what is live sound engineering? well, a good initial eq, good volume levels, clarity, good monitors as permissible, which all equates to a good mix!
i firmly believe first and foremost, a band must sound good up front. sacrifice is usually required to turn down your huge tube amps, to cut a lil’ bass, in-ear monitoring if its possible! after all, whats the point of sounding good to you, if you don’t sound good to your audience. good sound in the FOH, priority.
take that, get as decent monitoring going on, and then bring on the compression, onboard effects, delay, reverbs, and filters, without over processing the live raw emotion and stage presence! a live mix has to be raw. as much respect i have for studio engineers, i just hate a live show that sounds too much like a cd, after all, if i wanted to listen to a cd mix, i’ll put on a cd. lets capture and amplify YOUR live show.
a sound engineer is as important as every other member of your band. if you do not communicate to function as a team, or understand the emphasis of the performance, stick in the studio.
offering my service as YOUR sound engineer, it won’t just be about a one-off live show, but discussions and ideas on methods to make your live acts huger, (or toned down), fresh, vibrant, and still sounding oh so good!
