Playing Shows: 8 Small Tweaks That Make Big Improvements
The bands that amaze audiences are the ones that can balance their own relative levels from the stage.
Over the years, I have worked with many bands, both in the studio and at live venues.
I also attend shows every week and have seen tons of bands. Some awe-inspiring, some…not so much. No big surprise there.
What is surprising however, is the number of that who could be awesome, if only they could make some small but crucial tweaks to their live show.
What’s most important is the translation of your musical ideas to the live sound environment. If your show and songs are unclear and lack focus, people will stop paying attention.
The goal here isn’t to get you to change your style or play in a different manner than you ordinarily would. You are who you are and shouldn’t have to change that. Yet, if anything gets in the way of letting the audience see and hear you at your best, for any reason, they won’t fully buy into you or your music.
With that in mind, here are a few of things you can do to help ensure that you can get a better sound out of your live performances and that audiences are receptive to your musical vision.
#1 – Provide an input list
As a sound engineer, my life is a whole lot easier when the band gives me an input list.
Knowing what an artist needs from me in advance means I can focus more time and energy on the most important tasks, like getting a great-sounding mix and helping ensure smooth transitions from one band to the next.
A simple list of all your sound sources—both vocals and instrumentation—works great. A stage plot outlining your desired setup works even better.
#2 – Take the time to meet your friendly neighborhood audio engineer
It may sound like common sense, but when you arrive at the venue, go up and introduce yourself to your engineer. This is a perfect opportunity to help make sure the show goes according to plan. Remember that there may be a whole slew of artists on any given night, but there’s usually just one engineer. So it’s a lot easier for you to find him or her and say hello than vice versa.
Feel free to ask for whatever you want in the mix. I love it when a band tells me which singer is most important, or that you want a nice slap on the vocals but no reverb. Help me understand what you want, and I’ll help you translate to the audience.
#3 – Make the most out of soundcheck
Soundcheck is the perfect chance for us to get all our inputs straight and make sure everything is working right. But that’s not all it’s good for. Whenever there is time for a full soundcheck (which you can make much more likely by adhering to tips number 2 and 3 above) we’re in luck. Take full advantage of it. Play a song that uses all instruments and vocalists that is on the louder end of your dynamic range.
Sometimes we may only have enough time to get a quick line-check right before your set. In these cases, you may only have a chance to play or sing through a quick part that is on the upper end of your dynamic range.
Be prepared for this possibility by knowing what song sections best fit the bill. Saying “check, check” into the mic does nothing except make sure the mic is working. (And I already know it’s working because I got there early to set up and test it.)
Gain staging is important to making sure the whole band sounds loud and clear. It also helps to cut feedback. So be sure to give the engineer a good example of the type of signal that will be coming their way.
#4 – Balance your FX and pre-recorded tracks
Gone are the days of guitars, bass, drums, and vocals being the only instrumentation commonly seen at venues. Many bands now use electronic samplers, keyboards, and even multitrack DAWs spitting out entire submixes! Additionally, many singers even use their own effects processors.
Often, I receive a 100% wet vocal that has time-based effects applied to it already. This means less work for me, with the caveat being I have no control over individual elements.
The problem is that sounds that are huge in your home studio, can be muddy and mushy in the club. Vocals slathered in reverb can create beautiful depth and space. However, in a live venue, they can often seem buried and lost. This leaves the audience cold (Remember: You know the words, but your audience may not).
My advice here is to reference your backing tracks against professional mixes. Keep in mind that many clubs will be more ambient with a longer reverb time than the room you are mixing in. Check at low and loud volumes for proper translation. High-pass instruments that aren’t providing that bedrock bass foundation to reduce mud. Make use of longer pre-delays and shorter decay times on your vocal reverbs.
Enlist the opinion of trusted musicians, producers and engineers you know ahead of time. They can help tell you if the vocals are clear and present enough while maintaining the vibe you want.
Note that some effects may also allow for less level in your monitors before feedback. Vocal distortion, compression and EQ can be major culprits. So in addition to sending your fully “wet” signal to the engineer, consider supplying a dry feed for the monitors as well for any mics that may need to be especially loud in the monitors.
#5 – Balance yourself
I understand that you want to be loud. It feels awesome to have your SVT cranked, pumping 900 watts of bone-damaging bass rattling the room. But if it covers up the vocals, the audience will tune out (or leave). Your friends may stick around, but they aren’t who you trying to reach, are they?
