I've Never Performed Live: Basic Questions About Getting a Great Live Vocal Sound

[deafboy]

Hey everyone.

I'm in a band, I'm the singer, and we will be playing live rather soon. We have been practicing using my PA system, but will be playing in small venues to start.

I've never played live before. What do I need to know about live sound?

Will there usually be a mixing engineer? Will the mixing engineer always have good gear, or should I bring my own?

My voice has a lot of volume variation (so I definitely need a compressor), and sometimes I have trouble cutting through the mix (we are a very loud band).

If I buy a compressor and an equilizer, will this cause a delay in the sound? Are these pieces of gear usually digital or analogue? (I looked at the guitar center website, and the gear listed wasn't classified as analogue or digital.)

Do I need an exciter? I usually EQ to cut through a mix, but maybe this would be better. It's always hard to understand what I'm saying, even when I try to pronounce really clearly.

Should I be concerned about feedback? We often get feedback when we practice, but we play in a place with pretty low ceilings and the sound bounces around a lot. I've seen some EQ units with feedback cancellers in them. Are they any good?

If I do buy gear, how do I get it to the venue? Do I give it to the mixing engineer, or do I use it to plug into a mixing board? Should I bring a rack? I am really clueless, and any basic information about how this works would be great.

Is it bad to buy used gear?

I'd rather not spend over $500 total, including tax.

Thanks for any help!

[KKKKKocaine]

Will there usually be a mixing engineer? Will the mixing engineer always have good gear, or should I bring my own?


There's usually a sound engineer. You (as the vocalist) won't need to bring anything apart from your voice and some water.
If you have a good mic and you've done some tests with other mics, and you really have to use it, or you use a wireless set up then contact the engineer as soon as you can so he can take it into account. Engineers get a bad rep as being nasty, but they've got the hardest job in the venue and when people suprise them with gear requests at the last minute, it makes things harder for them.

If I buy a compressor and an equilizer, will this cause a delay in the sound? Are these pieces of gear usually digital or analogue? (I looked at the guitar center website, and the gear listed wasn't classified as analogue or digital.)

That'll be covered by the sound engineer. You don't need to bring anything like that. For the record most compressors that you can actually touch are analogue (there are a few digital ones but it's mostly analogue), wheras digital compressors are mostly on computer based systems.

Do I need an exciter? I usually EQ to cut through a mix, but maybe this would be better. It's always hard to understand what I'm saying, even when I try to pronounce really clearly.

An exciter won't really help you cut through the mix. And most engineers will be opposed to E.Qing your voice to help you as boosting e.q. in a live situation increases the chance of feedback. I'm guessing you've been using practice room P.As or other small P.A. systems. The venue systems will be alot bigger, more expensive, with better mics and will have an experienced engineer behind it. If you're still having trouble being understood through the P.A., you may need to look at your own technique.

Should I be concerned about feedback? We often get feedback when we practice, but we play in a place with pretty low ceilings and the sound bounces around a lot. I've seen some EQ units with feedback cancellers in them. Are they any good?

Don't be overly concerned. Just remember a few details,

1. For obvious reasons, try to keep the mic as far away from the stage monitors as possible.

2. When you get to the venue, talk to the engineer, tell him it's your first gig and ask him where the best place to hold the mic will be. He'll be more than happy to show you the best posistion to hold the mic, if you hold it too close to the grille or the mic then it can create feedback.

3. If your band is fairly loud and you have a quiet voice, you'll need to get the other guys to turn down, or strengthen up your voice. If the engineer has to keep on turning up your mic so you can be heard, there is more chance of feedback occuring.

If I do buy gear, how do I get it to the venue? Do I give it to the mixing engineer, or do I use it to plug into a mixing board? Should I bring a rack? I am really clueless, and any basic information about how this works would be great.

Is it bad to buy used gear?

I'd rather not spend over $500 total, including tax.

Don't worry about buying gear. As a vocalist you can turn up to the venue with just some water and be fine. The sound engineer will have all the equipment he needs, compressors, equalisers, microphones, stands, wires, effect units etc. As I said before the only time you need to bring your own gear as a vocalist is when you have a specific mic preference.

As for used gear, it's not bad no. But as with all used gear, you need to check it. Find out why it's being sold, how old it is, how often they used it. And better yet, find someone who knows about audio equipment who can check it over for you in person. Or you can post on a forum like this one or other recording forums and say what you're looking at, provide any links and we can help you with what you need to be on the lookout for.

[deafboy]

I have good technique. My voice just sounds better with a small amount of EQing. I EQ around 1300 Hz, +6, Q of about 1.

Feedback is so horrible. If there is a chance of feedback, it seems like it would be good to get a feedback reducer. Is there a reason that this would be a bad purchase?

[KKKKKocaine]

I have good technique. My voice just sounds better with a small amount of EQing. I EQ around 1300 Hz, +6, Q of about 1.

Feedback is so horrible. If there is a chance of feedback, it seems like it would be good to get a feedback reducer. Is there a reason that this would be a bad purchase?

The engineer will usually have his own feedback reducer.