When I returned, several players had changed, and the music had shifted from 80s rock to 70s Led Zeppelin. I was cool with that, and since the other bassist had to leave, I jumped in. Oh yeah, in my absence it had gotten a lot louder. We started playing Whole Lotta Love, and the woman standing next to me was belting it out with authority. Just before the bridge, I moved closer to the drummer so I could follow his lead through the changes. At the same time, the singer really screamed out the final words of that verse, clipping the monitor speaker next to the drummer. In less than 5 seconds, I knew I had done some harm to my left ear. It immediately felt plugged up, and the tonal balance had changed a lot.

Two days later, my left ear still didn’t feel right, and I had significant ringing in both ears in the morning for several days later. I hoped it would get better – BUT IT DIDN’T! Every morning, I wake up with a significant ringing in my left ear – it’s been over 6 weeks.

I’ve been to a zillion rehearsals, gigs, and concerts, and never have I messed up like this. I was 10 rows back for Aerosmith (the Pump tour) – it was so loud my heart was forced to beat in sync with the kick-drum, but I had my earplugs in and it sounded great!

For 40 years, I have prided myself on having very good hearing. I’m the only guy at work who can hear the computer monitors whine just before they blow. I can tell whether the ringing telephone is real or from the television. I can fix a live mix in under 10 seconds. In short, I’ve got good ears, and I just did them serious damage! So I promise you, this is not a 5th grade drug-awareness warning, this is the real deal (well, so is the 5th grade D.A.R.E class). Protect your ears!

Every time you walk out of a concert, gig, or rehearsal and your ears hurt, or feel stuffed up, you’ve done some harm to your ears. Usually, if it doesn’t happen too often, or the sound wasn’t dangerously excessive, your ears will recover. But if it happens every week, or you stand in front of the PA speakers without earplugs, you can – and will – damage your hearing permanently. The technical term is tinnitus, and you can learn more from www.webMD.com.

So let’s review some basic principals:

1) Every gig gets louder every hour. This is because our ears get used to the level, and it starts to sound dull, so we turn it up.

2) While extreme volumes will hurt your ears, distortion does harm much more quickly, and at lower levels. This is due to the higher harmonics and relatively long periods that they are produced. Such high-frequency energy would never happen in any naturally occurring music, including distorted guitars. The distortion produced when you clip a power amplifier or mixer/pre-amp is the nastiest sound possible in live music.

Note: Distortion from guitar amps is different than the distortion from a clipped PA amp or overdriven mixer input. Guitar amps and effects are designed to give a “natural” distortion, if that’s not an oxymoron. See the Guitar Noise articles on the Quest for Tone. The mixer and PA amplifier are designed to not distort at all, which means that when they are overdriven, it sounds terrible.

3) It takes courage to admit that everyone’s too loud, including yourself. And if you’re playing with strangers, it’s almost impossible to control it.

4) It used to be that people thought that earplugs were “un-cool”, but after the publicity provided by Pete Townsend, it’s now OK to have neon green corks sticking out of your head. The guitarist of The Who had such a bad case of tinnitus – the ringing in his ears was so loud – that he couldn’t hear whether he was playing the right notes.

5) Hearing protection is like safe sex – it’s your responsibility. Even though others may choose to risk the health of their hearing, you should not.

6) Even smart people make mistakes – arrggh!

For the Musicians

Here are some things to consider when you’re playing:

1) The drummer sets the level of most rehearsals and gigs. If the guitars are louder than the drums, turn them down!

1a) Drummers need to learn dynamics, just like the rest of us. Also, drummers should learn the difference between “louder” and “sharper”. I’m not a drummer, but I know there is a difference.

2) Vocals are the most important part of the music. If you are so loud that you can’t hear the vocals clearly, then you need to turn down. This will save your voice as well as your ears.

3) Dynamics are important too. If you have loud and soft passages, then the loud parts don’t need to be as loud. If you only have loud and louder, it’s a lot harder to keep it sane.

4) Keeping a lower volume at rehearsals is more important than during a performance. I’ve said this several times, when you’re playing in a small room, you’ve got to turn it down. As noted in Rehearse and Rehash, this is also a better way to run a rehearsal so you can hear each other clearly and work on dynamics and harmonies.

For the Sound Engineer

Here are some things to consider when you are engineering or buying PA equipment:

1) The #1 Problem is PA distortion. Remember these items when you are shopping for PA gear:

• Power: You need enough wattage to be heard clearly without clipping the amp. Bigger amps are not that much more money. Figure you need at least 200W per channel for vocals only for a small club. Much more if you need to add the drums or bass into the mix. Speakers need to be able to handle the power easily. Note that it is hard to “clip” a speaker, but if you over-power it, you can break it.
• Limiters: You should always use a limiter on the main and monitor amps. Note that many amps have integrated limiters, and those are even better because they don’t need to be adjusted. Limiters keep the loudest sounds just below the threshold of clipping, so no matter what, you can’t harm the amp, the speakers, or your ears.

2) Hearing fatigue. Our ears (like all of our senses) will get used to certain conditions if given enough time. Usually, after 15 minutes or so, you will no longer think the music is really loud, and if you are running the mix board, you will turn it up to make it sound “alive” again. Some simple things to combat this:

• Turn it down between each set. Let your visual clues help you. Where were the faders? How many yellow lights were lit during the first song? Be aware that your own ears can get fooled.
• Don’t use the smiley-face EQ (see Kelley’s article). Taking out too much of the mid-range fools you into thinking that the music is not as loud as you think. Leave the settings from 400-2KHz close to flat (0dB).
• Don’t let the house CD music run too loud between sets. This will continue to force you to get louder.

3) Learn how to use the mixer properly. Any clipping that occurs in the mixer with be faithfully reproduced by the power amplifier, and since it’s in the main signal, the amp’s limiter will not catch it. The gain stages should be arranged so that there is always plenty of headroom, so clipping is almost impossible. You can also use compressors on vocals and other dynamic channels to help keep the overall volume under control. Compressor/limiters are not that expensive. Several companies make 4-channel compressors for around $150; they’re not studio quality, but they’re good enough for your live gigs and rehearsals.

4) Mixing for the Monitors. Believe it or not, for many current road tours, the stage level is much lower than the front-of-house PA volumes being sent to the crowd. If you are playing bigger gigs, pay attention to this, and realize that the monitor mix can drive the stage volume too high. During the sound check, play at least one song with just the monitors on to get a sense for the overall level.

Last – and always – carry your earplugs – and wear them! I know I won’t forget again.

I welcome comments and suggestions on any topic. Email me at DGLasley@aol.com

And when we got there, we discovered one thing – one necessary evil – one fear that we still needed to conquer. I know what you’re thinking, but the fear that someone will request the live version of Freebird only falls in at number two. The big fear was the fear of the soundcheck.

The simple truth is; the soundcheck can be the scariest part of any stage experience. Okay, maybe scary is a little strong, but nearly everyone is uncomfortable when they have to step up on the stage and be the guy to say “check. . .check” over and over again while someone else adjusts the knobs. And at no time does a musician ever feel more exposed than when he has to play something (anything) so that the soundguy can adjust the levels on his instrument in the PA. In truth, doing a full soundcheck on the PA before a show is an uncomfortable, annoying, inconvenient pain in the butt, but it is absolutely necessary.

In other words, if you want the band to sound good, you have to do it, and unless you really enjoy pain, you won’t enjoy it. It is possible, however to speed up the process and make it a little less painful by making a few simple adjustments to the way you (as the musician) perform your soundcheck.

Use “Check” Licks

To avoid embarrassment and help the soundguy, have some special licks ready that you can use during soundchecks. You can use snippets of cool songs you know, or you can make up something of your own. Or you can just play scales or even play randomly as long as you include a few key elements. For guitar, you should have parts that are big open chords and parts that are screeching solo licks. This way, the EQ and effects on your channel can be adjusted at both ends of the spectrum by the soundguy. For bass, make sure you play a lot of low E’s and a little high stuff too. That way, the soundguy gets a full dose of what you might play on stage.

Listen!

