Doing soundchecks for a band.

Mutant_Fruit

Basically, i'm the only one with experience at sound equipment thats free to do soundchecks and equipment setup for a band playing in UCD tomorrow.

Unfortunately, i have no clue what to do for soundchecks, and i don't really know how to set up the equipment.

If anyone, and i mean anyone, could give me help, i'll buy them a beer! Any tips/detailed instructions on what i should do, or problems i should look out for are greatly appreciated.

Gordon

Do you know how to get the mics etc into the desk? Or is the problem in setting up a mix for the band?

Don't have much experience in live sound but for a sound check you need to get a working mix level for each band/performer and make sure you log the settings somehow for switching bands.

What equipment do you have for the night?

Mutant_Fruit

i havn't seen the equipm yet, but as far as i know its a standard mixing board.

Heres what i plan to do.

1) Put the amps up at the back. (Do they have to be mic'ed? Its a small enough place, but is that advisable?)
2) Set up the lead mic somewhere in front of those.
3) Get the band to play alltogether and move the volume up and down until theres no feedback, and all the instruments (2 guitars, 1 bass, drums) are audible.

Currently, thats my plan.

EDIT: I have no experience in soundchecking, all i've been doing is work for the drama society; such as sound effects and one mic).

Adam

Ok mutant i'm no expert but trying to return the help earlier, i have 2 yrs experience in a band so here goes. Working on the assumption that its a 4/5 piece, depending on whether a guitarist sings or not, you want the drum kit back centre obviously, the bass amp next to the kit either side, and the two guitar amps on the very outside, one left and one right. Lead vocals mic front and centre, and i would recommend micing the instruments except the kit, its better sound wise apart from how loud you need to be. you want to take one guitar and get a volume you feel will be acceptable, not too loud for the venue. of course it has to compete with the drum kit, bear that in mind. so take the rhythm guitar first. Then the bass relative to the rhythm guitar, then the lead guitar slightly louder than the rhythm, and last get the band to play somethin so you can mix down the vocals and generally fine tune the whole thing. Hope this helps, and you read it before its too late, NOOOO!!!! best of luck!

Töpher

Bass amp left side if drummer is right handed.
Right side if drummer is left handed.

Just to confuse you.

Faddymackshyte

Sound checks have got to be the most annoying experience ever. Ive done it a few tiems, but you cant really know from us, it all depends on how hte band likes to be positioned on stage and also the type and quality of equipment is needed to be known before you use it. There is a possibilty it could be ****e.

Cindy Love

ur ****ed

The Muppet

Mutant_Fruit wrote:

i havn't seen the equipm yet, but as far as i know its a standard mixing board.

Heres what i plan to do.

1) Put the amps up at the back. (Do they have to be mic'ed? Its a small enough place, but is that advisable?)
2) Set up the lead mic somewhere in front of those.
3) Get the band to play alltogether and move the volume up and down until theres no feedback, and all the instruments (2 guitars, 1 bass, drums) are audible.

Currently, thats my plan.

EDIT: I have no experience in soundchecking, all i've been doing is work for the drama society; such as sound effects and one mic).

Make sure your Mics are behind the speakers, You get feedback if the Mic picks up the sound from the speakers. Normally the sound engineer should be positioned back the hall so they can hear and alter what the audience can hear. Setting up the gear to function is just a matter of pluging all the right bits into the proper sockets but you would need to know a bit about sound and the mixing desk to do a gig.

Good Luck

legofsalmon

The Muppet wrote:

Make sure your Mics are behind the speakers

If you are micing the speakers, shouldn't they be in front of the cone?

Also general rule, on your master output keep the needle/LEDs under the red, ideally at the loudest parts of the set, midway in the yellow. Depending on what scale is on the meter this will vary.

Also if you can, I find micing into the amp stack or amp on the desk... depending on the desk is your best bet. Micing vox amps isn't worth the while as you want them to be clean, clear and crisp.

feylya

He meant behind the venue's pa speakers, no the amp speakers.

TBH, you won't get a good mix. It's a talent to run a mixing desk and unfortunately it's not something you can pick up in one day.

legofsalmon

phew!

thought there was some magical area of great sound behind the amp speakers that no one was telling me about :S