Pro Audio Sound Tips #1
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- čas přidán 28. 07. 2024
- Here is the first of a series of Sound Tip videos where I will share kinds of cool stuff I have learned throughout my career as a sound engineer, sound technician, system designer and pro audio rental company owner.
The "Pro Audio Sound Tips #1" video provides several useful tips for achieving better sound quality at live events. These include creating a set of gated and non-gated drum channels, avoiding excessive adjustments without reason, and gradually increasing the reverb from house music to enhance contrast and connection with the audience. Other tips include using limiters and compression to avoid issues in highly reverberant venues, not relying too heavily on technology, and mixing from the ground level instead of a riser.
Dave Rat shares a few tips for pro audio engineers. First, he recommends carrying a female-female male XLR Y adapter when using an analog console to connect your talkback mic to the lead vocal mic.
He also suggests working up hand signals with your team to do line checks without picking up the talkback mic.
Another tip is to setup the analyzer mic near you, adjusting, and then moving the mic down to the audience level to fine-tune.
Lastly, he recommends using both gated and non-gated inputs with a VCA on each set for dynamic bands allowing for quick changes between a fast or slow song with low or high volume.
The next tip advises against excessive fiddling or adjusting and encourages thinking before making any changes without reason.
The sixth suggestion is to combat highly reverberant venues by gradually increasing the reverb from the house music before your show and turning it down as your band starts playing to enhance the contrast and establish a better connection with the audience.
Finally, compression should be used to avoid wide differentials between peak and average volumes, which can cause sound issues in highly reverberant venues. Limiters and compression can be helpful in highly reverberant environments useful but should not be relied upon too heavily. The human ear is the ultimate judge of sound quality, and it's important not to lose sight of that. Additionally, mixing from a riser can actually make it harder to achieve a positive outcome for the audience, so it's recommended to mix from the ground level whenever possible.
00:00 Intro
00:40 - tip 1 Infallible Talkback mic
01:40 - tip 2 Hand signals to line check
03:15 - tip 3 Analyzer mic placement
04:30 - tip 4 Mixing both gated and non gated drums
05:57 - tip 5 Mix better, don't fiddle
07:19 - tip 6 Created the illusion of a better sounding room
09:12 - tip 7 Mixing in highly reverberant venues
10:20 - tip 8 Technology vs hearing
10:54 - tip 9 What is really loud
11:29 - tip 10 Mixing from a riser
Also I have started a CZcams membership area where I release videos early and post exclusive additional content for the huge price of $4.99 a month. An area where I can better interact with sound humans outside of the general public. Come join us if you are interested!
/ @daverat
Thank you Dani Munoz for Spanish translation. www.phantomcenteraudio.com
Thanks for the massive amount of knowledge and experience you're sharing with us for free, Dave!
Amazing insight!!!....
Shhhhhhhh! ! ! !
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Holy hell. Jam-packed indeed. Very helpful video!
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On fiddling, he is correct. Always listen. If i'm fiddling, it is switching the PFL to constantly check the quality of individual mics as sometimes something goes south and not easily noticed right away. Had a lower tom stand getting kicked, and managed to mute it before it started buzzing against a mic. Sometimes a rented stage does not provide a drum kit carpet. Be a hero and pack one. By noticing the change in sound as it moved, I could see the reason it was moving. Love the reverb. I'll try that. The reverse of compression in reverberate rooms, do the reverse for open outdoors. Remove most of the compression for a clean dynamic performance. You don't want an outdoor performance to sound like a radio station with compressed sound. Utilize the dynamics especially for acoustic acts. A classic Spanish guitar on a live stage uncompressed is live and dynamic. Use compressor for unintended excessive peaks only.
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I wish I had thought of the "reverb on house music"-thing before! Have definitely had my struggles in reverberant venues. Thanks!
or high pass the house music. Band sounds fuller by comparison
When I'm mixing a band that is gonna be louder than people expect in traditionally quieter venues, I slowly raise the house music to a somewhat uncomfortable level to train their ears.
@@soundped I started getting a whole lot less loudness complaints from patrons when I started doing that. Though I'm not sure if it's just because they left before the band started lol
YES. i’ll be the first to admit i mostly did the opposite when i first started out. almost like showing off how proud i am of the PA tuning with the preshow tunes lol. i had one experience where the band sounded far worse than the preshow and it made me realize my error. now i high pass and carefully sculpt that preshow sound to tee up the band perfectly, but the REVERB trick is genius!! everything is contextual. i love it.
cant wait to use this in like a year and a half
Tip1: "Do this a few times and you'll see the TB find it's way to be on again" : Legendary!
