Live Sound Mixing Tips

I have been using a virtual mixing system called The Software Audio Console for nearly a year and a half. There have been many updates to the SAC system in the time since I started using the software. The latest update was just released yesterday evening, 07/12/2010. There are some nice new features. Read all about it in my post on the Mixer in a Box blog.

This post does not have direct impact on live sound but I wanted to tell you about a blog that may be of interest to many of my visitors. I have a site that presents some of my live recordings. These recordings are all direct to CD from my mixing console without significant post production work.

In conjunction with the site I recently established the About Music blog. Primarily I am posting articles about all phases of the music industry. There are now articles on various instruments and how to get started in music. I hope that you will find something of interest there. Please visit The About Music Blog. There are links in the right column if you want to check out any of the recordings that I have to offer.

You can tell me what you think in a comment here or on the About Music blog. Thanks!

There is a question posted on the comment page on the main site about monitors. This topic deserves more space than I would like to take up as a reply there so I am writing this blog entry to address the question. The text of the question is:

We have a band consisting of 11 musicians and 3 singers, we face the same problem every time when we have a concert with the sound mixer and the monitors, when we test the sound before the concerts it’s fine but in the concert most of the guys can’t hear their voice or their instrument sound – specially guitars, drums and flute – in the monitors so everyone starts to play hard and loud so they can hear what they are playing, and the rest you know …. A TOTAL MESS!!

Since we are beginners in that field I was wondering if you have some useful information or some kind of guidelines for setting the sound, we would appreciate your help.

One more thing is what exactly we should hear in the monitors? All instruments or only bass, drums and the instrument played through that monitor?

The Monitor Requirements

The monitors are really the most important part of the PA system. If the musicians can’t hear they can’t play their best. Making music is a team sport. If the team can’t follow what the other players are doing they can’t be in the right place at the right time.

Many people are too concerned with the main PA and put the monitors as secondary in importance. Depending on the music and the budget the monitor system can be quite extensive. Most major concert artists use in-ear monitoring systems now days. A solo artist or a duo can often get by with a single monitor mix. Bands do also get by with a single mix, but it requires experience and co-operation.

It is best to have separate monitor mixes so that the musicians can hear what they need to hear. For most situations I run three or four monitor mixes. Four mixes would typically be a stage right mix, a center mix, a stage left mix, and a drum mix.

What should be in the monitors?

That will depend on various things. Vocals and any acoustic instruments will need to be in the monitors. Then, those things needed for timing may need to be added. For lead players the timing often comes from the snare drum or high hat. For rhythm section players the kick drum may be important.

It will be easiest to hear what is needed if only those things that are absolutely necessary are in the monitors. If there is too much in the monitors or the things in the monitors are too loud it raises the overall volume on the stage and ultimately makes everything harder to hear. This is part of the reason that multiple monitor mixes can be of help. If a player on the right side of the stage needs to hear what a player on the left side of the stage is doing that can be turned up only in the right side mix, saving the volume that would be added by the center and left side monitors, and vise versa.

Monitor Systems

Each monitor mix should consist of an equalizer for the mix, a channel of an amplifier for the mix (two if bi-amped) and the monitor speaker or speakers. These components should be repeated for each mix that is run. The equalizer is primarily for feedback control. Good monitor speakers should sound pretty good without too much sound shaping but the room can cause some problems as far as the sound. If the stage is not built as well as it could be there may be some problems in the low-mids that may need some correction. Reflections from walls and ceilings may cause feed back problems. The frequencies that are causing problems need to be isolated and cut on  the eq. There is no specific way that the eq should look. The settings on the eq will depend on the speakers used and the environment of the stage. Be careful to cut only as much as needed to clear up the sound and prevent feedback. Cutting too much can damage the sound and make things harder to hear.

In-Ear Monitor Systems

Caution: When using in ear monitoring systems volume control is very important. The monitors are like ear buds that fit within the ear canal. Since there is no place else for the sound to go it is possible to damage your hearing if they are played too loud. There should be some form of limiting on the in ear mix to prevent excessive volume.

In ear monitors have several advantages, but the systems will need to be a bit more complex. The ears can be either wired or wireless. Most people use wired in ears for drums and keys and any players that have a station on stage. Players that move around need wireless systems. Most players will need and individual monitor mix for their ears as well. Background singers may be able to share a mix.

In ear monitors can allow each musician to hear exactly what they need to hear without adding to the stage volume as is the case with conventional monitors. Most people use some sort of ambiance mikes with the in ear system so that there will be some sound of the room and crowd heard.

