Crucial Advice for Amazing Soundchecks in Small Clubs

[@tracybales6839]

I've done FOH for 25 years and when a musician is struggling with their monitor mix and is asking for more of the same thing over and over I usually find that what makes them happy is to not turn up that thing they are asking for more of but instead turn everything else in their mix down. Reverse psychology? So...sometimes less is more!

[@LiveSoundTips]

100%, Tracy! Thank you for bringing this up! I often find the likelihood of that situation happening rises with every additional input they ask for in their mix. The mix just gets more and more cluttered and eventually I have no other choice but to just turn the non-essential stuff down.

[@johnreardon4944]

I own a small music venue. Recently, a singer wanted more volume in the monitors. We actively try to turn down the volume through EQ. Anyway, we moved the two monitors that the singer had farther outward and changed the angle. He was standing in a sonic dead space. So then he asked us to turn his monitors way down. Monitor speaker positioning was very effective. And it greatly reduced onstage volume to let the spaces in the music to really open up. That's my testimony. I have a genius sound tech who despises loud volume. Our sound is so clear and dynamic. It appears loud, but it's not. The audience members can talk to each other easily too. The room will tell you what it wants. That's my testimony.

[@O_pai_fpv]

@@johnreardon4944 one of the most important things for me, when doing monitors, is monitor position/orientation and microphone polar patterns. Know your gear. That alone makes all the difference before even starting with all the eq

[@fishingwithleaches]

I apply this to FOH aswell, subtractive mixing works best. Why turn up that guitar solo 7db when I can boost it by 3 and subtract other instruments?

[@ParryGripp]

Yeah!!! Paul has mixed my band Nerf Herder many times and we've always had a great sound and a great experience.

[@LiveSoundTips]

@Parrygripp, I'm so flattered!!! You're a great musician and overall creative force that I truly admire so it really makes me happy and proud that you like the advice I'm dispensing. NOW EVERYONE GO TO PARRY'S KZbin CHANNEL CUZ IT'S AAAAWWWWESSSOOMMME!!! I'VE BEEN A FAN OF HIS FOR YEARS!!!

[@goncalopisslx]

Nerf Herder

[@NayveeMan]

VH!

[@vicesquadpunk]

NErf Herder GREAT BAND x

[@mjk5254]

THE NERF!

[@johnjones4369]

THIS IS SOOOOO ACCURATE!!!!!!! Possibly the best piece of live sound advice EVER given! Live sound engineers, PLEASE TAKE NOTE!

[@fwarcs]

I can't thank you enough for this. I have just started in live sound (by virtue of being the most technically-minded person at my venue, a small theater in a museum), and have only run sound for two bands so far with no training or experience, but I have been trying to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible, and this has been one of the most enlightening things I have seen so far.

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thank you for watching, Steve! I'm really glad to know that this information can be helpful for you as you get started. Hopefully it can save you a lot of time and avoid a great deal of frustration as you continue your adventures in live sound.

[@swordsheldhigh7934]

Does vocals first work when singers move around on stage?

[@djabthrash]

@@swordsheldhigh7934 Why wouldn't it work ?

[@LiveSoundTips]

Usually, although if they move through the coverage area of different monitor mixes it could become tricky based on how much is in different mixes. Still, it's best to take that time to iron those things out early on.

[@swordsheldhigh7934]

@@djabthrash Because the ambient sound changes when you move around. There no fixed ambience. The drums will sound dark when singer(s) are far away from drums. And too bright when close. But it work brilliantly with stationary singers.

[@dbraun7]

Dead on psychology! Live sound with most modern music is vocal centered and the max level available is based on the upper ring level granted to you in a given room or venue. Any lunatic guitar or drummer can decimate vocal monitors and leave the vocalists with nothing. Getting the band to think in terms of "team" requires a discipline of volume which accomodates the allowable vocal monitor levels. Your bedside manner advice is spot on in terms of achieving a compliant and happy band! Keep on preaching!

