The Perfect Sound Engineer

 

In most live performances, the man behind the controls plays the biggest role though he/she stays behind. The final balance will affect a final performance whether it is an orchestral event or a drama. or a live band set-up.

Generally, an audience comprises of the lovers of that event, invited guests, and 5% of people who know something about music.

A critical ear will always hear when a performance is in balance or not though they do not understand the technical side of it.

The back line of a stage will determine how that performance will be, for example, a guitar with old strings will sound dead than a guitar with a new set of strings. in situations like this, the engineer should stay on the frequency chart never trying to get the sound right by increasing frequencies.

Just check the chart below.

Any frequency that will go beyond these limits will produce disastrous results. The same will apply to a drum set that produces cross-talk as most of them are assembled together. The toms will be on top of the bass drum. If an unwanted frequency is opting to produce an overtone, the engineer should first identify which part of the drum set is making that overtone before attempting to reduce it. The following chart will give you a basic idea of the frequencies according to the overtone note.

 An engineer should always have cleaned ears. Wet cleaning is advised. In creating good sound, a musician should always remember that a good engineer will always produce better results than a musician. When it comes to a full orchestral environment with so many microphones involved, a good engineer will stay put accordingly to the frequency range of the instruments. When it comes to a drama, the engineer will have very distinct stereo separations to bring life to the drama.

If you do not have more than five years of experience in sound creation as an audio engineer, we recommend that you follow the following engineers for guidance as they are a few of the best audio engineers in the world.

 1. Rob Kirwan

2. Sergio Prezioso

3. Eddie Corvin

4. Brandon Bell

5. Antony King

All in all, a man who knows about sound mixing whether it is a FOH or Monitor mix will know exactly what to do in any situation where sound is concerned.

Please remember, your ear differs from any other but a final result will soothe the ears of the audience.

(Copied from Live audio engineer)