Conclusion

The monitor system is very important to the performance. In most cases, good monitors will give opportunity to have a good show. Run only the things that need to be heard in the monitors to help contain the volume. Multiple mixes can help because the musician can hear the things that are important to them without blasting the other musicians. With good equipment and experience everybody will be able to hear on stage and the band can truly play as a team.

While we usually associate feedback problems with monitors, reflected sound from the mains can also be a problem. This is more likely in indoor venues, but can be a problem anywhere that has surfaces that can reflect main PA sound back to the stage.

Nearly any surface can become a mirror reflecting sound back to the stage. High frequencies are more prone to this sort of a problem, and they are the ones that are most likely to produce a feedback loop. Flat surfaces common in clubs and indoor venues are the most likely to cause problems, but even rounded objects can cause problems.

Feedback is a sound loop at a specific frequency. The higher the volume the more likelihood of encountering feedback problems. When the microphone ‘hears’ the looped sound louder than the main sound you will probably get feedback.

The solution to feedback is to take the problem frequencies out of the equation with an EQ notch at the frequency causing the problem. Typically a one-third octave EQ is used for this. The problem is to remove the feedback frequency without destroying the sound quality. Apply the minimum amount of EQ to eliminate the problem will help to maintain sound quality.

If the source of the problem can be identified a sound treatment may be in order to alleviate the problem. In some cases a thick pile carpet may help or acoustic foam may be applied. Identifying the source may be difficult as these problems can be transient in nature depending on where things and even crowd is in the room.

Feedback problems can be difficult to deal with but must be dealt with to give a good quality to the show. If you have persistent feedback problems you will need to chase them until you find the best solution for the sound quality and the quality of the performance.

I watch the search terms that bring traffic to the site and pay attention to the comments both on the blog and on the main site. There have been questions regarding sound in small venues. One of the searchers today used ‘drums too loud in small venue’ as a search term. Drums are always loud, but can become a problem in confined spaces. In addition, the loudness of the drums often makes the other players need to play louder in order to hear themselves.

What can be done about volume in the small venue? The best available answer is to use a drum screen to reduce the direct sound from the drums. A drum screen is constructed of Plexiglas, usually in three sections with hinges or clips. They fold for transport and are free standing around the drum kit on stage. A drum screen will cut down on the direct sound of the drums into the room. The Plexiglas allows for visibility both for your crowd and for communication with the other players. Not only is the direct sound blocked to some extent but also bleed into vocal mikes and other instrument mikes is reduced. This can help a good deal with the sound in the room.

As far as amplified instruments in the small venue, placing the amps at the side of the stage can allow the musicians to hear without so much direct sound into the room. If the guitar player is using a combo amp a tilt stand can be of value, and if a tilt stand is not available at least put the rig on top of a box or case to get it up nearer ear level. These tricks along with a sensible approach to stage volume will help the band to sound better in a small venue. Stage volume should always be kept as low as possible. Stage amplification should be so that the musician hears the notes that he is playing. The sound in the room should be from the PA.

In a small venue the levels in the PA should be used to balance the sound. It is best to add only what is needed to the PA to get a full range sound in the room. The higher the stage volume the less there needs to be in the PA.

The PA should have better coverage than the stage amps. Guitar and keyboard amps tend to be fairly directional. Bass is not so directional especially in the lower octaves. It is better to keep the stage volume under control and allow the PA to set the volume in the room.

A combination of these hints will allow your band and music to sound better in a small venue.

Have you used any of these tricks or have you found other things that have helped your small venue sound?

The best position for your amplification is as close to your speakers as possible. The world seems to be moving to powered cabinets even in the concert world. This is the ideal as far as amp positioning is concerned. In a multiple amp active system it is best to have an amp rack close to each speaker stack.

There are losses in any wire. The longer the wire the greater the loss. Also the greater the current the greater the loss. Powering speakers requires high current, so shorter wires will deliver more of your available power to your speaker cabinets. In addition, speakers are low impedance devices. If your speakers are four ohm and the resistance in your speaker wire is one ohm twenty per cent of your available power will be absorbed within your speaker wire. The resistance of the wire includes both conductors, so if the wire were to measure a half ohm on one conductor the total resistance would be one ohm.

There is not as much signal loss in low level wiring for two reasons. Since the power formula uses the square of the current, low current levels do not incur as much penalty. In addition to that the impedance of the input that you are driving is much higher, so the relationship is different. Where one ohm of resistance in the wire driving a four ohm load would equal a twenty per cent loss if that same one ohm line resistance is driving a one thousand ohm load the loss would be only point one per cent.

