Improved Sound for Music Gigs

By Adam Woodham

I have been to a number of live gigs lately, small bands playing in small pubs, and I've seen the identical scene each time. The fold back is on the brink of feedback nonetheless the singer wants more, the entire mess is painfully loud and screeching, and the band are looking nervous as a result of there are way more individuals walking out than there are walking in. The room in front of the stage is a sonic void that no-one wants to pass through, let alone stand in. It does not take a genius to figure out what is wrong: IT'S ALL TOO LOUD.

What's the problem with musicians and small public address systems is it too laborious to perceive that a box containing two 15 inch drivers and a horn is no match for two quad boxes, a bass amp, and a drum kit at full blast. Clearly, musicians don't understand the basic principles of excellent live sound. Thus, I currently present "Four Steps to Higher Sound through Small public address systems".

Step 1: Garbage in, garbage out

This can be so blatantly obvious, I can not believe I am writing it. If you sound sort of a wisp on stage then you may sound like an amplified wisp through a public address system. On the other hand, if you sound smart on stage, a smart engineer can make you sound nice - and you may blow away the opposite bands that also sound like wisp. Therefore how does one sound sensible on stage?

Step 2: Play balanced

Sounding good on stage begins by sounding good in the rehearsal room. Next time you're in preparation, move into the center of the band and take a critical listen. Can you hear all the instruments clearly? Is anyone instrument dominating the others? Will it sound like a outlined musical event, or sonic mush? If it's sonic mush, you've got got to try to to something about it.

Step 3: Play soft

With all the instrument amplifiers all the way down to zero, start taking part in a song. Hear the drums. Adjust the level of the PA thus that the vocals are in a good balance with the drums. Take your time to urge it right, because the vocals and the drums are your points of reference. Currently, start turning up the bass amp till it sounds balanced with the drums and vocals. Add the other instruments, one at a time, turning their amps up slowly till they fit into the proper balance within the room. If an instrument drowns out the vocals or drums, it's too loud. By now, you must be ready to listen to a a lot of higher balance of the band, and the PA system will not appear like a useless piece of howling wisp.

Step 4: Learn to love it

I know what you are thinking currently: "my amp is not giving me the right tone", or "I can't get enough sustain", or any of a zillion alternative excuses for turning your amp up. Bad luck. The truth is that if you want to sound smart through a small public address system, this can be your only option. There are solutions to most of these complaints that don't need turning up the amplifier.

Now that you've got your volume settings and instrument layout sorted, use the same settings and layout after you play live (however turn the vocalist around to face the audience, after all!). Keep your amps playing to yourselves, and let the PA play to the audience. You will get abundant better live sound, and you will have so much less issues with fold back. If the venue's PA is notably little, work with the sound engineer. You will need to repeat these steps during sound check. - 18758

About the Author:

Amperes Global Marketing was incorporated in 2002 as a partnership company, the corporate early stage operation concerned small sales and marketing in Amperes Product. Year 2005, Amperes Global Marketing Sdn Bhd was formestablished and have grow and expand gradually in our brand awarness, market share in PA System Services as results of growth in company talent pool and expertise.