Sound board Stuff

We have a family band. You can check it out at: www.thecluffs.net. I don't play an instrument: I write the checks and do sound. When I watch my family perform on a stage and recieve the applause that they get it brings a sense of pride and satisfaction that has to be experienced to be appreciated. All and all, it's an equitable arrangement.

I've recently learned how to set up a sound board where the sound is really good. So, in the interest of passing on some of that goodness to you out there, I offer Ken's 10 rules to running good sound for a show:

1. Tune the monitors first. The monitors should be loud enough in small venues that we typically play in that they could carry the show... almost.
2. Aim the monitors, especially when there’s a reflective surface, like a wall behind the performers, so that the sound from the monitors scatters away from the microphones. That will allow you to push the monitors much louder than you can otherwise.
3. You need to trim the sound for the monitors/musicians differently than how you trim it for the house.
4. The trim lights on the gain should blink just occassionally. If they blink a lot or they are on solid, the gain is to high. If they never blink... it’s to low.
5. Set the main mix and monitor mix to unity. Trim the channel feeds to control the volumn that goes out the main/monitors.
6. Channel EQ is for fixing up a performer’s voice or the audio signature of an instrument.
7. The main EQ is for adjusting the mix to the accoustics of the house and the speakers.
8. You adjust the EQ using a set of monitor headphones and the PFL
9. You adjust the mainEQ with your ears listening to the sound.
10. Mute any mike that isn’t being used.

Here's a bonus rule... :)

11. Typically you also use EQ to control feedback, provided your EQ bank can hit the frequency range in which the feedback is occurring without taking the surrounding frequencies out in the process.