Central Ohio Sound

DIY Recording Help - feeling like tackling the next project on your own? Read this first.

Other Features Coming Soon:

Glossary - learn some of the unfamiliar words used on this site
Frequently Asked Questions - Important information about COS services
Tips on mic use, mixing and recording.

Central Ohio Sound's thoughts on live sound

Have you ever went to a live concert and found yourself blown away by the amount of sound being projected out into the crowd only to find yourself straining to hear some of the instruments or you are unable understand the lead singer's vocals?

Who hasn't been to a concert where the drums and/or bass guitar totally dominated the mix while the rest of the instruments could barely be heard and the vocals could not be understood? I personally have been to too many concerts (and I have been to enough to know that this is typical) where lead vocals are harsh and unnatural, bass guitar disappears in all but a half octave range and background vocals and all other instruments are lost in the mix.

Live concerts serve the purpose of promoting the band, album sales and getting lesser known bands started. The quality of sound amplification at concerts is critical to accomplishing this goal. Do you ever get the feeling that the sound engineers are more concerned about showing off their system than selling records? Who cares how loud and how much bass the sound system has if you can't hear that sweet guitar solo or the beautiful harmonies of the background singers?

My experience has shown me that in a live concert setting the biggest problem is getting the volume levels sound engineers think concert attendees demand, yet still be able to avoid feedback and at the same time have each instrument be able to stand out in its own range.

The live sound engineer may make severe boosts in the eq curve of certain instruments and the vocals in different frequency bands to make them all stand out in their own place in the mix while avoiding feedback by filtering out the higher and lower frequencies which are not part of that instruments range. Although this practice does make for a mix which can be played at extremely high levels with each individual instrument still able to be heard as long as it is playing in the correct range, outside of that normal range that instrument may not be audible at all and it causes each instrument when heard separately, to sound very unnatural. That is why when the bass plays high it is nearly silent and when the lead vocal hits that one or two certain high notes it can reach painful dB levels.

A live rock concert can be 110 dB or louder. (OSHA limits workplace noise exposure to 1/2 hour at 110 dB. Who wants to pay for only a half hour concert?) At that volume your ears are not well equipped to distinguish subtle differences in music because it is at or above the threshold of pain for many listeners and very close to the maximum volume your ears can perceive. At lower average volume levels, the human ear can more clearly and comfortably detect subtle details in the music.

Concert volumes need to compromise between the limits of human hearing and overcoming background noises. Hearing loss in many sound engineers will usually make them compromise on the louder side pushing dB levels which are at or above the threshold of pain for many listeners as well as being in the range which will cause hearing damage. Also, at reduced volumes microphones and instruments are not as close the threshold where feedback is a constant threat.

The solution:

1. Hire Central Ohio Sound for all your portable and installed sound system needs.

2. Reduce background noise - Sound proofing and sound absorbing materials within the venue will reduce background noise including crowd noise.

3. Reduce volume levels - Lower volume will allow a more natural sounding mix as well as preserve the hearing of your engineer so (s)he can continue doing an excellent job and preserve the hearing of your listeners so they can continue enjoying the quality of your band's performance.

4. Reduce stage volume - Use in-ear monitors instead of floor monitors. Your musicians will hear themselves more clearly, they will sound better and there is no danger of sound leakage from the floor monitors into the audience. If you do use monitor wedges, once everyone is able to hear themselves enough over everyone else, reduce overall monitor levels 3-6 dB.

Central Ohio Sound provides the following services to improve your live sound:
Training
Equipment consultation
Mobile PA system
Experienced sound engineer for hire

Contact Central Ohio Sound today for all your live sound needs

DIY Recording Help

Whether you are recording a heavy metal concert, sermon or drama the following principles can be applied to ensure the highest quality recordings.

First of all, use at least one video camera when recording everything. Video is the most effective tool for any performer/public speaker to evaluate and improve his/her own performance.

Second, record your audio separately and in as many separate tracks as possible. There are stand alone recorders and computer hardware capable of recording up to 24 tracks simultaneously. With multiple interfaces even more channels are possible. (You can mix your audio and sync it up with the video later. This will allow you to use video from multiple cameras without fear of inconsistent audio.)

Audio may be recorded directly from the mixer and routed into the recording device. This is the best option for situations where everything is plugged in. Use an extra post-fader Aux send or a sub group out. For multi channel recording use the insert or direct out for each channel.

You may want to add a couple mics hung out in the room to pick up ambient sounds/crowd noise and as an alternative to recording only direct sound. Room mics are a necessity where there is a mix of unplugged/unmic'd and plugged/mic'd in sources.

Third, don't even think about camera audio. Camera mics sound terrible and they pick up mechanical noise inside the camera. The cheap plug-in upgrades at the local electronics store are slightly better but far from ideal. Even with an external mic cameras use auto volume leveling, which is a great feature for amateur home video recording but bad if professional results are desired. If you can find a cheap DV camera with defeatable AVL, a plug in mic may work great for your needs.

Fourth, Use a high grade camera. If possible use one that is high definition, since everything will be HD soon enough anyway. Unfortunately the next step up from the $300-$600 cameras in your local electronics store is a semi-pro $2000 and up model. Even though they are expensive the extra features and quality are worth the expense whenever professional results are needed. Many of cameras in this price range offer xlr mic inputs with level adjustment and some have an option to turn off auto volume leveling.

Of course the best way to ensure you are getting the best recordings is to contact Central Ohio Sound today.