Sound Design Live

Build Your Career As A Sound Engineer

  • Podcast
  • Training
    • My Courses
  • Archive

Review of Live Sound Basics

By Nathan Lively

sound-design-live-review-live-sound-basics

sound-design-live-review-live-sound-basics

Key Takeaways

  • Live Sound Basics covers important fundamentals normally taught in the first year of a university program.
  • Instant Feedback-Killer Battle Plan will get you started on the right foot with thinking about stage layout for better gain before feedback.
  • Check out the Great Church Sound mobile app for a free soundcheck checklist.

Live Sound Basics comes with three packages: Live Sound Basics, Live Sound Survival, and Soundcheck Checklist and EQ Chart. I have already reviewed Live Sound Survival in another article so I will be focusing on the remaining two packages.

Live Sound Basics

This is a collaboration between Björgvin Benediktsson from Audio Issues and James Wasem from Great Church Sound: a guide for the volunteer.

Video 1 – 42 minutes

Video one starts with a nice overview of system components and interconnections. The slides are clean and easy to read. If you are brand new to live sound, this is perfect. It covers a lot of the stuff I paid $36,000 to learn in college.

Wasem suggests downloading the Great Live Sound mobile app, but all I could find was the Great Church Sound mobile app, which includes the Sound Check Checklist. I really like checklists and this one is no exception. Although I don’t see myself actually having the patience to use it on a live event, it is a good overview and could be used for planning purposes.

I was happy to hear Wasem advise against using ground lift AC adapters. 👍🏼

The pace was a bit slow for me. Luckily, that was easy to fix that with the playback speed in VLC.

Things I do differently:

  • I wouldn’t say that the cold leg of a balanced cable gets “cancelled out.” I would say that the hot and cold leg get summed while what’s common to both of them gets cancelled.
  • I wouldn’t include an electric guitar under line level signals unless it has active pickups. Line level devices have active electronics with nominal level in the 1V range. I would consider the guitar to be in the microphone level or instrument level category.
  • I don’t recommend being bashful with channel EQ, especially for beginners. Wasem suggests start with a small cut and sweeping the frequency to find what sounds best. I would recommend starting with a big cut or a big boost so you can really hear what you are doing, then scaling back once you have identified the frequency.
  • Wasem suggests starting with 2:1 compression ratio for vocals and 4:1 for bass, but I would use the opposite settings. Our ears are more sensitive to level changes below 1kHz, which why I start with a lower ratio for bass guitar. Vocals are one of the most dynamic instruments, so I need the most help controlling their range.

sound-design-live-review-live-sound-basics-video-2Video 2 – 20 minutes

The slides are clean and easy to read and there are some nice designs showing how speakers interact with a room and each other. This video is great at raising a lot of important questions. I wish it had a part 2 to answer them.

Things I do differently:

  • I don’t say phase button. I say polarity inversion.
  • I don’t attribute low frequency cancellations in small rooms to a lack of space for the wave to develop.

sound-design-live-review-live-sound-basics-eq-chartGreat Live Sound – EQ Chart

This chart is nicely laid out and what I learned from it is that the highest fundamental frequency of any instrument represented is 3kHz, which means that everything I hear above 3kHz is a harmonic. Neat!

Instant Feedback-Killer Battle Plan

I was really excited about this one because I hate microphone feedback and Wasem kicks it off right by talking about speaker placement. When most people think of fighting feedback, they think of EQ, but you can’t solve acoustical problems with electrical solutions. Speaker placement and aim is our first line of defense.

Wasem makes a very important point about training yourself to identify feedback frequencies that I only learned recently.

Feedback is often a lower frequency than you might suspect.

I love the microphone 3D pickup pattern illustrations. Looking at 2D designs only gives you part of the story. I learned that you should maintain a 45º angle in the vertical plane between a super cardioid microphone like a Shure Beta 87a and the stage monitor because the mic is more sensitive in the rear than at 45º. You can see the illustrations in this article by John Mills on Pro Sound Web.

I would love to see more practical examples of the theory that Wassem teaches. He obviously has a lot of experience and could share a number of stage layouts and room designs that have worked for him in the field.

