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When researching the AVID Venue family of productions, the term “VIRTUAL SOUNDCHECK” is something you’ll hear about often. And because a combination of Venue and Pro Tools is such a powerful and popular combination for today’s houses of worship, this is a very important feature that will save you time, frustration, and just make it an easier process to get a great mix every time.  Let’s face it, those of us that do mix FOH for our church understand the madness that happens every Sunday morning with so many things going on with testing microphones, making sure monitors are routed and working---and that each person can hear what is going on, are the instruments in tune?  Oh wait everyone stop, let’s fix this part...can we hear more monitors, etc.  At my church, we’re also busy calibrating cameras for television broadcast, programming lighting cues, preparing video feeds, recording an insert that introduces the morning message for television, checking batteries for twenty wireless systems, etc etc etc.  Now I might be an audio professional, but I’m not a wizard that can make time stand still.  Somewhere in all of this we need to EQ, Compress, and dial in the settings for the mix on every channel.  Wouldn’t it be great if I could do this at another time?  OH WAIT, that’s what Wednesday night rehearsal is for--PROBLEM SOLVED, YAY!  Oh wait---that’s called rehearsal for a reason.  You get the point......

So what exactly is the AVID Virtual Soundcheck?  In theory it’s a very simple and easy configuration that routes the audio you recorded to Pro Tools back to the Venue console with the click of a button.  In reality, well it’s just as simple.  While it might seem that the best time to dial in a mix is during rehearsal, that really is the worst possible time because that is THEIR REHEARSAL---NOT YOUR’S!  There are two Pro Tools options for the Venue consoles, technically there really are three:

1.   Pro Tools LE- connects via a firewire cable to your computer.  No other hardware is needed other than the Firewire Option on your Venue console (connects in FOH Rack), the included Pro Tools LE software, and your computer.  Pro Tools LE has a technical limitation of 18-channels of audio I/O, therefore you can only record 18-tracks at a time.  In virtual soundcheck, all tracks that are available within your mix are available for playback--but only 18-channels of output are available.  For many, this option is fine.  The Pro Tools LE option is available for all current Venue consoles, but is already included on the Venue SC48 console.
   

2.   Pro Tools HD 64-  This option includes an option card that plugs into your FOH Rack that allows a direct interface connection into Pro Tools HD with the ability to record up to 64-tracks at a time and playback up to 64-discreet channels.  Unlike the Firewire Option, larger worship services now have the ability to have each track played back through its own discrete output allowing the user to really take hold of what Virtual Soundcheck is all about. There are (2) Digilink connectors on the card---which is required to “talk” with Pro Tools HD.  Pro Tools HD traditionally sees up to 32-channels per connector, but with Venue is slightly different. The first Digilink connector sees the Stage I/O on the DShow and Profile systems (built-in I/O on the Profile MixRack) which is actually 48-channels of audio, while the second Digilink connector feeds another 16-channels of audio from the FOH Rack. 
   

3.   Pro Tools HD 128-  This option is actually (2) of the HD64 options and simply doubles the channel count.  In order to take advantage of this option, you must have either a DShow or Profile console with a second Stage Rack I/O. 
   

                NOTE:  In the early days, I discovered a few setups issues and configuration problems that really weren’t a problem--just a mis-understanding of setting up the system.  If you wish to monitor via a Pro Tools I/O in the studio, you need at least a Pro Tools HD3 Accel system when using the HD64 option.  If using the HD128 option and recording 96-tracks, you need a Pro Tools HD4 Accel. If you’re recording the full 128-tracks then you need a Pro Tools HD5 Accel.  WHY?  Well, you can not chain the Venue Digilink connection off the I/O Expansion port of your AVID I/O interface.  In addition I discovered that you should NOT connect your studio I/O to the final card on your HD system, but to the main Pro Tools Core Card.  The reason is simple----when you want to boot up Pro Tools and work on that session, the console is not required to be on.  If you have the Venue connectors first and your studio I/O on the final card, then all of your I/O configuration gets shifted in your session making it a total pain in the butt to deal with!  So please, just connect your studio I/O on the Core Card and everything is fine. 