Life is a game of chess.
Almost spat my tea out when he said that
Brilliant! I get so furious when my TB mic gets shut off.
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like a fcking boss! (we’re not worthy) 😂
Really profound tips, can't believe I got this for free thank you
Greetings from Zimbabwe
Thank you!!
"... you connect the artist to the audience, you don´t have to be seen..." What a phrase!! I love it!
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Hi! I have been mixing in churches for 30+ years. Glad to hear from you I’m doing some things right! Eg. Hand signals, let your ears be your guide, fiddling, pre-show audience ear warm up..
Cool cool Doug!
Dude, you are so brilliant. I LOVE all your advice, especially the house music reverb trick! LOL!!! And I can tell there's so much knowledge you've accumulated over the years of doing your thing. Big thanks for taking your time to make these videos.
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Same haha I work primarily in a venue with terrible acoustics, so this tip was awesome 😂
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I’m an old school analog guy. # 4 is pure genius! I wish I knew that back in the day and also wish I had enough channels. Kind of got used to changing my ACP88 up,and down.
Yes, I got frustrated changing the thresholds and bypassing and one day I was like, wait a minute, I can solve this and it worked great until I filled up the console a few tours later and had to stop. With modern digital, it would be very helpful.
I often roll off some bass and trebble to the house music to make the live act sound more full when they go on, and now I'm eager to try putting some reverb on it too!! Thanks for this tip! I also like the "imagine there's a camera"-tip.
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#7 (reverb) - big thumbs up. #10 (FOH location) - is it all about the ego? I have always wondered why the guy in the mixing booth needs to be in a "king's throne". I can understand the possible need to be isolated from some of the clowns in the crowd but they are in the optimum listening position and they are blanking out many of the best seats in the house.
Thanks for your efforts Dave, I will be saving this episode for sure.
So agreed!
Dave, the value you’ve brought to the world through this sharing of knowledge………. It’s impossible to quantify. But it’s real.
Thank you Darius!!
@@DaveRat do you have any interest in doing a lifestyle interview? Think of it as a talk you leave for your family & friends for generations to come. I’m not famous, my channel isn’t famous, but I feel like the episodes let folks know what it was like to know me and share oxygen with me for a few hours. That’s how my few guests have treated it.
Cool cool Darius supposed to link so I can take a look and consider
Sweet! czcams.com/channels/4OOts1rfXiZRx_AAksoTPg.html
Dave, I have long said...well for the last 20 years or so...get it in the pocket and leave it in the pocket. In regards to rule 5. I want to get the mix sounding the way it should in the venue we are in and then only adjust for song changes and solos. I never did/do understand those who have to be changing something the entire time or as I like to refer to them as fiddlers. They can't keep their hands off the knobs.
My first rule of any show is that if the audience has a great time and they don't know that I am there then I have done my job as a FoH engineer. Rule 2 for me is: It's not about the equipment it is about the band and I am here just to amplify and channel what they are doing for the audiences sake.
This year I have been traveling with a band that had a few hits in the 70's and 80's and we have been fortunate enough to open several times for REO, STYX, BOC and a few others. At 60 it is a real pleasure to work in-front of bands like those. We generally have between 7,000 - 11,000 per show and it is a blast. Can't imagine how it feels for you and your crowds. Safe Travels and keep you the Yeoman's work!!
Good stuff and thank you Bill!
I fiddle more than a country band. Thanks for the sage advice, that's something I can pay attention to straightaway. Love your content, Dave.
Perfect and when things start up, let me know how it goes!
we need to come up with more hand gestures to describe various cowbells :)
YAS 😹
Hell yes!
I laughed loud on tip number 6, reverb on house music, I'll remember that one, you're a wise soundguy !
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Working as a Soundengineer and sometimes Systemtec for the big french "L" Speaker Systems for 10 years now and sharing your Knowledge is really lifesaving for us! Looking foreward for more of these Videos! Cheers from germany 👋
Awesome and thank you!!
Some great observations there Dave. Much respect to you. Drums grouped onto 2 separate VCA's one sound ungated... what a great trick! The "Ego Platform" ...exactly. I guess mainly to keep punters away form the gear, but not so advantageous for sound at the crowd level. I had once gigged with the actual board on the ground (like a picnic) and I just used a low beach chair. The event was in a venue where everyone just had pillows, beanbags, towels, rugs and small foam mattresses. So I just thought, thats where I'll mix from... and it was great! It has always been said that "a great band knows how to connect with the audience" true enough, as it was told to me from way back that the board is just like an "instrument" too. Play it well and the crowd may be clapping and cheering the band, but the band will book YOU again! True! ;)
The reverb on the house music tip is just pure gold.