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment! I sincerely appreciate it. It's good to get confirmation that addressing the psychology and "people skills" side of the job is helpful to others. :)

[@officialWWM]

Just use in ears...

[@Donald1]

Live Sound Tips y

[@randyroberts4239]

As an antique lunatic guitar player, one of the best 'lessons' i ever got was from a more experienced drummer / band owner. Number one, side fill my amp. I didn't like it, initially. Which leads to number two... Somebody has to be the ramrod. Lunatic guitar players are an egotistical lot. Good luck with that sound guys!

[@spazimdam]

Yes a fantabulous idea to do vocals first and then everything else is set relative to that. What a simple solution to an age old problem. I have been a FOH mixer and a performer and I can't tell you how many rock gigs I have been to as a listener at small clubs where the instruments sound great but the vocals can just barely be heard. Very common fuckup, and your order of priorities at sound check could so easily solve this problem. Kudos man. I usually have to argue with guitarists to turn down their amps when I'm a sound man; it would be so much easier to start with vocals. Also I have found that, if the guitar cabs are mic'd through the PA, it works really well to position the guitar cabs on the sides of the stage, and point them in towards the band, rather than out towards the audience. That way all the players can clearly hear the guitars, you have less monitoring issues, and guitarists don't insist on having their amps so fucking loud. Of course this requires that the guitar amps be mic'd, but they usually are anyway. Great post!

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thanks, Monte! I appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment with your own experiences in small clubs as both performer and engineer. I'll definitely address amplifier positioning in a future episode!

[@spazimdam]

@@LiveSoundTips Cool. I'll have to catch your episode on amp positioning for sure!

[@Startrekker77]

OMG!!!!!! I cannot thank you enough for this video. I have been a touring audio tech for 20 years and I'm constantly searching for tips and tricks to keep things fresh as well as always trying and keep developing my skills as a mix engineer. After many years it's easy to become complacent at work,. I think videos like yours are important to those starting out as well as to those who have been at it for some time.. I think your tip of starting with the vocals instead of at the kick drum is possibly one of the greatest pieces of mix advice I have ever received!!!! It makes soooo much sense!!! I instantly started getting better mixes in less time thanks to you sharing this knowledge.Thank you so so so much I can't tell you how happy your video made me!! Occasionally it throws off some bands to not start with the kick, but almost every time a band member will comment on how much sense it makes to start with the focal point of the mix. Again, thank you so very much for your time and knowledge keep up the killer work!!!!!

[@LiveSoundTips]

Jason, thank you so much for not only taking the time to watch the video but actually trying out new ideas after 20 years! You've been in the biz longer than I have (I started in 2005) and I was only touring for about 7 years (2006 through 2012). I feel like if the ideas in this video don't reach new engineers within the the first 2 or 3 years of starting then after that point most think they already know everything. It's truly awesome to hear that your bands are now commenting on the new approach and that it's helping you. That's the sole reason my channel exists, to be helpful. Thank you for this comment!!! 🙏👏🤘

[@georgejeffries3566]

As a novice sound man, I inherited the role in my cover band, the advice given here is invaluable. I’ve been practicing this method (vocals first) for 8 months and it works.

[@chuckcostello5167]

Yeah that's a great tip that I use in the studio all the time. I never thought to translate that over to my live mixing. I'm definitely going this route next time!

[@ITZorologist]

Excellent explanations and descriptions. As a studio engineer, I have always had a great deal of respect for Live Audio Engineers. Extremely professional and artistic approach to getting it right the first time. Thank You Paul !

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thank you, Don, and I apologize for being away from the channel for so long and not seeing this comment until now. And as a live sound engineer I've always had a great deal of respect and envy for studio engineers. I tried it for two years and found it wasn't right for my personality type. I fit better in the flying-by-the-seat-of-your-pants-and-then-it's-quickly-over world of live sound. However, the compromises to actual audio _quality_ in live environments are horrendous. Listening in a proper studio environment is heavenly compared to what we are forced to accept at a concert. hahaha

[@LioneerMusic]

I remember vividly when i played bottom of the hill thinking during each band "man i wish every sound guy was like this". Paul is the man. I actually just wish everyone loved their job as much as him in general. The world would be a much better place

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thank you so much and I'm sorry I didn't see your comment until now! I hope you're doing great and thet we'll get to work together again!

