Behringer X32 DCA - What is a DCA?
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- čas přidán 4. 07. 2024
- DCA's are available on all Behringer X32 models, and if you aren't using them, you should be! The DCA (Digitally Controlled Amplifier) allows you to remote control any inputs that are assigned to it. Use DCA's to speed up your workflow on the console, and in this video, I show you how!
Become a member and help support me and my channel: / drewbrashler
Find more resources and downloads at www.drewbrashler.com.
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:16 What is a DCA?
03:16 How to Assign Channels to a DCA
03:40 Using a DCA
05:16 DCA Level Meter
08:43 DCA Spill
09:54 How I Set Up my DCA's
11:20 Mixing with DCA's
12:02 Conclusion
I just got an x32 for my band last week - been working hard to set it up and learn about the features. Every time I get stuck the answer is on this channel.
Heck ya, Drew Rocks. Going to purchace his course and really dig into the features of this board so I can teach it to the youth group and start doing video.
Hey I'm not a sound engineer but a keyboard player. Thanks to you i'm learning a lot of things about live sound. And now i know how hard it is to be a sound engineer. Keep up the good work.
As a sound engineer, your video is right on point. Good job! 🙂
Hey Drew, echoing the comments of many here, infinite thanks for all your excellent videos on the X32! Without them, my new X32 would now be sitting in the electronic recycling bin, a victim of a frenzied sledge hammer attack... So many little things hidden away in the X32 that take hours to discover/understand (like the little LR button in the bottom right of the home screen that allows you to turn off a channel feed into the Main LR channel for instance - that took many frustrating hours to discover!!!). But on the subject of DCA's, boy, this gave me the run around, again for several hours. I have a group of 4 mics feeding into a subgroup bus, along with a subgroup for instruments and one for VSTi's. I thought, brilliant, I'll use the DCA's to normalize the gains for each subgroup. Only to find that 2 of the mics could be adjusted up and down by the DCA, but the 2 in the DCA group were unaffected - they stayed at constant volume. All were adjusted ok by the subgroup fader. After literally hours, I discovered that somehow in the Channel Sends page (controlling levels to the subgroup busses), the send point for the working channels was set to 'POST FADER', but for the non-working channel (ie not adjusted by the DCA) channels, it was set to 'POST EQ'. Resetting to POST FADER fixed this. I mention this in case anyone else runs into the same issue.
your way of teaching is awesome. so grateful that these are on youtube free of cost 🙏
Yeah, you saved our journey to the X32. We went from analog to X32 overnight using your video's.
Glad I could help!
This video was VERY HELPFUL for me! Thanks a lot!!
Love how you used phase cancellation to demonstrate the DCA meters
Drew, just got my X32 and can’t wait to see all your videos having enjoyed this one on DCAs. Great teaching, maestro.
GOD BLESS YOU MR. BRASHLER!!! These are SO VERY HELPFUL!!!
One of your best, Drew. Very helpful.
Thanks Drew , just starting with a x32 compact in my home studio. Your video’s really helped me understand the x32. Greetings from raymond in the Netherlands.
This was a GREAT video! I've used the X32 for a while now but never utilized DCA's. Will be doing that sooner then later!
best DCA explaination i got so far! thanks
Hi. I'm so glad I found this Chanel it has helped me a lot to understand my console, I'm not a sound engineer but I'm learning a lot with your videos ,keep going. God bless you.
Amazing! Well, welcome! Thanks for watching.
Thank you so much sir for your packaged information.
Awesome info, clear and to the point and made it simple. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great lesson 👍
Gosh you are such GREAT Teacher! I never knew the DCA was that versatile! :)
You can group some parts and change its level at once and also mute it at once.