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Thinking about #6, when I'm in a crappy room the first thing I do is pull down my effects VCA if it cleans up the mix then I leave it down except for the songs where I know I'm going to really need that wet sound, I see no harm leaving the effects reduced when they're not needed, seems like some people add them when they're not needed, kind of like making changes when they're not needed. I only make a change when I hear something that is wrong and needs to be corrected.
Love you series Dave... things that make you think.... truly a business where you can never stop learning or exploring...
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1:31 Do that a few times and that talkback mike will find its way to be on when you need it hopefully.
Now that's class!
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Gated and non-gated sets! Genius! 😎🎵👌
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Lovely tip about reverbing the house music....on a similar tip I often pick music that has a reduced bandwidth(often music from the middle of last century actually) or high pass filter it so when your band come on it sounds like they are larger than life in full dynamic and frequency range ..same for outro when people’s ears need to decompress creating a sense of aural relaxation. Great work on the vids fella
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Thanks Dave. You're an inspiration to me, and have helped shape the way I operate and approach mixing music.
Greetings from Australia
Awesome!
Thank you very much, Dave. Liking that you are posting videos on the regular now - subscribed!
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Thanks Dave for the sensible, well balanced advice. It’s nice to hear from someone with real experience and understanding.
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You absolute genius!
Been following you for years and you always have relevant, straight to the point nuggets of information.
May you live forever sir!
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The reverb on the house music is an interesting idea. I do something similar, especially on smaller rigs with no gas. I roll off the lows and highs, and add a touch of 2khz-4khz in there. This makes the background music sound kind of weak, no punch, etc. It's just there and it sounds 'OK'. It's easy to make that music sound great because of how it's produced. Then when my main act hits the stage, the subs come to life, there's sizzle in the highs and the system sounds more "in your face". And my pre-show music didn't steal the show away inadvertently.
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Great tips from a legend! Loved the house music reverb tip! Mind blown. Thanks Dave!
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Dude your videos over the last month have been so good. I understand phasing and acoustics so much better. Keep 'em coming.
Awesome!!
Every time I watch a Rat video my list of things to try at the first shows after lockdown gets bigger and bigger. Truly awesome! One thing I do with my house music is high and or low pass if its a tough room. But the reverb thing is next level!
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👏👏👏 my trick when playing in hight reverberate venues was not go for the loudest.. set the band as close as possible to each other 😂
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Thanks Dave for your effort!
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Always a joy to get some tips from you. Thanks Dave!
Thank you Mitchell!
"We are just small peanuts in the big scheme of loud". Can I get that on a T-Shirt?
please take my money
Yeah, that would be great.
Oh wait, look at my profile picture...
How about “we’re all just small decibels in the grand scheme of loud”......?
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Recently found your channel Dave. I really appreciate your technical expertise and vast experience. Also your totally unpretentious and down to earth approach! No BS, just really helpful info. Many thanks!!
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Perfect explanation of mix position! Put your ears where the audience is!
Awesome!
Lots of great tips. Thanks for sharing Dave.
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I’ve been mixing live and studio for close to 30yrs and still learning. Great advice in this video! Thank you!
Thank you Wade!
Two people dislike this video because they don't even understand a word or whats going on in here. Mr. Rat thanks for the knowledge transmission. We the entertainment audio slaves and aliens appreciate it. I think you need more cowbells.
More cowbells!
Dave, thanks. I am humbled at your knowledge and experience. And the fact that you are so willing to share your vast skills. I aspire to be as cool-headed and helpful to those under me who are starting out, like you are.
I appreciate that!
Those tips for reverberant spaces are gold. Thanks, Dave.
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0:30 - tip 1
1:40 - tip 2
3:15 - tip 3
4:30 - tip 4
5:47 - tip 5
7:19 - tip 6
9:12 - tip 7
10:20 - tip 8
10:54 - tip 9
11:29 - tip 10
Thank you!
Dave you ROCK! I hit 45 years mixing live soon and I have a similar story for how I got started. Everything you say in this video I agree with and makes total sense to me.
So co and thank you
@@DaveRat I would love to sit and chat with you some day!
Awesome. I used to travel around doing seminars. Pondering doing that again at some point
#5!!!!!! Amen my friend, I can't tell you how many times i've seen an engineer playing non stop with the console.