[@jamesestrada7956]

You have no idea how much people like me, small venue/ bar performers value this type of information. Thank you 🙏🏾😌

[@steveaksel]

I am doing FOH on the main stage for a three day festival this weekend - your tips on how to deal with the acts are great. More important than twisting knobs at times.

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thank you, Steve! And my apologies for being away from this channel for so long! How's the adventures in live sound going?

[@andyjenkinson828]

Yes! Yes!! Yes!!!

[@paulthomas5901]

Thank you for watching and commenting, Andy!

[@Mr_G]

Nice!

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thanks for checking it out!

[@G60syncro]

This is great! And speaking from the other end of the XLR, here's what we do to make your life easier... We're lucky because we have the space to do so, but we setup our rehearsal space like we play on stage. That way, our stuff is pretty much dialed in with no other monitoring than the vocals in the PA. This frees up a lot of time setting up the stage sound versus FOH. Also, it frees up a lot of bandwidth in the monitors to get good strong vocals and only very occasionally a slight reinforcement of whatever needs it. We also make it a point to seek out the sound guy as soon as we get in and ask him about the logistics of the place and his workflow. By then, the sound check usually ends up being a couple of taps on the drums, a few riffs, some banter and half a song and it's in the can! ...and souds great too!!

[@LiveSoundTips]

Great approach! I wish more performers could try this to be ready for a proper stage setting.

[@djabthrash]

"setup our rehearsal space like we play on stage" This is exactly what i do with my own bands or bands i'm working with ! So few bands rehearse this way, it's kind of crazy when you think about it ! If you rehearse for a show, why would you not try to get as close as possible to the actual show conditions at your rehearsal spot ?

[@alamakluke]

Great advice... never thought of doing it that way....

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thank you! I hope there are ideas in there that will be helpful for you.

[@braindamagekc]

Good tips. Lots of words. Thx

[@LiveSoundTips]

I do have a tendency to ramble way too much 😬 so I do appreciate you watching.

[@IsaacFifth]

thank you for being awesome

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thank you for keeping an open mind for new strategies, Isaac! I appreciate you taking the time to watch the episode and leave a comment!

[@awojunior]

This is the best information I have ever come across. My first job as an audio engineer was at a massive local hip hop event and the most difficult part was not having that open line of communication. That made it incredibly stressful and I ended up chasing mic levels for 10 hours. Thank you for sharing!

[@chuckkirkpatrick6712]

THANK GOD SOMEBODY FINALLY "GETS IT"!!!! I wanted to hug and kiss this man 30 seconds into his video. For YEARS I have been preaching this one simple but major important step in doing sound. I am posting sharing this video immediately. THANK YOU PAUL!! I only hope these young sound-punks out there will bother to listen much less try this.

[@LiveSoundTips]

Hey, thanks for watching and sharing the video, Chuck! I'm glad this approach jives with your own experiences and might help you convince others to join us in getting engineers and performers onto the same team in 2019!

[@igorsim8170]

Thanks for video.

[@gerrywbradley]

Great idea to check vocals first! Not only are they requiring yhe most reinforcement, they are generally the most important! Great tip! Thank you!

[@LiveSoundTips]

Precisely, Gerry! And because they get the most gain and usually have to be hottest in monitors they're the most likely thing to hit the point of feedback!

[@Big253Time]

Great video. Thanks

[@NateBuker]

Brilliant! Great approach!

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thanks for checking it out, Nate!

[@BassBaseBerlin]

Great ideas and concepts! Thanks very much!

[@faautobahna9416]

sounds like great advice. thanks.

