How well do you communicate with your soundperson ?

[onetooloud]

Are you able to fully explain how you would like to sound ? Do you ?

Not simply in terms make us sound good or make it loud.

Can you explain how you would like your monitors to sound ?

Example, I want as much detail in the bass as you can and to be able the hear my bass players fingers slide up or down the stings. Do this without making it real thin. I really don't want a lot below 80 hz in it.

Example, Please make the lead vocals thick around 200hz or make them in my face by cutting the same area and giving me a touch of 1.5 k

[ToonaRockGuy]

Working with a soundman is always tricky. Over the years, I've found that the best approach is this...

"Hi, nice to be working with you. My name is Kevin, I'm the drummer. What can I do to make your job easier?"

The FOH sound engineer normally knows way more about sound than you do. You have to learn to trust their ears to make your sound kick ass. Monitor mixes usually get a little more input from me, but as long as I can clearly hear my bandmates and it's not peeling my face back, I'm good. Being too specific or demanding will make you a nightmare among FOH guys, and remember this: THEY control what you sound like in thr end. It pays to be flexible and easy to work with.

[lonewolf]

Telepathy

[Jasaoke]

I'll second ToonaRockGuy: the best thing a band can do is to let it go. Having mixed FOH and Mons, I like to keep soundcheck as short and sweet as possible. Give me what I need in the monitors and that's it.

I look at like this: Let the engineers do their jobs. I can't hear FOH from stage, but we've got a guy to cover that. I can't stand it when band members lean out in front of the mains and try to work "their sound" into the equation. "Your sound" is your instrument, and it's on-stage amplification. Fitting it all together is the job of the guy behind the board.

Moreover, why waste time tweaking a monitor mix? Get what you need and move on.

[PanzerFaust]

Point up for louder........

[StumbleFingers]

Working with a soundman is always tricky. Over the years, I've found that the best approach is this...

"Hi, nice to be working with you. My name is Kevin, I'm the drummer. What can I do to make your job easier?"

Great advice. That's the approach I take... "You are my ears in front of the stage. I am open to your suggestions. I encourage and welcome your advice."

The worst soundmen, and you've probably met a few of these, are the ones who lounge behind the board making snarky comments about how bad the band sounds. Some turds can't be polished, but both the band and the sound crew should view it as a team effort.

[Hannibal]

I'm the guy who is usually at the sound console. From my point of view, I need to know what each musician needs in their monitor mix. Will the musicians work with me when it comes to stage volume? High stage volumes make it more difficult for the sound guy to get a good PA mix. Is there anything special in the way you want your overall mix? More bass and percussion for certain types of music, etc? Vocals on top of everything? I don't do a lot of bar or club gigs anymore, but I do mix at festivals, outdoor shows, college and corporate events. The musicians that are the easiest to work with as far as how they want to sound, make the event fun, too. Just my $.02 worth.

[bassist_25]

Working with a soundman is always tricky. Over the years, I've found that the best approach is this...

"Hi, nice to be working with you. My name is Kevin, I'm the drummer. What can I do to make your job easier?"

The FOH sound engineer normally knows way more about sound than you do. You have to learn to trust their ears to make your sound kick ass. Monitor mixes usually get a little more input from me, but as long as I can clearly hear my bandmates and it's not peeling my face back, I'm good. Being too specific or demanding will make you a nightmare among FOH guys, and remember this: THEY control what you sound like in thr end. It pays to be flexible and easy to work with.

Bingo. At the end of the day, you have to put your faith in the soundperson.

[onetooloud]

Ok you have an upcoming show with a soundperson you have never worked with before. This person has a known good reputation and good gear.

You see this person out and about and start talking. Maybe a room full of this type person.

In casual converstion describe what you hope to sound like. Musicans seemingly can talk for days about thier bass sounds and quitar sounds. This pedal sounds like this and that pedal sounds like this. Speaker A sounds better than speaker B. Cymbol A is way to brite.

How would you like it all to come together. There are persons here who have vision and have done this. The soundman /women can put it together in an unlimited number of ways.

Think about it there is so much potential to be gained from this it is mind numbing.

[soundman814]

Soundman???


Who needs 'em!

[Jasaoke]

I try to keep things as simple as possible. When I mixed, I would use some fairly easy criteria and it worked out well. It's all I ask of an engineer nowadays.
1)Can we hear what each instrument onstage is doing?
2)Can we make out what the singer(s) are saying/singing?

