Sound checks

AZslim

Senior Member
All,
I was wondering what you like to do for sound checks. Do you like playing part of the loudest song in the set? The softest? In between? I would think that the loudest one would be best because if can hear well then, you should be able to hear well when it's softer. Thoughts?
 
The engineer would ask me for each element so I'd play it in my dynamic range. Then he'd ask me to go around the kit like I would in the gig.

"Okay, that's good. Voca ..."

"Hang on ... what about the toms? I can't hear them!"

"Sorry, not enough mics ... okay ... vocals ... one tsoo one tsoo ..."
 
We travel with our own soundguy, and by doing that, you can work on techniques for better/faster/more efficient sound checks.
I've built a basic drum warmup pattern for sound checks that I use, and while I'm doing that, he's bringing up levels. By the time I'm done with my warmup, he's pretty close with his levels. Then, at the end, if we need to, we do a few singles on things that need some form of treatment [gating, eq'ing, etc], and we're finished. He knows what I like in my monitors [me, mostly], and he's a drummer as well, so if there's something wrong that he needs to hear for himself, he can grab the sticks and play and hear. Great bonus and really comes in handy. He discovers blown monitors like that all the time.

Dynamically, during that pattern I go through the range. I start off at a mid-tempo, basic pattern played at a standard volume. As I play the pattern, I focus on one part of the kit for emphasis. The beginning kick/snare/hat part will start as a money beat, eventually working it's way to a more complicated beat so he can hear if things are making it through the P.A. with distinction. As I move on, he makes adjustments, and usually we're both finished right at the same time. Further into the pattern, it ramps up in intensity, and he rolls back levels if he needs to at that point. Then, the last part of the pattern shifts to a fast pattern, a hi-tempo "hey ho let's go" for a few minutes with breaks and fills. During that time he's confirming his gate settings and making last adjustments. And even though that pattern played at that speed is what I do primarily live, it's not what I do in checks. It would be a pain in the rump for a soundman to try to check me if I was playing full-blast punk beats the entire time.

Then we're done.

A lot of soundguys will want you to do singles on the kick, then snare, hat, etc., without playing a full beat until the end. If it's that situation, I give them the singles, but I add things so it'll help him get a mix while he's going. For example: play the kick, pretty much at your top volume or close. Once he's got that and you go to snare, give him the singles, then add an occasional kick as well. He'll be able to compare the two signals and mix accordingly while he's going. Hats, single hits, partially closed, closed, open...with kick hits [and now occasional snare]. Keep going. Focus on what he wants you to hit, and give him good, clean hits for a bit of each. If you play the spectrum, he'll have an easier time dialing you in. And since you play with dynamics, you should make sure those dynamics come through in sound check.

me...again with the coffee...sorry guys....
 
nothing more annoying than bands that treat sound check like a rehearsal

just do a quick line check

then check the band together and get off the stage
 
nothing more annoying than bands that treat sound check like a rehearsal

just do a quick line check

then check the band together and get off the stage

We usually sound check with a chorus or two of "The Chicken" and then skedaddle.
 
nothing more annoying than bands that treat sound check like a rehearsal

just do a quick line check

then check the band together and get off the stage

When you check the band together, what do you play and how loud? Top volume? Meduim? Soft?
 
nothing more annoying than bands that treat sound check like a rehearsal

just do a quick line check

then check the band together and get off the stage

That's my opinion as well. The sound guy has me hit each drum, then play something real quick using all drums. Then they check the instruments and vocals. We do maybe 30 seconds of a song (any song) and bam, done.

Most tweaks will be made during the first song anyway.
 
When you check the band together, what do you play and how loud? Top volume? Meduim? Soft?


play a portion of a tune

I never think about how loud or soft

it is about the cohesion of sounds together not how the drums sound

a sound check should not be something you over think
 
play a portion of a tune

I never think about how loud or soft

it is about the cohesion of sounds together not how the drums sound

a sound check should not be something you over think

Each individual drum gets a whack......whack.......whack whack.......whackackackack.....whack......whack

Then a 4/4 beat with some fills and cymbal work

Band do their sound check....then we play a single song right through fully and properly for the sound guy to mess around with the levels on.

Then we're done.

Seems to be about the norm up here (up here being North West England)
 
nothing more annoying than bands that treat sound check like a rehearsal

just do a quick line check

then check the band together and get off the stage

My brother is in a band where the self-appointed "leader" has two, yes TWO, hour soundchecks. Nobody complains, they just huff and puff and look at their watches. Ridiculous. What's the word/phrase I'm looking for....anal retentive, obsessed, perfectionist that sucks any spontaneity out of the music? Jeez
 
my band very rarely soundchecks anymore. our singer is a wizard at live PA. he tweaks the mix during the first song.

when we do do a sound check its a quick twang on individual instruments. i check whatever is miced on my kit (here's a hint - always play your bass drum a little softer than you will actually be playing it in the gig. i'd rather they turn me down during the show than me beg them to turn it up. and bass is so important to the sound). then i play the kit all together - usually i do 3 bars of 'fool in the rain' a huge all tom fill and a couple of bars of the ride part and then stop. that gives them everything they need and i like playing that song.

j
 
play a portion of a tune

I never think about how loud or soft

it is about the cohesion of sounds together not how the drums sound

a sound check should not be something you over think

Intersting. The reason I brought it up is because I noticed at our last gig we did all this stuff. The people I talked to after the show said the first 2 or three songs sucked soundwise. Well, the room filled up after we checked sound so of course it sounded completely different when we played to a full room. I'm thinking you have a good point. Do it fast because it will need tweaking anyway.
 
