Backstage 2011

Engineer David Smith answers our questions from the sound control booth

Artsin:  When a band plays live what are the main things they need to sort out with their venue's sound engineer?

Dave: Ideally, the engineer would like to know beforehand what needs to be on stage. Do they need DI boxes? An extra guitar mic? A drum vocal? The more information such as this that the engineer receives, the smoother the night will be.

Artsin: For bands with a main lead singer, should they use the house microphone or is it better to come with their own mic?

Dave: Depends on the singer. Usually, if it's an expensive mic, the sound quality will be fine. But if the singer brought a £5 microphone, then really, he or she should use the venue microphones. But always ASK the engineer. Never take out mics and leave them on the stage or somewhere where they cant be found and not plugged back in.

Artsin: How does a band know that what they hear on stage, in the monitors, is what the fans will hear in the room?

Dave: It's a common misconception, especially in young bands, that they think what they are hearing on stage, is what is coming out to the audience. This couldn't be further from the truth. At The Shed, for example, each different monitor wedge has its own mix. And can be anything the band wants or needs. Just the vocals, just guitars, everything ... no bass, lots of bass. It just depends on the band and what they need. The front of house is what the audience hears and is totally independent from the monitors.

Artsin: What are your top tips for bands to get the best sound quality at a gig?

Dave: Trust and listen to the engineer. Many bands come on stage and want their guitar amps loud, else they can't hear them. No. Stop there. This is the most common problem I have come across. The quieter (yet still at a good level for the engineer) the better. The guitars can always be put back on stage through the monitors. Trying to mix around the loud guitar amps without them coming out of the PA system causes all sorts of problems during a performance. Listen to the engineer. It's his (or her) job to make you sound the best that they can.

Artsin:  What should bands do or not do to avoid feedback?

Dave: The position of the microphones is usually what causes feedback. It is more often than not when the singer points it at the monitors, or when the singer drops his or her arms by their side whilst they are not singing. Again, having the guitar amps too loud causes the engineer to then drive the vocals through the system harder, and this can cause feedback.

Artsin: Should a lead vocalist make sure that the microphone is pointing in he right direction?

Dave: As to what I said previously, the microphone pointing at the monitors is never good. Also, when a singer turns to face a drummer, the mic is then pointing in totally the wrong direction and will almost certainly start to feedback especially on small stages where the mic is very close to the monitors to begin with. This isn't always an issue, it just depends on how hard the engineer is having to work with pushing the vocals out front.

Artsin: A lot of bands turn all their amps up full.  Even though each one has its own microphone.  How do guitarists and bassists know what level to set their amps at?

Dave: Bass is usually D. I.'d. This means it goes through a box, (or in some cases a bass amp has a DI out) basically this means the signal is being sent straight to the engineer without the need of a mic. I have even engineered gigs where there hasn't even been a bass amplifier present, used a DI box and the bass sounded great. But don't neglect bringing your amp to a gig, as sometimes your own tones of your amp can cut through really nice. A bass amp is usually best left really quiet, or just loud enough so the bassist can hear.

Guitar amps are slightly different. The louder the guitar amps, especially in a small venue, the harder it is for the engineer to balance the rest of the sound and also the guitars individually. A lead guitarist tends to be louder or have a SOLO pedal. This is the engineers job to watch the perfomrance and push the solo parts accordingly without the guitarist needing to boost his level. The guitar amps (if there are two guitarists especially) should be kept at the level the engineer says, and not turned up. This means that the engineer can control each amp better, and get a better sound overall for all the instruments.

Keeping guitar amps low, can also help reduce feedback on stage. I have seen little amps be too loud for small stages let alone a huge amp stack with big speaker cabinets. Just speak to the engineer and trust him when he asks you to turn down your amplifier.

Other pages you might like:

Leicester's recording studios

We look at Leicester's promoters

Send us your questions