Live Sound: A Handbook for Sound Engineers and Performers
(be they amateur or professional)
Preface & Introduction:
Foreword
Introduction
How this Handbook is Organized
Author’s Footnote
Part I: The Pragmatic
General Considerations:
KISS or Keep It Simple
Pre Launch Checkout
Types of Sound Events
The enemy: Feedback
Performers Who Want to Run Their own board
Microphone Simplicity
Coiling Cables
Terminology
What is a Fader?
What is gain?
What is a snake ?
What is a DI box ?
What is a dB?
XLR
Phantom Power
TS and TRS (or ¼” phone plugs)
SpeakOn Connector
Wet Sound Dry Sound
DeEsser or DeSibilization
Guide to Sound Terms
The Stereo Mess
Cables using ¼” TS (phone) Plugs
Gaff Tape is Not Duck Tape
Safety
Soundboard Basics
Basic Sound Board (oversimplified), Input or Left Side of the board
Basic Sound Board (oversimplified), Main Output (right) Side
Case Study of a Board, the good bad and the ugly
Digital Boards
Routing 101
Microphone Organization: Have a plan
Reverb
Speakers
Main Speakers
Subwoofers
Monitors
Column Arrays
Clean Sound
Hum Busting
Protecting Microphones from Wind and Hard Breathing and Other Tips
Microphones Worn on Your Body
Do not try to fix what you have no control over
Why Did it Go Wrong?
Part II: Notes on Live Sound for Journeyman Sound Engineers
General
The Functions of Live Sound
Basic Rules for Live Sound
Human Hearing (music)
Why Center Sound?
Line vs Microphone Level:
DI Boxes
Another use for a special DI box:
Setting Up the Room
Where and How high should the speaker be?
Subwoofers
Main Speaker Strategy
EQ, Effects, and the Mix
Tuning the Room (via the seat of your pants)
Reverberation and Free Fields
Dynamics
Using Multiple Boards
Cursed Feedback
Monitors without Feedback
Microphones
Mic’s in General
The Problem with Supercardioid Microphones
Miking Drums
Miking Electric Guitars
Mid-Side
Headsets
Lapel Microphones
Instrument Mics, Pickups, Boundary Mics, and even a word about Shootgun Mics
Going Wireless
Wireless Range
Wireless Microphones:
WIreless Monitors
Virtual control surfaces for mixing
Using smartphone apps to help “tune” the room
Using voice communication between the sound booth and the stage
Lighting control
FX and Your Signal Path
Basic Equipment
Misc
DMX vs XLR Cables
Live Recording
How Good is More Than Good Enough?
In the Very Long Run
Thoughts on Earphones
Vacuum Tubes
Case Studies
Time to Move Up: Designing a Personal Sound System
Tail of Two Stages
The Setup from Hell
Under the Dance Tent
Author's Musings
Part III: A Little Sound Theory (with almost no math)
A Word about Audiophiles
On Sound
What is Sound?
Human Hearing
Sonic Space
Sound in the Near and Far Field
Subwoofers or When Theory won’t let you win!
Using Interference to Work for You
Arrays
Line Arrays
Subwoofer Arrays
A Different Kind of Array: time domain
Sound Generators
Speakers
Cone Speakers:
Compression Horns:
Speakers: Some footnotes:
Microphones
Microphones: A Short History
How Dynamic and Ribbon Microphones Work
Condenser Microphones:
Conductive Sound Microphones:
“Guitar” Magnetic Pickups:
Microphone Arrays:
The Multiple Wireless Microphone Problem
Beyond Basics or what makes one mic worth 6 times more than another good mic?
Cables
The Link between the Microphone and the board: Balanced Cables
The Link Between Amplifiers and Speakers:
What is the difference between 3 pin DMX and 3 pin XLR cables and why is it important?
A word about LRC of a wire:
Feedback & Hum Busting
Feedback
AutoMix
Grounding: Part I
Grounding: Part II
Safe Ground “Lifting”
Hum Busting Part 2:
Using the Gate for Hum Busting, or Squelch by any other name:
Compression (optical and otherwise) :
High Impedance -- Low Impedance Input
Amps
Amplifiers: What is all the fuss about tubes?
Op Amps or Class A Amp?
Class “D” amplifiers … High Efficiency but?
Peak Music Power
Input AC Power to big amps
Miscellaneous
Digital … the brave new world
Frequency Filters (EQ) Basics
Wireless Grounding
Gripper notes or AC Power Input
Why Does a Good DI Box cost so Much Money?
Wav(e) vs MP3
Outtakes and Epilogue
Epilogue:
Part I: War Against Feedback
Part II: Dancing in a Box
Outtakes:
The Sound of Music: Chords, Octaves, and Harmonics
Phase Linear Filters
A Strange Phenomena
PWM in Audio
Tube Preamps
PsychoAcoustics
Changes
Random Thoughts: