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The Room Won
A reader, possibly from Vermont, writes:
I have been given the job of mixing, mic-ing, and everything else
to do with sound at an upcoming concert. I have no problem with that,
except the fact that does annoy me is that the concert will be held
in an indoor basketball auditorium!!
How on earth do I acheive a good sounding, perfecly balanced
mix when I have sound waves from half an hour ago bouncing back
at me from the wall beside me?? Any tips would be GREATLY APPRECIATED!!
Thanks Mr Old Soundman :o) Cheers, Ben
___
HEY, BEN, HOW’S YOUR BUDDY JERRY?
YOU TWO MAKE
SOME GREAT ICE CREAM! I STARTED OUT ON THE WAVY GRAVY, AND THEN
MOVED ON TO PHISH FOOD, BUT THOSE LITTLE CHOCOLATE GUYS ARE KIND
OF HARD TO CHEW WHEN THEY ARE ALL FROZEN. CURRENTLY I AM ENJOYING
THAT PECAN PIE STUFF, THE PECANS ARE SOFTER. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK,
AND PROMOTE MORE HIPPIE FESTS!
BUT YOUR AUDIO PROBLEM IS
A COMMON ONE. IF YOU CHECKED OUT THE RECENT LIVE CHAT BY BIG MR.
I-FOUNDED-EAW-AND-SAW-THE-ORIGINAL-LITTLE-FEAT-MORE-TIMES-THAN-YOU
KEN BERGER, WHEN HE WASN’T BRAGGING ABOUT HIS SPORTS CARS,
HE WAS RAMBLING ON ABOUT HOW HARD IT IS TO GET GOOD TONES IN ENCLOSED
SPACES, AND HOW THAT IS THE TRUE TEST OF LIVE MIXERS.
THE
BASIC PROCEDURE FOR AN AVERAGE INDIVIDUAL WHO IS LACKING MILLIONS
OF DOLLARS, TEF, SIM, SMAART, AND SO FORTH, IS TO HOLD A 58 IN THE
AIR AT THE MIX POSITION. (IF YOU SO DESIRE, YOU MAY REPEAT THIS
PROCEDURE AT THE CENTER STAGE PERFORMER POSITION, OR CHOOSE TO DO
IT THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE. WHICHEVER, WARN EVERYBODY TO COVER
THEIR EARS.)
EACH TIME, YOU - VERY SLOWLY, OK, BEN? - INCREASE
THE GAIN UNTIL A FREQUENCY JUST BARELY BEGINS TO RESONATE, TO OMINOUSLY
HOVER AND WOBBLE AND THREATEN TO EXPLODE. RESONATE MEANS FEED BACK,
BUT DOESN’T IT SOUND MORE SOPHISTICATED? IN YOUR BIG-ASS ROOMS,
THIS WILL PROBABLY FIRST BE A LOW ONE LIKE 125 OR 160. THEN, WHEN
YOU HAVE REDUCED THAT ON YOUR INEXPENSIVE GRAPHIC EQ (THAT YOU SHOULD
NEVER FOR ONE SECOND BE ASHAMED OF) GO AHEAD AND “RING”
FOR ANOTHER ONE.
TWO OF THEM IS A GOOD STARTING PLACE. THREE
IS BORDERLINE. YOU NEED TO REALLY KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING TO
DO FOUR. WHAT YOU DO NOT WANT TO DO IS TO KEEP GOING AND REMOVE
ALL THE LIFE FROM YOUR MIX. DO NOT BE LIKE A FEEDBACK REDUCTION
MACHINE, WHICH CAN END UP LEAVING YOUR SYSTEM SOUNDING LIKE CARDBOARD,
IF NOT REINED IN AND PROPERLY OPERATED.
THERE ARE LIMITS
TO ANY ROOM. YOU FOUGHT THE ROOM, AND THE ROOM WON, DIDN’T
IT? DIDN’T IT? IF YOU EXCEED THE LIMITS, YOUR RIG WILL “TAKE
OFF,” WHICH IS ANOTHER TERMS FOR RESONATING OR FEEDING BACK.
HEY, I SHOULD HAVE TOLD THAT BRASILIAN GUY WHO WANTED SOUND LINGO
ABOUT THIS STUFF!
THE MOST COMMON MISTAKE THAT ALL THE ROCKIN’
YOUNG DUDES MAKE IS THAT THEY START TO DRIVE LIKE JEHU, AND WIND
UP BANGING SOUND OFF THE WALLS AND CEILING OF THE SPACE THEY ARE
IN. THERE ARE LEGENDARY BAD SPACES, LIKE SAN FRANCISCO’S COW
PALACE, THAT ARE JUST ECHO FACTORIES.
IN A PERFECT WORLD,
OTHER THAN THE ONE WHERE YOU AND JERRY CREATE YOUR DELICIOUS CONFECTIONS,
PROMOTERS WOULD GLADLY PAY TO PUT UP SOUND-ABSORBING FABRIC AND
FOAM, TO HELP THE AUDIENCE ENJOY THE MUSIC THEY HAVE PAID TOO MUCH
TO SEE. WHAT A CONCEPT! HERE WHERE WE LIVE IN REALITY, WITH LITTLE
NICKY’S DAD CONSTANTLY DICKING WITH US, PROMOTERS PUT THAT
MONEY IN THEIR POCKETS, OR GIVE IT TO THE BAND, HOPING THAT THEY
WILL PLAY THE SAME ENORMODOME AGAIN NEXT SEASON, INSTEAD OF GOING
TO THE LOCAL COMPETITOR’S NIGHTMARE BALLROOM.
BEN, HOW
DO WE KEEP PUTTING ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF ANOTHER, DAY AFTER DAY AFTER
DAY? HOW DO WE PROCEED, WITH ODDS LIKE THIS AGAINST US? THAT’S
RIGHT - ICE CREAM!
LUV –
- THE OLD SOUNDMAN