As with most things that require good communication, the best thing you, as the musician, can do to keep the process moving along is to listen to what the soundman is saying. He may want you to move the mic or check to see if it’s plugged in. He may even request that you change some settings on your guitar amp or tilt it a certain direction on the stage. Many times, you may not agree with some of his suggestions, but remember that he is trying to make you sound best out front where your audience will be. The sound on the stage is very different than the sound in the rest of the room. The question you need to ask yourself is, “Where would I prefer my guitar to sound best?” The obvious answer is that the best sound in the room should be located in the area where your audience will be listening. So listen to the soundman. You pay him to make things sound great out front, so trust him when he tells you what he needs you to do. You will seldom be disappointed.

Wait Your Turn

When the soundguy is checking another instrument or another mic, don’t make any noise. Don’t talk into your mic. Don’t play your instrument. Just wait patiently until it’s your turn, and when the he says your turn is over, walk off the stage and let everyone else finish. If you keep making noise, the soundman can’t hear what he’s supposed to be checking. If you’re lucky, he’ll notice, but if you’re not, he might hear you and think he’s hearing the instrument or mic he’s working on. That could cause all kinds of problems when you start into your first song at the beginning of the show.

Pay Attention

When you are doing your part of the soundcheck, the soundman needs to have your full attention. Don’t frustrate him by talking to other people on the stage while he’s trying to get you sounding right. Also, if you’re doing your soundcheck right before the show, try not to be distracted by the early birds in the audience. Their mere presence makes a lot of people nervous, and as often as not, they will want to talk to you during soundcheck. Don’t be rude. You don’t want to run them off, but you should try to avoid talking to them as much as possible. Even a polite reminder that you need to finish up before you can talk is fine. They will usually understand. Just keep in mind that it is important to stay focused. You don’t want the soundguy getting annoyed. If he gets aggravated, everything will take longer and the end result will be a worse sound at the start of your show.

Check it Like You Sing it

When you check a microphone, check it at a volume comparable to your normal singing volume. If you don’t want to look silly checking your mic, don’t check it like a wimp. Check it big. Use your gut. Don’t whisper. You don’t sing that quiet, so don’t check that quiet.

Two Simple Words

Use the words “Two” and “Check” when you check a microphone. Believe it or not, there are practical soundguy reasons why these words are so common in soundchecks. The “Ch” part of “check” checks how the highs and mids sound, the hard stop made at the “ck” sound helps check how the effects are working, and the word “two” (or “four” if two gets boring) really helps to see how the lows on the mic are sounding. Don’t have a conversation on the mic, just say “check – Two” and repeat. . . and repeat. . . and repeat. . .

All Together Now

Finally, after each band member has done his/her duties as an individual, the whole band should take the stage long enough to play a soundcheck song. It should be one of the easier songs on the list since you want to be able to concentrate on the sound more than on the performance, but it should be a song that utilizes as many instruments and vocal mics as possible. In other words, choose a song where everyone sings (at the same time preferably) and everyone plays. It isn’t usually necessary to play the whole song. Only play as much of it as the sound engineer needs to get things adjusted. When the crowd claps, as they sometimes do after a soundcheck, thank them and tell them when your show will begin, and then sit down and take a rest before the real fun starts.

If you follow those simple guidelines, you’re likely to impress every soundman you are likely to encounter, and your own soundcheck experience should be at least a little more enjoyable and, at the very least, a lot faster. With any luck, it won’t even be uncomfortable or scary anymore. Now, if we could just figure out how to deal with that live Freebird request.

The Decision

The first step is to decide that you really want to do this, and that you are going to be the host. It helps to have a really good reason, either as a charity event, or a chance to showcase your own band. This is not an easy decision, because even with the tricks I’m going to show you, it’s a lot of work. Although I have done this “for fun”, that’s not always a good enough reason. You also have to be willing to assume the up-front expenses and the possibility that you could lose money. You need to make this decision at least 3 months before the soonest show date. If this is going to be a charity event, then you must take it upon yourself to establish good communications with the charity organization as well.

The Place

Next, you need to find a time and place to play. Try to find a location that has a reasonably large stage. I’ve been lucky enough to do it in school auditoriums, which are perfect. Many schools are open and unused on Friday nights, so it’s not as crazy as you might think. Most schools will charge a nominal fee, plus the salary of one custodian. But don’t use the gym! There isn’t a worse place to play on the planet than the average school gymnasium. There are other places you might consider, including some bars on Sunday afternoons (if you’re old enough), halls where social groups like the Elks or VFW meet or even your church. Just remember that the bigger the stage the easier things tend to be.

The Bands

Once you have a time and place, then you will need to find some bands to come and play. Usually, you figure that each band takes about an hour, 45 minutes of playing and 15 minutes of set-up. So if you have 4 hours, then you can invite 4 bands. If you have more time, you can invite more bands. Alternately, if you know lots of bands, then you may have to cut down the playing time. Anything less than 20 minutes is a waste of effort, even for a charity gig.

Obviously, asking other bands that you already know is a good idea, but check around a little further too. How much variety do you want? Diversity usually means more people will come, but if it gets too eclectic, then some people will decide that there’s less to like. You want to do the recruiting in two steps: first get an acknowledgement that a band is interested, then later, you’ll need to explain the “rules” and get a firm commitment.

The Gear

As with any gig, you’re going to need sound equipment. If you’re lucky, the place you’ve selected will have a PA built in. Double check that they have enough channels in the mixer, and enough monitors. You may need to add some more to the house system just for flexibility. Be sure to discuss this with the house engineer. If there is no house PA, then you’ll have to get your own.

Make a list of all the stuff that is required. But you shouldn’t have to supply all of this yourself. You need to ask each band what they might be able to supply. Make a master list of equipment, and note which band is willing to supply which equipment. Usually, your own band will supply the core equipment, unless you know that some item is not “something to be proud of”, and then ask. Believe it or not, people who have higher quality gear tend to want to use it, and are often willing to share.

• PA: Since you are going to have to work with different bands you’re going to need to be flexible. So you’ll need a good mix board, effects and EQ, amplifiers, microphones, and main and monitor speakers. Plus, try to find a sound guy to work the board, or switch off with musicians who are not on stage.
• Drums: You’d like to use the best drums you can, but some drummers won’t want to share their kit. Each band must agree to replace any drumheads that should happen to be broken by their drummer (as rare as this is, you still have to plan for it!).
• Bass Amp: It is better to have an amp that is too big than too small.
• Guitar Amps: You should have at least 3 amps. Mainly for variety, as the guest musicians will want to get their best sound. So try to find different brands and styles.
• Keyboards: If one or more bands has keyboards, then try to settle on a common set. Usually one piano-type and/or one synth. You’ll need an amp for this too.

Getting Organized

So now you have a list of who is going to play, and what each band is willing to share. Now you write a letter (email is great for this!) to each band explaining what is what: No, you may not bring your own drums (you may bring your own snare and seat). No, you may not bring your own bass or guitar amp, you must use the ones provided and described here (but you can plug in all your EFX). Etc. Be as thorough as you can, as everyone will understand that “everyone else is sharing too”, which reduces the whining. Tell everyone to label everything!!! With several bands sharing their gear, anything that is unmarked becomes fair game for misappropriation. Cables and power cords are the most common items to be “misplaced”, but even the occasional EFX pedal, can fall victim to this, and petty theft (usually totally unintentional) can ruin this type of event.

Have an idea how long each band can play. Something like “Assuming everyone shows up, everyone will get 30 minutes of playing time”. If you have an obvious “headliner”, or you want to pull rank as the host, plan for extra time at the end. As mentioned earlier, plan on 15 minutes between each act for overruns and swapping bands. Write a chart with each band name, number/type of musicians.

Ask each band to agree to all of the above. Don’t tell them who’s going first or last yet, and don’t give them the impression that they can influence the line-up.

Logistics

Now that you’ve got most of the important musical aspects figured out, you need to do the logistics. How are you going to handle food and drink? If you’re at a bar, then that part’s easy. But if you’re in a school, then you’ve got to make arrangements, and remember no smoking or drinking on school property. If you’ve got a charity organization working with you, then let them do the food, etc. as they will be making the money and providing the volunteers.

Again, if you’re at a school, then you’ll need to handle security, parking, etc.

