What exactly does the "Gain" control on a sound board do to the output sound?

Question

We have multiple people using a single soundboard in our church. They continue to manipulate the gain knobs and puts a "tingy" sound into the output sound. What exactly does this do and how can I explain it to them to keep their hands off?

So I guess my next question would be....should the gain stay at a mid-level or off completely as long as the sound is stable?

Answer 1

the gain control actually gains volume as other part or instuments get into the music, for example you have the background music playing by itself then throw in the chorus and you have two thing play...when this happens volume is risen to actually hear the chorus better than the backgound music or vice versus..which ever one is primary.

Answer 2

The gain control is the first component hit by the signal, and determines how much the signal on that channel gets amplified before being processed by the rest of the board. Low-level signals (generally vocals) need the most gain applied, and high-level signals (drum mics, and other instruments, depending on their output level) may not need any gain at all.

If the gain is set too low, the level will have to be turned up at other points to compensate (the channel fader, group fader, main fader, amplifier). Turning any of these up too far will cause an excess of noise to be introduced into the signal.

If the gain is set too high, the level may clip the channel, causing unwanted distortion.

There are two methods of setting gain. The first method requires the source to produce the maximum level that will be given. Solo or PFL the channel and watch the meter. Turn the gain up until the level is just below the red clip light. This method may produce a higher level than necessary in some channels, commonly keyboards, so I prefer the second method.

The second method can be done very quickly, and usually without having to watch the meters. If starting from scratch, turn all gains down. Put all channel, group (if applicable), and main faders at 0. Have the band play and start turning up the gains until you have a rough mix in which you can hear everything at the approximate desired level. Further adjustments can be made with the faders.

An easy way to see if a channel gain needs adjustment is to notice where the channel fader is after a few songs. If it is more than 5 dB above 0, turn the gain up a bit so you can bring the fader down. If the fader is more than 10 dB below 0, the gain is too high. Remember that any gain adjustments will affect all monitor mixes, so compensate by adjusting the send in the opposite direction as the gain adjustment (i.e. gain up, send down, or gain down, send up).

Answer 3

The gain control changes the output level: in effect, it makes it louder. If they're working a sound board, they should know what everything does. If this isn't the case, it shouldn't be their job in the first place.