Focusing the Band's Sound | Wanna Play Music

Most bands playing in their garages or basements produce all the sound they need in order to fill the room and deliver their music to the audience (if there is one). Things get more complicated when you introduce a singer (or singers) to a group of instrumentalists. They get even more complicated when the band starts to play in gyms, halls, and other places where the sound needs to be loud and clear enough to deliver the instruments and vocals to the audience. One solution to the challenge is to just get bigger amplifiers for the band, but this doesn't do the singer or the drummer any good. And louder isn't necessarily better--by itself. It requires not only the right equipment, but someone who can hear the band as a collection of sounds and then "play" the band like an instrument by mixing the sounds and then delivering them to the audience.

When you add something to a band that takes their sound and makes it louder while balancing the instruments and vocals, it's called sound reinforcement. As you can guess, it's much more than just reinforcing the sound. It's focusing the band's music so that people hear the band at its best.

Without playing a single note, one person can make the band sound its best. It's not a "get up and take a bow" sort of job, though. In fact, it's often taken for granted. But when this person doesn't do a great job, the sound suffers, and the band can sound bad. Muffled vocals, too-loud drums, mushy bass, and shrill guitars are just a few of the symptoms of the sound mixer dropping the ball. Being good at making the band sound good takes practice, some ear training, and a familiarity with the equipment. You not only have to develop technical skills, but you need an ear for music, how the parts fit together. If you play an instrument, then you will have an easy time relating to the band, and the more familiar you are with their music and how it is put together, the better you will be prepared to mix it properly.

Mixing a band is a lot like making soup: You want just the right amounts of each thing so that it all works together and blends. And like soup, there can be a "star player." Pea soup has lots of peas, and they're the thing you notice the most. If a band has a lead singer, then this is like pea soup. The vocals are the most important ingredient. Vegetable soup has a variety of vegetables, and most of the time, they all sort of get your attention at once, with no one vegetable screaming "me, me, me!" This is like a typical instrumental band. Then there's somewhere in between, where the instruments are sometimes the main ingredient, and sometimes the vocals are at the top of the menu. Actually, this is pretty common. Bands always argue whether the singer is too loud or too soft, whether the guitar is too loud or too soft, and so on.

What are the pros and cons of being the "sound person" for a band? Well, for starters, it requires the equipment. A basic all-in-one P.A. system can easily cost $500 and up. This consists of a mixer, an amplifier, a pair of loudspeakers. There are additional costs to consider, too. Bands often need monitors (speakers that the band listens to, so they can hear themselves), as well as microphones. Basic, but good-quality, microphones often cost less than $100 apiece. The good news is that most singers prefer their own microphones and own them. The bad news is that most drummers and guitarists don't. A microphone for each guitar amplifier, and at least three or four microphones for a drum set can be expected. The good news: Sometimes there's an output jack on the back of a guitar or bass amplifier that's designed for connecting directly to the mixer, making a microphone unnecessary. Keyboardists often have their own mixer and have an output so that they can send a "sub-mix" of the keyboards to the PA mixer, so no mike is necessary there, either. At first, concentrate on vocals and acoustic instruments that are too quiet to compete with electric guitars, drums, and keyboards, but when your band is playing in big places, then more mikes will be required.

Consider this: If you love music, love mixing it, and want to do it, you can be the mixer for more than one band. In addition, if you are interested in recording, a lot of the skills you learn by mixing a live band can be used in making recordings (and vice versa). In addition, if you have access to recording gear, such as a multi-channel recorder, you can practice mixing and listen to your work.

Where do you learn to work a P.A.? Some music stores and music schools teach you how to run a P.A., or at least how to mix music. In addition, there are several good books to guide you. It's a good idea to check out some local bands and ask the sound mixer if it's okay if you watch. If the band plays locally on a regular basis, and if the sound person is working with them on a regular basis, find out if you can come to a soundcheck to learn from that sound person. They may be surprised you're actually interested in what they do, and if you ask nicely and promise to stay out of the way, you have a good chance of getting in. Making yourself available as a "go-fer" for the sound person might get you in tight with them, too. Just remember that you're there to learn, not to socialize, and they're there to work and not to just hang out.

Sometimes the best thing is to find a band that needs someone to work their P.A. and is willing to let that person learn while they rehearse. If they have their own equipment, then you're in cheaply. Otherwise, you may have to come up with a mixer, speakers, etc.

You can do lots of homework that will give you a good start on mixing. Listen to CDs or MP3s of bands that were recorded live, and pay attention to how the instruments are mixed, how they sound, and how the levels of the instruments relate to each other. Listening to studio recordings won't give you quite the same experience, since a band spends a lot of time adding extra tracks, doing multiple overdubs of the vocals, and so on, to the point where their recorded sound is totally different from their live sound. Notice the relative level of the vocals to the other instruments, how loud the bass drum and bass guitar are, and where the instruments are located in the left-right stereo field, the space you hear between the two speakers. Think in terms of how the band functions, with the bass and drums acting as the backbone, with the keyboards, guitars, and other instruments pouring in the harmony, and the vocals being the focal point. When there's a solo by the guitarist, keyboardist, trumpeter, or whatever, that becomes the focal point instead of the vocals. Obvisously, nothing is set in stone, and these roles aren't always clear-cut, but you get the idea. Get the basics under your control, and then every band will want you to mix for them.

Check out this site for more information on sound reinforcement www.prosoundweb.com/sr/
Here's a nifty pdf download of Shure's guide to sound reinforcement www.shure.com/pdf/booklets/music.pdf