Importance of the sound man
Importance of the sound man Posted on: 17.05.2012 by Brooks Habersetzer I'm wondering what your thoughts are on the importance of the sound man, or sound "engineer" on a performance. Also what are the guidelines that separates the good from the bad. Finally on a slightly different note, should the pre-headlining sets be put at a relatively lower level of sound, than the headliners and at which level. | |
| Antonetta Wikel 18.05.2012 | lars.jpg |
| Nedra Fresneda 18.05.2012 |
Originally Posted by rotebass
A good sound guy won't make a bad band sound good but it will make it sound the best they can deliver by making sure both the audience and performers are listening to what the need to clearly. On the other side of the spectrum, a bad sound guy can ruin a evening , that's why most big acts (or people who take their craft seriously) have their own sound eng. |
| Nedra Fresneda 18.05.2012 |
Originally Posted by rotebass
A good sound guy won't make a bad band sound good but it will make it sound the best they can deliver. On the other side of the spectrum, a bad sound guy can ruin a evening . Needless to say it's way more relevant during a live performance, DJ acts tend to be fire & forget unless the DJ is going full retard on the master. |
| Antonetta Wikel 17.05.2012 |
Originally Posted by mostapha
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| Lela Umanskaya 17.05.2012 |
Originally Posted by Souvlaki
Originally Posted by mostapha
I am a "sound man" at my day job, we do mostly corporate and live bands, we do get hired to tech out DJ rigs occasionally. Some of our more trusted DJ clients we just bring out a big rig and set it up and let em at it, the not so skilled ones we have to baby sit. A good sound guy can be your best friend, just don't piss him off. |
| Dorie Scelzo 17.05.2012 |
Originally Posted by soundinmotiondj
I've done live sound (not really professionally) for a number of bands and more DJ-like performances…and while it can be really stressful, it's a lot of fun.
Originally Posted by Souvlaki
Originally Posted by Souvlaki
If there's a band that's going to be mic'd, they're essential. If it's a small place and you're basically running direct off of the DJ mixer to an amp…obviously not necessary…you are the sound guy.
Originally Posted by Souvlaki
The bad ones don't have ears to create a good mix, do too little, do too much, or get in the way. |
| Brooks Habersetzer 17.05.2012 | I'm wondering what your thoughts are on the importance of the sound man, or sound "engineer" on a performance. Also what are the guidelines that separates the good from the bad. Finally on a slightly different note, should the pre-headlining sets be put at a relatively lower level of sound, than the headliners and at which level. |
| Claude Koveleski 21.05.2012 | I'm a "sound man" too. I'm a system tech and look after many large systems at festivals etc. The job entails setting up the rig correctly which includes setting up the cabs for the correct dispersion over the performance area, EQ'ing, cabling, power sharing etc etc etc. When the show's going it's simply a baby sitting job. If you really want to keep the "sound guy" happy a few things will get you there. First the number 1 show stopper for all sound guys (shit or not) is never ever ever ever run the mixer in the RED (clipping) Second never ever ever ever clip the monitors, Third never put your drinks up on the console with the mixer, decks etc. Forth and final always listen to what he has to say (it's in your best interest) Follow these seemingly easy steps (for some not many) and you'll have a sound guy that'll go out of his/her way to ensure you have the best gig possible |
| Dorie Scelzo 18.05.2012 | I believe live sound is a lot of fun. And a LOT of places in/around Atlanta have crappy ones. I'd love to get into it, but I haven't found a good way to say "your sound guy sucks" without burning bridges. |
| Lela Umanskaya 18.05.2012 | Page 1 wants it's cliche sound guy picture back |
| Antonetta Wikel 18.05.2012 | lars.jpg |
| Anisa Fourte 19.05.2012 | As a sound man myself that lives on both sides of the decks.... Yes, trust they are important. Thing is, as it's been said, if there isn't one, YOU are the sound man. The sound man's job it to setup and fix any issues with the system that occur, make sure the sound is good for the crowd, and that the performers don't blow anything up. It's a vital role, that you just simply fill when it's smaller venues. Anything with a system over $10k will probably have a sound guy. As Jimbly said, get to know your sound men, we definitely are a small congregation in a lot of areas, and there are a lot of crappy ones out there next to the good ones. When i get to a venue I always talk to the sound guy first, introduce myself, let him know what kind of setup I have if I haven't pre-hand, see what he has to say about the sound of the system, etc... Make friends, because if they like you, you'll sound great and be back, if not, you'll sound like crap and never invited back. And as Jimbly said, don't be surprised if you see the same guy at 4 or 5 different parties. |