[@mxcrec]

You are the first engineer I see on KZbin who pays attention to psychology and that's great. I've always had musicians first in every sense. Because when they are comfy on the stage they sound awesome. And the 'upside down' soundcheck lets you do exactly that. Especially when you start with dialing monitors first.

[@iamcharmquark]

Thank you!!!! This is all so common sense and wonderfully explained. I have so far done sound checks in a bit of a chaotic way, jumping in and grabbing first what things musicians start to pick up, and then going from there fill in the gaps. This is a lot more logical and I love how it sets up communication. It's so important to me to make sure people performing know I am there to make them sound good and serve their performance. So much good here I will be stealing!

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thanks for watching and adding a comment, Petra! Give this experiment enough time to develope your own easy flowing version of it. And please let me know how it goes or if you have any questions or areas where you would like tips or advice.

[@wondertaker6723]

This is excellent!

[@cloudbass]

Nice words of wisdom. Concise and to the point.

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thank you, Allan. I still have a lot of work to do on the concise part. Haha. The camera makes me nervous and I ramble way too much. ;) I appreciate you watching!

[@bcalenda2609]

This is great for me fairly new to combat live sound and interacting with bands

[@JasonFerguson1283]

Sound psychology! Thank you!!

[@beijerstudios118]

Super helpful! Thank you!

[@Alpha-ro8sc]

Used this very advice for my first gig last night. (& Advice from Your other vids as well) The band was so cool & treated me like an old pro. Multiple requests for contact info after the gig from movers and shakers in the local scene. Positive attitude is what did it. Thank you Man!

[@daneguitarist1]

Brilliant! I hope i get to work with you someday

[@PhiBuddha]

GREAT advice!!!!!!!

[@MrMercho4416]

Great advice

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thanks, Dave! I appreicate you taking the time to check it out!

[@andymarsal]

very smart!

[@somnosom]

This is brilliant, Paul is a genius and a delight to work with

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thank you!!! Is this BT from JC Brooks previous band?!?

[@somnosom]

@@LiveSoundTips the one and only! Hi Paul!

[@larevolt1913]

You've got it narrowed down to a science! Very useful advice. Thanks!

[@LiveSoundTips]

I'm glad you enjoyed this and I appreciate you taking the time to watch while being open to seeing new approaches for live sound. :)

[@jordanhook1613]

"having your vision compromised by people who are grumpy and un-cooperative!" should be the official motto of small club gigging. stoked on your tips and attitude, helpful from an engineer and player perspective, thanks!

[@LiveSoundTips]

Jordan, we've all met "That Guy" a thousand times and his story is essentially always the same; a failed ex-musician whose third-rate grunge band didn't get signed in the 90s. Thankfully, they're becoming relics of the past (and I'm doing my best to speed that up). I appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment!

[@iRideuWatch]

Lovely background noises at 11:30 - 12:00 😄

[@farn451]

dude, that first piece of advice is gold! I've been mixing in the tried and tested method for years and just the thought of switching it around and getting the Vox mixed right first had never occurred to me. new thought processes for the new year :D

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thanks, Jack! I apologize for being away from my YT channel for so long and not seeing this until now. In the time since you commented were you able to give it a try? If so, what kind of results have you had?

[@niladripratihari5101]

Amazing stuff...keep it up

[@bacontrees]

Completely agree! Been mixing professionally for 21 years. I always start with vocals first, for the reasons stated here. I also choose to communicate well with the performers, and create a dialogue. Excellent video!

[@swordsheldhigh7934]

Does vocal-first-method work with moving singers? Or is it limited to stationary vocal mics

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thank you for watching and commenting! It's great to know you've already been successfully using these ideas way longer than I have! It's helpful to new engineers if we can save them the time and frustration instead of them just slowly getting there on their own.

[@gregshadoan4049]

Sage advice. It allows you to build a good mix around what is usually the weakest link in the chain.

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thank you for watching, Greg!

