audio set up, specifically in MB 1 and 3 where there are varying set ups.
The L/R is the stereo pair in each of the rooms. In MB 2, they are the main speakers on the left and right of the stage. In MB 1 and 3, they are the stereo pair that face the audience in the end stage configuration.
The mono in MB 2 is the center speaker. In MB 1 and 3, it is the 3 other speakers that face the other sides of the room which are all balanced thru matrix 2 and 3.