Phase III¶
The Sound Check¶
Okay, so we’ve finally reached the place where:
- everything is in it’s place on stage
- all the lights are on
- all instruments and vocals and kit mikes are coming through the system
- all the vocals are present in the monitors
- all bags, cases, boxes etc. have been cleared off stage and we can move around without falling all over the place
It’s time for the sound check.
The drums¶
Kit balance¶
For live kit you should use a microphone on the kick drum and two overheads for ambience. If necessary add a mic on the snare. Before you start the soundcheck ensure that the kit sound is naturally balanced. This presupposes that your drummer knows how to get a sound on the kit. Let’s assume that he does.
Kick drum¶
Drummer to kick the kick while you go out front to listen. Bring the volume up until you can hear it nicely, not too loud, but punchy and full.
Overheads and snare¶
Add in the rest of the kit taking care to bring the overheads up just enough to lift the sound of the cymbals above the general kit level. If the snare volume is too low ease the fader up a little; just enough to peek through.
Once you’re happy with the overall effect add the bass guitar in.
Bass guitar¶
Most of the time it’s not necessary to send the bass guitar through the PA, and we will go with this assumption.
Because of the wavelengths of the bass frequencies it can be difficult to get a good stage / FOH balance for the bass. This can result in a situation where the bass player can’t hear their amp as clearly as it sounds 8 or 10 metres away. Obviously the bass must be clearly heard on stage while also being present in the room sound. Without it your live sound will be dull and lifeless.
The important thing to remember is that the volume of the bass in the room itself is as, if not more important than the bass volume on stage. It’s no good getting a fat bass sound on stage while peeling the paint off the walls in the room. For the sake of the overall balance [the sound your customers will hear] you should err on the conservative side.
Once the drummer and bassist are happy you can add the guitars and vocals in.
The whole band¶
Pick an easy song to play - one where everyone has a go ie. all the vox are used, and the guitarists play a solo each. Someone should be out front to listen to the overall sound. Use this diagram as a basis for the balancing of the various instruments:
The relationships depicted should be held to as a general rule of thumb. You will find if you deviate too far from this arrangement that the whole foh sound goes out of whack.
Play enough of the song to get an idea whether:
- the stage volume is not too loud, and
- everyone can hear the vocals
Adjust the monitors accordingly, bearing in mind that a too-loud stage volume will badly upset the balance on the PA. In other words: Try to keep the stage volume down by turning guitars down instead of turning the monitors up.
Things to keep in mind¶
Your ears will take at least 5 minutes to acclimatise to the general sound level. What this means practically is: play through two or three songs after the initial stoppage - playing the whole song is unnecessary - just do the intro and two verses with solos. Check with everyone after each song. You will find that the problems usually iron themselves out.
Kit¶
Note
If playing in a corner [as sometimes happens] and the kit sound is bouncing around [messy], try to pad the area around the kit with speaker covers, guitar cases etc. This can make a huge difference to the overall stage sound.
The drummer should never have to bash the kit in order to hear himself. If this is the case then turn the guitars down!
The vocals¶
Some questions:
- Can the lead singer hear themselves in the PA?
- Can the backing singers hear themselves in the PA?
If the answer to both these questions is ‘no’, then the next question to ask is:
- Are the vocals loud enough in the PA?
If the answer is ‘yes’, then the stage volume is too loud. Turn the guitar amps down!
If you’re one of the guitarists who sings backing and you find that you can’t hear your voice but can hear the lead vocal then turn your amp down.
The guitars¶
Both guitars must be heard at all times. This often requires a balancing act, but the process is not as complicated as it seems.
- The guitarists should not be playing the same chord inversions and / or rhythm patterns
- If they are duplicating either the inversions or patterns they must be perfectly synchronised
- No guitar should be louder than the other
Lead volume should be up at the same level as the lead vocal, however, at the end of a solo the guitar volume must return to where it was previously, otherwise volume creep happens! While this may feel great to the guitarists, it most certainly makes things harder for everyone else.
The rhythm section [kit and bass guitar]¶
This is the heart of the live sound. If there is something off kilter with either the kit or the bass volume it will throw the whole FOH mix. They have to mesh together on every level. That is to say:
- The kick drum and bass guitar must both be heard equally loudly. The one cannot be allowed to overpower the other. Balance the volumes.
- Nothing is more disconcerting to a front-line musician / singer than a rhythm section that is pulling in all directions at once. The players must play as one.
- Their overall volume cannot overpower the other instruments in the mix.