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I've used reverb on preshow music for years because of you Dave. Always makes a difference :)
👍 Awesome!!
Dave Rat, Thank you so much for these tutorials! These are very helpful and educational even for a bunch of us who have been working in the field for decades. Well done!
Thank you Bob!
Thanks dave! Love your advice.
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I very much appreciate you giving us the benefit of your experience. Little things can make a big difference.
Thank you!
Dave, I always enjoy all your videos and find your ideas and suggestions to be very helpful
Awesome and thank you!
Great reference to top fuel engines haha. I have never plugged my ears at a concert. First experience with a top fuel dragster had my hands on my ears while they had foam plugs and cups on lol.
Exactly!
Dave, thank you for being humble enough to share your knowledge. Mainly for speaking on a level all can understand from beginner to pro. Watching your videos, I have thought of myself as an advanced beginner but, you always show us stuff we’ve (Some of us) probably never thought of. Stay healthy and looking forward to more insight....
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Dave, I’ve been working professionally in the audio world for almost 10 years now. I started as a studio rat, and lucked my way into live sound for extra money. Your videos have been more informative, and entertaining than all of the Sound on Sound and Tape Ops I’ve read this past decade combined. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, tips, and keeping me sharp and passionate! Much love brotha!
So cool and thank you Carter!
Thanks Dave and keep em coming!!
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Awesome Dave! Thanks a lot, very helpful tips
Thank you Victor
The compression on peak transients legit blew my mind. Thank you Dave
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Great tips Dave. Very cool to see one of the best in the industry sharing real world practical advice. So many engineers are often very arrogant, but You are so down to earth. Again, thank you for taking the time to create these videos that will hopefully help us all be better at this craft.
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Just found your channel, Dave. Wow. I'm a 59 year old that "retired" from FOH Pro Sound in the 90s. I absolutely loved the work but at that time the "party" got the best of me and I had to get out. Your philosophy about connecting the artist with the crowd was paramount for me and of course, back then things were mostly analog so there weren't as many rabbit holes of tech to fall into. Watching this video (and a lot of your other ones) really took me back and made me miss it. Favorite moment? When the house lights would go down and that nervous anticipation would really kick in. There was no CZcams back then and you might get a little mentoring here and there but a large part was just learning, learning and more learning on your own. Thanks for taking me back to what I loved about Sound Reinforcement.
Thank you e w!
Thanks Dave, always full of comon sense ,real world advice.
Awesome and thank you!
I love your comments about reverb on house music. psychoacoustics are very powerful. Like when someone asks for something and you don’t really want to give it to them and you reach for a knob and pretend to turn it and
they thank you. The reverb on House music is brilliant.
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Thanks for the tips Dave!!!
Thank you Daniel!
ha the reverb on the back ground music is genius. Thanks Dave great tips cant wait to try few when gigs finally return!
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I'm honestly shocked that you only have 29K subscribers. Keep putting out content like this and watch this channel explode! Love your stuff, Dave!
Thank you Ryan!
Great videos Dave, as band owner, drummer, sound tech. Last part of your video was spot on. As sound tech it's our job to help connect talent to audience. So so important.
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Dave, you are THE man! Thanks for all your great advice that comes from years of experience. Delivered with casual authority and totally BS free!! Thanks heaps ;)
Whoop whoop!
Thank you Dave. Great information as usual. I love the reverb on the house music idea.
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Definitely need more of these. Thank you.
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10:55 Dave is spouting truth as pure as gold but when he mentioned the Top Fuel drag race he just went to next level real. You don't hear the cars go by. You feel them punch across your chest. This dude is a pure audiophile who has the power we all wish we had!
This videos are full of good advice. Thank you for your work!
Thank you
So helpful. I love your house music reverb trick. Thanks for making these great videos!
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Best channel... I can't thank you enough for sharing all this wisdom!
Thank you michael!
Wow. These are ace tips. I do worry about gig volume. Over the last 20 years for all the brilliant advances which aid really good mixes, things have got steadily louder. The last rock gig I went to in Hammersmith Apollo the sound was so loud that I left my seat after 2 songs and listened to the show in the bar. It was frightening! But oh my these tips here are superb. Thanks Dave.
Yeah, earplugs are a good idea to bring and I have no issue rocking them if the sound hurts
@@DaveRat Thanks Dave. I'm loving your site and blog. Great tips and proper advice here. All good wishes!
Thanks for these great tips!