And get a couple of cases of bottled water. If you’re at a bar, explain that this is necessary because water is best for everyone, and plastic bottles don’t break. Seriously, don’t forget this.

And believe it or not, think about a logo and T-shirts. You can usually get a silk-screened T-shirt for less than $10 if you buy over 20. If you get a light-colored shirt, then people can sign them. This may seem hokey, but it’s actually pretty cool.

The Middle Period

There is a quiet time between the initial contacts and the week before the gig. Usually it’s a couple of weeks. Once you get experienced at doing this sort of thing, you can shorten up the time from start to finish by reducing this middle period. Don’t forget to rehearse your own stuff. During this time you should consider any advertising you may want, and follow up on some of your logistical issues. This is also a good time to review the sequencing for the bands. Usually, you want to save the best for last, or save it for yourself (even if you’re not the best!), but consider that the first band shouldn’t really be the worst either. Although you may not have a full crowd at the beginning, having a solid band go first is a good idea, as they give confidence to any of the weaker bands that follow.

The Week Before the Gig

Contact all the different people to confirm that they are still on target. Re-confirm with all the bands that they are ready to play, tell them what time they’ll go on, and how long they get to play. Tell all the people who are contributing equipment when and where you will want it delivered. Put up posters with the band names and approximate times. You will probably find out that someone has not done something they were supposed to do, and so you’ll have to scramble a bit to solve that problem, but because you found out before it’s too late, you can usually make it work. This is the time that you really need to delegate the specific tasks. Jimmy will get the PA. Jane will get the drums. Try and identify one person to be a “runner”, a trouble-shooter with no fixed tasks and a pick-up truck.

The Day Before

Decide what time you want to set up. Earlier is usually better, so that there is some relax time between setup and playing. But some bars won’t let you in early. Confirm (again!) that the various pieces of equipment will get dropped off on time. Draw a sketch of the stage and where you want the drums and amps and keyboards and PA all to go. Try to get some sleep! Turn off the phones after 10pm. If your gig is on a Friday, plan on taking the day off from work, or at least half the day.

The Big Day

The Setup

No matter who else is doing what, YOU need to be at the site on time, and stay there! Tape your sketch on the wall so everyone can see it. Meet and greet everyone as they come in – be the “host”. Tell them where to set up, and where to store the extra gear and cases. If you can, set up the drums first, the amps second, and the PA third. If there is a problem, decide how to fix it (including the option to ignore it and carry on!) and assign someone to get it done. Try to do as little as possible yourself. I know this seems odd, but the idea is to keep it organized. Alternately, plan to do most of it yourself. You fetch all the gear and set it up yourself. I find it very difficult to try and coordinate many people and do a lot of the work at the same time.

The Break

If you’re lucky, you’ve got everything set up at least an hour before the first band goes on. This is a good time to relax, have a seat, chat with people. Absolutely no playing of instruments! If you have time, grab a shower, or at least change your shirt – wear one of the event T-shirts! If there are any money issues, now is the time to resolve them.

Show Time

One of the biggest problems for the host of these events (or any elaborate party) is the host doesn’t get to enjoy it. You should try to stay relaxed and spend as much time meeting and greeting the various musicians and other guests. If you appear relaxed, others will derive confidence from you. Hopefully, the arrangements will be obvious enough that everyone will know where to set their guitars, and where to get a drink.

One way to get the show started promptly is to have your own band go first. (Note: if it’s a long show, you can go again last!). This way, you get to check out the PA and the rest of the set-up with a band that you know. The problem with this is that you are not around to greet people and trouble shoot any other start-up problems. A lot depends on how well you know the other bands, and how experienced they are.

In any case, try to get the first band started on time. And pay attention to the clock. If a band looks like they’re going to run over, walk to the edge of the stage and tell them that the next song is the last one, pointing at your watch. If a change-over takes too long, tell the next band that they’ll have to cut back a bit, but try to spread it out (if you’re 20 minutes behind, take 7 minutes from each band). It’s good if you can play CDs during the change-overs, but not too loud, as it makes it hard to think on stage.

Problems

We all know Mr Murphy, and he always gets invited to these parties. The best thing is to stay relaxed and just work to solve the problem as best as you can. Don’t panic or become frantic. Just solve the problem as professionally as you can and move on. If you have done a good job preparing for the gig and you’ve set up a good stage, then you are probably going to be fine, and the biggest problem likely will be related to the food or parking or other minor (!) issue.

Tear Down

For the most part, tear down should be easy to organize. If everyone takes away whatever they brought, then there will be nothing left. In reality, you will probably have to lug a lot more than you did during set up, but that’s OK. You don’t have to organize anything anymore. Just make sure that all the money issues are resolved.

If you are so inclined, it’s a great idea to collect some of your closest buddies and head out for food after it’s all done. Go to a local diner (or my favorite – Mexican!) where you can get food and relax. You may not realize it, but you’ll be exhausted. So sit, eat, and bask in the knowledge that you succeeded in running your own mini Lallapalooza.

See, it’s easy!

Get out there and Play!

Disclaimer: While I believe that outdoor gigs are fun, remember to invite your neighbors so they don’t complain, and have someone there who is sober and in charge of party-crashers. It never hurts to let the local police station know that you are doing this either. Also, you should have a plan for if it rains, including postponement.

Setting the Stage

For this example, the band is a 3-piece “power trio”, consisting of guitar, bass, and drums, and they want the minimum PA possible, as this is a free gig.

As often happens on a small stage, the drummer will set the volume. You don’t want to mike the drum kit, and you need to balance out the instruments. In most cases, a 30-50W guitar amp will work well with a standard drum kit. For the bass, 200W is about what you’ll need, although you can get by with 100W if you aren’t playing hard rock. If either amp is noticeably smaller, then you may want to get some help from the PA. If your amp has a “line out” jack, connect that to the mixer, otherwise, you’ll have to put a mike in front of the amp.

Look at the diagram below. Set up the stage with the drums in the middle, and the amps each of the back corners (green = bass, orange = guitar), so the drummer can hear them. This way, each of you can hear the balance of the instruments at the front of the stage, which will be similar to what is heard by the audience.

Renting the PA

So now you just need a PA for your vocals. For this you can rent any 200W/ch amp and a mixer. The older Peavey’s or newer Mackies are good for this, as they are combined mixer and amplifier, and they have internal reverb as well. But just about any combination will work. Be sure to get a good 2 channel EQ as well (the new Mackies have this as well). Get 2 full range speakers with mounting poles. JBLs are probably the best, but just about anything will do. You’ll need one microphone (yellow) for each singer, plus a spare (read “Expect the Unexpected” below). Don’t forget to get all the cables, including a long power cord and a multi-outlet strip.

Warning: Do not use home stereos or guitar amps as a PA. Home stereos are not designed to handle the continuous overdrive of live music, and guitar amps can’t provide the range or clarity needed for vocals.

Set the mixer (purple) on a table on one side of the stage, closest to whomever feels most comfortable making the adjustments. Set the PA speakers (blue) on their poles just in front of the stage. The speaker closest to the mixboard should point diagonally out to the audience, the other speaker should point diagonally back on the stage to be your monitor. The monitor should be far enough away from the stage that the person closest to it doesn’t get blown away. If you have time, set up early and get a friend to help you set the levels. The trick is not to get louder than the drummer.

The last step is to clean up the stage and your cables. Bundle all of the cables together and use duct-tape (or gaffers tape – it’s better) to hold them in place. Put a carpet over the power cable so that no one can trip over it. Check that no one can get hung up on the speaker cables either. Make sure that everything is neat and stable on stage, be sure that you’ve left room for your guitar stands and effects pedals, and tape down those cables too.

Expect the Unexpected

Now all of this sounds real easy, and most of the time it is. But here are a couple of common problems you may run into. First, the kick drum almost never has the oomph to be heard. You should plan on miking it as well. Second, since you are outside, the EQ is going to be very different. You may need to boost both the mid-bass (200-300Hz) and the mid-high (4-8KHz). If you are miking either the bass or the kick drum, you may need to extend the low end down to around 100Hz. Remember that it’s not good to keep any low end range that you’re not going to use. Also, without any walls to reflect the sound back at you, you’ll need to add more reverb than usual. Last, if you have a stereo amp, use the pan pots on the mixer to keep the bass and kick drum out of the monitor speaker, and only put in the guitar if you’re having trouble hearing it on stage, otherwise, just put the vocals into the monitor.

