Topic: Not sure of the best way to adjust EQ to keep levels even..

[8X10Intern]

I'm really new at taping, i've been interning for maybe 2 months.. about 6 shows I guess, I work as a taper mixing on my own board if I so choose. Some of the monitor mixes were clipping really bad last week, and I was freaking out, I tried turning down the gain on the certain ones trying to figure out what was on what channel till I got it kind of down to the right levels. But the sound wasn't as clear as I would have liked. My instructor is super busy when we run shows so I don't get much of a chance to ask him questions. So a few questions..

a) If vocals/guitar are peaking too high would high high/mid low/mid or low controls be best to adjust?

b) should bass and drums generally be lower in the mix? ( i could barely hear the drums in my headphones)

c) where can I find good resources online for understanding the physics behind what each control on the board is actually doing?

Thanks for your patience and help!

[travelinbeat]

Get the books: Live Sound Reinforcement by Scott Hunter Stark and Modern Recording Techniques by Huber & Runstein.  These are great places to begin a knowledge of sound and recording and boards (I started with Modern Recording Techniques, and would encourage anyone to start here and move on).  Aside from that, these boards area WONDERFUL source of info.  Looking at your signature though, I must say that Wikipedia too, should never be over looked:

In reference to its original manufacturer, James H. Cannon, founder of Cannon Electric in Los Angeles, California (now part of ITT Corporation), the connector is colloquially known as a cannon plug or cannon connector. Originally the "Cannon X" series, subsequent versions added a Latch ("Cannon XL") and then a Rubber compound surrounding the contacts, which led to the abbreviation XLR.[1] Many companies now make XLRs. The initials "XLR" have nothing to do with the pinout of the connector. XLR connectors can have other numbers of pins besides three.