Thank Drew very much, just done got my 8 background vocalist into DCA one and the drum kit into DCA two. The sound sucks at church, bouncing off many walls and very difficult for me to mix well in that room. However I have been recording for couple of months now and mixing it down back here at my little studio on wheels, travel trailer with no living now but one heck of a mini studio. And by mixing it down back here it is teaching me much about how to better capture the audio. Last two weeks have been wonderful. Singers are in key, drum kit is in the mix nice, my deff players I am able to tame in the mix just not live. Now I can control all my backing vocalist with one fader, DCA works for me there for I have the compression and such set for each singer. I have soft angle to blasting trumpet up there so that needs to be done in each channel for I have no idea how to overall balance that many different types of singers out. And I am very ADD and like to play anyway, so I fiind it fun to dig in there and see what happens. I learn from doing that. And by doing that here in post production, before taking finual recording I get to learn over and over again without burning out the praise and worship team. God is good.
Again thanks many times over for you consistant teachings here on You Tube.
Super David Scott, audio man at Loveland Church High Desert, Hesperia California.
Just subscribed. Still trying to wrap my head around digital boards...I've been running sound for decades using analog boards but the WL, who recommended this channel BTW, has asked me to learn the X-32 Producer so I can fill in when our regular sound guy can't make it. I also play bass on our team when I'm up for rotation, usually every 2-3 weeks. I also purchased a P16-M so I can do the IEM thing and that should be arriving today. Lots to learn but enjoying a new aspect of "doing" sound.
Very helpful. Thank you.
I wish someone did the same reviews and coaching on the XR18. Awesome drew!
Check out Alan Hamilton Audio channel. 🤟
Thank you. Very helpful!
Can you go over your settings for all your drum mics? Gates(with triggers), Compression, EQ, effects, etc
great explanation. Very helpful. Thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Hey Drew, Would you mind doing a video on adjusting EQ and other settings for an Electric Drum Kit? Especially dealing with challenges where you have very limited control over individual pad settings as cheaper kits sometimes don't let you dial that in as easily.
Thank you bro, your video is pretty good, embarrassing and easy info for short and correct speech
Thank u so much!
DCA is actually "Digitally Controlled Attenuator". A VCA, which is in the analog world, is Voltage Controlled Amplifier. FYI. In the digital world we are using all digital signals - not amplifiers. Either way, they perform the same function.
thanks for the content. please consider offering web based classes - im sure you could make some great money! you are very talented. if you're making additional videos, id love to see you put together some snippets and scenes, go over recall safe info, and show off how it all acts together in some sort of practical demonstration. thanks for all your hard work and knowledge you share
Great suggestion! Thanks so much, Stanley!
Thanks, perfect 👍
I wish this video had started at 2:41, makes sense from there! Thanks for showing your DCA setup. Maybe you could re-upload the video with the content before 2:41 at the end
I would like to know more about the 'Assign' section of the board. Those 4 knobs with the 8 push buttons.
Drew, I wanted a way to listen to my broadcasted streaming program live to verify it was properly streaming. My former analog board had a “Tape IN” jack I could solo, but the X32 didn’t. Here is what I did.
I ran the broadcasted streaming signal from my cell phone into Aux 5,6 and un-routed them from Main L,R. I then assigned them to a spare DCA. I can now solo that DCA to hear my broadcasted stream and there is no way I can accidentally run the broadcasted signal back into the mix.
I hope this suggestion helps someone else.
Beilliant video. Thank you very much. 👍🍀 Well done
Glad you enjoyed it
Thanks so much!
You're welcome!
I love the DCA spill feature. It actually allows me to create a custom subset group from my entire inputs (AES, buses, aux, reverb, computer, etc) connected to the board. So let's say there is a segment in my production where I have a small mixture of instruments, mics, auxes, reverb, etc. I would create a DCA (at unity) and add up to 16 channels of what I need and then instead of me going all over the place, to mix those inputs, the DCA spill would conveniently display them to me.
Amazing! It was such a great feature that was programmed into the new firmware. Thanks for the comment, Joel!
@@DrewBrashler Olá! Então eu não posso aplicar compressor paralelo ou até mesmo EQ no DCA?