So here’s the process for the AVID Venue Virtual Soundcheck and what makes it so useful for anyone, but especially for houses of worship.  If your church is like mine, you have multiple worship teams which include multiple musicians and various vocal teams.  Music instruments and the human voice alike (it is a musical instrument, after all) are all completely unique and different from one to the next.  So when it comes to dialing in the right EQ, setting a Compressor/Limiter properly, getting the right MicPre gain, etc can take time---but multiply that times several vocals and all of the other instruments--you just don’t have the time in a house of worship.  Here are a few examples:

1.   VOCALS-  As stated, every human voice is different from one to the next.  Some voices are loud and clear, others are not.  For one voice you might need to add a lot of EQ while other might need specific frequencies to be cut.  Then there are various stages of limiting and compression.  If you have too much it can overly-squash the vocal---not enough and the vocal flies away like a bird in the wind.  When recording to Pro Tools, each input coming into Venue is sent to Pro Tools directly to a track.  When Virtual Soundcheck is enable on the console, then those tracks are fed right back into the original channels on the console (providing you have configured the outputs in Pro Tools, of course) allowing you to listen to that worship service EXACTLY the way it sounded the Sunday morning that it was recorded.  One reason for this is that Venue to Pro Tools is a 100% digital connection, therefore there is no alteration of the sound quality from one to the other.  With this playback, it allows the user time when no one is in the sanctuary to focus on each channel in the mix or solo’d up from everyone else, at your own pace.  This kind of time has traditionally only been available in the recording studio, but now the same focus can be given to a live mix.  So let’s say you have a particular voice dialed in to how you like the track---save the channel presets, re-call the next time she sings, and voila the soundcheck is practically done! 
   

2.   GUITARS- One of the biggest features on Venue is the use of TDM plugins, specifically those beyond your traditional compression and EQ such as AVID’s ELEVEN guitar amp modeling plugin.  At my church, we do a high level of production for television broadcast.  Because of this, we try to minimize as much sound on-stage as possible using in-ear monitors, direct bass and guitars, and electronic drums.  When I mix our worship service for television, it sounds perfect because I’m not listening to the stage volume--I’m listening to my mix.  The same is also said for the sound in the house, obviously.  Because each of my players has their own mix, I can significantly alter what they hear--and what kind of feed I get.  One of my guitarists has a Line 6 PodXT which sounds great, so he plugs into that right into the console. But another of my guitarists, well he prefers one of his pedals which honestly I can’t stand the sound of.  So I take a direct feed from his guitar into the console and re-amp the guitar via TDM plugin to the sound that I want in the house.  During the week when I’m playing with his tracks in Virtual Soundcheck, I can create multiple sounds the way that a guitarist would on his amp--all available with a simple change of a preset. So the next time this guitarist plays, all I do is pull up the preset and there is my soundcheck. 
   

3.    DRUMS-  Without question the hardest and longest to dial in the soundcheck.  While I use VDrums live, those that are using acoustic drums this is an absolute life-saver!  I’ll not dive in here---but to those of you that use acoustic drums, you know what I’m talking about here!! 
   

But Virtual Soundcheck is far more than just a tool to dial in the best settings for a mix and save presets for each instrument, player, and voice---it’s an incredible teaching tool for the volunteer staff.  As I said, rehearsal is the worst time to mess with the mix because you’re taking time away from the worship team’s practice.  And besides, how can you effectively teach while loud music is being pumped through the PA?  And of course there is the un-written law when it comes to soundcheck.....when you need to check a channel, that is where that performer has stopped playing---or the entire band has stopped completely!!!!!!!  Well with virtual soundcheck, just throw Pro Tools into loop mode, take an evening with your staff and spend time on the console teaching them how to operate and work the system.  Having a virtual worship team there allows those trying to learn the console the time and environment needed to effectively teach and learn.  This simply can not be done with any other mixing console without some added work and re-routing and re-patching With the AVID Venue family of consoles and either Pro Tools LE or Pro Tools HD it’s not only possible, it’s simple as can be---but HIGHLY effective.

WITHOUT Virtual Soundcheck...

...WITH Virtual Soundcheck

It’s YOUR emotions, you decide!!!