Nov 20, 2003 01:10 pm Bring ear plugs!
"sound guy" tips?
Posted on Nov 20, 2003 11:39 am
coolo
Frisco's Most Underrated
Member Since: Jan 28, 2003
So, it looks like I'm going to have to play "sound guy" this weekend for my weekly hip hop night at a local club. I think I've got the basics as far as working the Mackie mixer at the club, but I was wondering if any of you have any tips or tricks up your sleeve that you wouldn't mind sharing.
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Nov 20, 2003 08:33 pm Don't even have a sip of the drink, and be prepared to get alot of 'I can't hear myself's.
Oh yes, and if the band sucks, be prepared to take the blame.
W.
Nov 20, 2003 09:12 pm I disagree, I find I work better after a few pints ;)
Remember your gain staging, thats crutial - get everythign to come in with nice amounts of gain but still give yourself plenty of headroom to work with. Don't run the rig too hot, always allow about 3-6dB of overhead - trust me, you will need it.
During soundcheck, it is important that you "test" each mic is working - the band may think soundcheck is for them, but it's actually for you, the engineer. During soundcheck, throw some rough EQ's on - just follow the basic guidelines (eg on kick +6dB @ 80Hz, - 6dB @ 250Hz, +4dB @ 3Khz) so that everything sounds ok - don't go overboard, and remember that things will sound different during the actual show.
When setting up people's monitor mixes, make sure you give them plenty of themselves, but not so much as to cause feedback. Also, remember, if someone says they want to go "up", turn them up in their monitor, because that's what they are actually asking for. Also, make sure the monitors are set to Pre-fader - it makes life easier.
After soundcheck, remember to mute all your channels - also, make sure the desk is muted whenever someone unplugs (especially true of a DI'd bass guitar!)
If feedback occurs on the vocals it is probably because the vocalist has the mic pointed towards their monitor - either drop the amount of vocals in that monitor, or roll back the vocal channel's gain.
Label your channels, this is important, especially if, God forbid, something goes wrong mid set and you need to adjust something quickly!
That's pretty much it I guess, just be prepared and be able to think on your feet and you will do just fine!
have a good one.
jues.
Nov 20, 2003 09:50 pm I agree with jues, on the beverage department. Just enough to relax. And coolo, most of all trust your ears. As jues said, the sound will change as the place gets more crowded. So keep your ears on the mix as the place packs em in.
Good luck, youll do fine. If the band soudns anything like your mixxes sound there in good hands with you at the console.
Nov 21, 2003 12:54 pm hey thanks guys. I'll probably not have any drink as I promote and pretty much run the whole night with my partner. So, I like to have a clear head in case anything comes up. Cuz with a hip hop night, you never know who's gonna start acting stupid, and I'll be the first one to quell any trouble that's starting. Hasn't happenend yet, but you never know.
Oh, and thanks for the compliment Noize.
Nov 21, 2003 08:34 pm If I see a soundman drink, I fire him on the spot...
It's not what it does to you, it's the appearance more than anything.
Last night, got a soundman fired, was drinking, and he fried one of the bands amps by pumping phantom power through it... If he wasn't drinking it would have been chocked up as a 'whoops', but since he didn't take the job serious enough...
W.
Nov 21, 2003 09:45 pm good job I will never engineer for you, then.
Nov 22, 2003 10:47 pm And my referance to a couple ment just that. I am one who is not into having bands in here drinking heavily. But I will never put a complete kabosh on having a cocktail or two while playing. I agree on the getting impaired atitude, and the apperance thing. But lets face it, a band in a bar is going to drink a bit just hopefully not till they are out of it. And hey as I have said before, if we all thought the same on subjects this would be a boring world. :-)
And coolo, you know I have the utmost respect for your ability. So the compliments come easy for those who use their talents well.
Nov 23, 2003 12:51 am Yea, All about knowing your limits and yourself. Too high is too high. Start getting sloppy on your instrument of choice (mixer included) and you gota go. I have one friend that gets real slow and lathargic after eating. He knows better than to eat if something important is coming up. Too much coffee and I start pushing and loose tone. Go figgure. Problem that I have seen is that with many drugs and alchol, folks (including me) get the sensation that they are doing better as their abilities go south. Myself, I love having at least one streight up stable person on the team to keep folks on their toes. Some do a little better with a little something to relax it is true. So put it in a glass and don't make any big deal out of it.
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