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SEVEN WAYS TO ENSURE A

BY STEVE LA CERRA
NOVEMBER 4, 2022
LEARN MORE ABOUT STEVE
SMOOTH SOUND CHECK
GREAT SHOWS START WITH AN EFFICIENT SOUND CHECK.
There’s a reason why experienced musicians — even seasoned pros — make the effort to do a sound check
before every show. Sound check is the best time to test your gear, dial in levels, settle into new surroundings,
and maybe even rehearse a new song.
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Here are seven things every live sound engineer can do to make sure that sound check goes smoothly. Trust
LIVE SOUND PRO AUDIO me, it’s worth it: The result will almost always be a better gig.
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
1. CREATE AN INPUT LIST
One of the easiest and most effective things you can do to prep for a sound check is to create an input list —
something that’s easily done with any spreadsheet application. This is a list of all sources on the stage that
need to be connected to the PA system, showing the name of the instrument, the mixer channel number, and
whether the source is a microphone or a DI (Direct Inject) box. You can also add a column that indicates the
general location of the source and a section that shows onstage monitor requirements. In situations where
there’s a house engineer who isn’t familiar with your band, an input list will help them understand your PA
requirements.

An input list can easily be created using a spreadsheet.

2. DESIGN A STAGE PLOT
A stage plot is a drawing that shows the physical layout of the instruments on stage — invaluable in helping
an engineer understand where everything is located. In addition to the instruments, you should identify the
microphones and DIs using numbers that match the input list, as well as locations for the monitors. It’s also
helpful to label each position with the band member’s name because this will help anyone consulting the
stage plot to become familiar with your group. There are software apps that can be used to create slick
professional-looking stage plots, but even a hand-drawn sketch can work just fine.

A stage plot shows the location of everything on stage.

By the way, you may hear the terms “downstage” and “upstage” used when talking about instrument, mic and
monitor locations. These are holdovers from years ago, when theater stages were raked (sloped) toward the
audience — something that’s less common today. The downstage edge is closest to the audience, while the
upstage edge is at the back of the stage, typically where the drummer sits.
3. USE A TALKBACK MICROPHONE
Communication between an engineer and the performers is vital, and a talkback microphone enables an
engineer at front of house (FOH) to easily speak to the musicians on stage.
Many mixing consoles, including all models in the Yamaha MGP Series, offer a dedicated talkback mic input
that can be routed into the aux sends, allowing musicians to hear the engineer through their in-ear or stage
monitors.

The talkback input (top left) on the

Yamaha MGP16X.
Having the talkback mic ready to go before the performers even start to test their instruments will enable you
to ask each musician to play their instrument while you set input levels. Be sure to set input gain properly and
leave a little bit of headroom in case some of the musicians play louder during the show than they played at
sound check (that never happens!).
4. CREATE SCENES
Some digital mixers, including Yamaha Rivage PM and TF Series models, feature a built-in library that can store
and recall scenes containing every mixer setting. Creating a scene at a rehearsal saves time at sound check
because you won’t have to start from scratch. Tip: Store each scene into a memory location, lock it, then save
it again into a new location so that the original can’t accidentally be changed.

The Yamaha TF1 scene library.

Some digital mixers (including all Yamaha models) can interface with offline editors that can be used to
create, store and recall scenes using a computer or smart device, so even if you don’t have access to the
console before sound check you can still build a scene. Creating a basic scene that includes channel names,
rough aux send levels, DCA (Digitally Controlled Amplifier) assignments and onboard effects processor settings
saves time, even if you can’t set the input gain for each channel. For example, if you know that you’ll need a
compressor and a gate on the kick and snare channels, you can do the “grunt work” of naming the channels
and turning on the gates and compressors in the offline editor. The file from the offline editor can be saved to
a thumb drive, and loaded from the thumb drive into the mixer on-site.

Yamaha TF Editor.
5. ARRIVE EARLY
No matter what the circumstance or venue, always plan to arrive at the sound check early. This will give you
time to test mics, change batteries in wireless mics, make sure the PA is set up correctly, and ensure that all
cables and connections are working. It’s easier to do this before the musicians arrive.
Sound checks can be tough to manage when a lot of people are present because not everyone has good
sound check “etiquette.” One way of alleviating the amount of confusion onstage is to sta er the arrival time
of the musicians. For example, have the drummer and bassist show up before the rest of the group so you
can place mics on the drum kit, patch them and test the lines without everyone else standing around waiting,
and possibly making a lot of distracting noise. While it’s tempting to place mics on the drums before the
drummer arrives, it can be counterproductive because the drummer may want to move drums or cymbal
stands and the mic stands might be in the way, so give the drummer time to settle in before you start putting
up mics.
Once you have the input levels set, you can make adjustments to the monitor mixes and house mix. Many live
sound engineers build their house mix starting with the drums and bass, but constructing a mix around the
vocals is equally effective. Slowly add instruments into the mix one at a time so you can get a feel for how the
PA system interacts with the room. If you’re using a digital mixer, don’t forget to save the scene after
soundcheck has finished — and back it up to a thumb drive for safety!
6. BE SMART
If you’re using a digital mixer, be aware that there are apps for smart devices that allow wireless remote control
over your mix so you can walk around the room and make adjustments to the sound while listening in various
locations — even stand onstage in front of a monitor while making adjustments to the monitor mix or ringing it
out. There are several free StageMix apps designed to control various Yamaha digital mixers. Some can even be
set up with “permissions,” allowing each musician to control their own monitor mix.

The TF StageMix app provides smart device control over Yamaha TF Series mixers.
7. MAKE A LIST
No matter how many gigs you have under your belt, it never hurts to make a list of what you’ll need for the
show and tape it to the inside of your work box. It’s easy to forget things like AC power strips, extension cords
or extra cables, and you don’t want to be scrambling to find those items at the last minute. A little planning
goes a long way in making sure you have a smooth sound check … and a great gig!

Check out our other Tools of the Trade postings.

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