Getting organized with several bands on stage ...

[Petzi]

I've faced issues when being in charge of the sound few days ago.

The stage was in a church, for a Christmas celebration; different churches were gathered, and each one had a set made of few songs. Each band had a couple of singers, instruments, ... There was nearly no delay allowed between two sets. All mikes/instruments where assigned to a (fixed) plug.

The console I use is a Yamaha O2R, so I can record the setups and individual mike settings too. I can easily recall presets for a band, provided the mikes are all at the same place (I had a multicore cable on the stage).

Of course, last minute changes were made, and this ruined my setups :-( One band got invited without having gone through the sound check, and of course unplugged most mikes to put additional instruments for their set, didn't put the mikes back to their previous plugs for the next band properly, ... Stored setups were of no use :-(

For the next bands, I had to figure out who was where, and play with gain, EQ, ... on the fly, which led to my frustration.

What I am looking for is to know how pros organise the stage itself, to minimize the impact of changes on the stage (although I guess rule #1 is "No changes allowed") :-)

Color coding rings on mikes, a paper on the floor with band name and their setup in case of a change, ...

Worth mentioning : I'm by no means a pro, so there may be tips known by all pros and that I am missing ;-)

[len]

I'm no sound guy, but most of the multi-act shows that I've done, they have a bunch of spare inputs, around for this kind of thing.

But I don't see any of this as your fault.

You mention one band got put on the line-up without a sound check. Which means that there must have been a sound check at some point. That's a good thing. The whole train wreck was the fault of whoever made the decision to squeeze this act in, and further to do it without even telling you, let alone asking what difficulties it might create.

The only way to avoid stuff like this in the future is to get a couple stage hands involved who you can communicate with should something unplanned come up. Get some wireless clearcom, some walkie-talkies, something. Make sure that all the talent knows not to plug anything in to your snake. Tell them that's "stagehands only" and then tell them three or four more times as they prepare to go on. Then tell them a couple more times. Pro talent are usually dumb. Amateurs are even dumber. And well-meaning amateurs are the worst.

And yes, colored rings on the mics do help. But only on wireless mics if the wired ones are getting re-connected without your control.

[lieperjp]

Instead of plugging in/unplugging mics and cords (i.e. DI boxes) for each act, get a set of mics big enough so you don't have to do that. Combine mics from one or two bands if you have to. Put a huge piece of tape and a number on each mic, and make sure everyone knows which mic they're supposed to have and which DI box to plug into. Then get stagehands to govern the mic usage. Have a couple spares in case you get some extras thrown at you or a mic goes bad. Then put colored tape around the mics or get a myriad of different wind muff colors so you can double check from FOH that mics are in the right spot.

[tech2000]

I'm also no professional, but I would recommend the color-coding or labeling of microphones/inputs and also plug in a few extra inputs in case any other bands arrive (or any other such situation)
Then, (might just be me) I would write down the input/mic on a piece of paper and the channel it is on the board and keep it next to you back at the board so you can quickly figure out where each mic is on the board and make necessary changes.

[derekleffew]

Originally Posted by tech2000

... Then, (might just be me) I would write down the input/mic on a piece of paper and the channel it is on the board and keep it next to you back at the board so you can quickly figure out where each mic is on the board and make necessary changes.

It's not just you, tech2000. It's called an Input List, and akin to a lighting Hook-Up Schedule, has columns for board channel, snake channel, sub-snake channel, mic type, use/purpose, stand info, etc. Perhaps, unlike me, someone who's done sound more recently than the past twenty years can post an example.

[rochem]

I only occasionally work sound, but whenever I do a show for an outside group or a one-off, I always put different colored strips of tape on the wireless mics so that if things got completely screwed up I would at least be able to look and see what color their mics were. I also have someone backstage on headset who attempts to keep things as planned, and when that fails completely, relays the changes back to me.

However, the Number 1 rule is always "No one can change ANYTHING". If they absolutely need something changed, we will usually force them to let our sound guy backstage do it for them, or at least tell them exactly what to do, so that we always know what's plugged into what. Personally, I wouldn't be too happy if a band were to just show up at the last minute and start unplugging everything. Maybe tell all the performers that they need to tell you, before the show, exactly what they need and how they will be getting it, and if it wasn't relayed before the show, it doesn't happen. Depending on how "professional" the show was supposed to look, you might be able to just have a tech walk out onstage and plug everything back in as the next group is setting up, but that may not be possible.

