MIXING MADE EASIER
This is the second entry in a series, trying to bring the
concept of live mixing to
everyone on an understandable level. However, I preface with,
and as you should
understand from reading, knowing a little bit about mixing doesn't
necessarily open
the door for new audio engineers. Any performing musician can
tell the perils of
having different caliber individuals behind the console.
The Basic Configuration (part 2)
Your snake is patched in to your board and your Effects, Amps,
and EQs are ready to
work. You need to to set up mics. The mic order you choose is
for your convienience
and easier opperation. I with my drum mics (kick, snare, hi-hat,
tom, tom, tom,
overheads). Then, I put in guitars in the order I see them on
stage. After all
instruments are in, I put vocals in the last few band channels.
When possible, I
leave a channel or two open in between each section just in case
we have a problem
with the mixer and need to shift channels. This setup puts the
faders used the most
near the right side of the mixer with the main faders and my
effects rack.
As for the actual micing methods...drums are best miced at the
head, with mics made
specifically for drums. Unless the band is using guitar pods,
guitar amps are best
miced near the ouside edge of the speaker with an instrument
mic or SM57. The bass
guitar, amp or no amp, needs to go into a DI ("direct box"-
it pads the signal to
make it more usable). With the bass going into the DI, the line
level output going
to the amp or nowhere, and the mic level output going to the
board, the bassist
still gets the pleasure of hearing him/herself through the amp,
while the sound
engineer gets a clean sound directly from the bass. Doing this
also cuts down on the
number of open mics on stage, reducing the chance of feedback.
Although this type of
micing works on guitars as well, guitarists usually want the
audience to here the
distinctive sounds of his/her amp. Vocals are best miced with
SM58s or beta58s.