I love your tutorials! I would like to know how to set up a mono bus and a stereo bus. Also, how to link two channels to move together.
Hey Drew, thanks for all your videos they are helpful. I have been not able to identify why after following the steps up to point 6:36 in the video when I adjust DCA fader, I do not hear the adjustment in my speakers or headphones. Could you tell me what configuration I should be using?
Thanks in advance Drew,
Edward
00:02 DCAs are remote controls for associated inputs.
01:43 DCAs can sum up auxes and allow for global editing of sounds
03:21 DCA allows easy assignment and control of multiple channels.
04:54 DCA allows easy adjustment of multiple channels for better mix control.
06:31 DCA in Behringer X32 allows volume control of grouped channels
08:10 DCA allows for convenient control and manipulation of audio channels
09:43 Using DCAs to control multiple subgroups efficiently
11:26 DCAs allow easy adjustment of instrument blends
Crafted by Merlin AI.
please make a video showing how create subgroups vs vcas
Hey Drew, could you do a video on a advanced level on using subgroups with DCA with different scenarios on setup and work flow. Thanks for all you hard work God bless you!
Great suggestion! I'll make sure to add this to my list of videos for the future.
Really wish I knew this because I am in the gallery of what is basically a news station that occasionally has a music show and the thing I hate is the transition from the chat (on lav mics) to the proformance (on Vocal and instrument mic or plugged straight in and well I either have a hard cut or need about 3 hands to fade between. Now just need to find out if that's one of the settings we are allowed to change
Drew do you have video on how to Send FX to house mix and to a live stream mix?
I'm a fan of DCA's. But I like to set one as my delay return level so I can do fader swells. I also set the buttons so I can tap tempo to sync the repeats.
YES! Love doing this. I tend to include my reverb as well and put it on a single DCA.
I’m just a teen required to run sound on my church and I’ve improved so much using your videos. I use 5 of the 8 DCAs and now I have a question. Is there a way to send multiple vocal channels to one compressor?
Hey Drew, is there any impact on stage monitors while increasing or decreasing a DCA fader which is linked with channel 1- 32 or is that just the FOH amplification? Please advise
The DCA will not change the AUX Out mix.
Please could you help on the following:
Where exactly in the input channel chain does the DCA operate, pre everything, post compress?
I also ask the same question for a mixed bus? Does it here operate post compressor? Thank you.
Gareth
Thank you so much brother I’m from Srilanka …..❤
I’m having a problem with my DCAs. For some reason when I lower it, it doesn’t lower the volume down for my selected instruments. But when I raise it, it does raise the volumes. I have the DCA at unity as well so I’m not sure why it doesn’t lower the volumes
Hey Drew, thanks a lot for your amazing videos an please let me ask a question: Why should i use DCAs instead of Subgroups, where i can also make my drums or guitars or vocals louder or quieter. And with Subgroups i have the advantage to have some EQs or Kompressors. Are you using both DCAs and Subgroups at the same time?
Yes! I am using both DCA's and Subgroups in my showfiles. The DCA's make mixing faster, while the subgroups allow me to process musical groups of instruments together with global EQ or compressors on say the Drums or the Guitars.
Will the DCA adjust level affect individual channel level sent to compressor of effect? In other words - is DCA pre, post fader, where does it interrupt the level in the channel signal chain?
wonder if m32 had the update as well, or it exists before x32
i am bencity, a sound engineer from Nigeria , i love your videos ,they are well detailed . i will like you to do a video on how you can connect the behringer x32 mixer with a laptop
He already has a video on connecting to a laptop and setting up a DAW but i'm sure you have found that by now
Hi, thank you for this amazing video! Question: were you sending pink noise to the two channels from the X32 or from an external source? If from the X32, can you explain how you did that? Thank you!
Built-in oscillator. Behringer has him showing how to do this on their channel
You can use the built-in oscillator which is found in the talkback section
Hi Drew, learning a lot from your content! I have a question about DCA's. Are they only available for the house mix or is there a way to use them on my Livestream output? Thank you for all your helpful videos.