My brother is in a band where the self-appointed "leader" has two, yes TWO, hour soundchecks. Nobody complains, they just huff and puff and look at their watches. Ridiculous. What's the word/phrase I'm looking for....anal retentive, obsessed, perfectionist that sucks any spontaneity out of the music? Jeez

You're talking about sound check only being 2 hours, right? Not the setup and stuff? That's crazy.

I've seen professional touring bands do that qutie a few times, while the opening act waits patiently to set their stuff up. But, it is their show, so it's understandable.
 
Intersting. The reason I brought it up is because I noticed at our last gig we did all this stuff. The people I talked to after the show said the first 2 or three songs sucked soundwise. Well, the room filled up after we checked sound so of course it sounded completely different when we played to a full room. I'm thinking you have a good point. Do it fast because it will need tweaking anyway.

none of that is your fault

it is the sound mans fault

if you guys ran a line check...then checked the whole band and the first 3 songs still sounded like garbage

that is a garbage sound man

either that or he just didn't care enough to make you guys sound good......which is a pretty common thing sometimes unfortunately
 
We fall into the same category - we perform a line check, monitor check, and for my drum check, it's as simple as getting the levels/sound/gating, etc. on the snare, toms, and overheads. I then play the entire kit with a simple beat and make sure to do a simple roll and hit a cymbal or two. That's it. We don't even play a song.

What I'd like to add to this, even though it's not part of the main topic, are drummers who think it's a mini "solo time" during the drum portion of the sound check. It's not neccessary and to me amounts to nothing more than someone trying to show off - whether they have the chops or not...
 
All,
I was wondering what you like to do for sound checks. Do you like playing part of the loudest song in the set? The softest? In between? I would think that the loudest one would be best because if can hear well then, you should be able to hear well when it's softer. Thoughts?


We just had this discussion last night. Our theory was to start at lower levels to get the mix right. Then, all you have to do is turn up the master volume.

At this point, it's only a theory.
 
Depends on the instrumentation, whether the sound people travel with the band, whether there are monitors and possibly clicks, whether the board/s travel with the band (and whether they are programmable or subject to knobs and buttons being changed...) and of course every room is different.

Our routine on the road varies a bit, we used to not sound check at all. Crew would do a line check, tune the p.a. to the room with some favorite CDs, and the band's sound and mix would fall into place accordingly (we carry production so everything's consistent night after night, and from leg to leg.) Currently, the crew does a line check, runs some CDs for general room sound, and then the band does 2 songs for a check. Those particular songs include every possible scenario for the show: guitar, bass, drums, banjo, accordion, keys, clicks and tracks, vocals from all, and video cues. Takes maybe 8-10 minutes.

Bermuda
 
..when we do do a sound check its a quick twang on individual instruments. i check whatever is miced on my kit (here's a hint - always play your bass drum a little softer than you will actually be playing it in the gig. i'd rather they turn me down during the show than me beg them to turn it up. and bass is so important to the sound). j

+1 on the bass drum tip

A sound guy will almost always turn you down if necessary, but getting your kick level up once you start doesn't always happen when you're doing a one-off with a sound guy that's not on your nickel.

I usually do a steady 10 second or so boom bat on the kick and snare and then another 10 seconds with a really slow double stroke roll around the toms and cymbals. Play a simple 4/4 at medium tempo at a strong volume. On a scale of 1 to 10, at about a 6.

Then I stop and see what anybody else want or needs. No noodling, no messing around, no solos, chops or licks.
 
What I'd like to add to this, even though it's not part of the main topic, are drummers who think it's a mini "solo time" during the drum portion of the sound check. It's not neccessary and to me amounts to nothing more than someone trying to show off - whether they have the chops or not...

100% agreed, this is my ultimate nag when bands are sound checking. It doesn't do anything to help the sound engineer because the notes are flying out so fast and randomly, there's no anchor point to balance the levels off each other. It is literally that as well, showing off, like there's a need to "scare the competition". Say what you have to say about yourself through your music, am I right?

Something I do like to do after I've got set-up is to play no more than TWO bars, just to see what the set is sounding like in that room and what to retune/tweek slightly. Nothing worse than having to stop half way through a sound check because you realise the tuning of the snare (or whichever drum) is off with the room. It wastes time and re-tuning after sound check could mean the sound engineer has to re-dial the set.

Hope everyone is having a great start to their weekend! and happy gigging for those who are :)

Kev
 
nothing more annoying than bands that treat sound check like a rehearsal

just do a quick line check

then check the band together and get off the stage

this. Pound each drum, do about 5 bars, adjust my IEMs - go get some dinner.


F
 
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