I recently read in a
blog by Tim Corder, where a list was made that was compiled from a discussion forum regarding this subject. As basic as these points may be, these are very useful tips, and are helpful reminders for those of us who run sound on a consistant basis. So with that, I though I would pass along this awesome information! Enjoy...
1. Never put anything in someone’s wedge mix they didn’t ask for.
2. Never change a mix after the third song, unless its a ballad or something rehearsed in soundcheck.
3. The best soundcheck adjustment can be moving a monitor slightly or changing the angle using a short 2×4.
4. Know what your wedges and in-ear-monitor’s sound like. Know what wedges sound like solo, in pairs, and with and without the FOH rig on.
5. Every stage is different but low end and especially low mids build up fast with 6 or 8 wedges all blasting away. Once you start adding a vocal to 2 or 3 different mixes you may have to start dialing back more low end than you did when you tuned one wedge with one vocal in it.
6. Be responsive. Sometimes on crowded stages this is hard to do when every musician seems to have wishes at once.
7. Don’t rely on your cue wedge all the time. Listen on stage whenever you can during soundcheck time so you can hear the actual mix, wedge and stage noise combined on the musicians spot.
8. When the stage is loud and the singer wants more of his/her vocal in the wedge, and you’ve reached the point where this can’t be easily done, you can often subtract competing instruments/vocal from the mix and solve the problem.
9. Unless it is specified on a rider, number your mixes from downstage to upstage, and from stage right to stage left. This is consistent with how you would see it from FOH. It should also match the way vocals are typically laid out too. It doesn’t matter which side of the stage you are on, keep the mixes the same way. Usually the drum mix is the last mix in line. A typical 4 piece band would be like this. Downstage right is mix 1. Center vocal is mix 2. Downstage left is mix 3. Drums are mix 4. You will find that this numbering scheme has become a de facto standard in the SR world and engineers and bands alike will appreciate the consistency.
10. Take care of your ears. The stage is a very, very loud place to be. Add in the fact that you have to listen to a cue wedge at pretty extreme volumes to get over the stage wash only makes it worse. I usually mix 2-3 songs off the wedge, then pop in my ear buds and use the headphone out on the console. This really helps you prevent ear fatigue, and it actually lets you here those tiny squeaks a little easier.
11. This is mostly personal preference, but I like having my cue wedge on the ground just like the performers have it. Some people put them up high on cases, but I think I should be hearing it exactly like the performer does, so mine goes on the ground.
12. Keep your eyes open: sometimes you can ’see’ where feedback comes from and fix it easier than trying to guess where it is coming from…
13. For festivals I sharpie and board tape “You’re sound guy’s name is __________________” on the monitors.
14. For tours I sharpie and board tape “You’re playing in ________________” on the monitors.
15. Get the band to work on the best stage balance they can before you add wedges, this can save a lot of grief and makes the job a whole lot easier. I know of at least one band (and have heard of others) who taken to moving back-line offstage (usually to the wings) to keep levels sensible.
16. Listen to what the artist asks for in their mix, then give them what they need. If you get a good working balance, with good musicians you shouldn’t have to push faders around much as they will be able to make adjustments themselves in their own dynamics. This has the added benefit of the artists being able to communicate better, musically, and should lead to a much better vibe on stage, hopefully leading to a great gig. They feel good, they are happy with the monitors because they were able to play well, you get the credit, win, win , win!
17. Amateur vocalists that have problems staying on the mic and pulling away, lowering their level in the monitors can help get them the on top of mic better in an effort to hear themselves. From time to time I’ll get vocalists that will back off the mic when the monitors are hot, then complain they can’t hear themselves. Then the vicious circle of upping the gain, hacking the EQ, them backing off the mic more may ensue. Dropping their level all the time may not help, but it often can when they are afraid hot monitors whilst on top of the mic.
18. I also put “Mix # _____” on the tape, for the artist to see. It helps them in sound checks feel more involved and communication is good.
19. I think a lot of the discussion in this thread is saying “get the band on your side early into the game by serving them with a pro attitude.” If there’s ever a situation where they’re just not happy in the check, I always go out on the deck and listen next to them, rather than just sit on my butt and use the listen wedge. This is usually a good thing to do for both tech shooting and gaining trust with the band. “Can do” is always the best approach.
20. When troubleshooting a problem such as no sound from a channel or mix, don’t turn it up before isolating the problem. When you do find the problem you could end up with horrible feedback until you can get to the trim or mix level.
