Live performances are the most exciting thing about music. The band gets to connect with the crowd, the crowd gets to clap and sing along and by the end of the night something special has passed between everyone. But the next time you're at a show, take the time to realize that before the doors even opened that a sound person was working very hard to give your concert experience some memorable audio. If this sounds like an intriguing career possibility, read on to learn set up a sound board.
Instructions
1. Find a good location. In a studio, you have the luxury of the monitors being pointed at you. In a live setting, everything isn't all about you. The speakers are positioned so the crowd can hear everything. This means you have to move your rig to a spot where the acoustics are good and you are out of the way. Dead center toward the back is usually a good spot, but it may depend on the venue. The venue may also already have a booth set up.
2. Place your microphones. It's a lot easier said than done. You're going to have to mic up each amplifier, each drum and each vocalist and keep all of your lines and mics out of the musician's way. Also, a basic knowledge of mic placement will be helpful, especially on the drums.
3. Plug all your microphones into your snake. A snake is a box with a lot of XLR ports in it that runs directly to your sound board. Remember which microphone you plug into which port. Take a pad and paper with you if you can't remember. You're going to have to keep this information straight when you get to the board.
4. Label the channels the microphones are plugged into on your sound board by using masking tape and a felt pen. Lay down a long strip of tape beneath all the tracks and write down which mic is corresponding to that track.
5. Have the band check each of the mics individually by playing their instrument. This will help you see if everything is plugged in right while you EQ the instruments at the same time.
