What's the common setup for multiple bands with one stage?

[datune]

Hey,

I have been wondering about how things are generally done when it comes to live gigs with different bands.

Let's say there is a single stage, and opposite of the stage the sound booth.

There's several bands that are supposed to play, how does the guy operating the mixing desk manage this?

How does he set the correct levels for each and every instrument for each and every song AND every different band? How does he manage EQ settings for each and every instrument and vocal? Does he get track sheets with level instructions in advance which he programmes into his console?

Does every band bring it's own 19inch rack which simply loops through every channel to the big mixing desk? (so if needed the engineer is able to turn down or up a channel).

What's the most common practice, how is it done?

Thanks!

[equallyscrewed]

alright i do a hell of a lot of live work and it depends on what the crack is with the gear you have.

Most big tours accomodate digital desks where you can save settings for each band and perhaps even each song. I however have never saved settings for particular songs.

This is where live sound is a completely different art form to studio sound, its like playing drums and playing guitar (which i also love). When mixing live shows i always have my fingers on faders adjusting levels as the band are playing. This means from song to song its up to me how the levels effect the dynamic of the show. Even if its just a little local band, ill always listen to their myspace demos to know where the loud parts in their "hits" are.

If theres not a digital desk available, then when sound checking go in reverse order. From Headliner to first on. Just keep notes on gain and fader levels for each act. you rarely have to change the eqs or even the drum mix, but if need be note them down too. Then just change the desk settings inbetween bands.

hope that helps

xcx

[tms8707056]

Rent backline (Drums, Amps, etc.) and attempt to make them play that. If they insist on playing their own amps and kit have a couple of stage hands to position mics and help speed up the transition between bands. Also, a digital mixer would be great to recall the settings for each band. However, that would only work if you can get an appropriate sound check for each band.

[huub]

With big acts and big festivals bands have their own foh and monitor console (and cables and mics and light and video screens) that they bring with em and set up.

[rwhealey]

Sometimes, when a big console is available, the headliners and openers use totally different channels. I think, however, that digital consoles have rendered this unnecessary.

Otherwise, the engineer just has to take notes and make changes as needed.

[Jim vanBergen]

Sometimes FOH is large enough for acts to bring their desks and simply patch into the main show console with L/R/Sub/Talkback and any special drive lines. This is what you'll see at Lollapalooza, Ozzfest, or BIG festivals with big budgets.

Digital consoles DO make it easier, but the patch stays the same. Not all acts have their show on a stick, or for the correct consoole du jour-- and many times it's as simple as saying,

"We're using a festival patch."

The Festival patch can have many forms: you can lay out the show based on a the headliner's input list or the biggest act's input list. For things like CMA or other festivals where few (if any) music acts travel with engineers, it's up to the house or broadcast, monitor & FOH mixers to decide what to do.

Take the first 10-12 inputs and dedicate them for drums & percussion. You don't need a double kick or top & bottom snare unless you want them. Then add several channels for bass, keys, guitar, horns/strings/winds whatever else is unusual, and then several channels of BGV and lead vox, then a few more channels for EFX returns and any other weirdness. Here's an example of a Midas Heritage 3000 layout I used many times that also patches well on a PM5D. On a PM5D, you have a full 48 channels before FX, so you get more extra channels to have the funky stuff you find (multiple tracks, horn sections, african or indian percussion, etc)

The idea behind this is that you try to set out a group of inputs that will work well within a flexible set of guidelines. You can easily use fewer inputs for an act, but just about anything that comes up can easily patch into a dynamic or condenser mic that will be OK, or plug into a DI, and when the act is done, it will convert easily to the next act with minimal problems. If you lay out the stage well, label submults, mics and mic stands, this is a very fast festival rig that records well into 48 channels as well.

1 Kick (clip mic where possible, usually D6, Beta 52 or Beta 91)
2 Snare Bottom -clip mic (or Snare 1 or second kick or kick trigger)
3 Snare Top -clip mic (or snare 2 or snare trigger)
4 Hat (condenser)
5 Rack 1 (clip mic)
6 Rack 2 (clip mic)
7 Floor 1 (clip mic)
8 Floor 2 (clip mic)
9 OH L (Condenser)
10 OH R (Condenser)
11 Ride (Condenser)
12 Drum Spare (I usually prep a DI here for click or machine)
13 Bass Mic (large diaphragm dynamic)
14 Bass DI
15 Guitar SR (mic) SR= Stage Right
16 Guitar C (mic) C= Center Stage
17 Guitar SL (mic) SL= Stage Left
18 Acoustic SR or Lap Steel (DI)
19 Acoustic C or featured instrument (DI)
20 Acoustic SL (DI)
21 Piano/Keys 1 L
22 Piano/Keys 2 R
23 Synth/Keys 1 L
24 Synth/Keys 2 R

Master Section:
VCA/DCAs:
A: Drums
B: Hat/OHs
C: Bass
D: Guitars
E: Keys
F: BGVox
G: Lead Vox
H: EFX

25 BGVox US SR
26 BGVox US Drum riser
27 BGVox US SL
28 Front Vox SR
29 Front Vox/Fiddle/Wwind CSR
30 Front Vox C (star vox)
31 Front Vox/Fiddle/Wwind CSL
32 Front Vox CSL
33. Spare dynamic
34. Spare dynamic
35. Spare condenser
36. Spare condenser
37. Spare DI
38. Spare DI
39-40 Band Verb
41-42 Verb 2
43-44 Verb 3
45-46 Digital Delay
47-48 Harmonizer/Pitch Shift

Hope this makes sense!


JvB

[Remoteness]

It's been said above -- Festival patch; multiple desks and/or digital desks.

It's pretty much the standard practice globally.

[datune]

thanks!
jim, thanks a lot for sharing

[Jim vanBergen]

You're quite welcome. I hope it helps!
JvB

[Jay Kahrs]

Originally Posted by Jim vanBergen

Sometimes FOH is large enough for acts to bring their desks and simply patch into the main show console with L/R/Sub/Talkback and any special drive lines. This is what you'll see at Lollapalooza, Ozzfest, or BIG festivals with big budgets.

Digital consoles DO make it easier, but the patch stays the same. Not all acts have their show on a stick, or for the correct consoole du jour-- and many times it's as simple as saying,

"We're using a festival patch."

The other side of this is that often at festival there isn't time to do a full sound check for each band. There might be an hour to an hour and a half to strike one act and get the next one up and checked. Having a festival patch is the only way to fly... you get 20 minutes for a line check, if that! Any deviations from the festival patch are discussed well in advance, input lists & production requirements are usually in weeks before a big date.

Each acts engineer will have their own outboard gear patches. Some of us carry a rack with specific processors for inserts & FX on the money channels like lead vocals. Generally the house EQ, processing & zones aren't touched...