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Surviving In Monitorland
Getting your stage together
A concert sound system is, in reality, two completely separate sound systems, joined at the hip by a split snake. Each system requires a skilled engineer, but the skill-sets between the two differ vastly.
The thing that baffles me is how ill regarded the position of monitor engineer is among my brethren. It can be easily argued and defended that the monitor engineer works twice as hard as everyone else on the crew, unless he/she is lucky enough to have a stage tech to assist. But more often than not, the monitor engineer is the stage tech.
Too many in our business regard this job as
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The monitor engineer's foremost job is to make musicians comfortable and happy on stage, and if the musicians are happy, they're quite likely to deliver their best performance. But if they're unhappy, they won't play as well and the performance is lessened - regardless of the front-of-house engineer and/or how good the house system sounds.
A heavy burden is on the shoulders of the monitor engineer, but it's a much lighter load with homework and good work habits. The following tips and suggestions are the result of experience, sometimes better known as "learned by doing it wrong the first time."
These guidelines are offered to help the monitor engineer become a best friend of musicians, furthering their performances. Be sure their faces light up when they arrive at a venue and see you awaiting them!
Advancing the show. Talk with the band's engineer, manager or leader. Confirm every detail of their requirements. Surprises are no fun. Ask for a stage plot and input list, or make one from the information they give you.
Find out exactly what time the band should arrive so that you can allow enough time to set up and be ready. Calculate how long it takes you to set up your system - and add 30 minutes to that for the unexpected. Lights always go in first and out last! It's an important point to always keep in mind if a third party is providing the lighting rig.
Not being ready for the band is the epitome of unprofessionalism - and it's inexcusable.
NOTE: The stage plot is almost never accurate, even when you've confirmed it with the band. But it serves as a useful starting place. I usually wait until a week or so before the show to confirm accuracy. And this still doesn't preclude the artist making a change the night before a show.
Stage set-up.
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Then determine where AC drops will be needed, lay those out, and ditto subsnakes. Don't forget to consider any opening acts and how their needs will affect the stage layout.
The stage should now be ready for microphones. Consult your input list, decide how many of each kind of mic stand is needed (tall boom, short boom, straight) and assemble them. Determine how many of which mics (and DIs) are required, apply them to the stands and position them on stage according to your stage plot.
Microphone cables. While there may be the occasional exception, never make a cable run across the stage surface if at all possible. Musicians have enough cable of their own on the deck without having to contend with (and step all over) yours.
With respect to mic cables, always first plug them the stage box (a.k.a. "split") or the subsnake, and then feed them to the mics. Leave slack coiled neatly at the base of the mic stand.
Go around the perimeter of the stage to get there, even if this means using a longer cable. Leaving the slack at the mic allows easy moving of the stand when required (more often than not), instead of having to trace the cable back and unplugging and pulling to free up more length.
Also, no one wants 20 mic cables piled up around the split. If a problem is later discovered with a specific mic line, it's a whole lot easier to trace it and replace it when you're not dealing with a jumbled cable pile.
When running mic cables to the instrument mics (i.e., guitar amp, bass amp, etc.), always approach the mic from the rear of the amp, placing cables behind the amps and out of the way of guitar cords and other musician "paraphernalia."
Subsnakes. Invaluable tools for any stage larger than about 15 feet by 15 feet, subsnakes eliminate the need to run every mic line on stage all the way to the stage box (split). And with the cost of mic cables being proportionate to length, it's better to have 25-foot cables rather than 50-foot cables.
Position subsnakes in areas where the most mics need to be terminated. If there's only one subsnake available, position one is generally at the drum riser, where there's often seven or more mics in use. Once all drum channels are terminated, the bass amp cable can usually be plugged in here as well.
Opinions vary, but my own choice as position two is the side of the stage opposite the stage box, to cover the instruments on the far side. Position three is downstage (center, if possible), to handle vocal and front-line mics as well acoustic DI boxes.
By placing this subsnake in the center,
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Always be sure to drop the "fan-out" or XLR ends of the subsnake at the stage box, with a little extra slack, and then run the box around the perimeter of the stage to the desired location you desire. If the subsnake isn't quite long enough to get to the far side of the stage, it can be run to the front of the drum riser on the far side to accomplish the same task.
When working with more than one subsnake, it's critical to identify each one to be able to clearly tell them apart. I find color-coding works best. Using different colors of vinyl tape, first tape a large visible area of the stage box so at a glace it's saying "yellow is at the drum riser."
Then apply a wrap of the same tape around each XLR connector (not too close to the actual end so as to interfere with plugging it into the snake). With a Sharpie, write the number of the channel on the tape on the top and bottom. These are permanent markings, so it only needs to be done once - however, you might need to re-trace the numbers after about a year of constant use.
Electricity/quad boxes. Provide ample electrical outlets, of the proper rating, to each area of the stage requiring it. Don't skimp here, better not to be caught off guard if an extra outlet is required. And don't forget to account for all of the bands performing on the stage for a given show. (Hint: With regard to "proper rating" - in general, the thicker the cable, the higher wire gauge it contains.)
Stage monitor cabling. This is the hardest area in which to obey the "go around" rule. Stage monitors placed upstage do require cable runs cabling across the stage.
For example, a bassist who stands upstage left and sings as well. The best solution is to run the monitor cable around the back of the stage to the drum riser, and then come up the side of the drum riser to the front corner, and from there, across to the stage monitor. Run the mic cable along this same path.
If bassist's position is to the outside of the stage, then run the cable straight across from the side of the stage to the wedge. The idea is to cross the least traveled area of stage. If a high traffic area can't be avoided, tape cables down securely once they're in place.
Road cases. Once gear is on the stage, get rid of those dead road cases, stacked neatly and again, out of a high traffic path. If at all possible, get them off the stage completely.
Items like mic boxes that might be needed during a show should be placed nearby but out of the way. Having said this, make sure you possible emergencies are covered - before stowing things away, take out a couple of extra mic stands, an extra extension cord or two, and several extra mic cables.
Monitor mix position. Stuff happens, as the saying goes, but the bottom line is that the engineer (and/or tech) must be able to get to all parts of the monitor rig as quickly as possible without stumbling over piles of cables, spare wedges or the ice chest.
A neat working area also promotes and conveys a professional attitude, which in turn prompts sharper focus on the job at hand. Take pride. Refuse to work amidst the trash. Police the area and don't let hangers-on use your monitorland for their trash. (They're not going to clean it up later.)
Wiring the stage. There's no one right way to do this but do it the same way every time. Each mix has a number (mix 1, mix 2, etc.). Decide on a numbering scheme to always use, no matter the mix location.
I employ a clockwise numbering system, where upstage right (if there is one) is mix 1, downstage right is mix 2, downstage center is mix 3, and so on. If there's no upstage right, then downstage right is mix 1.
The point is that I start with the mix that is farthest stage right, and then number the mixes in a circle. This way there's never any confusion - I always know which mix is which. When musicians are hollering for "this and that" in their mix, there's no time to fumble around looking for their particular mix.
Always check mix assignments! Post someone at the monitor console while you (using talk-back mic) speak into each mix. Have the person verify that each is showing correctly on the console, and also, have this person verify that each monitor is working properly.
Check each and every mix in this manner to determine that all are where they should be. Skipping this step is to court disaster.
After it all checks out, it's time to make the band and the audience happy!
Teri Hogan is co-owner of Sound Services Inc., a sound company based in Texas. Reach her at sssa@ev1.net.