The Sound Tech’s Guide to Soldering

This is a great guide and the illustrations are helpful. If I were to change anything it would be to talk about how to know which wire connects and to make it clear in the title that this is a guide to soldering XLR connectors.

Great Live Soundcheck Checklist

This is a duplicate of the checklist offered in the Great Church Sound mobile app, but it’s nice to see it all laid out.

Put guitar amps on a stand that is angled up at the guitarist.

Yes!! 💯 If I had it my way, every guitar amp would be placed at head height at a distance of no more than 2 feet from the guitarist’s ear. Instead, they often end up on the floor, blasting the front row of the audience.

Things I do differently:

I almost never pin the stage before the band arrives unless they have set it up ahead of time or we are so short on time that there will be no time for sound check anyway. Everything is going to move once the band hits the stage and it’s super annoying if the stage is already cluttered with stands and cables. There’s only so much chaos one man can handle.

I don’t start my sound check with the drummer. If I know the band and they are experienced playing on stage I will have them play all together, otherwise I will start with the vocals. The vocals have the greatest needs from us in terms of amplification and special treatment and they are also the main instrument whose quality the audience will notice. In small rooms, you may discover that the maximum GBF of the vocals is so low that amplifying anything else is unnecessary, saving yourself a lot of time.

Growth Hack 2016: 13-Day Career Building Challenge

By Nathan Lively

sound-design-live-pro-audio-growth-hack-career-challenge-2016

sound-design-live-pro-audio-growth-hack-career-challenge-2016Are you ready to blast into 2016 with new energy and ideas?

Start the year off right with this 13-day career building challenge. Commit to professional growth this year as a sound engineer and as an entrepreneur.

You’ll receive a short lesson and action step each day from such industry leaders as Bob McCarthy, Darryn de la Soul, Dave Swallow, Merlijn Van Veen, Moldover, Larry Crane, Josh Srago, Ken “Pooch” Van Druten, Björgvin Benediktsson, Harry Mack, and Steve Knots.

Live Sound Survival: Big Sound Out Of Small Systems

By Nathan Lively

sound-design-live-sound-survival-big-sound-small-systems-featured

sound-design-live-sound-survival-big-sound-small-systems-ebookLive Sound Survival is an eBook that Björgvin Benediktsson sells on his excellent blog, Audio Issues. He is definitely passionate about helping sound engineers like you and me master our craft, but he also scares the shit out of me. This seems to be a common theme in pro audio media–more on that later.

Is the book for me?

Maybe. If you are a beginner or hobbyist working on open mikes or birthday parties, then yes. If you already work regularly in professional audio, then no.  The book doesn’t get into theory or explanations of science, it just provides directions and short recipes for specific situations.

That being said, this book does a great job of introducing general ideas on best practices and standards of quality. For example, instead of telling you exactly which vocal microphone to use, Benediktsson explains that there is no bad microphone. Benediktsson doesn’t explain why he chooses certain mikes or speakers in his templates, but you can trust that if you use them everything is likely to work out fine.

This is a great quick-start guide for someone who wants assistance plugging things in. I can imagine a musician who wants to put together a live system for herself or an event producer who wants to take their show on the road finding it useful.

sound-design-live-live-sound-survival-big-sound-small-systems-line-levelUnfortunately, some things Benediktsson writes in an effort to simplify and explain concepts are just plain wrong. For example, in the section on mixers he writes that the line input is for guitars. That’s a complete level and impedance mismatch! Electric guitars with passive pickups are expecting 1MΩ while most line level inputs are rated at around 10KΩ. We’re talking serious high frequency loss. You should only do that in a pinch. In our interview he explained that he is writing for an audience that is always in a pinch. I get where he’s coming from and I can even imagine a scenario where it makes sense, like with an active guitar pickup 6ft from the mixer, but I still find it a bit irresponsible.

A couple of more complaints: His explanation of channel gain makes me cringe. He also recommends a graphic EQ for system tuning and feedback reduction, which we know is a weak tool for the task (see my interview with Bob McCarthy). I could go on, but I think you get the point. Benediktsson isn’t trying to advance the state of the industry here. He has a clearly defined goal of helping those with little to no experience interact with bare bones systems, and he succeeds on that front.