I think that this will be determined by your set-up and routing. DCAs are simply remote controls for inputs and busses. If you assigned a DCA to a Bus that's routed to say an external audio interface, then you will be able to control this bus' volume with the DCA, and thus, the level of your stream.
So yes, the way you route your inputs to your outputs, will have nothing to do with DCAs.
Hope that helps!
@@itsvoul not exactly. I have 3 dcas set up for my band, vocals and drums in house and that works great. I have my Livestream audio on a pair of stereo busses and I would like to have similar control of those 3 groupings so as to simplify balancing the Livestream output like it does in the house.
As he said, it depends on your routing. DCA's are for inputs and busses. If you have 3 DCA's for your FOH, that's fine. You can route other busses or subgroups through a matrix for your stream and apply your DCA's to those busses you're routing to the matrix. So 3 DCA's for FOH another 3 DCA's for stream. HOWEVER, make sure you don't route the same bus to multiple DCA's.
I use one of our DCAs to pull down everything except our worship leaders mic. This is great when he begins to talk between songs.
The pastor’s mic is also NOT a member of this particular DCA so when he talks, we use the 1 DCA to bring everything else down. Then we ramp everything up again with just the one DCA.
JIM GERRY
Lead audio tech
First Light Church of the Nazarene
South Portland Maine
We have Equalizer and other signal processing in the outputs.
Drew how did you create the verbs DCA....I personally need a tutorials on your DCA setups Sir
Also how can i record on the card and after play audio as u do there
When adjusting DCA's will it change output to just the main mix or all buses? The reason I ask is I have separate buses for live streaming.
It will only affect other buses if those buses are getting signal post fader.
You can apply different DCA's to those busses too, (if you have extra DCA's) and they will control the output of those busses in your stream
Hi Drew, we have ver 4.09 I have assigned all drums to one bus, all vocals to another and some other DCA's also. Pressing DCA spill shows they are assigned correctly. We have no volumn or mute control over any DCA. What am I missing? Thanls Drew.
hi bro, i have 4.06 version ... when i mute VCA (drums for example ) this channels doesn’t show they are muted , doesn’t flashes on red ... i’m doing something wrong ??; thanks
Ola! Então eu não posso fazer uma equalização paralela pelo DCA?
All of my faders show 0db when they are physically closer to -5. Is there a way to calibrate them?
Hey Drew. Once we have selected ,say 3 microphones, to a DCA how do we deselect them? Sorry if this is a dumb question.
Is DCA affecting main output or monitors?
Is there a video on how to control x live card with xtouch? Any help is greatly appreciated
I have not done a video on this or tried it. Interesting idea though!
Drew, its me again. I am playing a multitrack from my computer connected to the X32. When I press DCA and select and hold DCA1 the scribble strip for the input tracks go blank, unlike your video demo. Any thoughts? Thanks
Hi, do u have a link to your preset or scene
Hey Drew, this is a stupid question. I think a good sound engineer never gonna put a set of multiple input on a different group of channels.
Can I assign let's say channel 6 - 10 on a single dca fader?
Considering 6 - 8 are on the first group of channels and 9 - 10 are on the next group of channels?
Yeah, it doesn't matter which inputs you place on a DCA. Say you had Vocal 1 on channel 1 and Vocal 2 on channel 31. Weird setup, but it would be no problem to have the Vocal DCA control these two channels.
Does that answer your question?
@@DrewBrashler thanks dude
🤔 So is the polarity inverted or flipped while playing to DCA which is not suming? I'm so confused. 🤣
nope, DCA is like a secondary way of controlling ALL the faders of the channels you put in it, leaving their relative positions intact.
So I am able to setup any channels AND any buses into a single DCA correct?
That is correct! Any channel or mixbus can be controlled by a DCA.
What is the purpose in putting just one instrument, for example the bass, on one DCA? Just convenience?
