This wiki serves as a beginner volunteer guide for the Makati Gospel Church Global Worship Service Tech Team.

Technical Documentation :SQ5Documentation

To serve the church by providing excellent audio, visual, and lighting support, ensuring the Gospel of Jesus is clearly seen and heard.

Core Values for team culture:

• Excellence, Not Perfection: The goal is to do the best with the resources available, minimizing technical distractions so the congregation can focus on the service.
• Servant Leadership: Technology is a tool for ministry, not a stage for performance. The team operates behind the scenes to elevate the overall worship experience.
• Continuous Equipping: A commitment to training and mentoring volunteers, ensuring they feel confident, supported, and spiritually fed, rather than just being used for tasks.
• Adaptability: The readiness to troubleshoot calmly under pressure and pivot when live services do not go exactly as planned.

The Allen & Heath SQ5 is a Digital Audio Mixing Console that allows you to plug in multiple audio sources—like microphones and instruments—adjust their individual volume and tone, and blend them together into an audio output (such as loud speakers).

In the Top Panel, marked as (1) are the:

• Touch Screen
• Screen Select Keys (Buttons)
• Screen Encoder Knob

View processing and access the routing and setup menus using the keys below the screen. Touch to select a parameter and use the rotary knob to adjust values.

The SQ-Editor is a free Windows and Mac application that allows you to manage, configure, and mix your Allen & Heath SQ console both offline (for pre-show preparation) and online (as a hardwired “second screen” at FOH) over a TCP/IP network.

The SQ MixPad is a remote control mobile app for Allen & Heath SQ series digital mixers that allows engineers to adjust the FOH mix or monitor levels from an iPad or Android device, normally over a WiFi network.

Here are some basic but key audio terms to help you get started:

• Front of House (FOH): Originating from theater tradition, FOH refers to “in front of the stage” or the physical area where the congregation (the “house”) resides.
• Fader: A sliding physical control on a mixing console used to smoothly adjust the volume of an audio signal.
• Gain: The initial adjustment of an audio signal's input level before it is routed or processed through the mixing console.
• Unity Gain: The setting on a fader—typically marked as “0” or “U”—where an audio signal passes through without its volume being boosted or reduced.
• XLR: The standard three-pin cable used to carry balanced audio signals, most commonly used for microphones.

Below is the recommended minimum checklist for setting up a service:

Important: Loud speakers should be turned on LAST to avoid a loud, potentially damaging power thud.

When turning on the entire sound system, follow these exact steps:

1. Ask the school General Services [GS] to turn on the breaker if it is currently off.
2. Check that the Speaker Power Sequencer is OFF.
3. Check that the Delay Speaker Amplifier is OFF.
4. Turn on the Mixer and WiFi Power switch.
5. Turn on the Mixer by pressing the Power Button on the Rear Panel (26).
6. Turn on the Speaker Power Sequencer.
7. Turn on the Delay Speaker Amplifier and turn both the left and right knobs to 12 o'clock.
8. Login to the Mixer (check with the Tech Head if you do not have access).
9. Optionally, login to your SQ MixPad app.
10. Press the Screen Select Key for Scenes, select the Startup Muted Scene, and press Go.

[Add picture of Power Sequencer here]

[Add picture of Speaker Amplifier here]

[Add Mixer Login here for both Touch Screen and MixPad]

The Power Off Sequence should always leave the Mixer in the Shutdown Scene. In this scene, all input channels and DCAs are muted, and the faders are turned all the way down. This serves as a redundant safety mute.

The Startup Muted Scene will bring vocal and instrument faders up to Unity (0db), reset input channel gain, EQ, and compression, and serve as a consistent, safe starting point before every event.

Wireless vox mics' gain are preset to a conservative 15db and may need to be increased to about 18db for softer voices.

Wired vox mics' gain are preset to a conservative 30db and may need to be increased to 35db for softer voices.

Never assume, always check. Avoid the pain.

One by one, confirm that inputs and outputs are wired correctly and working.

Speaker Check:

1. Play a test music track.
   • Use Stereo 3, plug 3.5mm cable on the top right of the mixer's top panel (13) into a music device
   • Use a previously recorded USB Mixer recording How to Play Multi Track Recording
2. Check Delay Speakers (move the Matrix 1 fader on Layer E as needed).
3. Check FOH Main Speakers.
4. Check Subwoofers.
5. Stop the test music.

Input Check:

• Check the vocal mics and instruments one by one.
• Verify that the physical mic matches the correct input channel (e.g., ensure the “Blue Mic” is actually registering on input channel 1).

Gain is not volume.

Setting the gain correctly is the single most important step in live sound. It dictates the overall health and quality of your audio signal from start to finish.

Gain controls the strength of the raw audio signal coming into the mixer. Properly gained audio sounds full and clear. If the signal is too weak, the volume will be too soft and you will hear static or hiss. If the signal is too strong, the circuitry cannot handle it, causing a harsh, crackling sound known as clipping.

Adjust the GAIN level so that the Main Meter (10) just starts to hit the yellow indicator:

• Press the Screen Select Key: Processing.
• Select the specific input channel.
• Turn the Gain knob (4).

[Add colored image showing yellow meter]

If an input channel's configuration needs to be completely reset:

• Press the Screen Select Key: Processing.
• Select the appropriate Input Channel.
• Press the Library button (17).
• Under Input Channel, select User.
• Choose between: 0 Vox Wired or 0 Vox Wireless.

