Basic Navigation of the TouchMix: Part 1

Alright, let’s get familiar with some of the basic navigation on your TouchMix.

Most of your workflow will take place on the touch screen of your mixer.

QSC has made it really easy to navigate and get around.

And while the TouchMix is packed with many rich features,

this video will cover the features you are most likely to use on a regular basis in the House of Worship environment.

Up at the top of the screen we have the navigation strip.

This allows us to navigate through the different banks of faders.

Each bank will display 8 faders.

So, from the beginning on the left we have input channels 1-8, input channels 9-16,

followed by 17-24 on the TouchMix-30 Pro.

After the mic input banks we have the stereo inputs and 2-track record and playback channels.

Next we have the FX master faders, then all of the Aux main faders.

The TouchMix-30 Pro has an additional bank for Sub Groups.

After these we have our DCA group faders.

And while we're talking about navigation strips, this section on the left of your screen allows you to access all your outputs.

Right now the output for the main mix is selected and highlighted in blue.

Notice that the faders for the main mix are white.

This is another indicator that you are making adjustments to the main mix.

Underneath the main mix are your auxiliary mixes, or auxes for short.

In order to access these, simply touch that box and it will be highlighted in blue

indicating that you are now making fader changes to that mix.

In this case aux 1.

Notice that the faders have changed color; another indication that we are no longer making changes to the main mix.

As I scroll through the various auxes, you’ll notice that each one has a different color.

And now we’ll return to the main mix by touching that box in the upper left corner.

Now look to the right of the screen and you’ll see your L/R master fader.

This fader strip will become the master fader for which ever mix you have selected.

So, if you select aux 1, then the master fader is now the overall volume control for aux 1.

If you select aux 7, then the master fader is now the overall volume control for aux 7

and so on and so forth.

Once again, we will select our main mix.

Direct your attention once again to the top navigation strip.

As we make changes to the main mix, you’ll notice that these changes are reflected in the mini faders on the nav strip.

Whichever aux mix we’ve selected, the nav strip will reflect the faders’ positions of that mix.

For example, if you select aux 3 and make a fader change to channel 9,

that change is reflected in the mini faders of the nav strip.

Now let’s take a look at channel settings.

Channel settings for an individual channel can be accessed by selecting this gray box just above the cue button.

Notice that your navigation strip now reflects channel parameters available to you.

I like to think of our channel settings as the artist’s palette.

This is where we get to shape and mold each individual sound into sonic art.

Right now I will introduce you to the channel parameters but we will learn in more detail

how to create our sonic landscape using these controls when we get to the video, tips and tricks for your mix.

So, don’t worry if you don’t understand yet exactly how to apply these controls.

Right now the overview screen is selected.

This page allows us to view all of our show critical controls on a single page.

EQ curve, compressor, gate, fx and aux routing.

Up here at the top you can access channel presets, you have a polarity reverse button,

digital gain, input delay and the reset button which will reset all the channel parameters to their default position.

Probably not a good idea to push that one during a live service.

Basically, this overview screen is a complete configuration of a channel on a single page.

And all of these parameters are active.

We can select any control on this screen and make adjustment to it.

The next 7 parameters give us more detailed control of everything we saw on the overview screen.

This is the EQ page.

EQ stands for "equalization".

Right here where it says PEQ, that stands for parametric EQ and that’s what this type of EQ is.

This button here indicates whether your PEQ is engaged or not engaged.

There are a few ways to adjust your EQ.

You can grab any one of the points and move it around.

To change the width of the Q, select any point and then pinch.

Another way to adjust the EQ is to select either the gain, frequency or Q

on any one of the bands and turn the encoder wheel.

You can adjust the low cut or high cut simply by touching this symbol

and then using the knob below to adjust the frequency.

Next in our channel strip is our compressor.

Right here it will indicate whether the compressor is engaged or not engaged.

If it’s in, then it’s engaged.

The graph is a representation of a waveform

with the line representing what’s happening to that waveform as we adjust the compressor controls.

Here is your threshold slider, which tells you at what signal level your compressor will start to compress.

Here is your ratio slider, which will tell you how many dB’s you’re compressing.

Your attack slider tells you how quickly the compressor is reacting.

The release slider tells you how quickly or slowly the compressor is letting go.

Right here is the make-up gain, should you need to add some level back to the compressed signal.

Next is our gate.

Right here indicates whether the gate is engaged or not.

Again, here we have the graph showing a representation of a waveform

with the line representing what’s happening to that wave form as we adjust the gate controls.

I’m going to turn it on.

This threshold slider tells us at what meter level the gate will open.

This is the attenuation slider.

Attenuation means decreasing.

This slider indicates how much the level was turned down when the gate closed.

The attack slider indicates how fast the gate engages.

The release slider tells us how fast or slow the gate is letting go.

The hold knob tells us how long the signal will sustain until it starts to release.

Next is the FX screen.

Here you can add various digital effects to your channel.

Next is the Auxes screen where you can send your channel to your other mixes.

Next is your Presets screen.

Here you can choose instrument presets with channel parameters already loaded

for whichever instrument or application you choose.

This feature is so rich and useful that we dedicated a whole video to it.

More on this later.

Next is our set up screen.

Click in this box to name your channel.

This link button will link 2 channels together so that when you make changes to one channel

it will automatically make changes to the second channel.

If you’re recording this channel you would press this button to arm the channel.

If you’re playing back multitrack through a channel click this button to play it back.

Right here is where you can reverse the polarityon a channel.

Here is your phantom power button.

Over here is the input delay section.

It’s engaged when the IN button is highlighted blue.

This knob here adjusts your delay time.

This here is a channel safe button.