Making the Most of Your Sound Check
In the vast majority of instances, there is never as much time as you would like there to be for a sound check. This article will hopefully help you to organize and structure your sound check to best use the time that you have. For the musicians who run sound from the stage, please be aware that the advice is coming from someone that sits behind the desk out front and can make adjustments as the show goes along. There should be advice that will help you no the less.
In my opinion, the sound check is just that, a check. It is not a rehearsal or any other form of practice. If I had head butted everyone that had come up to me during a sound check to inform me that I should have just turned up the guitar for that lead break, I would be behind bars by now. As far as the lead guitar is concerned, the sound check is to:
| Make sure that everything is working as it should. | ||
| The sound coming through the PA is a good representation of either the sound on stage, or the sound that the band desires. | ||
| Engaging in some intense negotiations to get the guitar level on stage to be set at a reasonable level. | ||
| Ensuring that when the fader is turned down that the guitar sinks down into the mix but when turned up, should it be needed for those crucial lead breaks, that the level will pin the unsuspecting to the back wall of the venue. |
The traditional procedure for the sound check is to run through all the inputs sequentially, usually starting with the drums. Whilst the order things are done in is unimportant checking each input on its own is. It should (but not always) pick up on any faulty microphone cables, distorting microphones or dodgy input channels on the mixer. I try to be flexible in that if the keyboard player is on stage playing I'll get on with sorting him out rather than waiting for the bass player who has gone off to look for the cigarette machine.
Making best use of your time is crucial, even if it is only because the band appreciates the extra drinking time that it gives them. Say that you have got an hour to do the sound check. If you allow 10 minutes to run through a couple of songs at the end to get a rough balance, with 10 inputs that allows an average of 5 minutes per input. A faulty lead, or waiting for one or two of the band members to get themselves organized can soon eat into that, so it is not as long as it sounds. The main message here is to keep moving on. If you are struggling to get the kick drum sound you desire and the five minutes are up, as long as there is some semblance of a sound (i.e. it is working) move on. Explain that you are not completely happy and that you will come back to it later. This might cause concern with bands who you have not worked with before so keep them informed of what you are doing. As they get to know you they will appreciate that your technique will get them to the bar in the fastest time. Be aware that you are in control of the sound check. Be polite but firm and keep things as you want them. If the keyboard player (I thought I'd give the guitarist a rest) loses his/her settings and is messing around trying to re-program them, don't stop and wait, get on with something else and come back to him/her later.
If you don't know the band, ask if anyone has settings or effects that are likely to radically alter the level coming into the mixer. Get them to try it. If you are happy with the guitar sound after one chord then move on. There is no point wasting time just for the sake of it, unless it is for political reasons or ego massaging. Work you way through all the inputs and, if there is time, go back to and fine tune any you weren't completely happy with.
If you are running the monitors from FOH you will need to consider the settings and requirements. There are so many variables here there is not really any best way. If it is a small PA and monitor system then just start with vocals and wait to be asked for other instruments to be added. Obviously if you are working with the same band regularly then you will have a good idea of what is needed. Good clear communication helps with monitors. Listen to what the musicians want and if it is not possible try and offer alternatives. If everyone wants the keyboard turning up but the monitors are at full stretch, ask what they can hear loud and clear and turn that down. Negotiating skills are a major part doing monitors. Make it clear that there is no point in someone asking for the impossible. Don't just say it can't be done, let the band know that you are on their side. While all this is going on keep an eye on the clock, the time is ticking away. Some bands will keep demanding more or just going round in circles. If time is short or there is no way you will improve the situation, move on. This is not an excuse to be shoddy in your methods. Never fob the band off, if you are able to make things better then do so. If there is a problem, say with an intermittent fault on a cable don't waste time during the sound check swapping it unless it can be done quickly. If it can be lived with leave it and change it later, but don't forget. Remember to explain why you are doing things the way you are. In a word, communicate.
With all the channels up and running get the band to run through a couple of numbers. Ask them to do something that they are good at. How well a band knows the song affects how well they get stuck in to it and for the sound check it works best if the band are not worrying about getting things right. If there is time left after the sound check, they can practice all they want. This can sometimes be an advantage, because they concentrate on the music and forget the monitor settings which they become acclimatized to and fine tune the back line to. With the whole band playing and a reasonable mix established, try to get everything louder than everything else. No don't just turn everything up. Can you get the vocals well up in the mix? Is the bass/guitar overpowering everything else even though it is turned down in the PA? The aim is to establish that you have enough control to compensate for the inevitable variations between the sound check and actual gig. If you can go along all the input channels and vary the level of each so that it will go from low in the mix to standing right on top of it then you have control. On some occasions you will have to compromise something in the the mix because of the level of sound coming off the stage. As long as you feel that you can work with how things are and get the mix you want then don't worry too much. If there are ways that you think that the sound can be improved but the moment isn't the best to mention it, and it is a band that you work with regularly, then discus your ideas with them at some convenient time. Set everything back to how you want the mix and either make a note of all the settings if someone else is using the PA between now and your set, or relax -but not before changing that intermittent cable that you identified earlier.
Once the sound check is over, make sure that you ask the band whether everything was alright and that they are happy with the monitors. As well as being courteous, it will give you the chance to make any final tweaks. Possibly more importantly than either of those reasons is that if, at the end of the gig, the band are complaining about the monitors you can say that you did ask and that they were happy after the sound check. If the band is moaning, ask them to be more specific. You should have established that everything was fine after the sound check, so ask what changed. If there was a genuine problem you should get a useful and informative reply and it again shows that you care about the band and their performance. Sometimes though it maybe that the gig didn't go too well (not due to bad mixing or sound) and the band is looking for an excuse.
| To summarise: | ||
| A sound check is a check not a practice or rehearsal | ||
| Keep things moving along and don't get bogged down | ||
| Be flexible in your approach | ||
| Keep control of the sound check but don't become a tyrant | ||
| Remember that it is the band's sound and work with them to achieve it | ||
| You do get bad days from time to time |