FRONT OF HOUSE
LAYOUTS AND LOGIC | Kent Morris
Live sound success is based on managing the pressure and stress accompanying responsibility for the event . It centers on how capable and prepared you as an audio engineer are for the unseen obstacles every live event creates . Knowing how to prepare for the unknown is the key to longevity in this business .
Long before the first note is generated , the sound system must be configured for the event . A system check is essential and should include testing and confirming each segment of the system is operating as intended . From mics to line inputs and then from console to DSP and on to amps and speakers , each section needs to have throughput verified . Most of the time every item works as planned , but occasionally , a bad cable or defective direct box becomes evident and can be easily swapped before rehearsal . The danger for veteran engineers is the tendency to “ blow through ” the testing since , “ it ’ s always worked before ” and then missing an issue . As tedious as it is , take the time to walk patiently through each item and cable before the service while the stress is absent .
Part of the line check process on a digital console includes confirming patches are working correctly . With the standard X-Y grid patch page design , parallax makes it easy to unintentionally tie input 43 to output 51 instead of the intended 50 . Patching should be accomplished ahead of time , but last-minute changes do occur , making it imperative to walk through the patching in reverse order since it is easy to visually assume in ascending order when time is tight , but easier to catch mistakes when verified in reverse order .
Additionally , having a logical layout on the console for a particular event is essential to realtime success once the event is underway and stopping is not an option . For instance , during set-up , if the console has enough I / O , double patching and splitting the monitor channels from the mains allows easy manipulation of each monitor mix from an iPad working off the same DSP as the mains , but with local control of parameters . Naturally , a separate monitor desk is preferred , but often not feasible in the budget . Having the monitor engineer run IEMs from the iPad while the FOH engineer is on the desk surface keeps workflows clean and allows each person their own physical space .
When the I / O stage boxes perform their inevitable crash-and-burn , the fast fix is to reboot , but doing so may cause unforeseen issues such as incorrect realignment with the desk and retro initialization back to a raw state without the settings of the particular application intact . If the stage box is shared with another console , before rebooting , first check to see if both desks are experiencing the same problem . If so , then rebooting the stage box makes sense , but if not , it may be better to pull the affected console back to its previous working snapshot or scene . Reboot the stage boxes only if this “ undo ” on the desk doesn ’ t resolve the issue .
Finally , understand AC power is both a friend and an enemy . Stable power is essential to digital consoles and its inclusion should take priority over plug-in purchases and additional wireless systems . True sine wave battery
102 August 2024 Subscribe for Free ...