Note: To save you some serious embarrassment, I will remind you that the jack labeled “Monitor Out” on the mixer is not intended to drive a speaker. This is a line-level signal that must go to another amplifier to drive a monitor. The set-up I have described above does not require a separate monitor channel, and you should only need a true monitor system when your stage gets bigger and louder.

All-in-One Mini-PAs

Recently, Fender and JBL (and others) have re-invented the all-in-one PA. These units have a 4 or 6 channel mixer, with extra inputs for CDs, and come with a pair of powered speakers. These systems are wonderful for low-volume rehearsals or acoustic gigs at the local coffee house. All of the components are is designed to work well together as a system, and the sound is pretty good. However they are essentially a “consumer” product, and I do not recommend them for any heavy duty tasks. If you are going to get loud, especially playing with a drummer, or in a large or outdoor space, I would suggest getting a more “professional” PA. The JBL system I heard sounded very bad when it was overdriven, and it just wasn’t as loud as was needed.

Other Places to Jam

While your backyard is a good choice, not all of us are blessed with the acreage (or climate!). I do not recommend playing in your garage or basement at any serious level (eg with a drummer) as it’s really hard to sound good in such a small space. Here are some other places you can check out that may be free or at least reasonably low cost:

• Local School auditoriums
• Church basements or meeting rooms
• VFW, Elks Lodge, or other community halls
• Teen centers or coffee houses

So if you and your band have been practicing for months on end, but you’re not sure how to get that first gig, throw it yourself! Get out there and play!

Rehearsing

As I’ve told the kids on my soccer teams for many years, the way you practice is the way you play. So let’s review some ways to improve your rehearsals.

Before you even start, you should have a pretty clear idea of what you need to work on at this rehearsal. It is a waste of everyone’s time if no one knows what songs you are going to learn. You don’t need a long list; if you can learn two songs, and put time into three more that you already know, that’s a pretty good practice session. As discussed below, it can take some time to work through a new song, so don’t try to do too much in one session.

Occasionally, just before a gig, you may want to do a “dress rehearsal”, where you have the set-list, and you play through it without stopping. There should be a minimum of discussion between songs (“that works”, “let’s do it a bit slower next time”), but don’t play anything twice.

Depending on the personality of your band, someone may have to be “the boss”. Other groups can get by with a consensus decision at the start of practice. Sometimes it works well to discuss the plan for the next rehearsal at the end of this one. Figure out what works best for you and try to stick with it. This is the “work” part of playing in a band.

The next important item is to remember that you are “rehearsing” the song. This means that you don’t have it down perfect yet, and you need to make adjustments. You should decide how you want to play each song. Do you want to sound “just like the album”, or perhaps change the style a little (or a lot)? Does the album have parts that are hard to replicate live? After you have made these stylistic choices, you need to focus on three things: structure, harmonies, and dynamics.

A note about volume: you should never rehearse at volume levels that make your ears ring. You should always be able to hear the vocalists clearly, and they shouldn’t have to strain to be heard. If the lead guitar or drummer (or whomever) want to play loud, wait until after rehearsal is over. Loud wastes time and patience.

Setting Up to Practice

First, everyone should be able to hear each other pretty well. Most of us have limited space to practice in, so you have to use all the tricks you can to keep it sane. Everyone should be in a circle facing in toward each other. Remember to get the guitar amps off the floor (except the bass). They should be at least waist high, and shoulder height is best. Put them on a chair, or on top of the bass amp.

If possible, group all of the singers together on one half of your circle, and put your monitor speakers on the opposite side, with non-singers standing near the monitors. Again, the monitors should be shoulder high.

In this picture, the drummer is in the upper right, and I have assumed that she sings. In the upper left is the bass amp (green) with one of the guitar amps (orange) on top. The other guitar amp is along the left wall, and the keyboard amp is along the bottom wall. The blue diamonds are the monitor speakers. The crosses are the musicians, and I have assumed that the 3 on the right side sing (mikes in yellow). One of these will also play guitar, but it’s better to have his amp on the left wall with the others. Obviously, you need to rearrange this to suit your own personnel, but the idea is that the singers all go on one side, and the amps and monitors go on the other side.

Structure

There are 3 important places to focus on for structure: the intro, the outro, and the breaks. The verses and chorus will usually take care of themselves because the words and melodies tend to hold everything together.

For the intro, it is often easiest for one musician to start each song, with the others joining in at the appropriate time. It is harder, but more impressive, if you can begin a song from a cold start.

For the outro, is the ending sharp or sustained? Remember that you can’t (well, it’s difficult) do a “fade out”. If the ending is sustained, who keys the punch-out? It’s important that you all end together.

For the breaks and solos, you should work carefully on the transitions. How do you get from the last chorus into the solos? Is the solo of fixed length, or can it be extended? In one of my bands, we had a very “self-aware” lead guitarist. We had several songs that could have extended solos, and so we agreed that Mikey could play as long as he wanted, but he had to tell us when he wanted to get out. It took some practice, but eventually we were able to wait for Mikey to nod his head, and then the band would work the transition from the solo-verse into the chorus, and Mikey had prepared a flourish to complete his solo as we exited – it sounded like we knew what we were doing, but in reality we were ad-libbing.

You should always do your structure work at low volume, because you are not looking for tone, you are building the song’s foundation.

Harmonies

One of the things that helps turn a good band into a memorable band is the ability to harmonize. And harmonies require practice. Unfortunately, practicing harmonies can be boring for the non-singers, so many bands never do it. It may be a good idea to give some of the non-singers the afternoon off. As always, this type of work should be done at low volume so you can think and hear. Usually, the song can be driven by just a rhythm guitar, while everyone sings their parts. There are some songs where harmonies are not on the original, but your vocalists can find a place for them. (Laura throws in a one-line harmony in James Brown’s I Got You – “and I Fee-eee-eeelll”, right behind the male vocalist, it sounds great!).

After you’ve worked out the harmonies for a few songs, bring the rest of the band back together and practice with everyone. This is your opportunity to take the harmonies to the next level, by having the instruments work with the harmonies. If you have a keyboardist, he can choose voicings that are complimentary to the vocals. The bass player can often adjust the transitions to match the vocals as well (see Playing Along, and the guitars can add their bit as well. It is possible that this can get too busy, but it can be really exciting too.

One important part of working with harmonies is that once you’ve found your part, you have to stick to it, as everyone else is depending on you to do what you did last time. Be careful about ad-libbing during group harmonies.

Dynamics

One classic sign of a newly formed band is that they haven’t worked out any dynamics. Dynamics are the variation in volume and enthusiasm in different parts of a song. The simplest method is to play softly during the verse and loud during the chorus – many songs are done that way. But there are more subtle ways to do this as well. For example, the drummer can add a rapid hi-hat riff during the final verse, which can change the energy of the song without changing the volume at all. Or the lead guitar can run a series of scales behind the vocals which could add some interest to a boring passage.

The goal of adding dynamics is to keep the audience interested in what you are playing, without changing the song enough to annoy them. It is a subtle way to show off your talents without being obnoxious.

Dynamics should be practiced at or near full stage volume – which doesn’t mean loud enough to fill a stadium, but loud enough that the drummer can play normally.

And, of course, adding dynamics to any song requires practice.

Gigs as Practice

In the old days, our band had to know 60 songs of what is now called “classic rock”. We played 4 sets of 15 3-minute songs from 10pm to 2am. Other than mixing up the ballads and up-tempo songs, we also worked on some songs that were not quite ready to go. Usually we would open each set with 2 or 3 strong songs, and then we’d sneak in one that still needed work. By forcing ourselves to play before we were ready, it made us focus harder on the song; this was no time to be lazy. Many times, we would play the song better than ever. Occasionally we would bomb, and someone would make a self-deprecating comment to the audience. But most often, the added energy you get when playing live brings out the best in everyone’s abilities.

