Editing Mixing console (section)

===Channel equalization===
Further channel controls affect the equalization of the signal by separately attenuating or boosting a range of [[frequencies]]. The smallest, least expensive mixers may only have bass and treble controls. Most mid-range and higher-priced mixers have bass, midrange, and treble, or even additional mid-range controls (e.g., low-mid and high-mid).  Many high-end mixing consoles have [[parametric equalization]] on each channel. Some mixers have a general equalization control (either [[Graphic equalizer|graphic]] or parametric) at the output, for controlling the tone of the overall mix.

====Cue system====
The [[cue (audio)|cue system]] allows the operator to listen to one or more selected signals without affecting the console's main outputs. A sound engineer can use the cue feature to, for instance, get a sound recording they wish to play soon cued up to the start point of a song, without the listeners hearing these actions. The signal from the cue system is fed to the console's [[headphone amp]] and may also be available as a line-level output that is intended to drive a monitor speaker system. The terms AFL (after-fader listen) and PFL (pre-fader listen) are used to describe respectively whether or not the level of the cue signal for an input is controlled by the corresponding fader. Consoles with a cue feature have a dedicated button on each channel, typically labeled ''Cue'', ''AFL'', ''PFL'', ''Solo'', or ''Listen''. When cue is enabled on multiple channels, a mix of these signals is heard through the cue system.

Solo in place (SIP) is a related feature on advanced consoles. It typically is controlled by the cue button, but unlike cue, SIP affects the output mix; It mutes everything except the channel or channels being soloed. SIP is useful for setup of a mixing board and troubleshooting, in that it allows the operator to quickly mute everything but the signal being adjusted. For example, if an audio engineer is having problems with clipping on an input, they may use SIP to solely hear that channel, so that the problem can be diagnosed and addressed. SIP is potentially disastrous if engaged accidentally during a performance, as it will mute all the channels except one, so most consoles require the operator to take very deliberate actions to engage SIP.

====Busses and submix====
Each channel on a mixer has a volume control (''[[Fader (audio engineering)|fader]]'') that allows adjustment of the level of that channel. These are usually sliders near the front of the mixing board, although some smaller mixers use rotary controls to save space. The signals are summed to create the main ''mix'', or combined on a ''[[Audio bus|bus]]'' as a submix, a group of channels that are then added as a whole to the final mix. For instance, many drum mics could be grouped into a bus, and then the proportion of drums in the final mix can be controlled with one bus fader.<ref>[http://psbg.emusician.com/ar/emusic_mixed_signals/index.htm Mixed Signals - Studying the basics of a Mixer's signal flow] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080930221032/http://psbg.emusician.com/ar/emusic_mixed_signals/index.htm |date=2008-09-30 }}. Retrieved on 2008-08-20.</ref> A bus can often be processed just like an individual input channel, allowing the engineer to process a whole group of signals at once. Once again using the drum kit example, the use of bus-processing can enable the sound engineer to run all of the drum kit through an audio compressor effect to reduce unwanted signal peaks, rather than having to route all of the 10 or more mic signals on the drum kit individually. There may also be insert points for a certain bus or even the entire mix.

====VCA groups====
Some higher-end consoles use [[voltage-controlled amplifier]] (VCA) VCAs function somewhat like a submix but let the operator control the level of multiple input channels with a single fader. Unlike subgroups, no sub-mix is created. The audio signals from the assigned channels remain routed independently of VCA assignments. Since no sub-mix is created, it is not possible to insert processing such as compressors into a VCA group. In addition, on most VCA-equipped consoles, post-fader auxiliary send levels are affected by the VCA master. This is usually desirable, as post-fader auxiliary sends are commonly used for effects such as reverb, and sends to these effects should track changes in the channel signal level. When implemented on a digital console the same functionality may be referred to as a DCA or control group (CG), depending on the brand of mixer.

For example, if an engineer wishes to control microphones for three background vocalists at one time, muting them or changing their volume relative to a lead singer, they might create a VCA rather than adjusting all three volumes separately.  A sub-mix would be useful if they wanted to process all the singers together, adding the same amount of reverb or compression to each; but the VCA allows each channel to retain its distinctive processing while giving the engineer the ability to quickly adjust the group's volume or mute them.