Live sound mixing

Live sound mixing is the art of combining and processing a number of audio signals together to create a "mix" that the audience or performers at a live show hear. There are two types of live sound mixing: Front of House (FOH) and Monitor mixing.

Whenever sound reinforcement is needed for a live performance of either music, theater, or spoken word, a sound system is set up to provide this reinforcement. This sound system generally comprises a number of microphones on the stage, a mixing board, a number of speakers, often a number of audio processing devices, and the cabling to connect all of these components. For smaller venues and sound systems, the performer(s) often do not need a live sound engineer to operate the system during their performance. But when the venue and complexity of the sound system reaches a certain size, at least one live sound engineer is needed to operate the system. A live sound engineer refers to a person that is experienced in the set up and operation of a sound reinforcement system.

For mid sized venues and sound systems, usually only one live sound engineer is needed to mix the sound. When only one engineer is present, both the Front of House mix and the Monitor mix are done by the one engineer with one mixing board at the Front of House position. For larger sound systems and venues, at least two engineers and a number of technicians are required to run the system. The two primary engineers are the Front of House engineer and the Monitor Engineer. The Front of House engineer mixes the sound that the audience hears in the house and the Monitor engineer mixes the sound that the performers hear on stage.

The monitor engineer

A monitor engineer and console at an outdoor event

The Monitor engineer's role is most essential at music events as opposed to spoken word events. In most cases, each performer on stage has their own individual mix that is custom tailored by the monitor engineer to suit their audio needs. The monitor engineer is then faced with the challenge of pleasing anywhere from 4, 10, or maybe even more musicians with a good mix. Though monitor speakers are still in use today, the newest and highest quality monitor system is what is known as an In Ear Monitor (IEM) system. In Ear Monitors are those hearing aid type devices that you see your favorite rock stars wearing at their performances. These are basically a pair of headphones that are custom molded for the musicians individuals ears and therefore greatly reduces the outside noise that the performer hears. This isolation protects the musicians ears from getting damaged from the long durations of high volumes that they are subjected to on a large stage. It also allows them to hear their individual mix with more clarity. At the largest and highest budgeted of concert events, each musician is hearing their own individual in ear mix. This involves much more than simply mixing the sound, but requires a great deal of additional audio processing to increase the quality of the performer's mix and therefore encourage them to perform at their best.

The front of house engineer

An FOH console at an outdoor event

Whilst all the chaos is going on backstage with the monitor engineer, the Front of House engineer mixes the house sound for the audience at the back of the venue known as the "Front of House Position." The Front of House engineer (commonly known as the "noise boy" or "sound guy") uses a variety of processors and effects to tailor a musical and high quality mix of the performance that is being done on stage. Just as the monitor engineer is, they are constantly adjusting the volume of each instrument or voice on stage and are constantly adding and adjusting various effects for the musical requirements of the song. The efforts of the Front of House engineer often go unnoticed when the sound is good due to the fact that a well mixed show will sound natural to the general public and will not sound like anything is being done other than simple amplification of the music on stage, which is not at all the only thing going on.

Set up, tear down, and techs

The other duty that the live sound engineer serves is the set up and tear down of these sound reinforcement systems. For large tours and events, this is a long (sometimes multiple day) and strenuous process. It usually involves getting to the venue much much earlier than the performers with a semi truck load of gear and unloading and setting up this often heavy equipment quickly. Of course, the two engineers could never do this alone, as they are assisted by a number of audio techs that are responsible for maintaining the system during the show whilst the engineers focus on mixing the show and getting the best sounding mix that they can. After the show is done, the live sound engineers and techs must tear down and put away this large sound system and the reload it into the truck for the next show on the tour. The tear down process always ends up taking much less time than the set up process and usually only takes a few hours. Of course, as all this is going on with the sound system, there are many other aspects of the show going on to consider such as the concert lighting, backline, catering, artist management, merchandising, security, and audience direction just to list a few.

Live sound mixing is an artform in its own as there are a number of different ways that the mix can be done and a number of different ways that it can sound. The live sound engineer usually has a music sense of some sort so that they can make the proper decisions on how to mix different types of music and different types of songs at a concert. It is truly a field that is often overlooked by the general public yet without it, concerts would never be able to approach the size that they have reached today.

See also

• Live sound reproduction

External links

• Audio Engineering Society
• The Acoustical Society of America
• Mix Magazine