Single Engineer Session Workflow
Updated 4/23/2026
Planning Stage
- Figure out where everything/everyone goes.
- Feel free to draw this out!
- Determine correct cables/adapters
- Figure out exact location of necessary wall connections
- What is the POINT of the wall connection?
- Tracking?
- Rerouting?
- Determine which channels you want to route signal to, and their circuit type
- Document routing on setup sheet
Gear Setup
- Setup the gear according to the setup sheet, connecting into the wall panels, with the aim of making it to the main console patch bay.
Patching
- Patch based on setup sheet
- Don't forget about Listen Patching, Talkback Patching, and Hearback Patching if necessary.
Phantom Power Considerations
- Protecting People's Ears
- When you turn on phantom power, it creates a spike sound. Consider who might be listening to this sound.
- Talent might listen, so we should cut any audio source that goes to them
- They are hearing the Hearback, but what is SOURCING the hearback (work backwards)
- Most of the time, i'ts the DAW, so cutting the signal from the DAW (ProT ools) will prevent them from hearing any of the phantom power that we are applying
- They are hearing the Hearback, but what is SOURCING the hearback (work backwards)
- We might listen as well in the control room, so we should cut any audio source that goes to us
- We are listening to the speakers in the control room, but what is SOURCING those speakers (work backwards)
- Mix A, fed by the individual channels, from the DAW
- So actually, cutting signal from the DAW protects our ears as well
- We are listening to the speakers in the control room, but what is SOURCING those speakers (work backwards)
- Talent might listen, so we should cut any audio source that goes to them
- Protecting the Gear
- Make sure to cut phantom power before and after patching, ESPECIALLY if you are using a TRS patchbay because it could damage the gear.
- When you turn on phantom power, it creates a spike sound. Consider who might be listening to this sound.
Console Channel Configuration
- Configure Console Monitoring Correctly (only have to do this once)
- Make sure that you are monitoring the correct source (eg. Mix A)
- Select Mix As the Mix Source
- Adjust the level of Mix A using the Master Fader
- Make sure you the monitor level is not too low
- Channels have correct circuits engaged based on setup sheet
- Can we monitor this channel?
- Is it going to Mix A?
- C an we see the circuit in action on the meters?
DAW Channel Configuration
- Verify that correct playback engine is engaged (only have to do this once)
- If there are problems, perhaps look into audio network issues
- Verify that I/O is correctly configured for that playback engine
- Tracks are renamed according to setup sheet
- Make sure that tracks in ProTools match DAW I/O based on setup sheet
- Are you able to record/monitor the channel in ProTools?
Gain staging
- We need to increase the gain on the amplifier circuit to provide optimal signal to noise ratio (aim for a peak of -6 dBFS while tracking)