Live Gigs

[Andy!]

Hello,

Im gonig to be putting a gig on in a few months, and I am going to be doing the sound for it. Can someone give a basic setup for a gig ie being two guitarists vocals bass drums other instruments etc... and what PA I basically need to get.

 

Thanks any helpful info on live performance gigs will be usefull the venue is not too big holds about 100 people.

[the kid]

When we did out school one we used one of the band's own one's.

 

But then again if you want lights then thats what I did for it. I genneraly keep away from all that nasty sound. :(

[paulears]

buy this months Sound on Sound mag - comes with sound on sound live supplement. got some good info for newcomers.

paul

[IanG]

Hello,

Im gonig to be putting a gig on in a few months, and I am going to be doing the sound for it. Can someone give a basic setup for a gig ie being two guitarists vocals bass drums other instruments etc... and what PA I basically need to get.

 

Thanks any helpful info on live performance gigs will be usefull the venue is not too big holds about 100 people.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Firstly, don't underestimate how complicated this can be if it's the first time you've done it. I'll list a few suggestions below, mic choices are personal preference. You've not indicated budget so I'll make a few suggestions.

 

Firstly, sources:

 

2 guitars - probably best to mic the amp - SM57 is the standard although condensers sound better. DI boxes can be cheaper and easier. If the guitarists have reasonable sized rigs you could leave them out of FOH if it's only a small venue.

 

Vocals - how many? Huge range of mic choices. SM58 is standardish. Also look at Shure Beta/Audix/Sennheiser. Focus your attention on vocals - everything else on stage is probably loud enough by itself. Worse comes to worse, just put vocals on the PA and let the band sort the rest out.

 

Bass: DI it, leave it out if loud enough already.

 

Drums:

 

Kick - I like Shure Beta 91. AKG D112 is popular.

Snare - SM57. Top mic only would be enough for a small venue.

Hat - SM81, any small diaphram condenser

Toms - e604 or similar - doesn't need a stand and easy to rig

Overheads - don't bother for 100 people, unless you plan on leaving them out of the mix and just using them for a reverb send

 

Other instruments: Have a few DIs and SM57s spare - usually covers most eventualities.

 

Now you need to get the signals to the FOH desk and back to the amps. A 16/4 multicore will probably be enough. That''ll give you returns for 1 mono FOH mix and 3 monitor mixes, or stereo mains and 2 mons. If you have the money to spend increase size for suitable number of mon mixes.

 

Next - desk and outboad. Anything with 16 ins, a few auxes would do. Soundcraft/A&H/Midas/Yahama/Behringer depending on your budget.

 

Worth having a quad gate (kick/tom/tom/tom) and a couple of reverbs (vox/drums) in the outboard rack. Stick some compression on the bass and the vocal subgroup.

 

Then you need amps and speakers. If you're doing monitors you need 1 amp per two mixes generally (1 mon per side), and at least one wedge per mix. Martin CXW and Nexo PS10 are good, altough cheaper mons can be had. Nexo PS series (2 PS10 and a sub) will also give you a capable FOH system for 100 people.

 

Don't forget all the cable/adaptors/mic stands/speaker stands etc. as well.

 

Hope this helps - you may need to scale down as needed.

[mikienorth]

For 100 people in a smallish room I used to (for 200+)

Do a backline job

ie: Nothing on anything played through an amp (guitars and bass)

Mic on Kick and snare on the kit, for a little extra in the mix

Mics + reverb on the Vox.

As long as in the sound check you ask the band to: "play your best song, I don't care if its a cover, yours, or anything. The song you play best, and loudest is what I want to hear, over and over till I ask you to stop"

Take their amp settings from this as a base and add vox and drums to it till it sounds right.

Throw something at them for monitor if they ask for it (playing to 100 cap. people they probably won't)

Put some reverb into the FOH until it sounds good.

 

I finish my checks with "are you happy" (to each performer) upon reciept of a full set of yes's "I'm happy. I'll see you at (performance time)"

 

That is how I used to (easily, and lazily) soundcheck 4 bands in 20 mins (annoying swear word of a promoter) for a 200 capacity venue.

 

It was good enough to get me other work off the back of.

 

As far as kit spec goes I will do some emailings to the guy that did my rig for the gig described and post the reply.

[Andy!]

buy this months Sound on Sound mag - comes with sound on sound live supplement. got some good info for newcomers.

paul

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Thanks for that, is there a site I can order it from or can you get it out of most shops. Thanks

[Andy!]

