Adjusting Gain; Equalization; Mixing In The Next Track; Finding The Next Song - Numark NS6 Reference Manual

ADJUSTING GAIN

The GAIN knob at the top of the NS6's Channel Controls allows you to boost or cut the audio level of the track before you control it with
the CHANNEL FADER during the mixing process. We recommend having the level of the track adjusted such that the loudest part of
the song causes the first 2 red lights on the LED METERS to light up without being permanently lit. Setting the GAIN so both tracks'
levels behave like this makes it easy to balance the mix between them with the EQ and faders. If you set the gain level too high, the
limiter in ITCH will activate to attempt to prevent the audio from clipping or distorting. When activated, the audio will be suppressed and
the limiter light will appear at the top of the ITCH screen to alert you to decrease the gain level.
You can also give the Master Mix (including the BOOTH OUTPUT signal and MIC / AUX signal) an extra boost by increasing its
Overdrive setting in the Mixer tab of the Setup screen. (See MIXER in the SOFTWARE SETUP section for more information.)

EQUALIZATION

Equalization (EQ) is used to boost and cut specific frequencies. EQ is used to balance the sound of 2 tracks that have been mastered
differently, to make a track sound "right" on your particular system, or for creative mixing techniques. The NS6 features 3-band EQ
(low, mid and high). The knobs go from full cut (or "kill") when turned all the way left, "unity" (or "flat" response) when facing straight up,
and 6 or 12 dB of boost when turned all the way to the right, depending on the EQ setting in the Mixer tab of the Setup screen. (See
MIXER in the SOFTWARE SETUP section for more information.)
With EQ, less is usually better. When boosting, do so sparingly, especially when you can cut other frequencies instead. For example,
if you have a track with too much mid-range frequencies, rather than boosting the bass and treble to compensate, it is better to cut back
the mid-range frequencies. Also, every speaker system and room has a different frequency response so you will need to adjust your
EQ to suit not only the music you are playing but the room in which you are playing it.

MIXING IN THE NEXT TRACK

FINDING THE NEXT SONG

Once you have the first track playing, you need to find the next song to mix in. Browse your Library to find a suitable song (using the
same process described in the PLAYING YOUR FIRST TRACK section). The BPM column is useful for finding a track with a similar
tempo to the current song.

LOADING IT TO THE DECK

Before loading the next track, be sure the CROSSFADER is pushed over to the side of the currently playing track (so that only that
track will play through the speakers). Load the next track to the other Deck (using the same process described in the PLAYING YOUR
FIRST TRACK section). (Note what Layer you are loading the track to, especially as you repeat this process while creating a four-track
mix.)

PREVIEWING IT IN THE HEADPHONES

When the SPLIT CUE switch is in the ON position, the headphone audio will be "split" such that all channels sent to CUE are mixed to
mono and applied to the left headphone channel and the Program mix is mixed to mono and applied to the right channel. When the
SPLIT CUE switch is in the OFF position, Cue and Program audio will be "blended" together. Use the CUE BLEND fader to balance
between the audio levels of the Cue and Program audio in the headphones while cueing. The HEADPHONE VOLUME knob on the
Front Panel controls the headphone volume. You can also give the headphone volume an extra boost by increasing its Overdrive
setting in the Mixer tab of the Setup screen. (See MIXER in the SOFTWARE SETUP section for more information.)

FINDING THE RIGHT PART OF THE SONG

Track Overview
This view provides a complete overview of the waveform of the track (in the
Waveform display) and includes a marker to show the current position within
the track (the Audio Pointer). This view is useful for finding good places to
transition within the track.
The waveform is colored according to the spectrum of the sound: red
representing low-frequency bass sounds, green representing mid-frequency
sounds, and blue representing high-frequency treble sounds.
Hardware Controls: You can use the STRIP SEARCH on the NS6 to move the Audio Pointer to a certain point the track by
touching it (to make it jump to that point). The length of the STRIP SEARCH sensor represents the length of the entire waveform
as displayed in the software.
Mouse: You can make the Audio Pointer jump to different points within the track by clicking on the Track Overview display with
the mouse.
Gray lines behind the track's waveform indicate the time within the track: a thin grey line marks each minute, and a thicker grey line
marks each 5-minute interval. The overview will be filled when you load the track onto a Virtual Deck.
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