Diaries of a Sound Engineer Part 1
Have you even been to a concert but the audio was so terrible you just wanted to leave? Or have u ever been to concert and your favorite songs sound completely different from how you hear it on the radio?
Good live sound and concert sound engineering requires more than plugging in amplifiers or instruments and turning a few volume knobs. It demands knowledge of acoustics and electronics combined with the collaborative skill of an artiste to work with a band to give them the sound they want. Every venue is different — from the cozy bar to a medium-sized concert hall to an outdoor arena — and each brings its own challenges to audio engineering. But it is the live sound engineer’s job to tame acoustics and bring the musicians’ efforts home to the audience.
This is where a person like Gregory Morris comes in. A Grammy award winning engineer based in Jamaica with over 10 years of professional experience in the music industry, Gregory has worked with several critically acclaimed artistes such as: Protoje, Chronixx, Shaggy, Gregory Isaacs, John Holt, Bounty Killer, Assassin, Tarrus Riley, Beenie Man, Jah Cure, Morgan Heritage, Damian Marley and Stephen Marley in studio. Before taking his sound mixing expertise on the road for first time in 2007 with Stephen and Damian Marley. Gregory, since that time, has been on the road with Morgan Heritage, Protoje, Dubtronic and Jimmy Cliff, exposing the far flung regions of Reunion Island, The Gambia, Indonesia and Chile among others to one of the world’s sweetest sounds, live reggae music.
We at BACKAYARD, commissioned Gregory Morris to give a quick list of what is required of him while on the road and some insight into his thought process for each setup while doing his current tour with Protoje and the Indiggnation band.
- Firstly, the live concert engineer must please the band, which hired him or her.
- Live concert engineering requires attention to many details at any point during the concert, As performers we are trying to duplicate what is on record or what the listening public is used to hearing on radio.
- As an engineer you must be able to translate the artist sound, and acoustic ideals into reality for the band while relaying the faithfulness of the band’s music to the larger audience.
- Live concert engineers use electronic amplification, equalizers, and knowledge of acoustics and their well-trained ears to accomplish this task, they also often are in charge of a crew of technicians who perform other sound engineering chores, such as setting up microphones and running cables.
- Live audio engineering is challenging for many reasons. There are a huge number of variables which the engineer has to deal with: No venue two venues are alike. Some are large, some are small. Some have hard surfaces that reflect sound while others have carpeting and acoustic ceilings that absorb sound. Audiences may sit at different locations in relation to the band. Second, the sound engineer has many masters. He must please the audience, who have paid for their seats and might be sitting in various locations. Because while the sound might be good for one section of seats, another section might present different acoustical challenges. (E.g. Difference in bass or treble or just clarity in general)
- So to help with that the mixing board allows the audio engineer to mix the various sounds — guitars, bass, drums, vocal, etc. — so that they’re in balance. All instruments, vocals and other sounds can be controlled at this central location, which audio engineers usually set up in front and away from the stage. From that vantage point, the live concert engineer can hear what audience members hear.
- Mixing boards come in many sizes, based on the number of tracks or “channels”. They range anywhere from 8 to 124 or more channels in capacity. Each channel can accommodate an instrument or voice. Each channel also has several variables — again, depending on the board’s size and capacity. Such variables can include volume, bass, mid-range, and treble with effects such as delay or reverb.
Another dilemma faced by the person at the mixing board involves house and monitor mixing. The house mix is what the audience hears. Again, this must be achieved in collaboration with the musical performers. The monitor mix may be the same as the house mix or it may be completely different. In fact there can be several different monitor mixes. A reggae band’s vocalist, for instance, may want his monitor to accentuate the vocals over the rest of the music, or he might not want to hear a particular instrument. Live audio engineers must work closely with performers to achieve the right mix for everyone.
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