Smaller PAs for bands working in clubs may not lend themselves to multiple amp racks. If you must run wires for longer distances it is important to use heavier gauge wire. The lower the gauge number the thicker the wire. For speakers it is important to use heavier gauge wire for high power or longer distances to get the best performance from your sound system.

The post following this is about mixing sound outdoors. I wrote the post and it looked good so I submitted it to Ezine Articles. I have just received word that the article was accepted for publication and can be found at:  Live Sound Mixing Outdoors The article promotes this blog and the main Mixing Live Sound site. If you have a website perhaps you could reprint the article.

Live Sound Mixing weather it be a small outdoor gig or a major concert has some advantages and disadvantages. The situation is different when you get to the great outdoors. While the reflections that you must deal with are less of a problem more of your sound may need to be reinforced to maintain a proper balance.

Some of the problems of live sound mixing inside are reflections and the standing waves created by the dimensions and shape of the rooms and the position of the stage in the room. This changes with an outdoor venue. There may be few or no reflections with an outdoor stage. If there are reflections there is usually a much longer delay before they return to the stage. Sometimes specific frequencies will reflect from some surface but other frequencies will not be reflected to the same extent.

There are likely to be cancellation and reinforced areas that are dependent on speaker location. These will be more predictable with outdoor sound. If you use a stack on either side of the stage including subs there will be strong low end in the center of the venue but there will also be cancellation points off center on each side, usually between the center-line and the stacks. From a position directly in front of either stack you may hear the actual balance of the mix.

Depending on the style of music and the volume desired a sound system may require more power and more speakers for an outdoor show. You may also need to mike some things that are not needed in a club venue. Outdoor stages are often bigger than the stages in clubs, so you will not have as much bleed into the vocal mikes and other live mikes on stage. If you have the proper equipment it is easier to mix outdoors because you are not fighting the sound problems inherit in a room.

You may need to have an input from each instrument as well as your vocal mikes. You may also find benefit when working out doors to put up overhead mikes on the drum kit. Cymbals may bleed into vocal mikes on a club stage but may be lost on an outdoor stage. Also miking each individual drum will give you more control if you have the mikes and channels available. Guitars and keyboards may need to be in the mix for balance and dispersion. Many guitar cabinets tend to be beamy and the sound can drop often dependent on frequency off axis.

The monitor system may also need to be stronger for a large outdoor stage. Musicians may need more things in their monitors for timing. More monitor mixes are also desirable for outdoor venues. Usually for events other than concerts four mixes will work well. A stage right, center stage, stage left, and drum mix will allow you to give the musicians what they need to hear in most cases.

I have heard many people say that they think outdoor gigs are hard. The real secret is to have enough PA for the gig and venue. I much prefer to mix outdoors, but I have the necessary level of equipment available for the jobs that I take. A live stereo recording of an outdoor gig with enough mikes and equipment can be very good.

A microphone has a property called proximity effect. The closer that the mike is to the sound source the more low and low mid frequencies are reproduced.

Proximity effect can be enhanced or reduced by the physical engineering of the microphone. Some are designed to minimize the proximity effect and some are designed to include more proximity effect. Many vocal mikes are designed with a fairly strong proximity effect while instrument mikes may be designed to minimize the proximity effect.

Proximity effect can give some added warmth to vocals. The singer needs to understand how to use the property of the microphone to the best advantage. If the singer backs off of the microphone the sound will be thin and as they get closer to the microphone the voice will fatten up. Mike technique is something that is important for a vocalist to learn.

Have you noticed the proximity effect in vocal mikes?

I am putting up this blog to post mixing tips for live sound technicians. I will try to post a tip at least once a week, so check in often or, better yet, subscribe to the RSS feed for the blog and see new posts in your rss aggregator.

I would like to see some comments on these posts. If you have something to add or if you think that the tip is not good, either way, leave a comment. Feel free to ask questions in the comment box as well. You can also make suggestions about posts that you would like to see.

For those of you with websites I have installed a couple of plug-ins to give commenting a greater value to you. I have the KeywordLuv plug-in installed with a do follow plug-in. If you leave a comment you will get a link back to your site. External links back to your site can help your site to improve its search page position. So get busy and write a comment!

I will also be pleased to offer a guest post to anyone who would like to make a post that is on subject. I will be happy to include a resource box with your guest post.

I have a bit more work to do on the blog and then I need to put the announcement and link up on the main site, so I will close this post for now. If you have questions or need to contact me email for this site is: wink@mixinglivesound.com