Band mic usage
  • Never cup the mic - not even if you do RAPs - it's not "cool"! With most modern mics, cupping them is asking for feedback.
  • Never hold the mic by the windscreen (or any part of the windscreen) and put the thumb on top of it. You can't expect the mic to pick up good sound while your thumb is blocking it. Always hold the mic by its body.
  • Never point the mic at the monitors, and if you venture down to the audience, put yourself between the main PA speakers and the mic.
  • Sing with the mic pointing directly into your mouth at about 1-2 inches away at most. Do not point the mic directly upwards (toward the ceiling) from below your chin as most clueless [public] speakers do. Most handheld mics used for bands and singers are not condenser mics; therefore, they don't pick up sound from a distance too well.
  • Take the mic away from your mouth when you scream. Vary the distance as a way of keeping even volume levels between the very soft/very loud passages.
  • Return the mic to its stand after you finished your number. Never put it anywhere else but the mic stand - not the guitar amp, not the floor, not the table, not the music stand... blah, blah, blah...
  • Do not switch off the cordless mic by yourself and leave it to the next singer to switch it back on, specially when the next singer expects it to be already on the instant he/she grabs it. Either put it back on the mic stand or hand it back to the stage technician if you cross his path on stage. On the same token, ALWAYS check for "ON" status of the mic BEFORE talking or singing into it.
  • Never, never, never try to cover up your mistakes by blaming that you can't hear yourself on the monitors. If you can't hear yourself, let the monitor engineer know right away, do not wait until you forget a word in a song to tell him.
  • Show up for the soundcheck and come to the show on time. Do not force the sound engineers to do the soundcheck for you on the fly or on your first song and then complain that the mic or the sound was not to your taste.
  • Last but not least, at the end of the show, thank your sound crew, and if you're a guest singer, thank the band as well. Most self-respected engineers and sound crew work very hard for very little money at a very thankless job to make you sound as best as possible. Our job is to deliver a great sound for you, and the better your performance and attitude are, the more power to you.
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    • You are the link between the club manager and the band, and most of the time you spend will be trying to keep the volume down. Only in about 20% of the clubs can you actually be creative and mix.
    • As soon as your happy with the mix and the way it sounds in the room, the club manager will ask you to turn down.
    • 90% of venues are Soundman "unfriendly", meaning Left and right speakers placement are not going to be symetrical. I never ran a stereo PA; however, always split a mono feed into left & right EQ channels to seperately control volume and EQ on each speaker stack. This will compensate for room EQ, speaker variances etc.. {Sounddude Note: This is a great idea, but not a necessity. Especially if you can't afford another EQ.}
    • I would never set up in the dead center between the speaker mains out front. This always caused problems with frequency cancellations. I always favored a left or right speaker stack and "floated" the opposite side meaning monitoring it during the night and ocasionally tweeking the EQ.
    • During first couple of songs in a new room, walk the room often, listen for dead spots, turn and adjust the speakers.
    • Take careful consideration when playing a tape of the band that was recorded off the board to band members. Musicians can't understand that the loudest instrument on stage is the quietest on tape. Vocals will always be the loudest. You should always bleed in room ambient mics, and then privately listen before presenting it to the band as an accurate representation of the way they sound.
    • Always take notes on EQ settings on the last night of the gig, this is when you should have the room mastered, note any odd accoutics in the room, anything different on stage, if returning to the club in a few months get out your notes, this is how you learn.
    • Use wire markers to number all cables. For speaker cables always use the same ones for left stack, same ones for the right stack. This applies to speakers also, the same speakers go left and right at each setup. If any common problems occur from one gig to the next, you can note that its always a certain component or cord.
    • Always keep the mid horns and drivers face down when packing and loading into truck, this keeps dust from getting into the driver throats.
    • Keep power amps as close to speaker stack as possible with shortest and heaveist gauge wire.
    • I always reserved a channel on my board for my own mike on a gooseneck, used to talk up thru the monitor sends to communicate with the band, I also did some backup vocals too.
    • Learn to solder and always keep your own tools with a variety of audio connector and adapters on hand.
    • Anytime you have to EQ something to extremes, it is a sign that one of you components in the system is of poor quality. Example: Your got the EQ from 8k and above set as high as they will go, this should tell you that your tweeters or Hi-end Amp or X-over is not set correctly or up to par with the rest of the system.
    • The first thing people notice live is the vocals or lead singer. Always make sure thats heard and at a good level, then start working your way back to guitar, keys and rythym, obviously bringing up or down anything that totaly out of wack. Once all is under control and heard you can work on the mix.
    • Just because everything can be heard doesn't mean it's a good mix. A good soundman complements the instruments and blends the band together using EQ and effects. EQ can blend vocals. If one singer's voice is a little dull during harmonys, EQ them to a better blend. This is what soundmen do and listen for. Effects like reverb can create a distance in a instrument or vocal.
    • {Sounddude note: Dave on the thankless job of the soundman}
      • You will be the last one to finish setting up and tearing down.
      • If someone mentions to a band member that the band sounds good, they will take credit.
      • The more monitor volume you give a singer the more he/she wants.
      • Singers who mess up the words to a song will point to their ear, meaning the monitor isnt loud enough, so it's the soundman's fault!
      • You cannot make a bad band or singer sound good. You can try, but if they suck, they suck!
      • Usally, the women will refer to you as the "Lightman" assuming you're running the lights!