// MODULE 2 OF 8 · SBE CPT PREP v1.0
If you can draw the path, you can fix the problem.
The chain
SIGNAL FLOWSource (mic/file) → preamp → console/mixer channel (EQ, fader) → bus → processing → output/encoder. Troubleshooting is walking that chain in order: signal present at each stage? Meters before ears, ears before opinions.
Gain staging
THE DISCIPLINESet gain so each stage runs healthy: preamp brings mic to line level WITHOUT clipping; faders near unity (0); master not pinned. Too-low gain then boosting later = you amplified the noise floor. Too-hot gain = clipping that no downstream fader can undo.
Balanced vs unbalanced
WIRINGBalanced (XLR, TRS): two signal conductors + ground, noise cancels — long runs OK. Unbalanced (RCA, TS): keep short. Hum at 60 Hz usually = ground loop or unbalanced run past its welcome.
On the U-Rock rails
NETWORK TIE-INA U-Rock live session is: your mic → your encoder → the station's AzuraCast mount → listeners (and during a national take, the relay carriers repoint to your feed). Every one of those is a gain stage. The Go-Live confirmation exists because one wrong source seizes a mount — verify device, verify station, then connect.
Do this now
HANDS ON- Draw the full path from a DJ's mouth to a listener's phone on your network — every box, every arrow.
- Identify the two stages where clipping most commonly happens (preamp, encoder input).