December 14th, 2012 | by Craig

Singers & Sound Engineers?

We’re exploring the pivotal relationship between the musical artists and their sound engineer.

There’s nothing worse than having a bad relationship with the person running the sound at the back of the venue. We’d love to know what you’ve done to make this a positive relationship and get the most out of your sound.

So the question is: Do you ever work with a live sound engineer? What do you do to get the most out of that relationship?

Share your views on FaceBook and our Forum!

Great Comments from last week:

Last week I asked: What advice do you have to stay vocally healthy through the darker, colder winter months?

Dane Chalfin wrote…

“Diet! So easy to fall into the sugar trap as the weather declines”.

Bonnie Troy commented…

“Throat coat tea by Traditional Medicinals, Liquorice root and slippery elm bark, Echinacea to boost the immune system, Probiotics (acidophilus) for good digestion and garlic to kill what floats by like flu and cold. Stay off dairy and yeast producing foods – dairy, bread products and sugars…and beer”.

Joanie Penman posted…

“No coffee for me in the winter. Tea. And decaf at that..no highs and lows. And stay hydrated, wear a scarf outside. Wrap up, and warm up at the venue rather than in the car”.

Thanks again everyone, looking forward to hearing your views in next weeks discussion.

C x

Beta58

In smaller/club venues, before the gig starts, I always ask the tech if I can buy him a beer or soda (even if he declines, it’s the gesture that counts).
I usually ask the audience how it sounds after a few songs and recognize the sound tech by name early on and brag on his mix a little. After all, in this day and age, he/she is an artist too, and as such, has an ego. People tend to do a better job when there feel appreciated and made to feel a part of the show. Even if there are some “issues” with the sound, recognize how hard he is working to fix it. I usually jokingly redirect any negative sentiment towards myself with comments like, “it’s not easy to make ME sound good!”, or “if it was easy, anybody could do it…”, but don’t dwell on a tech problems, just keep doing your job, let him do his. If it’s totally intolerable, discreetly ask him if you should take a short break
Be cooperative! If he asks you to lower your stage volume or not to cup the mic, etc.., try to accommodate. The less time he has to spend trouble shooting, more time he can spend on actual mixing. He hears what the audience is hears.
He can also be your advocate, when it comes to getting re-booked. A lot of venue managers value their opinions – the tech is there to hear your show, even when the person responsible for booking can’t be there, and nobody is paying more attention!