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Ed_Millis
Inner circle
Yuma, AZ
1799 Posts
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Posted: Jan 23, 2012 11:57pm
Got a gig tomorrow night in a school auditorium. Probably 200 people in a room maybe 50 x 100 (??? I'm terrible with distances, but 20 would about fill this room). No carpet; people seated on plastic school chairs.
I'm on a 2-foot high platform centered on one long side. I have a low-impedence mic into a powered mixer head, and only one speaker. (It's better than the school's set-up of a high impedence cheap mic with the electrical tape coming off plugged into a guitar amp!)
Since the mixer will be onstage with me, where do you suggest I start with the EQ settings? I've got high-mid-low on the channel and a 7-freq EQ on the main.
Ed
Ed Millis performs amazing Magic Shows in and around Yuma, Arizona. Here's the Family Fun Magic blog on Birthday Party Options in Yuma.
Magic never had it so fun!
In Him - In Business
My other blog.
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Regan
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Inner circle
U.S.A.
5462 Posts
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Posted: Jan 25, 2012 6:53am
Ed, I wish I had seen this sooner. How did it go?
Regan
Mister Mystery
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Ed_Millis
Inner circle
Yuma, AZ
1799 Posts
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Posted: Jan 26, 2012 1:27pm
The show went over well. Everyone enjoyed it. And they all heard me, too, so at least I had the volume set right!! :8>)
Ed
Ed Millis performs amazing Magic Shows in and around Yuma, Arizona. Here's the Family Fun Magic blog on Birthday Party Options in Yuma.
Magic never had it so fun!
In Him - In Business
My other blog.
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Regan
Inner circle
U.S.A.
5462 Posts
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Posted: Jan 27, 2012 10:57am
Glad it went ok. Sorry I didn't see your post in time to offer some help.
Mister Mystery
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Ed_Millis
Inner circle
Yuma, AZ
1799 Posts
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Posted: Jan 29, 2012 12:14pm
Well, I'm hoping this isn't the last time I get on that stage! :8>)
If you have any hints and tips, I'd be grateful.
Ed
Ed Millis performs amazing Magic Shows in and around Yuma, Arizona. Here's the Family Fun Magic blog on Birthday Party Options in Yuma.
Magic never had it so fun!
In Him - In Business
My other blog.
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Regan
Inner circle
U.S.A.
5462 Posts
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Posted: Jan 30, 2012 10:05am
Ed, an auditorium acoustics can be good or bad. Sometimes good acoustics that carry sound well can cause EQ problems. A gymnasium or an auditorium with good acoustics is going to have a lot of natural reverberation and echo. It can sound great, but too much of it combined with too much volume, or too much of certain frequencies, and effects can cause feedback and 'muddy' sound.
Sound carrying well in such places is a good thing, and that means you can probably turn your volume down a little. That alone can help control feedback problems. The first thing I do when I prepare to set up a stage in a room is give it my vocal echo test, without any microphone. All I do is speak at various volumes to see how the acoustics are. I use the old standard microphone test words, "Test", and "Check" for this. They work well because of the "t", "st", and "ch" sounds. Its usually easy to tell how much echo and reverb is in the room.
I set up my speakers in a stereo position, and I try to get them in a place where I will not have to walk in front of them. When I power up my system I make sure the volume is down. If the room has lots of natural echo and/or reverb I will turn my effects levels down, or even off. I also choose 'flat' EQ settings. I will gradually turn up the volume as I do the "Test" & "Check" test through a microphone. (Note that said, "gradually turn up the volume". I apply that to everything....volume, tone, effects levels, etc. You can usually hear feedback as it begins and you can quickly turn the knob back down to head it off before it gets too loud)
Anyway, if I get to a desired volume with no feedback that is great, and I can start EQing the channel the mic is plugged into. I listen and determine what it needs (i.e. more bass, less bass, more, highs, etc) and then slowly make adjustments....one parameter at a time! If I get the desired tone I want with no feedback then I'm in good shape. Do the "Test/Check" as you walk around in different positions on the stage. If you are going to be near a speaker during the show, by all means try to duplicate the same position for the test.
If you use any effects, then slowly bring up their levels and test the sound. As I said, some auditoriums can greatly reduce or even eliminate the need for reverb and delay.