Hello,

Im gonig to be putting a gig on in a few months, and I am going to be doing the sound for it. Can someone give a basic setup for a gig ie being two guitarists vocals bass drums other instruments etc... and what PA I basically need to get.

 

Thanks any helpful info on live performance gigs will be usefull the venue is not too big holds about 100 people.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Firstly, don't underestimate how complicated this can be if it's the first time you've done it. I'll list a few suggestions below, mic choices are personal preference. You've not indicated budget so I'll make a few suggestions.

 

Firstly, sources:

 

2 guitars - probably best to mic the amp - SM57 is the standard although condensers sound better. DI boxes can be cheaper and easier. If the guitarists have reasonable sized rigs you could leave them out of FOH if it's only a small venue.

 

Vocals - how many? Huge range of mic choices. SM58 is standardish. Also look at Shure Beta/Audix/Sennheiser. Focus your attention on vocals - everything else on stage is probably loud enough by itself. Worse comes to worse, just put vocals on the PA and let the band sort the rest out.

 

Bass: DI it, leave it out if loud enough already.

 

Drums:

 

Kick - I like Shure Beta 91. AKG D112 is popular.

Snare - SM57. Top mic only would be enough for a small venue.

Hat - SM81, any small diaphram condenser

Toms - e604 or similar - doesn't need a stand and easy to rig

Overheads - don't bother for 100 people, unless you plan on leaving them out of the mix and just using them for a reverb send

 

Other instruments: Have a few DIs and SM57s spare - usually covers most eventualities.

 

Now you need to get the signals to the FOH desk and back to the amps. A 16/4 multicore will probably be enough. That''ll give you returns for 1 mono FOH mix and 3 monitor mixes, or stereo mains and 2 mons. If you have the money to spend increase size for suitable number of mon mixes.

 

Next - desk and outboad. Anything with 16 ins, a few auxes would do. Soundcraft/A&H/Midas/Yahama/Behringer depending on your budget.

 

Worth having a quad gate (kick/tom/tom/tom) and a couple of reverbs (vox/drums) in the outboard rack. Stick some compression on the bass and the vocal subgroup.

 

Then you need amps and speakers. If you're doing monitors you need 1 amp per two mixes generally (1 mon per side), and at least one wedge per mix. Martin CXW and Nexo PS10 are good, altough cheaper mons can be had. Nexo PS series (2 PS10 and a sub) will also give you a capable FOH system for 100 people.

 

Don't forget all the cable/adaptors/mic stands/speaker stands etc. as well.

 

Hope this helps - you may need to scale down as needed.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Thank you that was very useful... I think the only thing I am going to be a bit unsure about is.. setting it up to the desk and have the monitor etc..

[benweblight]

whsmiths for sound on sound!!!

you wont find many other places

[paulears]

sound on sound

www.sospubs.co.uk is a link into their site

 

all the big newsagents sell it - it is the widest circulation music tec mag in the uk.

 

as for the PA

 

Martin & Nexo are great, but in a 100 capacity venue are likely to be far more to hire than the band will get paid.

 

One snag I always have in small venues is that the back line are so loud that apart from getting the vocals above them - there is no way the drums want to be even louder. the guitarists will turn up to be louder than the drummer, who then plays even louder. Getting them all to turn down is virtually impossible. Did a rock and roll show a few weeks ago with a deaf guitarist - everyone onstage just went up and up till they could hear themselves. I had everything miked up, and ended up with all bar kick & snare off as from the mix position at the back of 30 rows of seats, the on-stage volume was hurting my ears. I failed miserably to get them to do anything about it at the interval - so not a lot I could do.

paul

[James]

I've done some work for churches where the person running the service comes over to tap me during the soundcheck checking it isn't going to be this loud during the service.

 

At this point all I can do is turn and smile showing him nothing is going through FOH and all he can hear is stage volume.

 

James

[IanG]

Martin & Nexo are great, but in a 100 capacity venue are likely to be far more to hire than the band will get paid.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

You'd think, but Martin CWX are £8/day and PS10 £12/day from Wigwam, which I think is a reasonable price. Depends on who the band are, and how much they get paid.

[Andy!]

Thanks everyone for your advice and stories etc.. I brought the mag and have already leanrnt a few things! As this is our first gig we dont want to spend too much! we will in the future, but also we have to get lights aswell!

So we have drum mics already ,its just like the vocals.. and Desk we want now and of course amp and speakers!