reduction of around 6 dB .
• If it ’ s necessary , make up lost gain with the output control .
PANNING When all instruments are panned to the center , it ’ s possible for each part to be heard , but the overall sound isn ’ t natural or spatially interesting . Many sound operators prefer to setup the FOH system in a mono configuration because it ’ s really the only way to guarantee the entire house gets the same mix , of course not accounting for on-stage volume from acoustic drums and guitar amplifiers . Another consideration crops up in a large venue with several different zone-coverage needs . It ’ s impractical , for example , to cover the left , mid , and right zones of the middle balcony behind the stage with even stereo coverage .
In the majority of normal sound reinforcement applications , using simple panning helps build a more interesting audio picture . In a live sound application , it might not workable to pan the guitar and keys very far apart in the mix ; but , it ’ s instructive to hear the difference it makes when they ’ re slightly panned apart . Creating a small window in the mix for lead and backing vocals is a very positive benefit of a stereo FOH mix .
It might be safest to build a fundamentally mono mix with stereo reverberation and delay effects . The stereo effects returns create a dimensional width that doesn ’ t confuse the instrument placement or compete with the instrumental or vocal sounds . When using a stereo FOH system , it ’ s very effective to pan the lead vocal center and the backing vocals just off center to the right and left — try keeping all vocals between 11:00 and 1:00 . Opening up that small hole in the center for the lead vocal helps keep the focal point on the lead singer and it helps communicate the power of the lyrics in a full mix .
REVERBERATION Stereo reverb is designed to have slightly different combinations of reflections and tonal character from left to right . A stereo reverb is helpful in opening up the stereo spectrum and leaving more space for the music . Even when applied to a mono source , such as a lead vocal or guitar channel , it creates a depth to the mix that isn ’ t matched by mono reverberation . However , mono reverberation can be useful when placing an instrument or voice within one area of a large stereo image . But , generally , stereo reverberation is preferable .
TYPE AND CHARACTER Warmer hall reverberation sounds tend to work best on vocals because more naturally they fill in the sound . Imagine a live singer in a welldesigned concert hall . By the time the vocal sound has made its way around the hall , most of the high frequencies have been absorbed by plush chairs , curtains , and people . Plate reverb algorithms contain a good amount of high -frequencies. Therefore they can accentuate sibilance and vocal transients in an unnaturalsounding way . That doesn ’ t mean that plate sounds are always bad for the vocal sound , but when using a plate reverb , it ’ s almost always necessary to roll the high frequencies back to create a natural and full texture .
PREDELAY Predelay , the time from the onset of the source to the onset of the reverb , is one of the most important reverb parameters . Delaying the reverb keeps the source sound ( vocal in this case ) dry — at least subliminally — to the listener , but the reverb comes along behind the vocal with all of its warmth and character . The effect for the listener is that the vocalist is right in front of them but there ’ s still the sound of a hall . Predelay settings between about 50 and 130 ms are commonly used on live as well as studio vocals .
COMBINING WET AND DRY If you ’ re designing textures with multiple instruments performing the same musical part , it isn ’ t usually necessary to add reverb to all pieces of the texture . In fact , the overall image can change substantially depending on what part of the texture you send to the reverb . If you have similar timbres in the different sounds you ’ re layering , try adding reverb only to certain sounds .
As a practical example , it ’ s common in the chorus of most songs for both the lead vocal and BGVs to the section together , in harmony or in unison . When this scenario occurs with vocals or other textures , you need to determine which part of the texture you want to be in front of the other parts . With the vocal chorus section , try adding reverb to the background
vocals , but leaving the lead vocal dry . The fact that the background vocals have a similar timbre to the lead vocal will give the impression there is reverberation on all the vocals , including the lead part , because the other parts will activate the reverb . But the overall impression to the listener will be that the lead vocal seems more present — closer to the listener — in the mix . This technique is commonly used in the recording industry but is also extremely useful when creating a live mix .
See a video of this exact process : The Chad Hollister Band , “ Eyes ” from Telefunken ’ s Live from Lab Season 2 .
www . t- funk . com
Bill Gibson Instructor at The Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences ( Gilbert , Arizona ), Berklee College of Music Online ( Boston , MA ), content creator for LinkedIn Learning , and author of more than forty books and videos about live sound and studio recording . Most recent book releases : The Ultimate Live Sound Operator ’ s Handbook , 3rd Edition , and The First 50 Recording Techniques You Should Know to Track Music . He also just finished a book with Al Schmitt , Chuck Ainlay , Ed Cherney , Elliot Scheiner , Frank Filipetti , George Massenburg , and Niko Bolas titled Recording and Mixing Drums . This article is adapted from Gibson ’ s new series , The Audio Maniac ’ s Guide to Recording Music .