Does Your Band Need a Sound Guy?

There are few factors in deciding if you need to hire a sound guy or if you can set up the equipment yourself.

For starters, think about the size of the venue you are playing. If you are at a small bar or venue and the PA you need is not huge, you can do it yourself.If a guitarist or bassist is right handed it is easier to do it on the right side. The neck of an instrument will point away from the mixer.

If you are performing some large venue or outside, you should probably hire a professional who can supply the gear and operate the additional equipment you will need.

Another factor is the mixing ability of the band members. You should factor in knowledge associated with amplifier wattage, speaker impedance, graphic and parametric equalization, compression, effects, and locating troublesome frequencies that will create feedback (squeal or hum). Dont forget to consider basic knowledge of dynamic levels, microphone polar patterns, and overall mixing of the sound levels. If you cant do any of this or know any of this, consider hiring a pro.

Moreover, what is the size your band. If your band is bigger then the average five piece all playing a variety of instruments then it is better to have a sound guy who knows what he is doing. Also the requirement for microphones, cabling, DI boxes, stands etc would be huge and possibly too much to do yourself.

Always listen to the guy perform at another venue to make sure he is the right mixer for you. A lot of so called PA/sound guys are horrible at mixing and have no idea what they are doing. That is why it is important to her them before you hire them. Dont get fooled by techno babble.

Hiring a sound guy depends on a number of factors. Youll need to discuss with your band if you think it is right for you. Discuss all the factors involved and see if hiring someone is better than doing it yourself. If you play a large number of big venues and have a lot of equipment, hiring someone will probably be beneficial for your band.

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