Improving Your Live Sound

There is a common problem for bands and artists who gig a lot, which is there live sound. Sometimes the vocals can stand out at the front of the band, but sound muffled to the audience. Or having all the instruments cranked up as loud as possible, sounding great for the band, but a muddy mess to the audience. This problem is fixable, but with conditioning depending on the venue and space, and the following tips should help with getting the best out of your live sound.

1. Stage Set-up

The main issue occurring here is usually feedback. If the band or artist has a bad set up on stage, it can cause horrible feedback, and if not that it makes all the instruments sound out of the mix in general. To fix the feedback issue, if you're playing through an amp, ensure that the amp is a bit closer to you than the other musicians, and to have the amp pointing towards your head and not your knees.

If singing, you must ALWAYS ensure that the microphone is facing away from the monitors or speakers, otherwise what happens is the microphone begins amplifying the speakers, which is already amplifying the mic, creating this horrid feedback loop sound that can completely put your audience off.

Also try to make sure that all your instruments and amps are spread out across the stage, keep the drums central with he vocalist in front, and have your bass and rhythm/ lead guitar to either side, to give the full stereo effect of your gig.

2. Venue Set-up

On the stage, the sound should be optimised to make sure the musicians are happy with their sound, whereas the venue set up is how the musicians are able to please the audience, and give them the same experience.

Things like making sure the speakers aren't placed to close to the floor or right up in the gods, because this gives a completely different effect depending on where the audience are sat. For example if the venue speakers are placed too close to the ground, it'll blow the members at the front of the audience away whereas the members at the back will have a muffled and damp experience.

3. Communicating with your Sound-Person

The sound person is the make and break for a band or artist, as he/she maintains and controls all the output that the audience hear, so a friendly relationship goes a long way. Things such as increasing the volume of the vocals in the monitors, borrowing equipment such as microphones and leads, getting a louder sound, all go through this person, so staying in their good books and communicating your desires effectively is essential, if you want the best out of your gig.

4. Microphone Choice and Technique

A fairly small point, as on stage miking is fairly basic and you're limited on the sound you'll get regardless of where you position yourself. However all microphones should be placed in the according places and the choice of said microphones MUST be precise.

For example, with a singer, they'll probably be using an SM58, which works best when the vocalist is 1-2 inches away. If your vocalist is moving around a lot, or if they're standing a foot away, the sound will inevitably suffer, and there isn't much your sound person can do about this as they haven't got the input to work with.

5. Levels, EQ and Effects

There are hundreds of effects you can add to your sound, which is recommended as it adds flair to your tracks but don't over-do it, as the instruments can sound very mucky. EQ however should be a must whenever you gig, as it gives your tracks a completely different feel, and by changing the sound of certain instruments, it helps space out each tone; stopping the risk of having a muddy mix.

Levels are also important, and all amps should be kept at the same levels you would usually have them when rehearsing, don't let ego's get the better of you, as it'll only sound good to your ears; and if you do that, you'll start having volume wars with your band mates, resulting in a muddy mix.

6. Equipment

This is a tricky one, as usually the venues amps, monitors and other equipment are out of your control, and often its a case of getting to the gig and making the best of what you've got. However there are a couple of things you can do that you should practice at every gig, such as bringing your own microphones, seeing as they're the most accessible and easy to transport with little risk of damage. Also arriving to your venues early to asses your options and work out a set up for when you're about to start. This will help greatly, and should also be practiced frequently.