[@mightymcgee9199]

Man I usually started with drums > bass > guitar > keys and then vocals but this thing about vocals firsts now makes so much sense for small places, I could even control the levels better

[@sambolino44]

Vocals first: what a great idea! Plus, I love your whole attitude about communicating with the band, and just generally being supportive. As you mentioned, I'm more used to the guy who couldn't possibly care less about how our show goes. I remember the first time our band was offered different mixes in our monitors, the other guys went crazy trying all these different things; it took forever. All I wanted was an even mix of the three front vocal mics, like all we ever had. Sometimes we get caught up in the gear and forget the point of the whole thing. When you see a real pro rock the house even after the power goes out, you realize that these guys who can't play the song right if they don't have just the right effects in the monitors are, well, less impressive!

[@LiveSoundTips]

So true (sadly). It's easy for any of us to get caught up relying on the tools and gadgets or overly complicating things when we have so many choices available. Hopefully these videos can help people get back to the basics about what's really important for a great concert experience.

[@yunggrandma666]

Thanks so much for sharing your experience and knowledge! I've been mixing in mostly 200-400 capacity venues for the last 5 years and checking by numerical order, but the past few months I've been considering checking vocals first for the same reasons you stated in your video, but had doubts about it because none of the more experienced engineers I look up to that I work with do it that way. Knowing that you do it that way makes me feel a lot better about trying it. Thank you!

Great stuff!

[@JumpStop1]

This video has some great information, thank you!

[@lespaulman81]

Great timeless advice. As a guitarist who turned up to 11 relentlessly, I finally figured out exactly what you are saying. Word to guitarists who play loud: 1. Turn down your amp as much as to allow the sound engineer to have good control of the mix. 2. If you cannot hear your guitar, ask him to put some of your guitar in the monitor. Hopefully you get your own mix where you can do that. God forbid, if you have a single front stage monitor mix, try repositioning the amp so that you hear it, but the FOH mixer can manage the overall mix. It will make a huge difference!

[@HotMulligan]

Clicked on this video because I recognized you and that booth. Always had a fun time at Bottom of the Hill despite the area not being my favorite. Everything you said about your methods leaving the artists more satisfied is 100% true.

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thank you so much for that comment and testimonial! And I feel ya on the problems in that neighborhood (just like _most_ of SF now). 😒

[@iamsparta96]

this is awesome!

[@jobelewis6416]

This makes total sense!

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thanks for watching, Jobe! I hope you can experiment with some of these ideas and find out which ones work best for you. Please keep everyone here posted with updates (or questions). :)

[@steveblackwell7005]

Thanks so much..learned a lot...

[@Stewcrew8]

Thank you, that was very helpful..I'm part of an audio team at my church and a mobile DJ.. I understand everyone hears different..all what you said was true...wow...going to watch this again..

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thank you, Thomas! I appreciate you taking the time to watch and I apologize for being away for so long and just now seeing this. I hope the advice in the soundcheck video was helpful to you in the time since you posted you nice comment. I finally added a new video which is a follow-up to this one so I hope you find it helpful too. :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZXIhXqIaNydbsU

[@DaveLopezMixing]

Great advice. I just did a "Vocals first" sound check and it made the event so much easier. Thanks!

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thank you for the testimonial, Dave! I'm glad you found that strategy so helpful and appreciate you taking the time to watch and try something new. 🙏😎

[@Bobbyblades]

well said!

[@joelglaser5657]

Great info. Thank you Paul!!

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thank you for taking the time to watch! After a long hiatus I finally made a video for the follow-up topic to soundchecks. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZXIhXqIaNydbsU

[@percybergeron2012]

Very well said! True to the core

[@freemandiaz5123]

Your advice has been legendary! Coming from a new sound person with low cred, this changed their confidence level in me. We have a 45 minute window for setup and check. Thank you so much!!

[@freemandiaz5123]

And now to wash my screens and sanitize my hands!

