Sound Engineers put the finishing touch on a performance

The team of people sound engineers work with rely on us to run a good show. Sound engineers design and set up the sound system, the soundboard, build a music mix, mix monitors, position microphones, run line check and sound check and more.

Sound engineers have huge demands and responsibilities when working behind the mixer, so they come prepared with a firm understanding of the concepts behind the board buttons. Once the show is live it’s not uncommon for them to fine tune the mix to remove any uncertainty about volume levels, adjust low end, add warmth to vocal tones, shape instrument tones, ensure levels are correct and sound is mixed well. The room you’re playing will likely add its own characteristics to the natural reverb of the performance, so they make adjustments accordingly.

The music must sound good for the people in the crowd as well as for the performers on stage. To ensure the audience is fully engaged in the show, sound engineers treat the front of house mix differently than the stage mix.

It’s all about the mixing board

The mixing board is the heart of a sound reinforcement system, and is one of the most complex components of a sound system. To get the best performance out of an act and deliver the show effectively, a sound engineer must have a solid understanding of how it works.

The better they understand every part of a mixing board, the better the sound mix sounds. To ensure success, use a checklist designed to be used as a repeatable process every time you’re in charge of audio production.