Sound Engineer For Live Sound, just want to bounce questions off you. Options

[soon2be]

I'm very interested in making music but right now live sound is more important for me to know. And even though Im learning the baby of basics when it comes to making music and sounds on the computer I want to be able to focus more on live performances. So I need to be able to bounce some simple questions and have them anwered in simple terms.

What (to you, the answerer) is the most important quality in a live sound engineer? What is the first thing I need to focus on?

I know things here and there from listening and watching but I dont have a starting point, so therefor I dont know which way is up. I dont know if there is a way up really because the more you know the better huh?

[Meganini]

Meganini [/QUOTE]
What (to you, the answerer) is the most important quality in a live sound engineer? What is the first thing I need to focus on?

I know things here and there from listening and watching but I dont have a starting point, so therefor I dont know which way is up. I dont know if there is a way up really because the more you know the better huh?

OK Soon2Be,

This is Meganini.

I have about 25 years experience in audio engineering, live and studio (recording). Now, listen that does not makes me a god of audio, but I do know my fair share.

Your ears, are very important. But most important if you have to do the sound live for a band, make sure you can go to their practices. Don't forget to bring a pair of ear plugs. Some guys even in practice play really loud. This you must do if you want to know their sound. Just sit in a corner and listen to them, don't interviene in anything, let them be themselves.

Try to know your microphones. If the singer insist to use a certain mike because its the mike that fits his voice better, then believe him, at least for the first time and try it.

If everything is miked with SM-57 and SM-58 you won't have much trouble. Its bottom line but you'll get a good sound very close to "their sound" in no time.

Refuse to mix on a Yamaha mixer, they're the shit!

If you want to avoid cable problems as in "suddently faulty cables" just learn how to roll them properly, and explain to the band leader that you're the one that takes care of this. Speaker cables are rolled a certain way, while shielded cables are rolled differently.

I could type on and on until 5:00 a.m. here, but Soon2be be confident in yourself, but not overconfident. Set and wire the P.A. system yourself, that way you will not have to face disappointment from newbies who don't know what they do, or from jealous people (yes, grasshopper, in music there are a lot of those people)

One secret from the ol' pro. On the mixer don't play with the volume like crazy, you're not a D.J., you're a soundman. If the tune they play sounds just fine, then adjust nothing. That's your job

Meganini

This post has been edited by Meganini: Tue 10 Aug 2004, 04:34