I don’t know how many times this has happened to me. I head to a concert expecting to hear a great group that I will have previously listened to by way of electronic media. I will have fallen in love with their voices, lyrics, and instrumental blend. As I approach the venue, however, I am assaulted with two dominant sounds – kick drum and bass. I remember a public concert in Orlando where I just turned away before the main act ever made the stage because I hadn’t come to listen to the monotonous pile-driving sound produced by those two instruments alone.

This doesn’t happen all the time, and I’m here to attest that good sound reinforcement is a difficult business. I spent many years in the trade trying to help bands sound as good as they possibly could, taking some satisfaction when the product soared. Sometimes I suffered with the band when their sound wasn’t all that they hoped it would be. Over time, I developed a pretty good sense of what I thought good live sound should include:

1. Every voice and instrument should be clearly heard. If an instrument is in the group, I think it is there for a reason. I’m going to try to make sure it is represented clearly in the mix.

2. Voice and melody should take the high road. I think people are attracted to voices and melodies. After a song is over, many people go around singing a chorus, or humming a melody. I’m going to try to make the voices strong but lyrical, allowing audiences to understand what is being sung. I will try to ensure that melody instruments maintain a clear voice that cuts cleanly through all the background.

3. Rhythm instruments need to provide a nest for lead voices and melody instruments. I love a rich rhythm guitar or a solid piano, but I like them under voices and melody instruments, supporting those sounds firmly and reliably. There are times when rhythm guitar and piano become melody instruments, and I change the mix a little when that happens. I know that drums and bass are considered rhythm instruments as well, but I want to treat them separately.

4. Drums and bass should provide a backbone that allows the whole band to rise. First of all drums and bass are instruments, and they need to be heard in collaboration with other instruments. Drums and bass give tempo to the music, moving it at the pace it needs to go. Drums and bass should be heard, and even felt, but they should never drown out the other facets of the band. The drums and the bass, when played well, add excitement and energy in just the right amounts and at just the right times. I want to give the bass and percussion plenty of power, but I want them to use that power judiciously to lift the whole band, never to subdue the other parts.

5. Louder is not always better. If the sound starts out at jet-engine decibel levels, there’s no place to go. When the excitement grows, I want the music to swell also. The last song of the night should sound like the last song, and the electricity should be felt throughout the audience. Or the last song can be equally effective if it is a soft ballad, lifting the audience on spiritual wings.

When Sound Traveler is performing on an unfamiliar sound stage, I make it a point to thank the sound people when they’ve done a good job. When you go to a concert that you like, try to find the sound engineer and let him or her know that you appreciate the effort that went into the sound reinforcement. It’s not an easy job, and it is difficult to keep everyone happy. When the sound is good, though, everyone wins. – Bob Tatum

Sound Traveler will be in Old Eau Gallie this coming weekend playing at the 2nd Sundays in the Park. We are the featured performers, and I think it should be fun. Check the schedule for details. We are also preparing for a video shoot at Full Sail University in the next month.

To respond to this web posting, click on the title of the post (SongTravelin’: 02.09.11 – Uptown Sound) and scroll down. You’ll see what to do.

4 Comments to “SongTravelin’: 02.09.11 – Uptown Sound”

• February 9, 2011 at 9:32 am
  Jacques says:

  The goal of all sound reinforcement is simple. Make the audience forget that the speakers and huge amplifiers are there. What would it sound like if you had the band in your living room, playing their instruments at their desired volume for that setting? Sound engineers should attempt to duplicate that same experience on the larger stage. I’m sure it is a more difficult process, but it is the one that makes the most sense. When you listen to a CD, the sound levels are right whether you turn the overall volume high or low. Make the concert levels sound like CD levels.
• February 9, 2011 at 11:13 am
  Ed says:

  Last point first: I always find the sound engineer after a sweet sounding performance. As you and I know, Bob, a good sound guy can make a band sound better than they really are.

  I once went to a concert at the Savannah Civic Center Arena , the home of tremendous acoustical innovation…not. The bands were 38 Special, Molly Hatchet, and The Charlie daniels Band.

  When 38 and Molly played, there was a wall of superheated noise that could be felt, much like the long haired fella sitting in his easy chair in front of the speakers on the Memorex commercials. No differences in notes, instruments, voices…just one obnoxious wall that literally held you motionless in your seat. When the song ended, you took a deep breath as if able to do so for the first time since the song began. Then seconds later, next song, and again, plastered to your seat.

  Then, after a short recpit…wrespuit..re….intermission, The Charlie Daniels Band. During the break, the roadies removed almost all of the wall to wall speakers and left the CDB with not much more than what The Beatles used to use. The music? I could converse with my date. Every word crystal clear, and since Charlie tells stories, that was a necessity. Each instrument identifable as guitar harmonica bass drums, and of course, fiddle.

  Someone who knows how to create the proper sound is as much a member of the band as anyone singing or playing an instrument. Something I wish I had learned earlier on in musical presentation.
• February 9, 2011 at 1:07 pm
  Bob says:

  Great story. Real musicians, like Charlie Daniels, tend to insist on better sound. When we heard Merle Haggard at the King Center, the sound was ideal. As with Charlie Daniels, we could comment clearly to each other, the audience could clearly hear Merle,and he could hear and respond to the audience.

  I ran sound for Stella Parton a few years ago at a local fair. She introduced me from the stage as if I were a part of the band. In fact, when I was cleaning up that night after the performance, an audience member came up and asked me how long it would take me to get back to Nashville. He thought I actually was part of the band.
• March 9, 2011 at 9:12 am
  Karen I says:

  Fantastic post.Thanks Again.