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thanks, Freeman! I'm glad these videos are helpful to you for building rapport and confidence with performers! Even without much experience you should feel confident knowing just this ONE thing: 99% of performers would rather work with a less experienced engineer that they know is trying their hardest and really cares about what they're doing, rather than working with a more experienced or "better" engineer that is a jerk or a bitter burnout that doesn't care. Work ethic and basic decency gets you much further than skill only.

[@freemandiaz5123]

@@LiveSoundTips Lol. I have a volunteer army. It's delicate because they don't have a pay for play investment. I had to lead the set up and this really helped. Vocals, instruments, monitors, house. I may be wrong but at least I have a plan. Old church guys don't want loud. Lol. Serious and huge thanks to you. You are a real professional!

[@freemandiaz5123]

@@LiveSoundTips we have 15 to set up, 30 min check and final 15 to get in that churchy zone.

[@freemandiaz5123]

Hey, can you do one on sign language? Lol. In case my vocalists run off?

[@NovaLandOfficial]

great!!! thank you for sharing this!!

[@LiveSoundTips]

You're welcome! Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment, David!

[@analogdragon4709]

This is great

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment!

[@paulmorrey733]

Thanks

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thank YOU for taking the time to check out the video!

[@panhead55]

It’s like this guy was in my band for all those crappy gigs. He touched on all the problems that smaller local bands had and still have to go through in order to pull off a gig at a small local venue. Not to mention, the “sound man” is usually a bartender and the “pa,” well…

[@FuryVoxx77]

Great info!!!

[@michaelkelly6583]

Well done ... I learned a lot.

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thank you! That's great! After a long hiatus from my YT channel I finally did a follow-up topic to this one and put it up a few days ago. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZXIhXqIaNydbsU

[@jerryocrow1]

Very intelligent theory and practice.

[@JuiceJones313]

I love this advice because everything you talked about has happened to me as an engineer. This has led to some long and struggling shows because I was taught to do the instruments first for a sound check instead of the vocals first.

[@SoulShineBluesBand1]

Loved your direction on setting the vocals first. I’m both the “sound guy” as well as the lead guitarist. 👏👏

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thank you, John! I hope it's been helpful in the time since you posted your comment. My apologies for the long hiatus away and only nowing seeing your comment. I appreciate you taking the time to watch!

[@UOttawaScotty]

This is great advice, everyone should follow these tips !

[@BearlyVocalRadio]

Such good stuff man. Spot on. Clear communication and building trust. 👌🏼🤙🏼

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment! I appreciate that. 🙏

[@robbievalentine8239]

Can't wait for the next video!!!

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thanks! I just published the follow-up video. Admittedly I had problems with the sound on the flipcam so I hope you can bear with me here... kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZXIhXqIaNydbsU

[@AhrenField]

This is amazing. Thanks so much!

[@Timetofly8888]

Mate, after 25yrs + , in Pro Live sound, , having cut my tech and toured for many years, back in the day on a PM3K and toured Internationally with one !!, . that's some of the best advice I've ever heard that ill absolutely use and pass on to the Nu Kids!. Nice work!!!

[@SandrineVoxServices]

I just started doing sound for a live open mic because I told them I'd like to sit in should they need anyone just in case as I've done radio (never live music shows before! but I'm a musician myself, a vocalist and have perfect pitch, I guess that helps haha) and would love to try doing sound for live bands and eventually producing (a dream of mine), they actually tried me during one open mic a week ago and it went super well, and just a few days ago, during a live gig, they asked me to jump in mid show and at the end the band came to thank me for the great sound, but I am still very new and am wanting to learn more and more so I started building myself a YT playlist and your video here is going to stay at the top of my playlist for sure and I'll share it away! Thank you!!

[@charlesschofield9314]

Honestly going to try all of this at my next gig, I can see how it will improve what I do and hopefully it will carry through with the rest of my career

[@LiveSoundTips]

Sorry for the long delay in replying! Have you been able to test out some of the ideas in the last couple of months? If so, what's working for you and what are any new challenges?

[@pepeeze]

I like your approach, great video!

