Setting Up On Stage For A Gig
Setting up for a gig - whether it be for your local pub or Wembley Stadium will have pretty much the same principles to be considered.
Most people that start setting up for a stage gig typically go through the same simple routine:
This can do if it’s your usual run-of-the-mill gig. But, if you want to get a great sound and put on a hell of a show, there are a few things you should take into consideration.
Setting up the Stage
First of all you’re going to want to set the stage/area; we’ll use a 4-piece consisting of 2 guitars, 1 bass and drums with the vocals going through a PA as our example
What usually happens on a small stage is that the drummer will set the volume. For a small venue, I wouldn’t normally mic the drum kit unless absolutely necessary (though usually for heavier rock music mic-ing just the kick and the snare is advisable). Once the drummer has set the playing level for the kit, you then need to balance out the instruments. In most cases, a 30W-50W guitar amp will work well for both guitars with a standard drum kit. A 100W amp for the bass should be sufficient (unless you're playing heavier music, then 150W-200W would be recommended). If either guitar amp is slightly smaller than the other, then you may want to run it into the PA for extra volume. If the amp has a line out, you should link that straight to the PA, if not; it will have to be a mic in front of the amp.
You should also think carefully about positioning, Always place the drums as much as possible in the centre back of the stage with the amps around the drummer. That way the drummer can hear you clearly during the gig without complex foldback being needed. Have the bass amp to either left or right of the drummer as preferred - the bass and then a guitar amp on each side of the drums, both facing inwards slightly. This will give a balanced mix of the guitars to the audience and the drummer while the bass will be heard clearly by the audience.
Levels
Unhappily, what I’ve heard (and seen happen) at most gigs is a competition of "who can be loudest on stage"! This may seem like fun for the band on stage, but to the audience it’s a noisy hellish drone. Like I said earlier, in most cases the drums will set the volume for the band, you’re going to want to set both the guitar amps volumes to be heard over the drums, but not too much. If one of the guitarists is the main lead player, it’s usual to find them slightly louder than the second guitarist. And as for the bass, it should be audible to all the audience but not too overpowering. The best way to get the bass to cut through without too much volume is to add a small amount of treble to the bass rather than volume; this allows it to be heard well without raising the volume too much.
The PA
Now the stage has been set, let’s have a quick look at the PA set-up. Firstly you’ll want your sound man to be a fair bit away from the stage so he is hearing exactly what the audience does (most venues will have a house soundman and a booth of some description). We’ll look at the same 4-piece with a 2-speaker PA.
You’ll want to have the speakers in front of the stage aiming straight into the centre of the audience, Make sure that the vocals can be heard over the rest of the band, as I’ve been to a few gigs (including my own gigs) where the band has sounded great, but the vocals just weren’t loud enough. Also don’t have the kick drum and snare too over powering as it can sound awful, and again it will drown out the vocals.
And Finally -
Don't be afraid to talk to the house engineer and rely on his judgement - he knows the room better than you do and is also out there in the audience hearing what they hear. Ideally, also bring a friend or two with you to the gig so that they can give you feedback on the sound in the audience and help you fine-tune as you play through the set.
Summary
Overall, once the stage has been set up, always remember to have a quick soundcheck before playing live, incorporate all I’ve spoken about here and your gig will be one to remember - not one to forget!
Kieron Deane
AndysGuitarNet
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