Understanding The Wing Rack Talkback Section. The primary purpose of a talkback mic on a mixer is to allow the engineer or producer to communicate with the musicians, performers, or talent in another location, typically in a recording booth, live stage, or control room. It pretty well eliminated the need for the old two way walkie talkies that were used for decades in the audio industry. Due to recent events, it has also been incorporated for emergency active shooter situations. Please watch the short video at the bottom of this post after reading the explanations below. You can click here to download this post in a PDF format.
TALK A & TALK B
These two functions allow you to set up two different talkback functions. You could use Talk A for communication between yourself and the musicians via their mix buses, and Talk B for communicating with stage personnel or for making announcements over the Main PA to the audience.
SWITCH MODE
The main purpose of the Switch Mode is to determine how the talkback microphone is activated and how long it stays active when the talkback button is pressed. This allows for different workflows and preferences depending on the situation. The Wing Rack has three modes, AUTO, PUSH & LATCH.
AUTO. The AUTO mode on the Wing Rack talkback tab is a powerful feature that automates the routing of the talkback microphone based on your console’s operational context. It’s designed to make communication more efficient, reduce manual work, and streamline your workflow, especially in live sound or studio environments where quick and accurate talkback is essential. If you’re not already using AUTO mode, it’s definitely worth exploring to see how it can improve your workflow!
PUSH. Instead of the microphone being constantly open and transmitting audio (like in a “VOX” or “Always On” mode), you have to actively press and hold a button or a designated area on the screen to transmit your voice. So, when you see “PUSH” on your Wing Tak Talkback tab, it indicates that you need to engage a specific action (likely a button press or screen tap) to activate the microphone and transmit your voice.
LATCH. In this mode, pressing the talkback button activates the talkback microphone, and it remains active until you press the button again to deactivate it. This is useful for longer conversations or when you need your hands free after initiating the talkback. It’s less convenient for very short bursts of communication as you have to remember to press the button again to turn it off.
TALK LVL
This is how you set the input gain for your talkback mic. This is one of the few exceptions where you do not need to adhere to the -18dBFS settings for microphones. You simply adjust it until you get a healthy input signal without clipping. As you can see in the picture above, I have my input gain for my headset mic set to a +0.5 dBFS.
AUTO DIM
The purpose of the AUTO DIM mode on the Talkback tab of a Wing mixing console is to automatically reduce the level of the main outputs (usually the Stereo or Main Bus) when the Talkback microphone is active. When the main music or audio is playing loudly, it can be difficult for performers or technicians to hear the Talkback instructions clearly. Dimming the main outputs makes the Talkback signal more prominent and easier to understand.
When AUTO DIM is enabled and you press the Talkback button (or a designated Talkback footswitch), the Wing console automatically applies a predetermined amount of attenuation (reduction) to the level of the selected main outputs. The AUTO DIM mode on the Wing’s Talkback tab is a crucial feature for efficient and feedback-free communication with performers and crew. It automatically reduces the main output levels when Talkback is engaged, ensuring that your instructions are heard clearly over the program audio and preventing unwanted feedback.
USE SENDS LEVEL
On the Behringer WING Rack, the “Use Sends Level” option within the talkback tab controls how the talkback signal is routed and its level is controlled. Essentially, when “Use Sends Level” is enabled, the level of the talkback signal sent to specific outputs is determined by the individual channel sends. Without “Use Sends Level” enabled, the talkback level is typically controlled by a single master talkback fader or level control.
On the Wing Rack, this talkback level is set using the “TALK LVL” slider as pictured above. This level is then applied uniformly to all outputs that the talkback is routed to. With “Use Sends Level” enabled, the talkback signal is essentially treated like a regular channel that can be sent to various outputs (like monitor mixes, effects sends, etc.). The level of the talkback signal in each of these outputs is controlled by the corresponding send level for that output.
As an example, if you have the talkback routed to Monitor Mix 1 and Monitor Mix 2, and you have “Use Sends Level” enabled, the level of the talkback in Monitor Mix 1 will be determined by the talkback channel’s send level to Monitor Mix 1 and the level of the talkback in Monitor Mix 2 will be determined by the talkback channel’s send level to Monitor Mix 2.
Basically, “Use Sends Level” on the Behringer WING talkback tab gives you the flexibility to control the talkback level and routing on an output-by-output basis using the mixer’s standard send architecture. If you’re not using “Use Sends Level,” the talkback level is generally controlled globally. If you need more precise control over where and how loud the talkback is heard in different mixes, enabling “Use Sends Level” is the way to go.
TALK TO BUS, TALK TO MATRIX & TALK TO MAINS
The “TALK TO BUS,” “TALK TO MATRIX,” and “TALK TO MAINS” options on the wing Rack talkback tab are used to route the talkback microphone signal to specific destinations within the console’s audio pathways.
TALK TO BUS: When you engage “TALK TO BUS,” the talkback microphone signal is sent to the selected auxiliary (aux) buses on the console.
TALK TO MATRIX: Engaging “TALK TO MATRIX” routes the talkback microphone signal to the selected matrix outputs.
TALK TO MAINS: When you select “TALK TO MAINS,” the talkback microphone signal is sent to the console’s main stereo outputs. This is typically used for making announcements to the audience or addressing a large group of people if you need to communicate with everyone receiving the main mix.