[dezijc]

As the Senior Sound Engineer at my church, I've had similiar problems as well. I am not using Floor Managers that will help stop that problem. Rule #1 - No Changes; Rule #2 - Consult with the Floor Manager who will assist with the changes and relay those changes to me or which every Engineer is working our boad (which is a Yamaha M7CL), which has presets like yours. Best bet - get a floor manager to work with you.

[Eboy87]

Originally Posted by derekleffew

It's not just you, tech2000. It's called an Input List, and akin to a lighting Hook-Up Schedule, has columns for board channel, snake channel, sub-snake channel, mic type, use/purpose, stand info, etc. Perhaps, unlike me, someone who's done sound more recently than the past twenty years can post an example.

Yes. Yes yes yes yes, an input list is a must! I have a few examples lying around, but I'm out the door in a minute. I'll post it when I get back tonight. You typically have a column with the console channel number, one for the snake channel/subsnake channel, one for its purpose. Those are the necessary ones. I add in what kind of mic it is, and a column for notes.

In this instance, you need someone on deck to run the changeovers. Give them the input list, and have them direct the bands where to set up. Also, I've seen it done where you put a piece of console tape on the XLR ends and label them for what mic they're for. But really, the best solution is a couple people on deck you trust and who know the score.

EDIT: I attached an input list from a battle of the bands I did last year. I've got one from The Buddy Holly Story as well, but this is more like what you'd need.

[NeilW]

Communication is the name of the game here, especially finding out as much about the details of the bands in advance.

The technique I use most commonly in multi-band situations is to create a generic festival style input list that covers all the requirements of all the bands. If one band has 2 guitars and another has 4, then 4 guitar channels are allocated. If the band has only one guitar it will be guitar 1, two guitars would be 1 and 2, and so on. This is easily applied to almost all sections of the band, including drums (especially toms), keyboards, and even vocals. On larger shows, these inputs may also be sorted by location such as SL Guitars 1-4, SR Guitars 1-4.

Then, to keep things straight at the gig, its time for a nice spreadsheet. First column is channel number, second column is the channel name from the generic patch, and then i create a column for each band, which lists the inputs that will be used by each band. I have attached an example below. It may also be helpful to indicate subsnake channel assignments on this sheet.
As always, be prepared for changes in band requirements and have a suitable number of channels on hand to deal with this, maybe assigned as generic or DI lines in the patch.

Sub boxes are a must, even if its just for the drum kit, they can substantially reduce the amount of cable and time needed to wire a stage. My preferred setup is one box USC for the drums, one each USL and USR and one DSC for vocal mics and acoustic guitar DI's. In bigger situations, sub boxes with multipin connectors combined with rolling risers allow entire drum kits or keyboard rigs to be prepared back stage before quickly being moved into position, making changeovers as short as 5 or 10 mins possible.

The next step is to label everything...desk, stagebox, subsnake boxes, mic cables, mics and even mic stands. Suitable use of coloured tape and a sharpie can make it clear which subboxes need which inputs, and which colour tails they correspond to at the main stagebox, as well as clearly identifying the intended use of each mic.

If you are lucky enough to have sound check time, it is often worth starting with the headline or last band to play, then soundchecking each band in turn, as this allows backline to be prepared on stage in the order that it can then be removed as bands play, and also leaves your settings ready for the first band to play.

In the absence of soundcheck time, a generic festival patch can ease the pressure, as it keeps the same inputs coming up the same channels all night, a guitar input should always be a guitar, and the numbering scheme helps to match what you see on stage, you dont have to work out if that lone electric guitarist is going to come down guitar sl 1 or guitar sr 4! I have used this method for everything from a 4 act battle of the band contest with 24 inputs, to a 4 day festival with over 40 bands and 48 lines from stage. In the latter situation, it was only possible to have a 5 minute line check between acts to check that all inputs were working, and then the act began. After the first couple of bands, all that was required was small tweaks to gain and eq, and adjustment of levels to taste for each band!

The benefit of a good assistant on stage cannot be overrated! Ideally should be someone who is good with logistics and planning, with a good knowledge of sound to ensure that microphones are placed correctly, and to undertake any necessary on the fly trouble shooting. People skills are also very helpful when it comes to dealing with fast paced changeovers, panicing musicians and tight schedules mean that the ability to stay calm and handle issues diplomatically is a must. It is also useful for them to have several copies of the patch list, a sharpie and a torch!

This has turned out longer than i planned, but this is just some of the advice I have picked up over the last few years, from working as the 4th man on the crew setting up and striking mic stands, through being patch master at multi-band events, and then out to FOH at bigger festivals where I fully realised the importance of getting the patch done the right way! Whilst some of this may be over kill for a small event, I have found many of the techniques to be time saving and useful down to the smallest of events.

Neil