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Synth Troubleshooting Guidebook

Solve Problems fast, reduce stress for sound check


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There’s nothing more stressful than when the electronics don’t make a sound during sound check. Everyone is waiting, the clock is ticking, and the pressure builds fast.


The good news?


Many of these problems can be solved before sound check even starts - if your students know what to look for.


Here’s the step-by-step system I teach my students so they can fix things quickly and confidently.


Before Sound Check


Step 1: Check your Keyboard

Look at your keyboard.

Make sure it’s powered on and that not transposed.


Step 2: MIDI Input

Look at the MIDI In meter in MainStage.


If you don’t see anything text when you play, MainStage isn’t receiving a signal from your keyboard.


What to do:

  • Make sure your keyboard is turned on

  • Make sure the keyboard is connected to the computer by either USB or MIDI cables


Troubleshooting:


  • The problem could be the USB cable

  • The problem could be the USB hub

  • The problem could be the USB port on the keyboard


Keep one spare of each on hand for emergencies.


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Step 3: Confirm Keyboard Assignments

Next, look at the display keyboards in MainStage.

When you play each keyboard, you should see the keys moving.


If not, it probably means the keyboard assignments got scrambled.


What to do:


  • Go to the layout window and re-assign each keyboard

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Step 4: Check the channel strips

If your display keyboards move, but your channel strip meters aren’t showing signal, it’s usually one of two things:


  • Volume or Expression are set to Zero

    • You can quickly check MIDI CC11 by looking at the Expression wheel at the top of your channel strips

    • For MIDI CC7 - I add a knob to the screen that displays the CC7 volume to check quickly

  • MainStage’s audio engine needs a restart

    • The quickest fix is usually to restart MainStage. In my experience, changing outputs or reverting to an earlier save doesn’t help.


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Step 5: Check your main output

If your channel strips show signal but your main output meters don’t, there are a few things to check:

  • Make sure the output assignments on each channel strip are correct

  • Check that Master Mute isn’t turned on - this can happen by accidentally pressing the M key on your computer keyboard

    • I recommend setting up a visual indicator to show if Master Mute is on


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Step 6: Verify your Audio Output Settings

  • Open MainStage > Settings > Audio (or press ⌘+, then click “Audio”

  • Make sure the Input and Output devices are both set to your Audio Interface


Step 7: Check your mixer

Look at the input channels for your synths.


If you aren’t seeing any signal, that means the mixer isn’t receiving a signal from the interface.


  • Double-check that the interface is connected to the mixer

  • If the mixer is the interface, double-check that the input settings are set to USB or Card


At this point…

If you’ve gone through all 7 steps, you’ve checked everything from the keyboard to the mixer itself.


Depending on your battery power setup, all of these can be checked before the sound check even starts. I recommend running through this list on the track before pushing onto the field, then double-checking quickly once the synths are in position.


The only problems that can happen from here are within the amps and the speakers themselves.


These you may not catch until Sound Check


During Plug-In and Sound Check


Step 1: Check System Power

Sometimes the house power doesn’t work - have a generator ready to go.

Sometimes a power cable is no longer good - have a spare

Sometimes a powercon input is busted - have a bypass plan


Step 2: Check the amps

Are the amps on and set to the correct level?

Are the amps plugged into the correct mixer outputs?

Are the amps connected to the speaker by a working Speakon cable? (Passive speakers only)

  • Have a backup Speakon Cable ready to deploy


Step 3: Check the speakers

At this point, if you’ve done everything mentioned above, your speakers will work.


Worst Case Scenario:

If everything else is correct, and the speaker still isn’t working. The problem is either in the amp, the cable, or the speaker itself. Amps and Speakers aren’t easy to swap out in 20 seconds like everything else. Have a backup plan in your mixer settings and speaker setup.


  1. Subs don’t work - Remove the crossover EQ from your main speakers so they can produce the low sounds you’re missing

  2. Centerfills don’t work - Be ready to turn up channels that are normally mixed heavily into those speakers.

  3. Only have one working main speaker - move it the 50 yard line if you can, and get ready to start live panning things that wouldn’t normally be panned to that speaker.


Training Student Preparation


Marching band is an excellent training ground for life skills. Training your synth players to solve problems under pressure using a clear systematic approach will prepare them for so many opportunities in their lives.


I’ve created a simple visual guidebook that lives on the synth players’ computers.


Having them use this guidebook to create and solve problems for each other during rehearsal time is an amazing use of their time.


Before high-pressure performances, you can even create mock-show sound checks into your rehearsal time.


If you would like to download my template for this guidebook. Click the link and enter your name and email address


 
 
 

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