Intelligent automated mixing for houses of worship

1. Vocals & Speech [Free]

Optimize lead and pastoral microphones for maximum speech intelligibility and zero stage rumble.

• Low Cut (HPF): Set to 100Hz-120Hz (12dB/octave slope) to eliminate microphone handling noise.
• Parametric EQ: Cut muddy resonances between 250Hz and 400Hz by -3dB (medium Q of 1.5). Add a wide presence boost of +2dB at 3kHz, and a high-shelf boost of +1.5dB at 10kHz for vocal air.
• Dynamics: Compressor threshold at -18dB, 3:1 ratio, 20ms attack, 100ms release. Gate/expander threshold at -55dB with a gentle 1:2 ratio to silence stage bleed.

2. Acoustic Guitar [Free]

Balance the organic wooden resonance of DI-box or mic'd acoustic guitars without muddying the low-mids.

• High-Pass Filter: Set strictly between 80Hz and 95Hz to clear space for the bass guitar and kick drum.
• Parametric EQ: Cut body boominess between 160Hz and 220Hz by -4dB (narrow Q of 2.5). Attenuate harsh piezo pickup frequencies at 3.5kHz by -3dB.
• Dynamics: Apply light transient control. Ratio 2:1, Attack 15ms, Release 150ms. Set expander gate threshold at -45dB with range limited to 12dB.

3. Keyboards & Digital Piano [Free]

Manage wide-spectrum stereo patches so they remain lush without masking other stage instruments.

• Low Cut (HPF): Engage a soft low cut filter at 60Hz. This ensures synth bass patches don't conflict with the bass guitar player.
• Parametric EQ: Create a wide, gentle dip of -2dB centered right at 1kHz (Q of 0.8) to clear a pocket for lead vocals.
• Dynamics: Keep compression off or set to a bypass state to maintain natural expressive touch, or 2:1 for pop.

4. Electric Guitar [Pro]

Route electric guitar amp mics or modelers to sit tightly in the mid-range pocket of the mix.

• Filters: Apply an HPF at 75Hz. Apply a Low-Pass Filter (LPF) down to 8kHz to roll off harsh high-frequency digital fizz or amp hiss.
• Parametric EQ: Boost the warm fundamentals around 500Hz by +1.5dB (wide Q of 1.0). Scoop out the ice-pick bite at 4kHz by -2.5dB if the guitar cuts too aggressively.
• Dynamics: Keep compressor off for high-gain. For clean funk strumming, use a 3:1 ratio with a very fast 5ms attack to squash transient peaks.

5. Bass Guitar [Pro]

Establish a rock-solid low-frequency foundation that locks cleanly with the kick drum transient.

• Filters: Set a sub-sonic HPF at 30Hz to protect subwoofers from taxing energy. Set an LPF at 4.5kHz to remove fret clatter.
• Parametric EQ: Bring out sub-bass punch with a mild boost at 65Hz (+2dB). Apply a precise cut at 250Hz by -4dB to remove boxy clutter.
• Dynamics: High control required. Set compressor ratio to 4:1, Attack to 35ms to let plucks through, and Release to 250ms for even sustain.

6. Kick Drum [Pro]

Optimize the fundamental low-end thump and clean click of the bass drum.

• HPF & Gate: HPF at 30Hz. Fast expander gate with a -35dB threshold to kill stage bleed.
• Parametric EQ: Boost sub-thump at 60Hz (+3dB). Cut cardboard tone heavily at 400Hz (-6dB, Q 3.0). Boost click at 3.5kHz (+4dB) to highlight beater attack.

7. Snare Drum [Pro]

Establish a crisp crack and full body on the main snare channel.

• HPF & Dynamics: HPF at 75Hz. Compressor ratio 4:1, Attack 10ms, Release 80ms to catch the stick transient.
• Parametric EQ: Boost fundamental body crack at 150Hz-200Hz (+2dB). Notch out ringing shell overtones near 500Hz.

8. Hi-Hat [Pro]

Brighten hi-hat cymbals and completely remove low-end bleed.

• HPF & EQ: HPF at 200Hz. Scoop mids at 400Hz (-4dB), boost sizzle at 5kHz (+2dB), and apply high-shelf air at 10kHz (+3dB).
• Dynamics: Keep gate threshold low around -50dB to allow soft stick hits through while filtering low-frequency drum bleed.

9. Toms [Pro]

Define tom attack while gating out drum kit resonant bleed.

• HPF & Gate: HPF at 60Hz. Apply a fast expander gate at -45dB to prevent tom ringing from muddying the mix.
• Parametric EQ: Cut mud at 300Hz (-3dB), boost stick attack at 3kHz (+2dB), and add low-end tom punch at 80Hz (+2dB).

10. Overheads [Pro]

Route stereo overhead cymbal mics for clean, natural top-end air.

• HPF & EQ: HPF at 150Hz. Scoop out boxiness at 500Hz (-3dB), boost cymbal definition at 6kHz (+2dB), and apply high air at 12kHz (+3dB).
• Dynamics: Typically no gating or compression to maintain the natural dynamics of the cymbals.

How do I ensure my digital mixer is on the same local network as the application?