Once you get to this point you can EQ the overall mix. Also, it's a good time to slooooowly raise the master volume and make sure feedback is not close to occurring. I like to have some headroom in case I need to turn up after the show starts. If you can turn up some without any feedback, then you are in great shape.
Remember, the room will sound different once it fills up with people! An audience will kill some of the sound reflections and sound less reverberated and have less echo than an empty room will. A lot depends on the size of the audience and the acoustics of the room, and everywhere is different.
If you do detect any feedback problems there are many things you can do. First, try to determine the source of the feedback. If it is coming from one mic, then you can adjust the tone or volume. Many times you can hear the general frequency of the feedback....a low moan may have too much bass and a high-pitched squeal may have too many highs. If you have several channels feeding back, or if you cannot determine a single source of it, then you can try adjusting the main EQ. If you have a satisfactory volume mix on all your channels, you can turn down a little if possible. However, you might not be loud enough, so remember the extra headroom idea!
Speaker positioning is very important too, and repositioning speakers....sometimes even slightly, can do wonders.
Hope this helps for the next time!
Regan
Mister Mystery
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Ed_Millis
Inner circle
Yuma, AZ
1799 Posts
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Posted: Jan 30, 2012 12:59pm
I have run sound boards before for church services, concerts (indoor and outdoor), and conferences. But I was always in back where I could hear and adjust. Now I'm up front, and it's a bit disconcerting. I know that what I hear on stage is *not* what is heard in back after the people absorb all the treble and the metal chairs and bare walls reflect who-knows-what!
It would be great if there was some kind of set-up with a remote-controlled EQ; with a wireless mic I could go to the various corners of the room and remotely tweak the EQ. The only other option I can think of would be 80-foot speaker cords so I can remote the PA head back there for a sound check and then return it to the front with me. Otherwise, I have to trust the echos that get back to me on the stage from the room. It's just something I've not had experience with.
Just never been alone up on stage like that without a sound man to back me up!! Now I get to worry about how I perform AND how I sound!
Ed
Ed Millis performs amazing Magic Shows in and around Yuma, Arizona. Here's the Family Fun Magic blog on Birthday Party Options in Yuma.
Magic never had it so fun!
In Him - In Business
My other blog.
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Dan McLean Jr aka, Magic Roadie
Special user
Toronto, Canada
797 Posts
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Posted: Feb 9, 2012 10:28am
Hello, Ed!
I think what Regan has posted is real good. It will still take practice, though. EQ'ing a PA can be one of the most difficult things for a tech to do, but it's also one of the FIRST things that needs to be learned. It takes years to learn well.
That being said, Your idea to take the mic to the back of the room with you is of limited use for getting a good sound, and is no use for dealing with feedback. The reason for the latter, is that the occurence of feedback is tied to the physical relationship (distance & angles) between the mic(s) and the speaker(s). Therefore, moving the mic to such a dramatically different location will skew things immesurably. Your best bet it to deal with feedback by keeping the mic on the stage, and, as Regan has outlined, being sure to test everything with the mic at every part of the stage that you will use, because there can be bad spots.
EQ'ing for a PA system has two basic applications. One if feedback reduction, which can ONLY be addressed with both the mic(s) & speaker(s) in their performance locations. The other is tonal shaping, which can be handled in a number of ways. The relative positions of the mic(s) & speaker(s) are not as important as for feedback reduction, but the best bet is to follow the same positioning guidelines as for feedback reduction.
All the best in the future!
Dan.
Dan McLean Jr
www.MagicRoadie.com
"Taking the mystery out of stage technology!"
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Ed_Millis
Inner circle
Yuma, AZ
1799 Posts
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Posted: Feb 9, 2012 2:36pm
Feedback wouldn't be the problem; I know how to position the speakers (assuming I get the chance to do it right!).
It's the tonal shaping that I'm thinking about. I have no idea how I'll sound coming out of the speakers into that venue. Never had to EQ my own voice before. :8>O I just want to come through clear.
Ed
Ed Millis performs amazing Magic Shows in and around Yuma, Arizona. Here's the Family Fun Magic blog on Birthday Party Options in Yuma.
Magic never had it so fun!
In Him - In Business
My other blog.
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