How to Setup a Marching Band Sound System

I went to Valhalla High School to check out how they put together their sound system. It ended up being a great tool to help talk through the necessary components of a marching band sound system. Starting from the basic necessities up to the extra additions that are nice to have!
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Chapters
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0:00 Intro
0:38 Speakers
6:20 Mixers
10:34 Microphones
13:24 Audio Snakes
14:57 Hanging Microphones
16:44 Electronics
17:23 What to put in the synth cart
19:06 Backup Batteries(UPS)
20:38 Monitor Speakers or In-Ear Monitors
22:04 Synth Cart Storage
22:55 MainStage Setup
27:07 Field Mics with MainStage
29:21 Wireless Mics
31:00 Planning your setup and teardown process
33:35 Conclusion
#CatherallAudio #JamesCatherall

[@fancyghost5056]

great video very informative… i really like that microphone mounting solution i’ll have to try it sometime 🙌

[@concealed4carry]

Hi, James, great video. I am helping a high school right now starting from almost nothing to a full show ready. I have a background in live theater and professional concerts, but I am new to the marching band competition thing. My first acquisition is to try and get a PI cart as a starting point and then a proper mixer. I have 3 questions for you. First, I see you have the Yahama rack mount mixer. So with that being rack-mounted, I see it has no faders. So is the only way for local control the is to use the front screen? Or could a laptop sitting on top of the car also work? At 4k I definitely want a Digital mixer with the remote control ability to mix from the stands. but not always having to use the iPad for practice would be nice. The reason for the rack is to get the first cart and use it as a synth and mixing cart so it will not have room on the top for both. At almost 3k for a PI cart. one will be ok to start with. The second question is once your field mics are mixed with a second cart and Main Stage, is that then fed with 1 channel back to the main mixer or 2 channels for stereo? Also, how do you get the MIDI single to the Apple laptop PC? Do you use a MIDI to USB cable or dongle or some other cable? I know there are a few different ways to connect and pros and cons to them as well. OR do you have a video on that? I have just recently found and started watching your videos. Thank you Sean

[@CatherallAudio]

Hey Sean, The Yamaha TF Rack has a free desktop application called TF Editor that allows you to control it with a laptop or desktop computer. It can be connected via wifi or a hardwire ethernet connection. I usually control it using the same computer that is running MainStage on the synth cart. For the field mics I'll typically run 2 cables from the output of the audio interface to the main mixer, that way it's running stereo instead of mono. To get the MIDI signal to the computer you can use a USB cable or a 5-pin MIDI cable. I prefer 5-pin MID because the connector is more durable. USB type B connectors are too fragile for marching band applications where we're constantly plugging and unplugging the cable and all the traveling puts more stress on the connectors.

[@Wolfadorian]

What is the frequency range the wireless mics pickup? I wish to mic up a tuba but wonder if it'll be able to pickup the low end? Wondering how I can find out about that?

[@CatherallAudio]

It has a frequency range of 20hz-20khz, it would work great on a tuba! If you look up the microphone on Sweetwater(it’s the wireless Shure Beta 98) it’ll have the specs at the bottom of the page. The frequency response is what will let you know what range it can pickup.

[@jasonogilvie6175]

Great video so when using 2 powered subs they should be mounted in line with the front ensemble? Should they be stacked or just in a cart next to each other? Lastly if i have 4 12" active should i pair the 2 of them together in the same cart as well?

[@FOSSIL13drums]

Something fun happens when you put 2 subs together, they actually couple together and you receive a 3db volume boost from the subs! Put both subs on the same cart and use black ratchet straps to make sure the subs don’t rattle apart and make extra noise. As far as sub placement is concerned, in the pit works best for logistics, visual appeal, and the kids usually love the bass lol For your 4 12” speakers, are they your full range speakers or 12” subs? If they are subs, stack them in a 2x2 cube and let the bass rain down. If those are your full range speakers, I would put two on either end of the pit amplifying everything normally and then put two on the 25 or even 20 yard line for reverb, ambiance, and other effects that could be cool throughout a show.

[@johnh2601]

What field mics are they using?

[@CatherallAudio]

CAD GXL1200 Pencil Condenser microphones

[@johnh2601]

@@CatherallAudio Thank You. Surprised they are not using Shotgun Mics. I want to get started with Field Mics and have looked at these. Thanks Again for the feedback.

[@ckimchi]

​@@johnh2601 remember that for field mics you want a decently wide pickup... shotgun mics are like spotlights. Lots of helpful resources on marching arts audio group on Facebook. I've learned a lot there.