So don’t over practice a song. Work out the structure, harmony, and dynamics, and then put it on your set list and go play it.

Follow-up

After your gig, it’s a good idea to get together and review the good and not-so-good points. As a bass player, I’ve been known to say “I really liked your lead guitar in that song, can you keep it that way so I can write a counter-point to it?” You should try to remember other key points from your gig, and then make them the first item of business for the next rehearsal.

I hope this helps you use your rehearsal time more efficiently, so you can get out there and play in the bars and clubs – we want to hear you!

So, in a round-about way, I asked my old buddy Kyle. Kyle was the drummer for Fat Lewy (one of the bands David played in – and I did sound for), and he taught me how to mike the drums. So here is his response, with some limited edits:

Q What is the best way to mike a drum set?

A: Well, I’m hardly an expert. “Best” is partially a function of what kind of sound one wants, what setting (ie a stage, a studio, an outdoor space, etc.) and how one sets up one’s drum set. What I used to do for Fat Lewy is set one mike between the snare and hi-hat, one generally above the two mounted toms (which also covered the ride and splash cymbals), one over the floor tom (which also covered my crash cymbal). The one thing that I did which was unusual is put the mike for my bass drum next to my foot pedal, rather than in front of the drum, but that was because I had a front head on with no hole and putting a mike up there made it WAY too boomy. It is best to try to keep the mikes “in phase” meaning all pointing in the same direction (although that was not the case for the bass drum mike near my foot-pedal).

Jazz drums would not get “close in” miking. When I recorded jazz groups for my radio series a few years back, I typically just did an overhead stereo pair and one on the bass drum just to give it a little extra boost.

Thanks, Kyle. One point of clarification about the kick-drum. Usually it is best if you have a medium-size hole in your front head, so that you can put the mike on the inside, up close to the rear head, on top of the pillow. This will give you the best combination of “slap” and “thump”, and it will be in-phase, as Kyle suggests. In addition, the front hole will reduce the amount of time that the drum resonates, which is also good. If you have a double-sealed head, then Kyle’s method is the best; put the mike near the kick-pedal, not on the other side.

Note: you have just added 4 mikes on the stage, probably back near all of the amplifiers. Just based on proximity, you may have miked all those guitars as well, including (especially!) the bass. Remember to turn down the low tone controls on those channels (except the kick) and you may need to move the amps around a bit to reduce this unexpected pickup.

Last, if you have a mix-board with “group” faders, it is a good idea to assign all of the drum mikes to one group, and then control the overall drum level with just one fader. Once you have the balance between the various drum mikes set the way you want, you shouldn’t have to change those settings at all, unless there is a special song with unusual adjustments.

Q: How do I set up in a church?

(note: the following is intended to be irreverent, but not disrespectful)

A: Play outside and put the PA speakers inside – just kidding! Playing in a church is about the most difficult place on earth that has electricity. A church is designed to not need amplification. The walls are bright and reverberant, the ceilings are high and often curved or domed to reflect the sound back down to the parishioners. Even the pews aren’t padded! The reverb decay times can be several seconds long!

The biggest problem with bringing in amplified instruments is that they raise the minimum volume level very quickly. And drums will make it almost impossible; any drummer in a church should be playing with either brushes or chopsticks!

So if you’ve ignored all of these cautions, here’s what you do:

First, if the weather is nice, open all the windows. You’ve got to get the sound out of the room.

Second, place the amplifiers along a side wall; don’t put them up where the choir sits. Turn the amps to face the musicians and threaten them with eternal damnation if they crank it up. If you must have a drummer, put her in front of the first pew, and off to the side (note: don’t block the aisles needed for fire exits!). Put foam dampers on the cymbals.

Last, put the singers up toward the alter, and have them stand close together. They should not need a monitor. Put the PA speaker (just one!) just in front of the first pew (by the drummer), off to the side, facing diagonally across the congregation, just about standing eye-level high.

If you can, set up your mix board in one of the pews about 2/3s back in the hall, on the same side as the PA speaker. If you can’t put the board there, then ask someone you can trust to be your “ears” in the audience. Arrange some hand-signals or other method so you can know when it’s too loud, or just right.

The most important part of the music will be the vocals, so keep them as clear as possible (don’t add reverb!), and keep the low end out unless you have a basso singer.

Try to rehearse at least once so that the musicians can understand that you’re serious about keeping it low.

Q: But we have a big-time gospel rock “Sister Act” church. What should we do now?

A: Hire a pro. Seriously. There are professional sound guys who know how to set up a PA in a church. You may need to add sound dampening materials to the walls or ceilings, and you may find that you have to mike the choir and all the podiums, but it can be done quite well.

But remember that even the pros hate to work in churches – it is just a tough place for loud music.

I’m sorry if this sounds too negative, but a church is a place where every voice is meant to be heard without assistance.

I look forward to your questions and comments.

Microphones

You don’t need to have the very best mics unless you are in the recording studio. There are many mics in the $50-75 range that are more than fine for playing live. The only real requirement is to make sure that they are “low impedance” and “cardiod” (meaning heart-shaped pattern), which means that they have lower noise, and they don’t pick up sounds from behind (so you don’t get as much feedback from the monitors). “High impedance” and “omni-directional” mics should be avoided, as should anything that is hardwired to a ¼” jack. The 3-wire “XLR” jack is standard on any mic that isn’t a toy.

Compressors

(Note: this is not about compressor effects for guitars)

The compressor is probably the most mis-understood and mis-used signal processor around. A compressor has two main purposes: first, to act as a limiter to protect the equipment (speakers) from being overloaded, and second, to reduce the dynamic range of the music so that the soft parts are not as soft and the loud parts are not as loud. The problem is that compressors tend to add noise and increase feedback. Don’t misunderstand, in the hands of an expert, a compressor can do wonderful things, and save a performance. But unless you really know how to use one, avoid it altogether.

The way most compressors work is that they reduce the signal as it gets louder, so if you play twice as loud, it comes out only 50% louder. The compressor leaves the quieter music alone. The amount of “compression” is usually adjustable, along with the response times. So if you have a song that has a 10-to-1 range of dynamics, the compressor might send it out to the PA with a 3-to-1 range. The good part is that the audience thinks they’re hearing 10:1, because the vocal strain and guitar distortions have increased, so the tones are reflective of louder music, even though it’s not as loud as you think.

My friend Peter is an up and coming “Billy Joel” piano man. He plays a wonderful Kurzweil electronic sampled keyboard, which has a wonderful grand piano voice. He plays coffee-houses with a new 200W PA. As with most musicians, by the third set, he’s gotten a bit louder than when he started the evening. When he plays ballads, the rich piano tones compliment his voice, and his adept playing is clear and refined. But when he starts banging out 8-note power-chords, jumping up and down behind the keyboard, his Kurzweil responds enthusiastically, and overloads the PA. This is much to everyone’s surprise, because it didn’t seem so loud a few minutes before. Here is a perfect case for a compressor. The keyboard is immune to feedback and is very quiet. The compressor will allow Peter to turn up enough to hear the delicate passages, but will keep the power parts from overloading the system. Again, the heavier tones created by the power chords will give the impression of loudness, even as the compressor keeps it under control.

The opposite is true of microphones. If you think a vocalist needs a compressor, teach him or her to do it Sinatra’s way; when you need to sing louder, pull the mic away from your face a bit. Watch a tape of any of the “Las Vegas” singers, male or female; they all do it, because it works. Using a compressor on vocals increases the possibility of feedback, because you can increase the volume (gain) for softer sounds. Also, the human voice is so full of dynamics that it is almost impossible to get the timing settings correct for all cases.

The last use for a compressor is to protect the equipment. Suppose you have a system that is usually run by different people (say, a house PA with different engineers, or a school auditorium set up). It can be a good investment to use a compressor in a “limiter” mode, which will but an absolute maximum on the power to the speakers, and thus prevent anyone from blowing them out. The system has to be big enough to do the intended job, so that the limiter doesn’t kick in under normal usage. In this arrangement, the compressor’s control may be very audible as it reduces the gain to protect the system.

In summary; a compressor can solve some very difficult problems, but consider it your last resort unless you really know how to use it.