[Add Image of the Input Channel Library here]

Important: Loud speakers should be turned off FIRST to avoid a loud, potentially damaging power thud.

When turning off the entire sound system, reverse the Power On Sequence:

• Press the Screen Select Key for Scenes, select Shutdown, and click Go.
• Turn off the Delay Amplifier and turn the left and right knobs all the way counter-clockwise.
• Turn off the Speaker Power Sequencer.
• Press the Screen Select Key for Utility or Setup until the Shutdown option appears, then press Shutdown on the touch screen.
• Turn off the Mixer and WiFi Power Switches.
• Inform the school's General Services [GS] so they can turn off the circuit breakers.

• Press the Screen Select Key: IO Patch.
• On the left side, select Inputs.
• Click Library.
• Select 2026 USB and recall.
• Press the Screen Select Key: Utility.
• Select SQ Drive.
• Select Multi Track.
• Select a recording and press play.

[Add screenshots]

RTA (Real-Time Analyzer) Listen with your ears, not your eyes.

Cut vs. Boost It is generally better practice to cut muddy or harsh frequencies rather than boosting the ones you want to hear. Cutting creates headroom; boosting eats it up.

Frequency Groups [Placeholder for Frequency Groups discussion]

Vocal Descriptions

• Rumble / Thumps Low-end noise from mic handling, stage footsteps, or hard “P” pops (plosives). Usually below 80Hz. (Best fixed by turning on the High-Pass Filter / HPF).
• Boomy / Muddy Too much low-end thickness, often caused by the speaker or singer holding the mic too close to their mouth (proximity effect). Around 100Hz-250Hz.
• Warmth The good part of the low-end that gives a voice body and weight so it doesn't sound thin. Around 200Hz-300Hz.
• Boxy Too much frequency buildup making it sound like the person is talking inside a small cardboard box. Around 400Hz-600Hz.
• Honky / Nasal Sounds like the person is speaking through their nose, cupping the microphone capsule, or talking over a telephone. Around 800Hz-1.5kHz.
• Harsh / Aggressive Piercing or painful high-mid frequencies that fatigue the ears. Around 2.5kHz-4kHz.
• Presence / Clarity The sweet spot that helps the congregation clearly understand the actual words being spoken or sung. Around 4kHz-6kHz. (If vocals are buried under the instruments, a slight boost here helps).
• Sibilant (“Esses”) Sharp, painful hissing sounds on consonants like “S”, “T”, “C”, or “Ch”. Usually around 5kHz-8kHz. (Can be fixed with an EQ cut or by using a De-Esser).
• Air / Sparkle The very top end that gives a vocal an open, breathy, and natural feel. Around 10kHz-16kHz.

This is our library for the praise team and speakers

• Prefix 0: Reserved for the Praise Team, as they serve most Sundays.
• Prefix 5: Reserved for Emcees.
• Prefix x: Reserved for Pastors and Guest Speakers.

• Names within the Role Prefix are further grouped by prefixing Mr Mrs and Ms

[Add screenshot]

[Place IO for Local here]

[Place IO for DLink here]

A DI box (Direct Injection box) ensures your instruments sound clean and professional by converting their noisy, unbalanced signals into balanced, interference-free signals that can travel long distances to the FOH mixer without losing quality.

An unbalanced signal is an audio transmission that uses only two conductors—a signal wire and a ground wire. It is highly susceptible to picking up hum and electromagnetic interference over cable lengths longer than 15–20 feet (e.g., standard PL guitar cables, 3.5mm stereo cables).

A balanced signal uses three conductors—two carrying identical but inverted copies of the audio and one for ground—to automatically cancel out noise and interference picked up along the cable run.

Roland JDI [Add specific usage notes for Roland JDI]

An IEM is a professional-grade earphone used by musicians and vocalists to hear a personalized, clear mix of the band directly in their ears while blocking out loud stage volume and ambient room noise.

Using IEMs drastically reduces stage volume and “noise bleed” into the room, allowing the FOH volunteer to create a much cleaner and more pleasant mix for the congregation.

Behringer P1 Personal In-Ear Monitor Amplifier The Behringer P1 is the primary wired pack we use for stationary musicians. It features a direct power plug adapter, eliminating the need to constantly swap batteries. It is built like a tank and can handle the wear and tear of weekly setup.

KZ IEMs These are our standard budget-friendly earphones. They offer extremely high value for the price and provide enough clarity and isolation for our musicians to hear their mixes safely.

• Check if Main LR is muted.
• Check if the physical loud speakers are powered on.
• Check the IO Patch routing.

• Check if the Delay Speakers Amplifier is turned on.
• Check if both the left and right amp knobs are set to 12 o'clock.

• Check if the corresponding AUX mix is muted.
• Check if the Monitor Speakers are physically powered on.
• Check the cable connections.
• Check the IO Patch routing.

• Lower the gain or fader of the input channel that is causing the feedback.
• Use the EQ to find and cut the specific frequency that is ringing.

• Check the battery power.
• Check the receiver for RF (Radio Frequency) signal strength.
• [Discuss how to scan and change frequencies]

• Check the physical connection between the IEM cable and the pack.
• Check the pack's volume knob and battery/power status.
• Check if the corresponding AUX mix is muted on the console.

• Use “Loud Speakers” when referring to the physical audio output boxes to avoid confusion with the people on stage who speak (e.g., the pastor or emcee).