Running live sound can be challenging, especially if it’s new to you. Here are eight live sound tips that will make your next live mixing gig easier.
1. Understand Unity Gain
If you look at most channel faders, you’ll find a “U” a little way from the top. There’s a reason it’s near the top — channel faders are best used to cut (see the section on gain staging). That “U” stands for “unity,” which is the point at the gain stage where the amp neither boosts nor cuts incoming gain. When you’re setting input levels, set all of your channel faders to “U” and only use the preamps. If you aren’t getting enough volume out of your preamp, then the issue is at the source, not with your board.
2. Use Highpass Filters
If your board includes highpass filters, then you’re going to want to use them liberally. Many live sound techs recommend putting them on everything except the kick drum (yes, even on the bass). This will dramatically reduce the low end that can make your music unintelligible to your audience and force you to crank up your system gain, putting you at greater risk for feedback.
3. Try EQ Cutting
Boosting frequencies with an equalizer (especially in more affordable mixers) can introduce noise. You’ll get cleaner results if you cut frequencies around the frequency you want to bring out than if you just boost the range you want to stand out.
4. Label the Board
This might seem like a no-brainer, but whether you use good, old tape or digital scribble strips, label your channels. When the third backup singer suddenly can’t find the key, the last thing you want to have to do is hunt around for the right channel to cut.
5. Anticipate Soundcheck Sandbagging
No matter how loud you tell them to play and how hard they try to comply, even seasoned performers tend to hold back as you dial in the board during soundcheck. You can always push up the preamps a bit during the first song, and no one’s going to notice, but clipping the input gain or causing feedback is no good. Just assume that any one of your performers (except maybe keyboardists) are going to play 3dB–6dB louder during the show than they will during the soundcheck.
6. Train Your Talent
It doesn’t matter how experienced a performer may be; it never hurts to have a quick chat about the nuances of your system with the talent. This is particularly true when it comes to feedback. Making a vocalist aware of where the mains are or of any problem areas on the stage can spare you from show-stopping squeals that make you look incompetent.
7. Walk the Venue
Mixing boards are often set at the back of the house in a less-than-ideal place. Bass tends to build up there, so you’re going to be tempted to cut a lot of low frequencies. During soundcheck, take the time to walk the venue. This will let you hear if there are any major discrepancies between what you hear at the board and what the rest of the house hears. If half of the audience isn’t going to hear the kick even though it sounds huge at the board, then you’re going to have to make some adjustments.
8. Invest in Earplugs
If you’re going to be running sound night after night in loud environments, then it’s time to invest in a pair of good earplugs, preferably custom-molded ones. If you get professional ear plugs, then you’ll not only have reduced volume, but you’ll have reduced volume that also accommodates the natural EQ curve of your hearing. In fact, a good pair of earplugs will actually let you hear the music better in order to make better mixing decisions. And, of course, you can’t really mix at all if you destroy your hearing.
Conclusion
You’ll find lots of additional resources on inSync, and your Sweetwater Sales Engineer is always here to help you. Call us at (800) 222-4700.