Feedback Control Using an Equalizer

In an earlier column (The Mix Board), I suggested that the “breadloaf” EQ was best for live performances, where the highest and lowest frequencies were reduced, and the middle range were set at 0db, or “even”. However, you can use a graphic EQ to reduce a feedback issue that occurs at one specific frequency. This usually happens due to a set-up constraint based on a small stage.

If you think that this may happen, you can use your EQ to “ring-out” the system – that is to remove the “ringing”, which is the precursor to full acoustic feedback. Note, this is an annoying process and should never be done when paying customers are in the room.

With the stage and PA fully setup with the equalizers set to their nominal values, turn on all the microphones and turn the “front” PA up about halfway. Now turn up the monitor level until you begin to hear feedback. Quickly turn it down a little until the feedback stops. Next, starting with the monitor’s 1KHz EQ slider, move each slider up from the middle until you hear feedback start. Note which frequencies are the most sensitive (you move the slider up the least). Let’s say that the 2KHz and 4KHz bands started feeding back with only a 2dB boost, while all the others don’t start at less than 6dB. In this case, put all the EQ sliders back to their normal settings, and reduce the 2KHz and 4KHz sliders by about 4-6dB. If you have a 3.15KHz slider in between, reduce that one as well. You don’t want to have adjacent sliders at significantly different levels, as this causes odd phase distortions.

Now turn up the monitor level again and confirm that you can set it higher than before without feedback. You should be in good shape.

Two notes: First, your sound shouldn’t suffer too much because the house PA shouldn’t have to change, and the stage is unusually reflective at those frequencies anyway. Second, some set-ups have a really nasty resonance, and there is no reasonable fix. Try and figure out which mic is the most sensitive, and reposition it with respect to the monitors and the back walls.

Piezo Tweeters

As part of the disco age, and as a result of some technology “advances”, there is a style of speakers that has one large bass speaker and 2 or more tiny piezo-electric tweeters. This was great for disco because it allowed a lot of thump and sizzle with very little in the middle. I previously discussed the “smile” EQ as a popular setting because it allowed the music to be very loud, but you could still talk to your date (or the bartender). Piezos are also very power-efficient and usually rugged.

These speakers are not useful for full-range PA or monitor use. I strongly recommend that you disconnect the piezos and replace them with a more standard horn-driver. You may need a new cross-over network as well, but if the cabinets are well built, it may be more cost effective than replacing the entire speaker. Your local pro-sound store should be able to help you.

That’s all for now. Feel free to email me with your questions and comments. Thanks to the SeaSide Lady for her continued support.

“Excuse me, I’m with the band.”
“Oh, what instrument do you play?”
“The slide-pots.”
“That’ll be 5 bucks buddy.”
(an actual conversation at the door of a bar in Chicago)

Overview

When you first see a mix board, it can be overwhelming. A 16 channel board can have over 200 knobs, buttons, sliders, and lights. Even when you break it into groups, you can have 10 controls for each input, and a bunch more for various group sends and receives. Most modern boards are designed to be so flexible that it can be confusing to figure out how to do what you need to do.

In this article, I will try to describe each section of the board, what it does, and what your options are. It will help a lot to have a mix board to look at while you review this.

The normal path of a vocal signal is: microphone to cable to mix board to EQ to amplifier to cable to speaker.

But all of the action is in the mix board. The path of that signal inside the mix board is: input connector to pre-amp to tone controls to individual fader to group fader to main fader to system EQ to output connector. Plus there are usually at least two branch points for monitors and effects. You’d think the signal would either get tired or lost!

One early trick is to avoid unintentional feedback. Screaming feedback is a sure sign that you are either a novice or you don’t care about your audience and equipment. (I’ll also discuss the uses for intentional feedback) Keep the volume down while you are setting up and testing.

Note: I am a working electronics engineer, and I have built or repaired many of the electronics that will be discussed here. I will try not to get too technical, but if you end up confused or curious, please email me and I’ll try to help.

The Layout

A typical mix board has a row of input connectors on the left side of the back panel, usually each input channel has one 3-pin XLR input for mics and one ¼” input for guitars or keyboards. On the right side of the back panel are the main outputs as well as many of the accessory inputs and outputs.

From the front, starting on the left, there will be one “slot” for each input channel. Each slot will be identical to the next. On the right side will be the main output controls, as well as controls for the accessory inputs and outputs. Typically, there will be a display that shows you how much signal (how loud) is going out. The displays tend to reside on the right or across the top. Some boards have a “group mixing” section between the main controls and the individual channel controls.

The Pre-Amp

A good quality low-impedance microphone converts the moving air from your voice into very small electrical signals (measured in microvolts). These signals need to be amplified to a higher level so that noise from the processing electronics doesn’t overwhelm the original signal. A good mix board will use special low-noise electronics to boost the mic signal up into the 1-3 volt range. The amount of boost is called “gain”. Every stage after the pre-amp adds more noise, so you want to get the most out of the pre-amp that you can. There is usually a gain control (labeled GAIN) at the top of each slot. You want to get the most gain from the pre-amp without overloading – “clipping”. If you are lucky, there will be an LED labeled “CLIP” or “PEAK”. This LED indicates that the pre-amp has been overloaded, and distortion is being created. If this ever blinks red, turn down the gain. Any distortion introduced in the pre-amp stage is with you forever, so avoid it at all costs.

The Tone Controls

Some mixers call this EQ, because it sounds cool, and it uses fewer letters. But the controls labeled HI, MID, and LOW are really tone controls. You use these to adjust the sound of individual instruments or voices. In general, turn the HI and LOW down a little, and leave the MID alone. If you have a singer with an ethereal voice, then you might want to boost the HI and cut the LOW some more. (The Beach Boys do this in concert to try and make their 50+ year old voices sound like under-20.)

If you have a parametric tone control for the MID, then you can use this to create an effect. For example, at our middle school plays, we use this to give the kids a pseudo-adult voice by significantly boosting the low end of the MID. But in general, leave the MID alone (eg set at 12-noon).

Do not use the tone controls to control feedback, unless you are sure that only one mic is causing the problem, and then turn down the HI for only that channel. But I’d try other methods first, which we’ll cover in a later article.

The Pan Pot

This control allows you to send a different amount of signal to the Left and Right channel of the board. Since I am not a fan of stereo for live bar gigs, leave this set in the middle for now. Later I’ll teach some tricks on how to use the pan pot for other things.

The Fader

Each channel has a fader, either rotary of slide (I much prefer slide). This determines how much of this particular channel’s signal goes into the main mix. For most situations, you will want to set this at the “0-level” marked on the board. You should rarely have to change this level, except for when individuals change roles (eg lead vs back-up singer). Always turn off (slide the pot to the bottom) any unused channels to reduce stage noise, etc.

The Group Faders

In the simplest case, there will either be a Left and Right fader, or just a Main fader. All of the incoming signals are joined (mixed) together electronically prior to reaching these group faders. These faders simply control the overall level going out to the amplifier.

Some boards have 4 or more group faders and a set of buttons that determine how to assign each input channel to a different group. This is good when you have a many channels which can be logically grouped together (eg all the drum mics, all the back up singers).

Most boards will have an output for each group, which can be useful for adding reverb and other effects, but the one that you want for now is the “MAIN” or “SUM” output, which combines the Left and Right signals together. If you don’t have a summed output, then use just the Left output for your main PA.

The First Test

First, turn down all of the accessory input and output levels. You don’t want to be confused by them – yet.

Plug a microphone into one of the channel inputs. Do not plug in an amplifier to the Main output yet. Set the GAIN to halfway. Set the channel fader to 0-level, and set the Left/Right/Main fader(s) to 0-level as well. Talk into the microphone. Notice which display lights come on, and what colors they are. Obviously red is bad. Keep talking and turn up the GAIN until the CLIP light blinks (if you don’t have a CLIP light, we’ll do it again by ear later), then turn it down until it stops. Now shout into the mic and turn it down some more if the CLIP blinks. Now check the Left/Right/Main level displays. Normal talking should be in the green or low yellow. A shout should light up the yellow, any maybe one red, but no more.

