How I Run A Soundcheck

[@MobMind]

I started doing live audio (Switching from studio based production) about a year ago and went from conference rooms all the too FOH at a pretty large venue. I appreciate what you're doing for people trying to learn live sound and the effort you put into these videos. Tonight i'm doing a gig for a 5 piece band and this video (like all your other videos) came in clutch so thank you.

[@OffshoreAudio]

Hey thanks so much! That's the exact path I took, I hope it's going well for you 😁

[@bradlucid]

Talents are so all over the place and sometimes can ruin their own monitors because they dont know what they want and tend to always put the blame on the sound guy, but I love how you assertively, methodically and still kindly deal with this in order to get the best results for everyone. The things you choose to mention in your videos speak volumes of your experience in this industry, very relatable. Thanks so much!

[@hilow139]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience man

[@robgreenlandMusic]

Another great video. Monitors could be a separate video! My go-to ice breaker with a band, when about to do monitors, "what is the similarity between a monitor engineer and a toilet? It's always better to take it in turns to use one."

[@m.o.n.d.e.g.r.e.e.n]

doing a V/O into a 57 is such a great way of saying your a live sound engineer without saying it (this sounds like a put down or something but i mean it nicely/humorously)

[@OffshoreAudio]

Hahaha yeah I know exactly what you mean. I think my lav mic ran out of battery and a 57 was what I had. It was a bit noisy from what I remember. Probably a reason I didn't do it again heh.

[@LewisMcDonaldBass]

I’m glad you included advice for small rooms as well. I’m enjoying these videos as I’m currently regularly working a small room myself. Would love to get a gig in a larger space to see how different the job would be :)

[@OffshoreAudio]

Glad you like them! If you ask me bigger rooms are usually easier. Bigger distance between mics and speakers along with better PA usually means less feedback and more even sound. When you're working In a 100cap basement where all the equipment has been abused its like fighting the boss.

[@veronikariedl8951]

As a singer, this was very insightful and helpful to know 😃

[@OffshoreAudio]

Thanks! So glad it was helpful 🙂

[@keithholmes6776]

On a job recently and because the inears weren’t coming through the desk (aux not raised to unity) the 2 nd person couldn’t hear so they made the decision to use floor wedges (4) which I didn’t have time to ring out. If I’d been more assertive I’d have said no we can work out the desk we won’t move to floor wedges but I didn’t and the show was a disaster! They haven’t spoken to me since!

[@ebukz66]

This is really helpful... Thank you so much... I'm from Nigeria and I'm a growing audio engineer... I'd love to know you better and get more knowledge sir... Please reply and let me know how that would be made possible... Thank you

[@samvanreem3659]

deff was help full

[@gregorykusiak5424]

I’m encouraging every member of every band I work with to buy IEMs (wired or not) and bring their tablets, and recommend to install the app for mixing their own monitors. Connect them to the wifi and they can build their own mixes as I run my line checks, and then tweak them as they run a verse and chorus while I get the FoH mix together. It actually helps, for instance, to show that guitarist how one of his pedals is way above/below everything else, and they can do the work themselves to not shock their band mates or audience when they engage it. Another Important aspect of IEMs is ambience - to pop the bubbles they’ve created for themselves. I find that they either love to hear the band/stage sound with a bit of audience/room interaction and play better, and want it exclusively/predominantly, or they find it completely distracting/disorienting. One thing I’m starting to experiment with is input delays on channels- I’m finding very small amounts make FoH tighter, smoother and quieter, and they don’t fight with the leakage into their ears around their IEMs. It also helps with phase between (for example) the in/out bass drum mics and DI/mic lines of the bass…and I’m talking less than 1ms, under 48samples (at 48k). But not on everything. Nudging something to be a hair of a second “out” has helped make feedback notches more effective as well, as the room warms up/the stage cools down outdoors in the evening/over the course of the show, especially in odd/bad acoustical conditions. The key takeaways of this video - give the sound person the time to do their job well before the show so the band/performers can just focus on performing, and allow them the control to do what they need before the audience shows up.

[@grantmarshall1293]

I have front of house off and do in ear monitors first, get the band happy. I limit what inputs they get for in ear, but you said full mix. I have heard just give them enough to stay in time, hear transitions, etc. but they feel like they are in a recording studio just playing their part. Question; full mix in ear is a better strategy for the band than just lead instruments vocals, etc?

[@OffshoreAudio]

Cool. Whatever works works, if you've got a happy band on stage and great sound out front then I wouldn't worry to much about what I'm doing. I do FOH first because I got all my early experience with floor monitors and without IEMs the PA makes a huge difference in what performers hear. Similarly I've had a lot of people ask for everything in IEMs so I adopted that strategy and so far everyone is happy. So I'd say as long as you're happy and the band is happy then you're doing a great job!

[@soundgineering4771]

I was part of a band doing sound for them recently. I gave them IEMs with their dedicated Aux mix controls on the phones so that they could adjust their IEM needs by themselves. It required a lot of gadgets (and WiFying the devices), but they were happy and didn't ask for anything)@@OffshoreAudio

[@ReneAlexisPenalozaMunoz]

EQ should be used only when required. I see too many people EQing before even listening first. It's like adding salt and ppeper before eating your food.

[@AxelTegnered]

Of course you season your food before eating it

[@derekrushe]

You're far too calm and pleasant to be a Live engineer. Please stop ruining it for the rest of us.

[@OffshoreAudio]

By the time I'm done with KZbin "live sound engineer" will be classed as a type of Buddhism.