help with sound setup for gig.

[grim_rip]

our bands been playing for about a year so were not much experinced http://www.zentao.com/ubb/smilies/eek3.gif

anwyay weve had a couple of gigs back but just a couple of songs or openings for other bands n stuff. but this time we have a gig all on our own.... im supposed to setup the sound n I DONT HAVE A CLUE ABOUT STAGE SOUND SETUP AND LIGHTS or anything for that matter.... http://www.zentao.com/ubb/smilies/confused.gifhttp://www.zentao.com/ubb/smilies/confused.gif

PLEAZZ i really need sum tips or links or ANYTHING that'll help cuz i dont even know the basic stuff about micing amps or drums n stuff.

we have to play indoors in a halll of mayb around 300 or mayb more people... if it helps we play metal.http://www.zentao.com/ubb/smilies/metalhead.gif

i know its too early to b giging for 300 ppl but i dont wanna miss this chance. http://www.zentao.com/ubb/smilies/bounce.gif

[marcosoto]

Hey don't worry about not being experineced, you need to grab the opportunity.

Even if you do sound awful during the gig, don't worry about it, make a comment about it - like "It's music for the deaf" or something.

This hall that you're going to be in - does it have a PA, or are you just going through your amps? Either way, you need to get there early and sound check it. Get teh balance between the vocals and instruments right, get someone to stand at the back of the hall and listen while you do this because you won't be able to tell from on the stage.

Will the drums carry over the amplification - meaning do you really need to mic the drums?

Can't help with lighting though sorry.

I'd suggest you do a search in something like www.google.com (http://www.google.com) for how to's on sound checking to get some better advice than I can give

Good luck.

[dmt]

Ideally, you'd have a wireless guitar setup so that you could go walk to the back of the hall and listen as the band plays it's songs. Otherwise, you'll have to trust someone who isn't in the band to make good musical decisions about volume and sound quality (and visual presentation, if you include lighting).

You'll want to walk to where the audience will be to check for total volume, of course, and balance between the instruments, too. Total volume: Is the band so loud that it's painful, or that the cops will have to come? If you have to turn down seperate instrument amps later, you'll pretty much ruin the hard work you put in on the sound check! On the other hand, is it loud enough to be heard and set the right mood?

Check for balance between instruments. If the rhythm guitarist's amp is set too loud, the audience won't be able to hear the singer well. Usually, the singer is going through a PA. The loudest the PA can play without distorting may set the band's volume limit. Everything else has to be less loud than the singer (lead vocal), except for featured instrumental sections (ex. a lead, or the main riff), which can be of equal volume.

As a guitarist, when you step on a stompbox or amp channel to switch from rhythm to lead, does your lead stand out clearly, or is it "lost in the mix"?

I think you'll quickly get the idea. The other part is can you hear each other on stage? If you can't here the drummer, you might loose the beat! If you can't hear the singer, you might not hear your cue when to come in! Similarly, they may have to hear you to keep the beat and their place in the song. PA "monitors" (extra PA speakers pointing back at the musicians) can help solve these problems.

Good luck, and tell us how it goes!

[grim_rip]

we will have a PA system, and i think we might need to mic the drums cause its a ver LONG hall. besides we'd wanna record the show.
we'd have mayb 4 PA speakers.. and two monitors. (getting lots of sponsors hopefully :smokehttp://www.zentao.com/ubb/smilies/smile.gif

should i keep 1 guitar on one speaker and the other on separate speaker n then bass n drumns n voclas on all four.. or sum other combination instead of having the same output on all four speakers??..
plus i was getin more worried about the wiring n the mixers n all that rather than the sound check, cause we do sound checks at jam sesionz too so i think i can handle that.. but i dunt know the technical stuff like micing amps and mixing n all that...
THANX LOADS for the repliez.