Most of my articles about PA systems, mixers, etc., are in terms of running live sound for a multi-member band, perhaps because that’s what I do for Rusty Strings. But I sometimes get questions from individuals who are interested in performing alone on acoustic guitar and vocals, or keyboardand vocals, in small settings but who are uncertain about what kind of sound reinforcement to use or how to achieve a particular echo or reverb effect on their vocal.
Before I even start discussing configuration options or specific recommendations, I must stipulate that I will not be addressing computer-based setups for live sound, that is, where a laptop is used as a mixer. Such a setup calls for a different kind of audio interface hardware that I will discuss in a future article. Here, I will be talking about systems based on conventional mixers. With that attended to, I will begin by describing the basic system configurations for solo performers.
In my opinion, the two worst things that can happen to a band sound-wise during a show are (1) feedback, and (2) talking to the sound man over the PA system (”More of me in the monitors, Biff”). These occurrences make the band seem amateurish and not ready for prime time. Check out my article At the Gig: Five Ways To Avoid Feedback for some ideas about avoiding the dreaded feedback. As for communicating with the sound man (or the lighting guy, or someone backstage) without letting the audience listen in, the Panic Button from Pro Co is a handy addition to your gig bag that gives you this capability.
The Panic Button is a stomp-box style A/B switch with a low-impedance (XLR) microphone input and two XLR outputs (called A and B, of all things). It allows one of your singers to switch his or her microphone signal from Output A (the normal connection to the PA system) to Output B (a separate connection that only the sound man can hear) and back again just by stomping the button on the box. Voila! No more private announcements on the public address system.
Once a musician (of any age) starts writing and playing his or her own songs, or joins a band and starts playing in front of actual people, it’s not long before the urge to get some of this music recorded for the ages begins to settle in. After all, why write a song if the only way to play it for someone is to grab your guitar and actually, well, play it for them? And why should everyone in the audience know exactly what your band sounds like playing live when you yourself have no idea?
So the idea dawns. “Hey! I ought to have some kind of recording setup here in my basement (or spare room, etc.) so that I can record my songs and put them on a CD! And wow, maybe I could take the recording stuff to one of our gigs and record the band playing, then put that on a CD too!”
It’s a great idea, but for someone brand new to the world of recording, that phrase “some kind of recording setup” raises a lot of questions, beginning with, what kind of recording setup? In the Ancient Days, there was only one answer: get yourself a multi-track tape recorder and use that as the basis for your home studio. The audio world has changed, but the descendants of those early units still exist in the form of “standalone” DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations) such as those made by Korg, Tascam, and others.
These economical standalone DAWs have evolved to the point of becoming truly “a studio in a box.” Want reverb? It’s built in, with 100 variations. Want delay or chorus? Built in. Distortion? Guitar amplifier simulations? Compression? Mastering algorithms? Yup. All built in and ready to go. Everything works together because it was designed that way. The amount of equipment needed to provide similar flexibility 20 years ago would have filled half of your studio!
Most audio software packages have their documentation stored in electronic form as part of the product.The user manual may appear as a PDF file on the distribution CD or may be accessed via the Start Menu or as a set of Help files you can access while the program is running.It’s kind of hard to “lose” the manual for the software when the manual is actually part of the software!
Alas, the situation for hardware units is much different.Here, it’s relatively easy to lose the manual by simply mislaying it, or forgetting which bookshelf you put it in, or even by accidentally discarding it.Or, you may have purchased the unit used and without a manual, the original owner having taken care of losing it for you!
Probably the worst piece of gear to have the no-manual problem with is a multi-track recorder.If you can’t find the manual for your compressor unit, well heck, you can probably figure it out from the control markings (unless it’s a digital unit with coded menu entries or something).But multitrack recorders tend to be (a) complex, and (b) idiosyncratic.No two units seem to use even simple terms like “monitor” in quite the same way.So who knows what all those buttons do?
