Sound Checks

Why do you need to explain a sound check? It’s pretty self explanatory

Sound checks are pretty self explanatory, you just check your sound. Simple? Well then why do even the most famous bands in the world take really long sound checks? Well the answer is simple: they want the best sound for them on the stage, while having a really great sound for the audience. They want to hear themselves, and make sure the crowd gets a good mix of all the players on the stage.

What should I do during sound checks?

Make sure your sound level is at a good one for your hearing pleasure. If you hear too much bass, or not enough bass, or too much guitar, or way to much drums, tell the sound guy! It’s his/her job to make sure you like the sound you’re getting up on stage. Also, testing your mic is a really important part of a sound check. Don’t be afraid to talk, or sing in the mic as loud as you need to, they want an accurate measure of how loud you’re going to sing, so that they can adjust the mics to fit your vocal needs.

Steps to take:

When doing a sound check, make sure you have a mix you like
Don’t be afraid to turn your stuff up to the volume you usually play at
Figure out how much of each instrument you like best in your monitors so you know what you’ll want next time

You may wonder, why does having a good mix in your monitors matter anyway? As long as I can hear the other instruments, it doesn’t matter. Well that’s very true. But if you’ve played a larger gig before, you’ll know that stuff is so loud, that sometimes you won’t be able to hear all the instruments equally, and that’s why having a good monitor mix is really important. If you like hearing yourself, or none of yourself, that’s up to you, whichever helps you play best.

In summary:

Sound checks are supposed to benefit you, take advantage of that, make sure you like the mix
Sing and play like you usually do so the sound guy can get an accurate idea of how loud you usually are
Get a mix you like in your monitors, don’t not say anything because you’re embarrassed, it’s the sound guys’ job to make sure you like the mix you have