Sound engineer on 1h notice!

[@w-hisky]

Isn't the lead singers voice the most important instrument? 🤔 I often noticed at events with live music from a band, that the singers mic is sooo quiet in the mix. I always wonder why this is done. Doesn't the sound engineer notice this during the performance? 😳 What's your take on this, have you noticed this too, once in a while?

[@Rogerthatmusic]

Yes, of course I've noticed. Sometimes I can understand the difficulties a sound engineer have though. Fighting laws of nature, especially in small venues. Another difficulty is that it could sound balanced on soundcheck but the adrenalin kick musicians get when it's time for gig makes them play louder and the vocal is "left behind". That's what happened in the video for me so I had to fix it. I always want to hear the vocal. How much louder then the rest depends of the style of music, the song and/or the energy I'm after.

[@w-hisky]

@@Rogerthatmusic I like the "adrenalin kick theory". 😁 But if so, I would expect the sound engineer to level this out during the live event. That's why he/she is behind the mixing desk anyway.

[@Rogerthatmusic]

True. In small venues it can be difficult though. When the instruments are so loud from the stage that you are not able to outperform them with the vocal. (nothing in the universe can compete with a Fender twin...) Then there are only two solutions. One is to get rid of other instruments in the PA and make the vocal thinner. The other is to raise the overall volume.. None of them are good. The best thing is of course to have time to talk to the band and explain the problem and demand that the venue install acoustic treatment on the stage so that the sound engineer have fewer laws of nature to deal with.

[@w-hisky]

@@Rogerthatmusic Thanks for your perspective on this! 👍

[@organjuppa6574]

I’ve promised to not mention a certain nightmare soundengineering-gig in the 90’s so now I did not do so…😂😂😂