Helpful and direct or just scary?

sound-design-live-sound-survival-big-sound-small-systems-turn-back

Benediktsson’s book is direct and raw. The first chapter is a list of the top reasons why being a sound engineer sucks. My hope was that he would go through each obstacle line by line and tell me how to overcome it, but instead it reads like a warning. Take a look at the opening passages from the last three books I read and see if you see a theme.

[one_third padding=”0 15px 0 0″]Live sound is difficult, frustrating, has long hours, and often commands very bad pay. Even though mixing live sound might be an awesome job, it’s just a small part of what you do as a live sound engineer. Sometimes running live sound just sucks.

Live Sound Survival by Björgvin Benediktsson[/one_third]

[one_third padding=”0 15px 0 0″]This is not a very nice book…But, it is a truthful one…Every single thing that you manage to acquire comes at a price – usually your own blood, sweat, and tears.

Getting A Foot In The Door by Darryn De La Soul[/one_third]

[one_third_last padding=”0 0px 0 0px”]If you like semi-darkness, long hours of boredom, long hours of work, no social life, no love life, heavy lifting, getting your white gloves dirty, and a good laugh, this is the job for you.

Live Audio by Dave Swallow[/one_third_last]

 

And here is the title of Benediktsson’s sales page:

How Can the Worst Job in the World Also Be the Most Fun?

It’s shitty. I get it. If you look back at everything I’ve written on Sound Design Live you will see plenty of examples of me deploring the conditions that live event professionals are forced to endure. I think we all get it. I guess I’m just getting tired of everyone bitching from the rooftops without making any real moves for change. Instead of inviting newcomers to tackle these problems with fresh eyes, we maintain the status quo.

Maybe the duality of the pleasure of musical adventure and the pain of crap working conditions is what makes the job so strange and enticing. Or, maybe we can do better. What do you think Pissy Sound Guy?

I'm gonna build a time machine, travel back to this a.m. and smother myself with a fucking pillow before I get up & come work with this show

— Pissy Sound Guy (@pissysoundguy) May 11, 2014

I'm just gonna turn off all the lights at FOH and hide in the dark. Any new iPhone games I should check out?

— Pissy Sound Guy (@pissysoundguy) May 11, 2014

How To Become The WORST Live Sound Engineer Ever

By Nathan Lively

sound-design-live-how-to-become-worst-live-sound-engineer-ever-featured2

sound-design-live-how-to-become-worst-live-sound-engineer-ever-failLots of sound engineers want to be great, but you don’t hear much about going the opposite direction.

What if you are trying to develop a reputation for being completely terrible?

Björgvin Benediktsson is here to help. Here are suggestions from one of his best posts, 10 Ways to Become the WORST Live Sound Engineer in History, along with some comments of my own.*

#1 – You shouldn’t care about what the band says, your opinion is the one that matters.

I’ve developed a fantastic technique to accomplish this: When an artist says, “Hey, can you X, Y, Z,” I say, “Sure, no problem.” Then I pretend to turn knobs and make changes. “Thanks,” the artist says. “You’re an idiot,” I say in my head.

sound-design-live-how-to-become-worst-live-sound-engineer-ever-ignoreThere are lots of easy ways to avoid requests that you don’t agree with. When a drummer asks you to mic their entire kit, you can put up all the mics and connect them to the stage box, but not actually use them. These methods are good for avoiding the artist and their stupid questions. No good can come from trying to understand the root of their problems.

#2 – Never walk around the venue because it only matters how the music sounds by the mixing board.

Listen, there’s no way I can solve every problem everywhere. If the venue wants great sound in every seat then they should have hired a sound system technician! All I can do is be responsible for making it sound good right here, and hopefully it will sound good everywhere el…wait, who am I kidding? I’m just trying to make it through the night without trouble. Don’t hassle me.

#3 – Place the monitors as close to the players as possible, that’s where they’ll hear themselves the best.

I disagree sightly with Bjorgvin on this one: the laziest method would be to leave the stage monitors wherever I first set them. If I cared at all, I would find the optimum listening position to help the performer and keep the stage volume low. But I prefer to just turn some knobs and blast it. Fuck ’em.

