Sound Checks & Your Pre-Gig Process

[SJB]

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.

 

[Lance Holland]

Another thing to add is that each of our members has assignments and knows what to work on. If one of us gets done with our assignment, we shift to the next person's tasks that are still in progress. If someone is stuck in traffic or running late, each of us knows how to do all the tasks and can shift to cover. At that point, we move to our personal gear....but not before. My rig is probably the most complicated but I can have it ready in 5 minutes. Our digital drum kit essentially folds up with only a few extra pieces and that makes the drums the fastest setup instead of the typically slowest part of setup.
Breakdown is the opposite. I try to get my personal gear packed first and leave it on stage for safety....then I move to my assigned tasks. Our band leader is amazing at organizing. Everything is labeled and there are color coded bags for each type of wire.

 

[PSea]

Another thing to add is that each of our members has assignments and knows what to work on. If one of us gets done with our assignment, we shift to the next person's tasks that are still in progress. If someone is stuck in traffic or running late, each of us knows how to do all the tasks and can shift to cover. At that point, we move to our personal gear....but not before. My rig is probably the most complicated but I can have it ready in 5 minutes. Our digital drum kit essentially folds up with only a few extra pieces and that makes the drums the fastest setup instead of the typically slowest part of setup.
Breakdown is the opposite. I try to get my personal gear packed first and leave it on stage for safety....then I move to my assigned tasks. Our band leader is amazing at organizing. Everything is labeled and there are color coded bags for each type of wire.

funny you mention this. i think im going to encourage the band to rotate who is the setup lead ea gig and then we'll rotate responsibilities ea gig. then everyone knows how to do it and it takes some of the weight off me.