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thank you for watching and commenting! I'm glad you liked this one. I just posted the follow-up topic a few days ago. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZXIhXqIaNydbsU

[@JaimeMoralesDrums]

I'd love to play at a venue where the sound engineer is willing to work with you like this. I've always, always, always felt the same way about starting with the vocals! Great stuff!

[@4theLoveofMusic2024]

Great advice thanks for sharing 👍most Def going to try it

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thank you for taking the time to watch and for being open to hearing about different methods, Neil! I apologize for being away from my YT channel for so long. In the time since you commented did you try out anything from the video? If so, what were your results?

[@caoc529]

Splendid advice- I will take it to heart....

[@libertypills5580]

Super advice!!! Subbed!

[@michaelgailroberts]

Thanks for sharing the wisdom! Not only do you get a much better mix but you also get to do a little neuro-linguistic programming with the musicians for better communication. And when everyone is communicating positively the whole gig goes much more smoothly and helps ease the tension if there are technical issues or ego battles.

[@LiveSoundTips]

Absolutely! I know for a fact that most musicians would rather have minor technical problems and less than perfect sound from a engineer that is really nice and trys their hardest than to have better sound from a total jerk. Nice people are given a lot more latitude when things go wrong.

[@mattharris8203]

hey great advice!

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thank you and my apologies for not replying until now! I hope this information was helpful in the meantime... :)

[@charlotteice5704]

Thank you very much! I knew beforehand how to work with an individual channel in a console, but I always felt a bit lost in regards to processes when it came to soundcheck time because I simply didn't know where to start and how to structure the soundcheck. Now I feel much more competent, thanks!

[@chuckkirkpatrick6712]

My years of experience as a studio recording engineer probably wouldn't matter much in today's world, but a lot of things I did learn in the studio still do apply even in the live sound world today. Low frequencies know no boundaries...they will travel right through the thickest of "splays" or "gobos" and get into everything everywhere. Lows turn corners with ease and climb right up mic stands, risers, anything just to force their way into any other microphone or transducer and "mud" everything up. Unless it is solid concrete or massively reinforced, the low frequencies will make the entire stage vibrate, and those vibrations will find their way to every mic stand on the stage and travel up the stands and into the mic's. The bass amp, wedges, side-fills, and worst of all the drummer's monitor (pumping his drums right back into the mic's 3 feet away) all add to the ruination of any detail in the musical parts of the bottom end. Add the acoustics of most rooms with their parallel walls and improper damping, and you have nothing but rumble, mud, or mush. WOrst of all will be 'the kids' who will put compression across every channel and/or the mix busses, and then crank the mains even louder thinking that will help.

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment, Chuck! Yeah, studio and live are so radically different. I originally thought I wanted to be a recording engineer and assisted at a cool studio in Chicago for two years until I realized it wasn't the right role for me. From a audio purist perspective I prefer listening and experimenting in a studio, for sure. But from a speed and workflow perspective I found live sound (and touring) way more suited to my personality despite how badly compromised sound becomes, for all the reasons you perfectly documented, in the live/concert setting. Sometimes in small venues with limited PA systems and challenging acoustics we're not even actually "mixing", we're just doing damage-control and trying to make it not suck/awful. But over the years I've found some pretty good ways to cope with and navigate all those compromises so my hope is to share whatever I can that will bring others greater satisfaction and help them level up their careers. :)

[@FreddysFrets]

I've mixed pro live sound for 30 years. And yes, the vocal is my priority as well. In fact I tend to tune the room (from say 160hz and up) with the mains EQs just from the vocal mics. All other instruments after that usually fall into place in a much more natural way. Great video!

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thanks! It's great to know that all of your experience led you to the same conclusion as well. It seems inevitable so the sooner we can retrain engineers this way the more time we can save them and the more frustration we can spare engineers and musicians alike.

[@EtTubeBruTube]

When out with my sound trailer, I've found it advantageous to bring up vocal mics at a moderate level in the corresponding monitors, and then send each mic to all the other monitors at 10db below that level, basically doing that part of the soundcheck before the band arrives. Man do the singers relax when they see what you've already done for them, and of course you can adjust from there.