#4 – Make sure the singer gets all the instruments in his monitor mix.

sound-design-live-how-to-become-worst-live-sound-engineer-ever-questionsI love this. When an inexperienced singer walks in the door asking for “a little bit of everything,” I know they are unfamiliar with the difficulties of loud stages. From there I only have to smile and nod.

#5 – Never bring extra jack cables. If the players can’t remember their cables, they can’t play.

Is this your first time? How old are you? I’m sorry, do you need me to change your diaper as well?

I also never bring my own headphones. That way every problem with the sound system is forced into everyone’s life.

#6 – Constantly ride the faders so it looks like you’re doing something awesome.

I completely disagree with Bjorgvin on this one. The best way to be the worst sound engineer is to walk away from the console and have a beer. That way, if there is a problem all of a sudden, like a moment of feedback or a musician yelling into the mic, you are no where nearby to catch it. Besides, all the hotties are at the bar.

#7 – Feedback isn’t your fault. It’s the singer’s for wanting so much of himself in the monitor.

I’m not a wizard. If I were, I wouldn’t be here at this show. I’d be back in the shire smoking one of those badass pipes with some hobbits at the tavern.

#8 – Let the guitarists crank up their amps as much as they want. If they drown out the rest of the band, so be it.

I guess if I cared I would put the guitar amps up high on crates or stands and near the players so they wouldn’t need to crank ’em up. But I’d rather avoid conflict, so I’ll just let them figure it out.

sound-design-live-how-to-become-worst-live-sound-engineer-ever-bassist

#9 – Show up late to the sound-check. You know the band will too.

Musicians are slackers. We all know they won’t show up on time or be prepared. I could call them the day before to remind them of the sound check time, but that’s really not part of my job description.

#10 – When the show’s over, just throw the cables in the box. No need to wrap them up.

I’m not in tomorrow night. Let the next guy sort it out.

And if you’re short on time, here’s the quickest way to become the worst live sound engineer ever:

sound-design-live-how-to-become-worst-live-sound-engineer-ever

I stole this image from Benediktsson’s post called The Worst Live Sound Mixing Mistake Ever.

* Hopefully you’ve already recognized this as satire. If not, congratulations! You ARE the worst sound engineer ever.

Learn To Become A Recording Engineer Online

By Nathan Lively

sound-design-live-learn-to-become-recording-engineer-online-featured

Subscribe on iTunes or SoundCloud.

Support Sound Design Live on Patreon.

 

In this episode of the Sound Design Live podcast I talk with the owner of Audio Issues, Björgvin Benediktsson. We discuss live sound survival, website design, and the Potluck Conference. He also talks about the Icelandic language, Sigur Rós, and how to deal with the shitty parts of working in live audio.

Details from the podcast:

  1. learn-to-become-recording-engineer-online-Bjorgvin-BenediktssonMusic in this episode by Pan and The Long Wait
  2. Björgvin Benediktsson on Twitter and Facebook
  3. Sigur Rós
  4. SAE Institute
  5. Eyjafjallajökull volcano
  6. eBooks: Recording & Mixing Strategies, Live Sound Survival
  7. Crowd Audio – The 99 Designs of mixing.
  8. Talent House, eLance
  9. Behringer Zenix
  10. Theme Forest (for WordPress)
  11. NAMM, AES
  12. Potluck Conference in Tucson
    1. Craig Shumaker: Calexico, Devotchka, KT Tunstall, Neko Case
    2. Andrew Sheps: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Black Sabbath
    3. Dusty Wakeman: Mojave
    4. Vance Powell
    5. Michael Romanowski: mastering engineer, Dredg
  13. Quotes:
    1. “Live sound is difficult, frustrating, has long hours, and often commands very bad pay. Even though mixing live sound might be an awesome job, it’s just a small part of what you do as a live sound engineer. Sometimes running live sound just sucks.”
    2. “I’m a big believer in quitting fast if you really know it’s not for you.”

Search 200 articles and podcasts

Copyright © 2022 Nathan Lively

 

Loading Comments...