Fortunately, user manuals for many recorders and other equipment are available online, for free, if you know where to look.Here are three sources I have used to track down those missing manuals.
As long as you keep your multitrack recorder safely ensonced in your basement studio, perhaps taking it upstairs to record a piano part every now and then, you really don’t need to think much about its safe transportation.But what if you decide to take it on-site somewhere to record your band playing live?Or what if the local community singing group asks you to record one of their concerts so they can make a CD?
You could just set the unit carefully on the back seat of the car when you drive to the gig, and it would probably be OK.But if you want to be sure about it, or if it looks like you are going to be going places with your recorder fairly often, you are going to want to put it in something.If nothing else, this will make it easier to get the thing from your parking place to the recording area!
As the sound man for Rusty Strings, I come to every show with a table and chair, microphone cables, an AC extension chords, and two duffel bags filled with stuff.What stuff, you ask?Lots of stuff, I say!In fact, I take with me everything I have ever needed at any of the gigs we have played.With time, I have developed a list of items that have proven vital at one time or another and are always on hand.Here are seven of the most important:
Have you ever considered getting one of those multi-effects boxes to play your guitar through in your studio? If you play guitar and you don’t have one of these units in your studio you are like, so totally missing out! This podcast tries to convince you to buy a multi-effects box, using a Digitech RP100 (pictured) to demonstrate some of the many cool sounds you can get out of one crummy electric guitar (mine, in this case)!
One of the first things I check when we start to set up for a Rusty Strings show in an unfamiliar venue is, “Where’s the AC power source?”We’ve had everything from a multi-tap outlet right at the sound man’s position and another one onstage to a single two-prong outlet “around back of that other building there” for everything to plug into - that was at an outdoor gig.I always take a long extension cord, just in case.
Naturally, our gear all uses 3-wire, grounded AC cables, as do our power strips, cube taps, etc.Most venues, like restaurants or clubs, have grounded AC wiring in place, as required by modern electrical codes.But sometimes we find ourselves playing at someone’s old house or homestead that still has the old style ungrounded 2-wire AC outlets.
I take 3-to-2 AC adapters with me to handle such a case, but plugging in to an ungrounded system is always a bit iffy because of the possibility of introducing hum into the system, not to mention the risk of “ground shocklets” from microphones, guitar strings, etc.
The fact is, even if there is a nice-looking grounded outlet for you to use, there is no way to tell by looking at it whether the ground connection, or any of the wires for that matter, are hooked up right.Well (singing heroically) here it comes to save the day: the portable AC line tester!
Most of my articles about PA systems, mixers, etc., are in terms of running live sound for a multi-member band, perhaps because that’s what I do for Rusty Strings. But I sometimes get questions from individuals who are interested in performing alone on acoustic guitar and vocals, or keyboard and vocals, in small settings but who are uncertain about what kind of sound reinforcement to use or how to achieve a particular echo or reverb effect on their vocal.
In my opinion, the two worst things that can happen to a band sound-wise during a show are (1) feedback, and (2) talking to the sound man over the PA system (”More of me in the monitors, Biff”). These occurrences make the band seem amateurish and not ready for prime time. Check out my article 
Once a musician (of any age) starts writing and playing his or her own songs, or joins a band and starts playing in front of actual people, it’s not long before the urge to get some of this music recorded for the ages begins to settle in. After all, why write a song if the only way to play it for someone is to grab your guitar and actually, well, play it for them? And why should everyone in the audience know exactly what your band sounds like playing live when you yourself have no idea?
Most audio software packages have their documentation stored in electronic form as part of the product.
As long as you keep your multitrack recorder safely ensonced in your basement studio, perhaps taking it upstairs to record a piano part every now and then, you really don’t need to think much about its safe transportation.
As the sound man for 
Have you ever considered getting one of those multi-effects boxes to play your guitar through in your studio? If you play guitar and you don’t have one of these units in your studio you are like, so totally missing out! This podcast tries to convince you to buy a multi-effects box, using a 
One of the first things I check when we start to set up for a