[@Gkh_lx]

This is great advice Paul. I can relate a lot of this to a summer event I worked on where we had lots of different bands, and little time to sound check

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thank, Guy! I appreciate you watching and commenting and offer my apology for being away from this channel on such a long hiatus. I hope your adventures in live sound are continuing to be great!

[@Anteflop]

Golden

[@snafu1957]

Great practice....

[@lorenvguitar614]

Great way to go about the soundcheck. Thanks so much for very useful information. A keep it simple approach and I believe and it has been proven to me that simple is smarter. Thank you

[@fizz225]

Great series here man. Thank you!!! I hope you continue to make them.

[@LiveSoundTips]

I'm finally back with more live sound tips and just published a new episode here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZXIhXqIaNydbsU Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@BrandochGarage]

Batkid rocks! Great advice.

[@LiveSoundTips]

Everyone loves Batkid and Make A Wish Foundation! Thank you for taking the time to check out the video.

[@vincecooper5087]

Fascinating! I will definitely give this a go. Thanks for some brilliant lateral thinking!

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thank you for watching with a open mind in search of new ideas! Let me know if you have specific questions or topics you'd like to see covered in future videos, Vince. 👂🤘

[@jakestewartmusic]

These are such great tips. I toured small clubs nationally for years and I've had a huge range of different sound check experiences in just that short time. The best sound checks always started with vocals first. I would get so annoyed to have to shout across the room all the time. And asking the band about vocal effects and tone is HUGE. We played some shows where the sound engineer added weird effects during the performance and it clouded everything up and make it hard to hear lyrics and cues. Another huge thing that always helps me as a guitar player at sound check is getting to check my guitar level against the drums. The drums are generally what they are in smaller rooms - I've played a lot of places where we only had to mic the kick. I've been told to turn down my amp so many times because we checked guitars first, then the drums come in and absolutely swallow my guitar whole. If you hear the guitars with the drums at sound check, often that guitar that would sound too loud might actually be just right. In my situation, I plug straight into a non-master volume amp, crank it to 10, and point it towards the wall. I get all of my dynamic range from my instrument this way and telling me to turn down kills this - I have no more overdrive or dynamic range. Two things on opposite ends of the spectrum that have always bugged me with sound engineers during performance time - 1) Don't walk up to the stage and ask me how things sound between songs. This is a performance an the performance has begun. Don't kill the vibe by making me stop or distracting me from performing to the crowd. Just give me a hand signal and I'll let you know if the mix needs to change. HUGE pet peeve. 2) Be present, don't disappear. If there's screeching feedback and you're MIA or if the singer is pointing for more vocal in their monitor, but you've stepped outside for a smoke, that's a really easy way to piss the band off mid-performance. It helps us out when we can either easily find you because you're in the same spot or if you have some identifying mark on you if you're up moving around the room.

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thank you for taking the time to share this info! Coincidentally, I finally got around to shooting the follow-up video I scripted 2 years ago as part of this series about an entire day on the job. Among other things I actually talked about those two pet peeves of yours. Trust me, you're not alone in having those problems, although my own approach is to check with the band at side of stage when there's no good, clear line of sight. But yeah, I'm basically in agrement with you on all this stuff! kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZXIhXqIaNydbsU

[@mountainhousematters]

Love this. Thank you for not only sharing your knowledge and insight, but for having such great consideration of your performers. Love the "do the vocals first" approach!

[@dannydane2707]

hi, wonderful content. Thank you for sharing this.

[@gregorylayne3379]

I've always started with vocals first & have thought I was "different". Thank you! Thank you!

[@LiveSoundTips]

Great to know you've already been setting this example on your own! You're no longer alone and this video seems to be resonating with a LOT of engineers that are now eager to join us in this approach.

[@icebob8555]

Good idea

[@LiveSoundTips]

Thanks!