Regarding tip 1: As most engineers will know, many digital audio networks have the ability to share resources and controls so that both the FOH tech and the monitor tech can have remote access to each other's functions. Even on low-end digital systems, the FOH engineer can have a tablet connected to the monitor board so that he or she can open the talkback mic or whatever. Of course, you have to use this ability prudently so as not to step on the other guy's toes.
Tip 3: It's really annoying when the mix position sounds very different from audience level - often because the installed board in a venue is too high/off to one side/in a corner. I often end up tweaking the mix with a tablet at audience level.
Tip 4: I'll have to try the gated/non-gated trick, which could be useful for a standard small festival setup with several bands of different genres.
Tip 5: Totally! I've seen so many shows where the mix reaches a peak and then starts going downhill again because of too much fiddling (I've also done it myself).
Tip 6: I'd never thought of the reverb trick and I often have to work in a club with horrible, boomy accoutics.
Tip 8: This is a constant struggle as the temptation is to judge and adjust things like EQ visually using the on-screen curve and the RTA rather than using your ears. It also affects paying attention to signals from musicians and other techs if you have your head constantly buried in a screen.
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The highly reverberant room with reverb on the playback before show start is a trick I am so happy to have in my bag now. Very creative thank you!
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Thank you for making these, Dave. Good vibes to ya
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Thanks Dave! highly appreciate for sharing great sounds tips
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Hey Dave love the comment of using two mics when you pink the system one by you and one out in the center of the audience so you can see the difference so glad you're still using analog gear I use some of the first digital boards when they came out love them but I'm in an analog guy for life keep doing it Dave you're the man
Awesome thank you!
Dave i love watching your work on CZcams, because every time i can see how much you love your work. Thank you :)
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Hey Dave, thanks for doing this. Some great tips in there for sure. Much appreciated.
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love this channel.... thx dave!!!!
Thank you Scotty!
I've been running my own live sound service, 'Avenue 44 Audio' for about 7 years now. I have my dad work for/with me and we've built up quite a good reputation and have some very loyal bands that we work with regularly. A lot of that success in the last couple of years is thanks to your videos Dave! You're a friggin legend, man! Although I could have done to watch this three days ago. We just did a show in a 700 capacity hall where everything was made from good, old fashioned hard wood, with a balcony and seriously high ceiling. Quite an interesting challenge!
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This has been one of the best videos I’ve seen. Your approach is absolutely genius and your explanations are even better!
Thank you Theo!!
Thanks man!! You’re a game changer for the industry!
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Good stuff Dave. I love the "no riser thing" - so true. Also I remember from an earlier video that you will have the Mixer to one side of you so that you have nothing between you and the audience. Genius! On the "don't fiddle with the mix" tip, a hundred years ago, I saw a Sammy Davis Jnr concert in Festival Hall - Melbourne Australia. As luck would have it, I was sitting behind the mix position. Every few songs, the operator would slowly move a finger over to a fader, and make a minute adjustment. Little or no tweaking for the whole show. Yay - as it should be.
Awesome on all things. I wish I saw SDJ and kudos to the eng!
Wow! Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge and insight. It’s extremely helpful!!
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Once again... "Pure Gold, Jerry!"
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Great advice! That last one is the best!
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Thank you, great tips. Since the ipad connection with my A&H board for the last 6yrs., I use the ipad to check my sound with the audience. Handy tool.
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the wealth of knowledge dave drops is insane lol i would've never thought of the reverb and house music thing ever... thanks
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@@DaveRat replied to my comment... my life has been made...
I really dig your videos brother. Thanks for sharing so much hard earned knowledge.
Awesome and thank you
This is gold, thank you so much for sharing!
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Gigs are sounding better around the world thanks to your work,,,, certainly the ones where I'm at the desk. Thanks Dave.
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thank you for sharing dave. we are in an industry where too many engineers, due to their egos or competitiveness, fail to be as generous with sharing knowledge from their experiences. cheers!
Awesome thank you
Dave, this is great stuff. Keep 'em coming.
Thanks, will do!
Awesome tips, thank you
You bet!
I really enjoy your videos. Thanks!
Thank you for taking the time to post a comment!
Thanks, Dave. I love this stuff.
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Wow what a great video! I always look forward to your insights!
Thank you Matt!
I may be mis quoting, but listen, think, and adjust. That’s gold right there. I find myself fidgeting too much. I have to tell myself to chill a ton 😂
Honestly, the best sounding band I've ever heard in a small venue was a country band (I despise country) and the guy who was mixing them was on his phone all the time and barely even paid attention to the band lol. Maybe there's something to that.
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Thank you for these tips Dave, you're a great teacher.
Greetings from Portugal.
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