| Lilliana Perris 18.05.2012 | Classic! At our festivals, we use one guy and have for the last 5 years or so. He is just so fucking good. Knows how to setup our TurboSound Rig to perfection. Bear in mind, its always outdoors and on a farm or in a mountain or quarry etc. Every setup is a challenge. I know him well, but my trick is to bride him with something just before I play. "go on...CRANK IT!" |
| Kindra Brawand 18.05.2012 | One thing that is worth remembering is that in a smaller city, or part of a city, you are likely to come across the same sound and lighting guys. Especially if they're good. So make sure they like you, it really pays off in the long run! The flip side is that if you're rude or disrespectful to the guys, especially if you act like their job isn't important, they will come out on top! Around here they refer to most DJs as DWALTs (Dickhead's with a laptop). The only reason I know this is because they like me enough to tell me, but you can always tell when a DWALT is on stage because the sound comes out as flat as anything! Needless to say DWALTs don't get invited back very often. In the UK cities don't even seem to matter. I've played hundreds of gigs in my hometown, York, then been touring all the way down in Oxford (roughly 200 miles away) and come across the same sound guys hired out to do those gigs. Luckily, they liked me. |
| Nedra Fresneda 18.05.2012 |
Originally Posted by rotebass
A good sound guy won't make a bad band sound good but it will make it sound the best they can deliver by making sure both the audience and performers are listening to what the need to clearly. On the other side of the spectrum, a bad sound guy can ruin a evening , that's why most big acts (or people who take their craft seriously) have their own sound eng. |
| Nedra Fresneda 18.05.2012 |
Originally Posted by rotebass
A good sound guy won't make a bad band sound good but it will make it sound the best they can deliver. On the other side of the spectrum, a bad sound guy can ruin a evening . Needless to say it's way more relevant during a live performance, DJ acts tend to be fire & forget unless the DJ is going full retard on the master. |
| Lela Umanskaya 18.05.2012 | I don't know if it's a true story, an urban legend, or just a sound engineers twisted fantasy. You pitch shift the lead singers vox by a semi tone, send the wet signal to the foldback but send the original dry tone to FOH. I've never done it surprisingly. I had a bass player complain about reverb in the monitors, in reality it was the sound slapping off the back wall and coming back. Next gig I did where they were playing he got some spring reverb in his mix |
| Antonetta Wikel 17.05.2012 |
Originally Posted by mostapha
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| Dorie Scelzo 17.05.2012 | Heh. I read a story about a live sound guy who got pissed at a band and resorted to pitch shifting the monitor feeds. Apparently, it was epic. |
| Lela Umanskaya 17.05.2012 |
Originally Posted by Souvlaki
Originally Posted by mostapha
I am a "sound man" at my day job, we do mostly corporate and live bands, we do get hired to tech out DJ rigs occasionally. Some of our more trusted DJ clients we just bring out a big rig and set it up and let em at it, the not so skilled ones we have to baby sit. A good sound guy can be your best friend, just don't piss him off. |
| Dorie Scelzo 17.05.2012 |
Originally Posted by soundinmotiondj
I've done live sound (not really professionally) for a number of bands and more DJ-like performances…and while it can be really stressful, it's a lot of fun.
Originally Posted by Souvlaki
Originally Posted by Souvlaki
If there's a band that's going to be mic'd, they're essential. If it's a small place and you're basically running direct off of the DJ mixer to an amp…obviously not necessary…you are the sound guy.
Originally Posted by Souvlaki
The bad ones don't have ears to create a good mix, do too little, do too much, or get in the way. |
| Layne Koop 17.05.2012 | The opener/headliner SPL thing has loooooong been a point of "discussion." What we know about physhoacoustics is that overtime the "same" SPL level will sound "less loud"....or you get use to a certain SPL level and the way to get your attention is to raise the volume by a "noticeable" amount (typically 6-ish dB).....or "the frog in pot" problem.... As for the role of the sound engineer....it can be everything from "setup ahead of time" to "actively monitor and control the PA system during the show." |
| Georgina Schatzman 17.05.2012 | He's there to make sure you don't break the system, and he's also there just case something goes wrong so he can fix it. He doesn't really have much influence on your performance. He does all his work during the day. Setting up speakers, acoustically treating the space, setting up the amps and EQs and so on. And yeah, I believe it helps to have the levels a little lower, and then change it for the headliner. Nothing drastic, but a subtle boost. |
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