- Banned
- #1
So I've been playing in an electronic band for a few years and we've played a lot of shows in all types of venues from house parties to concert halls to museums to clubs to festivals, with varying results in terms of sound engineering.
In the past, we've always played by sending the live synths and tracks (drum beat, bassline, etc.) to FOH with a stereo DI, and then vocals and guitar as separate lines.
Now I'm wondering if it would be best to send _everything_ separate (i.e. individual parts of the backing track would be sent separately). I don't have any experience doing live sound in a professional capacity, so I'm not sure what FOH engineers would prefer. Instead of one stereo feed, they'd have a lot more to deal with.
It would mean I'd have to buy more gear — I'd need an audio interface that can do 10 inputs and 14 outputs — but if it would mean better results in a live setting, I think it's certainly worth it.
_ALTERNATIVELY_, I could _reduce_ the number of outputs: send the vocals and guitar through the interface, mix them during rehearsal to perfection (I do mix professionally, so just trust me here), and send the sound guy a stereo mix of the entire band. This doesn't _sound_ like a good idea (every room would be different and FOH would have no control at all), but I could be wrong. We've had a range of people doing our sound, some are awful, and some are good, so the idea of being in control ourselves is very enticing but I wouldn't want to jeopardize the sound for the audience.
In the past, we've always played by sending the live synths and tracks (drum beat, bassline, etc.) to FOH with a stereo DI, and then vocals and guitar as separate lines.
Now I'm wondering if it would be best to send _everything_ separate (i.e. individual parts of the backing track would be sent separately). I don't have any experience doing live sound in a professional capacity, so I'm not sure what FOH engineers would prefer. Instead of one stereo feed, they'd have a lot more to deal with.
It would mean I'd have to buy more gear — I'd need an audio interface that can do 10 inputs and 14 outputs — but if it would mean better results in a live setting, I think it's certainly worth it.
_ALTERNATIVELY_, I could _reduce_ the number of outputs: send the vocals and guitar through the interface, mix them during rehearsal to perfection (I do mix professionally, so just trust me here), and send the sound guy a stereo mix of the entire band. This doesn't _sound_ like a good idea (every room would be different and FOH would have no control at all), but I could be wrong. We've had a range of people doing our sound, some are awful, and some are good, so the idea of being in control ourselves is very enticing but I wouldn't want to jeopardize the sound for the audience.