Soundcheck

[JP12687]

This is a subject that has come up many times in my travels. Every sound person always has a different way of doing it- and every actor/singer expects something different.

What are different procedures people use? Do you have a check list?

I havent posted in a while- but i have been seeing this question come up more and more- and i wondered what everyone else does...

[6ftstudios]

Well....it depends on the event. The typical concert (on the road)...

{BEFORE PERFORMERS ARE PRESENT}
1. Turn everything ON (it's amazing how often this is missed)
2. Check all routing is correct w/CD
3. Check monitors/mains are working w/CD
4. Check mics are working
{WITH PERFORMERS}
5. Instruments Only - rough mix house/band (skip if no band)
6. Vocals & Instruments

That's a rough outline - i'm sure i missed something somewhere

[Van]

I feel it's best to wait until all the carpenters are on stage and trying to talk to each other about important set things, Then turn up the system as loud as possible. Find the most obnoxious CD in your arsenal,Preferably something by Sunvolt, or an obscure Christian rock band, push play. Walk away from the board and disappear for the next 45 minutes. Come back to the board at the same time as the TD gets frustrated and decides to turn everything off. Yell at TD for interfering in your sound check. Turn off music, walk on stage with a wireless mic and proceed to say the words
" Syllabants, Syllabants, T- T- T- Teeeeeeesta" for the next 20 minutes.

I'm no expert but from years of observation, I think that's how you do it.

[gafftaper]

Originally Posted by Van

I feel it's best to wait until all the carpenters are on stage and trying to talk to each other about important set things, Then turn up the system as loud as possible. Find the most obnoxious CD in your arsenal,Preferably something by Sunvolt, or an obscure Christian rock band, push play. Walk away from the board and disappear for the next 45 minutes. Come back to the board at the same time as the TD gets frustrated and decides to turn everything off. Yell at TD for interfering in your sound check. Turn off music, walk on stage with a wireless mic and proceed to say the words
" Syllabants, Syllabants, T- T- T- Teeeeeeesta" for the next 20 minutes.
I'm no expert but from years of observation, I think that's how you do it.

...or you could do what 6ft studios said. Go back to the Scene Shop Van.

Seriously you want to make sure everything you plan to use is given a quick test to the proper volume level. As far as order, do something that makes sense to you and that works with the schedule of how your talent is arriving. If you're doing something like a musical with a bunch of cast members all doing makeup, costumes, and warm ups you've got a whole lot of time schedule hassle to get each of them out on stage, mics on, and projecting properly. You shouldn't be setting levels at this point, you should have already done that, you are just checking that the mic works and that the talent is still going at the same level... for example do they have a cold you need to adjust for. The process is easier with a band in some respects because you've got less people to deal with, but musicians can bring their own level of weirdness to a sound check.

Anyway, the point is you need to develop an organizational plan that works for you, yet is flexible to deal with the weirdness of the particular show. You can do a certain part in the same order every time without the talent... but once you start dealing with talent all bets are off.

[Van]

Actually developing a checklist for each show/production, is an extremely good idea. Using the list that 6ft posted as an outline, "plug in" all the components you are utilizing. I'd be sure to double check and list the proper order for powering on, make sure you hit every power switch. etc. Again as 6ft said, Talent can throw off everything and their expectations/ demands will often over-ride any order you try to apply to the process.

[Schniapereli]

It depends on what level your theatre is. From what other prestigious techs have taught me (and please, correct me if I'm wrong) , shows on broadway don't even do individual sound checks because everything is so consistent. Nothing changes between performances. It becomes a daily wast of time. But, they sometimes do some group numbers, just to get a good overall mix.

I know that Metallica also hasn't had a sound check for a while since Mick Hughes, the sound guy, says “After 18 years I know what I expect to hear!” But, he still does a line check.

Of course, I still have mic checks at my school, where I just EQ, and set the levels for everything, and then the mic checks for the other performances are just to make sure nothing went askew. We have lower quality equipment, and we also place our lavs over the ear, which is more sensative to placement, so there is a larger possibility that something could go wrong. A lot of people play it safe and check everything that could possibly go wrong. For others, it just gets old and pointless.
I personally think it is stupid to have a mic check just to see if the mics work. This should be done before they are put on the actors. You can also check the RF's on the receivers, and the AF on the board. But, everyone has their own opinion and style, and their own needs. For me, every mic check is to check up on the level and EQ.

But, these guys are more correct on what is proper. (especially Van's first comment =) ) That is the way I always do it, but once you become a big dog, you can do whatever you want.

Once you know all the rules, and understand them, then you can brake them.

I don't know about you, but I am far from that point...

[Hughesie]

ah sound check, a chance to order everyone else out
and play music loudly

and check the speakers for about an hour
fun fun

[jkowtko]

I assume you're concerned mainly about body mics, since you mentioned the actors.

Our lavs are taped over the ear on the cheek, so we need to do a volume check before each show because the positioning (and therefore input volume) will change.

We put mics on about 45 minutes before showtime, and around 10-15 before showtime I get on the clearcom with the backstage manager and have him/her grab the actors one by one, bring them to a place where I can pick them up (fortunately I can pick them up from our Green room), and have them belt out a few lines of song or dialogue. I listen through my solo monitor headphones and mainly adjust the input channel gain on the board, and very infrequently I will need to adjust transmitter or receiver volume or reposition the lav.

And, if for whatever reason we run out of time to do official mic checks, I'll just get on the solo headphones and cycle through the lav channels to make sure each one is picking up whatever is going on back there loudly and clearly.

[avkid]

Play some music to check monitors and mains when I get in for the day(after making coffee that is). During a familiar song I walk up through the audience both up and downstairs then up on the stage for a while.
Starting 1/2 half hour before doors everybody on stage for vocal warm ups.
Recite some lines and then sing at stage volume for about a minute.

[Logos]

Originally Posted by avkid

Play some music to check monitors and mains when I get in for the day(after making coffee that is). During a familiar song I walk up through the audience both up and downstairs then up on the stage for a while.
Starting 1/2 half hour before doors everybody on stage for vocal warm ups.
Recite some lines and then sing at stage volume for about a minute.

Are you sure we've never met? That's exactly what I do. Except I make tea.