I could see if your bass was on channel 32, having it on a DCA keeps it on the 'same page' as other items. If you are using an x32 Compaq, you have 4 pages to flip through channels and quickly access those currently in use. Not how I typically use DCA, but one example why you might. ;)
might be a bass sound composed by D.I. + Mic signal
Hi drew sorry i want to know how to foud a pink noise on X32.
czcams.com/video/yuE0htRPg4s/video.html (How to use pink noise.) You're welcome.
I have not found DCA’s to be helpful while using IEMs. Am I doing something wrong? It blows their ears out if you aren’t careful?
Might want to see if you are sending your IEM's post fader or pre fader. If you are sending post fader then any fader changes you are making are adjusting their in-ear mix. I would only recommend post fader mixes for monitors if you are a dedicated monitor engineer setup.
@@DrewBrashler thank you, got it fixed
Hey Drew. This is George from African Egypt. my Church is Maadi Community Church an American international Church. So we have got this new X32 and I am having problems using x32 as my audio sound card for ATEM Mini. So I need your help how can I set it up?
With the ATEM Mini, I would recommend taking the RCA jacks on the X32 Aux Out 5&6 and putting that into the audio input on the ATEM Mini. You will need to change it to be line level on the ATEM software. Once you have done that you need to route your outputs on the mixer. It is doable and I have a similar setup with the ATEM Mini in my studio! Hope this helps!
I call it pseudo subgroup, because it simulates the function, but has no function to get the signal separately.
Roland did the meter with the m300
Nice! It is a really cool feature to be honest.
Can you select a DCA to a DCA
tutorial en español por favor. thanks
It would have been good to explain subgroups in this video as well, and the differences. You mentioned subgroups on your drums, but didn't explain anything about them.
BEWARE NOTE: Behringer has a major problem with its products documentation manuals in them using proprietary PDF X software, just has a nice long email session with them and this is my findings response: I believe the problem is you are using a proprietary PDF X software and it is a password protected doc. Most all pdf docs will open in acrobat pro and have full edit, but yours does not and has a password protection on if. I do not use any other PDF creation software, do to them not having the functions that Adobe Acrobat has and does such as copy, scan and insert functions that all others do not have. SO whoever created this manual in PDF X software, password protected this and all your other PDF docs created by it. SO yes your downloads for manuals are password protected by its creators. In conclusion this is a major problem, so no one can copy text or pics to create quick reference user notes to learn on using behringer products.
I’m surprised to see you started drums at 17 instead of 1
A DCA for drums allows you to put drums on second layer and take the solo
Instruments (Guitars, keyboards, vocals) on the first layer.
Yeah good eye for noticing that! I like to bury channels that I don't mix as actively. For me, I am adjusting the guitars, keys, and vocals much more than say the tom 1, tom 2 and tom 3. Don't get me wrong, I will adjust the kick a good amount during a song, just have to jump to page 2 to get there.
lets say different people have different drums like a simple kick, snare, hi hat set up with two over heads that's 5 channels left to right then on your desk bass would be channel seven, but if the drums had double kick, snare, hi hat, 3 toms mic'd and overheads that's channels that would use 8 channels on the desk and your bass would be channel 9
therefore starting your drums on channel 1 moves all instruments around the board depending on how many drums used. BUT if you use channels 1/2 as your main out...... bass 3 guitars 4/5/6/ keys 7/8 vox 9/10/11 etc they never move from those channels, then start drums on 17 it does not matter how many drums you add or subtract, you will never disrupt the 1st layer of bass, guitars etc so you instantly know where they are
Might be good to remind people that the "ZERO" you're speaking of is "Unity Gain" = ZERO dB of change. There are too many zeros to sweat, e.g. 0 dB FS (meters - distance from distortion) is different than 0 dB SPL which is different than Zero on a fader. A novice may not realize this. Seems that EVERY tutorial video does not make this distinction.
These videos look like a 1990 Promo Film.
Thanks, exactly what I was going for. 😂