Percussion follows, subject to the same methodical approach as the kit, with instruments first followed by “toys” like shakers. Panning percussion left or right (or even to both sides) can create a nice soundstage for the rest of the band.
Moving along to bass guitar, it’s usually on a DI, sometimes with an additional channel for a mic on the bass amp. When that’s dialed in, the bass player and drummer are asked to play a groove, which is used to set and check the balance. In stereo, the bass is usually centered with the kick.
Then the percussionist (if there is one) is asked to join the groove so that all three elements can be evaluated. To me, drums, bass and percussion form the foundation of a good mix.
All stage mics are kept live as additional instruments are dialed in to make sure they aren’t picking up anything they’re not supposed. If so, time to move the offending mic and/or source.
For performers playing an instrument and singing, the instrument is dialed in first, but with the mic on in order to hear any interactions between the two elements. Keyboard players are asked to change patches to check for drastic level and/or tonal changes between the different sounds.
Background vocalists come before the lead. More often than not, lead singers are the “stars” of the band who want an inordinate amount of time in sound check, and once they’re done, they want to move on to playing a few songs.
With everyone happy with their monitors and front of house dialed in, we move along to full band songs where the mix can be fine-tuned, with every instrument heard appropriately and panned correctly. This is also the time to adjust gain settings to account for the fact that bands are usually louder in the performance than for sound check.
Finally, we talk with the band to make sure we’re all on the same page, to see if they have any concerns, to talk about where they want the vocals to sit in the house mix, and so on. It’s also a time to inquire about specific cues and get a set list (if one’s not already been provided).
Additional Variables
In the corporate event world, sound checks work differently. Some events provide an entire day to set up and tweak the PA, others only have a couple of hours available. There may be rehearsals that provide the chance to dial in settings for individual presenters, or we may first meet presenters when clipping a mic on them right before they walk on stage.
Typically, there’s enough time to set up and ring out the system. It’s also best to make sure there’s a ton of gain before feedback with the podium mics. Recently we’ve been using a cardioid mic as the main together with an omni mic for recording and as a backup. The omni has come in handy in better capturing the voices of presenters who move the mics down and away from the pre-set position.
Since presenters are hard to pin down before the actual event, a crew member is outfitted with lavalier or headworn mics and sent on stage to read some copy. This allows us to dial them in pretty well, and without having to hear “test” and/or “check” over and over.
Our biggest concern at corporate events is wireless Q & A mics in the audience. They need to be carefully placed (i.e., not in front of the PA), and a lot of time is spent removing threats of feedback. Of course, they’re wireless, so they can travel anywhere…
But that’s the point of the whole setup and sound check process – doing our committed best to optimize everything as fully as possible while being absolutely vigilant in eliminating potential problems.