If you can answer "yes" to both of these: mission accomplished. It's the band's job to ensure that their "tones", "sounds", timbres, or voicing fit together. If everyone scoops their mids, there is nothing an engineer can do to fix that. But if the band fits together on their own, the engineer can focus on presenting a cleaner mix, instead of notching and 'shoehorning' things to where they're supposed to be.

One question I keep going back to is: "Who cares?" Over half of a typical audience can't identify a bass guitar by sight. Most folks will never appreciate the clarity of the high mids on that bass, or how well you can fit a snare into a mix. (see questions 1 & 2)

I will offer this: invest in GREAT reverb. I can't stand the sound of cheap reverbs. Learn how to trim them so they don't overpower.
And if you don't have tap-tempo, don't use delay.

[StumbleFingers]

One question I keep going back to is: "Who cares?" Over half of a typical audience can't identify a bass guitar by sight. Most folks will never appreciate the clarity of the high mids on that bass, or how well you can fit a snare into a mix.

To use a food metaphor.... You don't need to know anything about cooking to appreciate a good meal. The audience may not be able to articulate exactly why a band sounds better with Soundguy A versus Soundguy B, but they recognize the difference.

[Jasaoke]

True dat

[CMOR]

It's the band's job to ensure that their "tones", "sounds", timbres, or voicing fit together. If everyone scoops their mids, there is nothing an engineer can do to fix that. But if the band fits together on their own, the engineer can focus on presenting a cleaner mix, instead of notching and 'shoehorning' things to where they're supposed to be.

Amen brother!

Working on both sides of the board, I have to keep my head in the game that I'm playing that particular night.

If I'm playing: Use the tone that I have worked hard and long to obtain including fitting into the mix of my band. Leave the rest up to whoever is running FOH(unless they ask for something).

FOH: I rely on the band(s) knowing their $hit and having good, ie:usable, tone. I try to take the approach that I'm there to make the band louder, not better. If you have only rumble coming out of your guitar half stack or your vocalist mush-mouths through a song, that's on you, not me. I'll just make sure people hear it.

I know that approach can make me less desirable as a soundguy, but it should make you work harder to be prepared to play your music in front of people.

[Skate Toad]

I agree with steve.
My one point is this.... Try telling most ego driven musicians their tone is horrible or the drums sound like pots and pans or a singer they are pitchy or harsh etc. Usually 9 times out 10 no matter how you sugar coat it they get pissed. So i feel my job as FOH is to make your on stage sound louder and balanced with a few minor tweeks here and there. I always like to be on stage and hear the instruments before they go through the pa to hear if the drums ring or are more muffled and what the tone of the stringed intruments sound like. It really helps me to get what they are going for as oppossed to what i think it should sound like. And it helps me from banging my head against a wall fighting to get a tone that just isn't there.There are a few musicians that are open to hear suggestions about their sound but mostly it's like walking on egg shells. It's nice to work with guys that know what they want and can ask for it without being a diva. But for the most part most musicians focus on their instrument and leave to FOH to the pro out front, Much like you would trust a bandmate to sound good.

[riksylvania]

I agree with steve.
My one point is this.... Try telling most ego driven musicians their tone is horrible or the drums sound like pots and pans or a singer they are pitchy or harsh etc.

Very true! My pappy always told me, "You can't make chicken salad out of chicken shit."

[whitedevilone]

I just turn up till Kev gives me "that" look.....then i turn up some more.

[CMOR]

I just turn up till Kev gives me "that" look.....then i turn up some more.

We know.

[whitedevilone]

I just turn up till Kev gives me "that" look.....then i turn up some more.

We know.

If i can't be good,may as well be loud.

[Banned]

I just turn up till Kev gives me "that" look.....then i turn up some more.

We know.

If i can't be good,may as well be loud.

Love this one...

[songsmith]

Bluegrass is an audio-engineering nightmare. Some bands use single-mic, which requires one microphone to pick everything up in a six-foot circle without picking up the FOH speakers as well, while others have numerous open microphones all gained pretty hot (so they pick up quiet instruments). It's almost nothing like rock-n-roll sound, which makes it quite difficult to transition between the two. I've done it, and it's a tough gig. This is why our band is pretty much open to whatever the soundguy wants from us. I'm always happy I don't have to worry about it myself, and I think we sound better just because it's less stressful. I also assume they know their system and it's capabilities better than I do, because I know my rig pretty well, so I don't make too many "suggestions."

[Craven Sound]

I love mixing bluegrass. When I do, the string instruments occasionally have pick-ups making it fairly easy. I prefer multiple vocal mics so I can mix the harmonies to my ear. Making a great sounding band sound good is really easy, but sometimes, finding that suck knob and turning it down is a challenge.