Time and time again, the bands I work with that amaze audiences are the bands that can best balance their own relative levels from the stage. Get used to balancing yourself based on the surrounding instruments and the room you are in. If the drums don’t have mics (which will be the case in many smaller venues), adjust your amp volume so that the balance matches. Start doing this at rehearsal as well and get used to playing with a lower stage volume. Compare how things sound in the room to your favorite records, and try to match that.
Guitarists! Here’s an extra pro-tip: Placing your amp at your feet while it points at the audience puts you in the absolute worst spot to hear yourself. High frequencies are especially directional and you are aiming them away from you! This pretty much guarantees you will be louder than necessary to make things sound balanced to your ears. Try to find a place where your amp can sit that points it up at you, can be elevated, or at least gives you some distance from the amp.
#6 – Play to the room
This is one that will serve you well when recording too. Be sure to play at a level that works for the room you’re in. Playing above a certain level in any room excites the air too much and turns everything to mush.
You’ll have to take a lot of factors into account here. Some of them will be beyond your control, but you can always improve by really listening to how things sound in the space and adjusting your level to make the most of it.
#7 – Master your mic technique
I have been very fortunate to work with some amazing singers. The human voice has a huge dynamic range, and we have the ears to match! Sometimes a song needs both a whisper and a roar. But in a loud, club environment, those extremes usually won’t translate without some work, and you’ll need to adjust your technique to make sure both are audible.
There are no hard and fast rules here. You will need to experiment to see what works best for your voice and dynamic range, but a good starting point for a live date is to sing 1-3″ away from mic. Lean closer for whispers, and 8-12″ away for screams.
Pretty much everyone has a home recording setup these days. Patch in any ol’ dynamic mic (57, 58, or whatever it takes), and track some vocals the way you would sing them live. Try to get your levels as consistent as possible with mic distance alone and your vocals will always stand out. This kind of technique will help in the studio as well.
Of course there are ways I can help, such as applying compression and riding the fader. But I don’t always know what is coming next. You do. The closer you are to having an amazing vocal to start with, the better everything else will turn out.
#8 – Know what to listen (and look) for
This is one of the most common mistakes I see bands making on a regular basis. Many acts I see here in Brooklyn consist of great musicians. Every night I see guitarists, drummers, bassists, singers—so many of whom are incredibly talented. But often, they are only listening to themselves. Many of them don’t focus on the bigger picture, which is the song and how it is coming across to the audience.
The best bands—the ones that truly drive the crowd wild—are the ones who play well together. This isn’t about being more technically proficient. This is about supporting each other on stage. Do that, and the audience will go all in.
So how does one go about improving or even quantifying such a thing? My advice is to start at rehearsal with the basic groove, set forth by the drummer. Then, introducing each player one by one, try to hit your accents right when the drummer does.
Like so many things in life, the opposite of what you might expect is true. Trying to force more excitement into a song often leads to an incomprehensible mess. Let the drums guide you. Watch the drummer and look for that perfect fit of where your note matches theirs. This will soon become second nature.
One of the most electrifying shows I have ever seen was of an electric improv noise-jazz band. The bassist was absolutely locked (eyes and ears) on every single thing the drummer did. Some songs were wild and thrashing, some were smoother and held a hypnotic groove. All kept my attention because as a listener, the story always made sense.
Now, if the groove doesn’t fit the song (the drummer is laying way back in a song about a fit of mania) then address that problem and rebuild the song from there, piece by piece until it works. Reinforce the moods and ideas of the song.
If your aim is to create a swirling sonic nightmare (a completely justifiable goal), then by all means, do so. Several times I have seen the Unstoppable Death Machines (the most aptly named band I know). I had to leave one of their shows because I was literally queasy. It was awesome. But, they have quite plainly made it their goal to punish the audience with sheer acts of SPL terrorism. Their intent is not to appeal to as broad an audience as possible, or to craft hits. By all means if that is what you are going for, then throw these guidelines out. Just know what you are giving up for what you get.
Musicians: Get to know your soundperson. Take these tips to heart, help them do their job, and they can help you sound great.
And one last note to any of my fellow sound engineer comrades working a difficult and often thankless job in the trenches every single day for whom it may apply: Drop the shitty attitude.
The grumpy sound guy is a tired trope, and the plain, simple truth is…no one cares. You work a service industry job. So do I. Remember that getting to see live music every night isn’t the inconvenience you make it out to be. Help coach bands into sounding better and it will improve your life as well as theirs.
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