For ChurchMixDSP to successfully dispatch OSC adjustments, both your digital console (WING/X32) and the host machine running the application must reside on the same Wi-Fi subnet:

1. Assign a static IP: On your Behringer X32 or WING console, go to Setup > Network. Assign a static IP address in your local router's subnet range (for example, 192.168.1.50) and set the subnet mask to 255.255.255.0.
2. Ethernet connection: Connect the console's Ethernet remote control port directly to your network switch or wireless Wi-Fi router.
3. Connect host machine: Connect the computer running ChurchMixDSP to the same Wi-Fi router or ethernet network.
4. Verify Connection: Ping the mixer's IP address from your system shell to verify low-level routing, or click the **Discover Mixer** button inside ChurchMixDSP to run a multicast DNS query.

How do I choose and configure the audio input device inside ChurchMixDSP?

ChurchMixDSP samples live ambient room audio or queries the mixer directly to compute frequency spectrum averages. To configure your capture hardware:

• Navigate to Audio Input: Open the first step of the configuration flow. Look for the **AUDIO INPUT METHOD** panel.
• Select Capture Source: The dropdown lists all available physical audio drivers and network streams. Choose your measurement microphone, attached USB audio interface, built-in system input, or choose **Console Network Metering (OSC RTA)** to query the mixer's built-in RTA over the network.
• Rescan Devices: If you plugged in a USB device after starting the app, click the **Rescan** icon (refresh indicator) next to the dropdown to re-query the hardware system.
• Offline Testing: Choose **Simulated Test Tone (Mock)** to generate profile-specific simulated buffers. This is ideal for testing console OSC dispatch offline.

How does the 10-second capture and FFT frequency analysis work?

When you click **Start Analysis**, ChurchMixDSP initiates the capture flow:

1. PCM Streaming: Captures low-latency 16-bit mono PCM buffers (44.1kHz) directly from the hardware input.
2. FFT Conversion: Computes a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) on the raw buffer data, converting time-domain waves into frequency-domain magnitude arrays.
3. Visualizer Grouping: Downsamples the 512 magnitude bins into 64 responsive bands for the real-time visualizer.
4. Baseline Comparison: Averages spectral densities over a 10-second duration and calculates required adjustments compared to the target profile (e.g. Lead Vocal, Speech).

Which ports and OSC protocols are used to communicate with Behringer mixers?

The application communicates directly over local UDP sockets using native OSC packet format:

• Behringer WING: Operates on UDP port 10024.
• Behringer X32: Operates on UDP port 10023.
• Make sure your computer's firewall allows outgoing UDP traffic on these ports. Adjustments are dispatched immediately to console paths like /ch/16/eq/2/g.

How does Console Network Metering (OSC RTA) differ from local audio input?

Unlike local audio input which uses the host microphone, Console Network Metering queries the digital mixer's built-in Real Time Analyzer (RTA) over the network via OSC (using paths like /meters/13 on X32 and /meters/rtc on WING). This eliminates the need for room measurement microphones, allowing ChurchMixDSP to analyze the raw console input channel signals directly and accurately, even in noisy or dead-room environments.

How does the Multi-Channel Auto-Fader Balancer work?

The Multi-Channel Balancer acts as an automatic fader rider. It polls post-fader levels from the console via OSC on a fast 150ms interval, filters out gated/silent signals, and compares active channels against target LUFS-like level baselines (e.g. Lead Vocal: -18dBFS, Speech: -20dBFS). If levels deviate, a smoothed Proportional (P) control loop smoothly rides the mixer's faders (e.g. /ch/{ch}/mix/fader) to maintain a perfectly balanced live mix.

When a channel is in manual mode, the engine keeps level capture and frequency metering active so screensaver visualizers show live activity, while manual fader adjustments are safely broadcast to the console without snapping back.

How do the screensaver visualizers work, and how do I switch between modes?

After 2 minutes of engineer inactivity, ChurchMixDSP automatically activates the full-screen visualizer screensaver. It features two visualization modes:

• Orbit Universe: A solar system simulator where channel boids follow concentric orbital paths mapped logarithmically by center frequencies (20Hz to 20kHz), with speeds scaled by live decibels.
• Classic Bar Spectrum: A neon-glowing 32-channel spectrum analyzer featuring real-time peak-hold indicators that gradually decay.

You can seamlessly toggle between these modes using the glassmorphic segmented controller in the top right. Any mouse movement, fader drag, or tapping the floating HUD cards resets the inactivity timer and returns you to the console.

Does ChurchMixDSP support master fader control and channel mutes?

Yes, ChurchMixDSP has full bidirectional OSC support for master volume control and mute state synchronization:

• Always-Visible Master Fader: A dedicated Main L/R fader is docked on the right side of the screen, visible in both the console grid and the screensaver modes, styled with professional scale ticks and neon cyan colors.
• Channel Mute Toggles: Each channel strip and floating HUD card features an interactive Mute button. It syncs with the physical console via OSC (using /ch/XX/mix/on for X32, or /ch/XX/mute for WING). Muted channels are visually dimmed to immediately represent silence.

Can I enable auto-balancing for all channels at once?

Yes. Instead of toggling each channel manually, you can click the Auto All button located at the top banner of the Manual Console faders grid. This instantly activates the auto-balancing feedback loop on all eligible channels (respecting Pro tier limitations for channels 5–32).