How to Install Live Sound Equipment
A successful live sound installation can be as simple as a microphone and a PA mixer. Or it can involve tens of thousands of watts, racks full of processing equipment and a 128-input mixing board. It all depends on the room and the audio source(s) you're trying to amplify. If you need to fill a room with sound for one night, a decent installation can be pulled off by anyone who has access to equipment and a little time for trial-and-error.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Microphone(s) or other audio sources
- XLR and/or 1/4" audio cables (and/or whatever adapters you need for your specific audio source)
- Speaker cables
- Mixing board (optional, may be built into a PA amplifier)
- Amplifier
- Speakers
Instructions
-
-
1
Define and list your audio sources. Keep it simple. If you can get away with using a single microphone, do so. Every microphone adds ambient noise, which adds up to a fuzzy mess very quickly (especially if you don't have access to dynamics-processing and noise-reduction equipment.) Example: if you're running sound for an acoustic singer/songwriter, have them play an acoustic/electric guitar and plug the guitar directly into the mixing board rather than using a separate microphone for it. Using this direct input method for audio sources not only controls noise, but makes it much easier to mix the levels of the different audio sources once everything is mic'ed up.
-
2
Arrange the equipment. The speakers should be in front of the microphone, facing away from it. Pointing your main speakers at a microphone will create unpleasant feedback. Ideally, you will want your mixing board and controls at the back of the room so that you can have a complete picture of the sound during the event and make on-the-fly adjustments. (Obviously this is not always possible with the limitations of temporary, semi-professional grade installations and you may find yourself walking back and forth from the audience to the sound equipment to tweak levels during the event.)
-
-
3
Untangle your cables and connect the proverbial dots. Plug the microphone into the mixing board using a standard XLR cable. If you have a separate mixer and amplifier, connect them with short patch cables. Then connect the amplification unit to the speakers. If any cables look like they could become tripping hazards, tape them down to the floor or re-arrange your equipment accordingly.
-
4
If you have any processors or effects units, don't use them. Leave the rack compressor, reverb processor and super-digital-flange-phaser in the car unless you're an experienced live audio professional. If you're borrowing your live sound equipment from a friend and he hands you a bunch of rackmount units that you're not familiar with, simply set them aside and resist the urge to try "learning" them an hour before your event.
-
5
Test the installation and mix the levels. Have somebody test all of the audio input sources---ideally, all of them at once--while you listen and adjust the volume and tone (bass/treble) on the mixing board. If you're working with a live band, you'll probably have to mix everything to the level of the drums, since that will be the only element that cannot be controlled electronically. Working with a band will also require you to instruct musicians to adjust the volumes of their individual instrument amplifiers to create a good mix with the PA system. This is sometimes a struggle, as adjusting the amp settings may alter their "tone" significantly. When you achieve your desired results, you can mark them on the mixing board with an erasable pencil, so that you don't lose them if you accidentally bump a knob.
-
6
Make adjustments during the event. Realize that when the room fills with people, the acoustic dynamics will change and you'll likely have to make adjustments to the mix. This is why its never a good idea to run sound for an event in which you are a performer---you can't run back and forth from the mixer to the stage to fix the inevitable audio problems that will arise mid-show.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
For a novice, a PA mixer-amp combo is much easier to work with than a separate mixing board and amp. Many such combos even come paired with their own PA speakers.
References
Resources
More Like This
Comments
-
THANKS ALOT
