SJB
Inspired
Long thread, lots of good tips…. I may have missed it, but I don’t see where anyone said this:
Know your gear. Know that it works, and know basically how it works. If you are new to it, or it’s the first gig in a while coming up, you need to dress rehearse the whole set up - PA, lights and all. Find a large room, somewhere, set up the PA and stage just like you would at a gig and get comfortable with it - think about how to efficiently set up to minimize that process in case there are problems (you will need time to trouble shoot). Play some tunes, work with your sound tech, lighting tech, become proficient at your gear (any of you should be able to set it up - don’t relay on one guy).
And…. Understand binary search techniques to rapidly isolate problems. So, you have a “hum”… is it electrical (bad power) or is it feedback? Is it mains, monitors, or both…. Check mics one at a time …. Point being, there are systematic approaches to isolating problems, and as said above, you have to be nimble.
As my first guitar teacher told me…
“Whatever you do… make it work.”
That’s advice to live by.
Know your gear. Know that it works, and know basically how it works. If you are new to it, or it’s the first gig in a while coming up, you need to dress rehearse the whole set up - PA, lights and all. Find a large room, somewhere, set up the PA and stage just like you would at a gig and get comfortable with it - think about how to efficiently set up to minimize that process in case there are problems (you will need time to trouble shoot). Play some tunes, work with your sound tech, lighting tech, become proficient at your gear (any of you should be able to set it up - don’t relay on one guy).
And…. Understand binary search techniques to rapidly isolate problems. So, you have a “hum”… is it electrical (bad power) or is it feedback? Is it mains, monitors, or both…. Check mics one at a time …. Point being, there are systematic approaches to isolating problems, and as said above, you have to be nimble.
As my first guitar teacher told me…
“Whatever you do… make it work.”
That’s advice to live by.