Second Test

Turn the Main faders down and connect an amplifier and speaker. Place the speaker about 5 feet away, facing you. If there is an input volume control on the amplifier, turn this down to about 25%, we don’t need to be loud for this test. If you have a boom box, place it facing away from you as far away as possible with the mic in front of it (not near the PA speaker – other side!), and play some music at a moderately loud level.

With all of the setting as above, slowly increase the Main faders until you can hear the music from the boom box coming out of the PA speaker. Adjust it until the level is comfortable. Play with the Tone Controls to see what effect they have.

For the next step, you need both hands. Place one hand on the GAIN knob, and the other on the channel fader. Slowly increase the GAIN while decreasing the channel level to keep the volume constant. At some point, the CLIP light should blink red, and you should be able to hear the distortion. It is usually kind of buzzy or scratchy. This is the worst distortion you can get. Keep going until it gets really bad – so long as you keep reducing the fader, you won’t hurt anything.

Return the GAIN to a lower level. Remember to keep lowering it past the point where the CLIP light is off. You want to make sure that a shout won’t overload the pre-amp.

The System EQ

The system equalizer should always go between the output of the mix board and the input of the amplifier. There are several reasons for this. Each section of the mix board and all the effects add noise to the signals. The system equalizer can filter out this noise by reducing the levels at the high end. In addition, most effects (reverb, chorus, compressor) can add harmonic overtones to the signal. If the equalizer was in front of the reverb, the higher tones from the reverb would still pass through, and you couldn’t control them. The last reason is that it allows you to run the mix-board at 0-level without over driving the amplifier. The equalizer will have an output level control which you can adjust downward to keep the system level sane, even though the mix board displays show that you are running at 100%.

For now, set your EQ so that everything above 4KHz is gradually reduced (if you have a 16KHz control, it should be at the minimum), and everything below 200Hz is likewise reduced.

Next time I’ll discuss how to use the EQ to control feedback and other problems.

Setting Up

When you arrive for your gig, you need to figure out what goes where in the following order: first where does the drummer go, then the guitar amps, then the guitarists and vocalists. Next determine where your main and monitor speakers will go. Then see if you can set up the mix board somewhere with a clear view of the stage. Last, check for power and figure out how you can run the various cables.

The next step is to figure out how to arrange the channels on the board. If you have a lot of drum mics, then you should group them together on the board. For the rest, there are generally two approaches. Either put each musicians vocal mic channel next to his guitar channel, or group all of the instrument channels together and all the vocal channels together. In all cases, the channels should be connected left to right in the same order as they appear on stage. It is also a good idea to have a mic at the mix board; this can be very helpful for setting up.

Put some paper masking tape on the mix board and label the channels clearly. Connect up all the cables, turn all the faders down, and power up everything (hint: turn the amp on last). Using the mic at the board, confirm that all the amplifier connections are correct by making sound come out of the speakers. After that, have the musicians test each of their mic channels and instruments. Always do this a low levels.

The No-Time Sound Check

If you don’t get time for a sound check before you are supposed to play, you should use the Edgar Winter method. The band should have an instrumental song that they know well. If they play this first, you can get all of your levels balanced. Each musician, including the drummer, should get a brief solo (with the rest of the band still playing the rhythm portion) so that you can get a feel for how loud each one might get. If possible, having the vocalists do some simple group choral thing will test these as well. When they are finished, you should have a good idea whether the PA is “good enough”, or if you have a serious problem.

FYI: the song Frankenstein by Edgar Winter was created for sound checks.

Next Time

I will discuss how to set up the monitor sends, the effects sends, and other tricks. In addition, I will review how to use the EQ to control feedback.

Q: How can I tell if used speakers are any good?

A: Always do a listening test with recorded material. In general, PA speakers will either work or they won’t, and a quick listening test will be sufficient. However, there are some extra items to check that can save you hassles later, or allow you to knock down the price.

First, check that the cabinet is strong. It may look pristine, or bedraggled, but if the box is not rigid, it won’t sound right. This may not be obvious during a casual sound test, because the changes to the acoustic resonances may not be exposed by what you play through them. Pick up the speaker, or lean on it, and verify that the corners are strong and none of the panels are cracked.

Next, check the woofer. If it is made of a paper material, check that there is no water damage. If the cone is made of a polymer/plastic, then it is likely to last a very long time. If the center dome is pushed in, don’t worry, it just looks bad. Then check that the coil is moving freely. To do this, place your hands on either side of the woofer, with your thumb on the speaker cone. Place your ear as close to the cone as you can, and gently push the cone in a little. Try to push both side evenly. Listen for any scratching that might be the coil rubbing on the magnet. Try this on your home stereo first so that you have an idea of what an undamaged speaker should sound like. If you are convinced that the coil is rubbing, avoid this speaker because the coil wires will eventually wear through and break.

Next, check the port and padding. If there is a port or vent, check that it is not damaged. Some speakers have tubes, others do not. Also check for any padding (looks like house insulation or packing foam). If there is some present, check for water damage or bugs (yikes!). So long as no permanent harm has been done, this type of damage is OK.

Last, check the wiring. If you can, remove the jack panel and observe that all of the wires are undamaged. Usually, these wires are loose and perhaps disorganized, but so long as there are no temporary splices, it should be OK. Make sure that the panel jacks themselves are tightened. Check for fuses. There should not be any fuses for the woofer, but it is OK to have one for the horn or tweeters.

Q: What is the best way to reduce hum and noise in our PA?

A: Here are some simple steps to take. but remember that noise is sneaky, it gets into the system in some really weird ways.

Step 1: Buy an outlet tester. Just because an outlet has 3 holes, doesn’t mean that they are all wired. Proper grounding is important for two reasons. First is safety; ungrounded systems can cause minor (and major!) shocks. Second is hum; hum can really ruin an otherwise excellent sound system. If there is no “earth ground”, don’t use that outlet. If you are at a bar, and none of the outlets are grounded, suggest that the building inspector be contacted (no joke). (As an aside, I don’t know what the standards are for non-US systems)

Step 2: Plug all your PA electronics and amps into the same outlet. Assuming that you have a reasonable bar PA sound system, you won’t draw more than 5 amps (figure 1 amp = 100 watts) for all of your gear, so plug it all into one outlet strip. If you like to keep your power amps near your speakers (a good idea, but not crucial), then it is probably OK to plug them in near the stage, and plug in your mix board, etc wherever you set up. (If you do get a bit of hum, try running an extension cord from the amps to the mixer, just don’t lay it too close to the snake or mic cables.)

Step 3: Avoid the lighting outlets. Lights draw an incredible amount of power, and dimmers create an enormous amount of electronic noise. If you hear a high-pitched buzzing like a mosquito, and if it changes as the lights are dimmed, then you are sharing a circuit with the lighting system. If you have to, run a long cord to the other end of the building just to get away from it.

Step 4: Always use the correct cables. Don’t use speaker cables for microphones or guitars, and vice versa. They may all have ¼ jacks, but they are not the same. Also, use 3-pin XLRs for your mics, and don’t forget the shielding on the cables.

Next time: the basics of running the mix board.

A: Because everything sounds different in front of the speakers. If you have a newly formed band, you’ll need to focus your efforts on stage to making the music, not worrying about how it sounds on the dance floor. It is true that many experienced wedding bands play without a soundman, but I’ve often found that they have succeeded in sounding over-produced, flat, and boring. If you are going to play a gig where you are the center of attention (as opposed to the bride), you need to sound energetic, and dynamic, and different from one song to the next. Your sound engineer can make that happen.

Q: What does the sound engineer do exactly?

A: The sound engineer is responsible for making the band sound as good as possible to the audience. S/he uses microphones, a mixer, signal processing electronics, amplifiers, speakers, and many yards of cables, to balance and reinforce the music created on stage so that it sounds like great music on the dance floor. There are several basic skills that involve connecting up all of the equipment. In addition, each piece has it’s own set of knobs and controls which need to be learned. The last, but most important is being able to match the various pieces of the system to the music that you hear. The trick is to know which knob to turn to make it sound better. This is a classic combination of art and technology.

Q: Who should be our sound engineer?

A: Anyone who you can convince to do the job. Often it is the boyfriend or wife of one of the musicians. The job of sound engineer can be learned just like any other. I became one because two bands merged and so there were 2 bass players (and you know what that means). Since Roy was 10-times better on the bass, I learned to play the “slide pots”. The sound person should be considered a member of the band. S/he should attend rehearsals, and s/he should get paid one share of the money. Just like other musicians, there are good sound guys, bad ones, and style issues. The main requirements are having a good ear, a logical mind (at least mostly), and an ability to explain to musicians with large frail egos why they have to make a minor adjustment so that they don’t sound like crap. The rest is just learning the cause-and-effect of all the knobs and sliders, most of which are either ignored, or set-and-forget.

Q: How much PA is enough?

A: These days, a modest PA should be enough, because if you ever need a bigger system, it will either be a house PA, or you can rent it. Your own PA need only be big enough to run your rehearsals. You’ll need mics, cables, a mixer, a stereo graphic EQ, a reverb unit, a 200 watt per channel amplifier, and two medium size full range speakers, and enough cables to hook it all up. Oh yes, and get a snake (a bundled set of mic and line cables). This single item will save you more time and trouble than you’ll ever know. I can’t draw out the exact system for you (unless you email me directly), but if you count up all the mics, including the lead guitarist and at least one for the snare drum, and get a mixer with at least 4 more channels than that (honest, you’ll need them sooner than later), you’ll be fine. For the smallest gigs, use only one speaker for the audience, and use the other as your side-fill monitor. For slightly bigger gigs, use both speakers for the audience, and obtain (buy, borrow, rent) two smaller monitor speakers. Always run your system in a bi-mono arrangement, never stereo; one channel of the amp should be for the audience, and the other is for the monitor. For bigger gigs, use your system for the monitors, and rent a bigger amp and speakers (remember to add that fee to your gig price) for the audience.

Never use your home stereo for this. It is not designed to be overdriven at the high sound levels that even a rehearsal can run. You will break your speakers, your amplifier, or both. And besides, it won’t sound very good.

Q: Where should I buy this stuff?

A: With the arrival of online auctions and classifieds, the opportunity for buying from numerous sources for the lowest price is appealing, but I don’t recommend it. The best way to buy your first PA is from a local music store that you trust. Where does your guitarist go and spend 4 hours trying out different effects boxes? Where does your keyboard player go for MIDI stuff? Sam Ash and Guitar Center are fine, but they rarely have the time, and they often don’t have a large stock of what you are really looking for – USED STUFF! Electronics and speakers don’t go bad. If they work in the store, then they’ll work for a long time, so long as they are well cared for. The only thing that can cause you trouble is the mix board, because it has moving parts and is open to the elements, but a new unit is subject to the same troubles. So write down a list of all the members of the band, and the make and model of their instruments, and the type of music you play, and the type of places you’d like to be playing in. Take this list to the selected music store, and find a salesman you like, and tell him you want to buy a simple, flexible PA from his available used gear. You’ll buy some stuff new if absolutely necessary, but not the mixer, amp, or speakers. But why, you ask? Because by building, and maintaining, this relationship, this store is going to be a lot more helpful when your amp gets rained on the morning before your “big gig”, and you need to borrow a replacement amp right away. This is not just “support your local business” jive, this is what really works. Spend your time and money all in one store (but do your homework, they are salesmen), and the relationship will pay off at crunch time.

Q: What is it going to cost?

A: Assuming you start with nothing, you’ll spend at least $1000, but probably less than $2000 (US). This may seem like a lot of money, but the cost of a rental system is usually $300-600 for a weekend, and you still need something to practice with. Sometimes it can be practical to “share” a PA with another band. There are ways to pool your money, or finance the purchase. Also, remember that used stuff can be sold at prices closer to what you paid for them. And you can rent your system to other fledgling bands as well, with an added fee for your sound engineer!

Q: We can’t get our acoustic guitarist to be heard.

A: Did you know that there is an acoustic guitar on many songs that you wouldn’t think of. The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” comes to mind. Why in the world did they add that track – because it sounded good to them! In any case, getting an acoustic guitar to work in a live environment can be challenging. If the guitar is a true acoustic, and you are trying to use a vocal mic, that is about the toughest method. The guitar is the softest instrument on stage, and it will reflect any sound from the monitors back into the mic, creating feedback. So keep the acoustic out of the monitor if you can. If you still can’t make it work, then you’ve got to use a different method to get the sound out of the guitar. A warning to acoustic guitarists, there is no way to get your rich beautiful sound out across the dance floor without changing it a little, or a lot. This is the difference between live and in-studio. The first best option is to use an Ovation-style guitar. These guitars have built-in pickups and have been optimized for the best amplified sound. If you can’t switch guitars (due to cost or devotion), then try a mounted pick-up. These come in two flavors, acoustic and magnetic. The acoustic pickup is a mini-mic that gets “stuck” on the guitar, usually near the bottom bridge. This will pick up more of the body resonances and tone, but is also more susceptible to feedback and picking up spurious guitar noises. The magnetic pickup is essentially an electric guitar pickup mounted in a holder that fits inside the throat of the acoustic guitar. In fact, if you turn down the volume, distortion, overdrive, and effects, you can make an electric guitar sound just like an acoustic. The advantage to these pickups is that they only pick up the vibrations from the strings, and are almost totally immune to acoustic feedback. The drawback is that they pick up the least amount of the “character” of the guitar body. Basically, the louder the stage, the more you’ll need the magnetic pickup.

Q: How do we control the level of the Lead Guitar?

A: The Lead Guitar is another vocal, so it needs to be treated that way. Have the guitarist set up the amp so that it is near ear level, and facing back toward himself and the band. A good place to hide it is behind the PA speakers. Set up a mic in front of the amp speaker. If the amp is a dual-speaker type, put the mic in front of one or the other, not halfway between. If the stand gets in the way, hang the mic from the cord under the amp handle, not the best sound, but out of the way. Now the Lead Guitarist can always hear himself, and the mixing person can handle the levels correctly.

Q: Our drummer can’t hear the monitors.

A: Get a mini-speaker and set it on a stand behind the drummer. If it has it’s own volume control, great. Otherwise, she can control the level by turning the speaker away as needed. If the drummer sings, place the speaker lower (on a chair) and behind, opposite from the vocal mic.

Q: Our sound is too muddy.

A: The first place to look is the equalizer settings (EQ). First of all, make sure that all of the vocal and guitar channels on the mix board have the low EQ turned down as much as possible. If you have a particularly sultry singer, remove as much of the low end as you can without ruining the voice. Be sure that the low-cut option is enabled (if available) on the mix board. If you run the bass, piano, or kick drum, through the PA, leave their low settings close to flat, but remove the lows from any other drum mics. The reason for all of this is that all low sounds are omni-directional, that means that they travel in all directions, including to the rear, equally. The higher the frequency, the more directional it becomes. Thus the sound from the bass guitar amp gets into every mic on stage – no matter where you put his amp!

Q: The sound is still too muddy.

The second place to look is at the house EQ. If the place you are playing has a house PA which normally plays background or dance music, then you may be a victim of the “smiling equalizer”. Many times you can look at a graphic equalizer and see that the knobs are arranged like a smile; the lows and highs are turned up, and the midsection is turned down. On an EQ with lots of bands, the top- and bottom-most band may also be down. This is done so that the music can be turned up louder, but not interfere with conversation. The funky bass may be rattling the windows, but the bartender can still hear your beer order. However, this is YOUR music, and you want it to be heard and listened too, so try and convince the house sound guy to change it to a “loaf of bread” (my term) where it is mostly flat (at 0db change) until you get to the far end, where it drops off. In most medium-size places, having a flat EQ from 200-8KHz is plenty. If you are running the bass guitar through the board, then go down to 100Hz on the low end. Be careful, because everything will be louder now.

Q: The house sound man doesn’t know how to make us sound good.

A: If you want the job done right… If you are lucky enough to be playing a place big enough to have a house PA, be sure to bring your own sound person. Let the place know that your sound guy is expected to be at the mix board, and to either run or direct it’s operation. The house guy may be cautious, because even an experienced engineer can mess up a system he’s not familiar with, but they tend to understand about wanting it to sound good. In fact, most house guys will be impressed that the band has hired their own engineer.