LIVE SOUND

ENGINEERING SETTINGS
FOH Engineer: Kenny Green, Owner LUMINA

This document is the result of many years of mixing front of house and gathering settings
from other Live front of house and monitor engineers. These settings are all starting points for
you. Remember, what sounds good prevails, let your ears be the judge.

VOCALS
Note:
Always place your compressor in-line (Via INSERT jack) before any external EQ.
A tough issue with vocals is the extreme dynamic range of some singers: those who lull you
to sleep and then crush you with an unexpected blast. The difference between the soft
crooning and the loud climax represents too great a signal change for many preamps and
mixers, causing them to clip and distort. For solo vocals the concern is keeping the signal
level within the operating range of the equipment -- keeping the quiet parts above the noise
floor while keeping the loud parts below the clipping level.

Things get more difficult when the singer in no longer a solo act and has a group of amplified
musicians accompanying. The challenge is to keep the vocal(s) prominent while keeping
them within a comfortable level compared to the rest of the musicians. If you were to leave
the vocal microphones at a high enough gain so that the quiet parts are easily heard, the loud
parts might flow forth with far too much level and drown out the rest of the band.

Vocalists tend to be one of the most challenge on stage. Even though a singer may go from a
whisper to a scream during the course of a song, it's the engineer's job to keep the vocal's
level in line with the rest of the ensemble.

You can do this by setting a compressor with a high ratio and a high threshold. This way,
softer sections will go by uncompressed, and louder peaks will be kept under control. The
Threshold should be set so that loud sections get compressed around 6dB and quiet
passages get no compression at all.

The key is to reduce the vocals dynamic range to something comparable to that of the
musicians' instruments. Relatively heavy compression is often used in this scenario, either by
using a low ratio (2:1) with a lower threshold (-12 dB) or a higher ratio (4:1) with a higher
threshold (-9 dB, or so). Typically set the threshold so that quiet vocal passages show little or
no gain reduction and normal singing shows between 3 dB to 6 dB gain reduction when using
a 2:1 ratio.

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A soft knee characteristic is typically more "musical" sounding with vocals. As an added
bonus, a soft knee setting allows using higher ratios since the transition from 1:1 to higher
ratios is gradual. This allows the compressor to function more aggressively as the input level
rises and you need to clamp down on the signal harder.
Good settings for natural sounding, yet compressed vocals, are a medium fast (25 - 50 ms)
attack and a medium-slow (100 ms - 1 sec) release. Releasing too quickly sounds
unnatural while attacking too slow misses the problem surges.

To set the compressor: turn the Ratio to the 6:1 mark on the legend. With the vocalist
yodeling into the mic, turn the compressor’s Threshold until the gain reduction meters read
about –9dB. Now you will probably need to boost the compressors’ output by turning the
Gain knob clockwise so that your mixer meters read 0 dB.

Suggested compression starting point for Vocals:

• Threshold -9db
• Attack: 25-50 ms
• Release: 100 ms to 1 sec
• Ratio: 6:1
• Knee: Soft
• Peak/RMS: RMS
• Gain: increase to read 0 dB

Lead Vocal EQ Settings

1. Boost 200 HZ to add fullness, Too much boost between 2 and 4KHz can mask 'm', 'b', 'v'.
2. Add 3 to 6 db @ 3 - 4K for more stand out lead vocal.
3. Boost 5K for more vocal presence.
4. Cut 4 - 7K to reduce S sound of vocal boost to sharpen a dull singer.
5. Cut 10K to reduce S sound boost to brighten vocal.
6. Boost 15K to brighten vocal.

Background Vocal EQ
1. Cut 3-6db between 3 kHz and 4 kHz to give them an "airy softer" sound & increase the
same freq. on lead vocal.
2. Cut about -6 at 5kHz, it will set background vocals back and increases lead vs. background
distinction

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 GUITARS

Electric Guitar EQ settings

1. High Pass at 100 Hz to get rid of any bottom end that is not needed
2. Boost between 120-250 Hz adds warmth
3. Cut -4 @ 100 Hz, Increases guitar vs. bass distinction. Increases attack.
3. Cut from 250-500 Hz if it sounds boxy
4. Add mids from 900Hz to 3.5 kHz for clarity
5. Add +2 @ around 3kHz, Adds some bite. (3 kHz needs much less boost once 100 Hz is
reduced).

Acoustic Guitar Settings

1. If the sound is too boomy, cut the 80 -200 HZ range. Cutting around 300HZ may help as
well.
2. Boosting a little at 700HZ - 1.2KHZ for more of the resonant sound of the body of the
guitar.
3. Boosting from 7-10KHZ will give you a brighter edge.
4. The pluck or sound of the pick on the strings is around 10 K

Mic placement: Place condenser mic on stand in front of guitars sound hole as well as
plugging in, use two channels if available for the best sound.

DI Placement: If the guitar player has to play through his cabinet, place the DI between his
guitar and his amp. From the DI run the balanced signal to the snake and unbalanced to his
cabinet.

Acoustic Guitar Compressor Settings

Attack: 100 ms to 500 ms
Release: 100 ms to 500 ms
Ratio: 4:1
Knee: Medium

Experiment with turning the Threshold up or down for a thinner or chunkier tone.

Compressing acoustic guitar

It is sometimes easy to over compress an acoustic guitar because your first impression is that
compression sounds awesome on acoustic instruments. If you're adding the acoustic
instrument to a mix that already includes a lot of other instruments such as distorted guitar,
compressing the life out of your guitar will help you later in the mix. If the guitar is recorded as
a solo instrument or part of an acoustic ensemble, you should experiment with less
compression because you don't want to severely limit the natural acoustic dynamic range of a
good sounding guitar. Start by using the setup described in the vocal section.

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 BASS GUITARS

Typical settings for a bass guitar are a ratio of 4:1, with a fast attack of 25 ms and a slow
release of around 500 ms. These settings produce a strong, smooth bass line to start with,
and then adjust further as necessary. A little higher ratio will give you more "punch" - too
much compression will make the bass sound squashed. A hard knee setting is often preferred
since all you want is to tame the excessive peaks and leave everything else alone. As always,
experimentation is the key. And yes, tubes do make a difference. They'll arm up the sound,
but they won't perform miracles.

Placement of the compressor for Bass Guitar in the signal chain depends on how you want it
to function. For just the input signal, it goes after the bass guitar (if it has a line-level output)
and before the preamp. If it is to function as a limiter to protect the speakers in the bass rig, it
goes between the preamp and the power amp. Another method is to insert the unit into the
effects loop of the preamp. This affects the bass signal by the preamp first, then the
compressor limiter, and finally out to the power amp.

I find that with most basses, I need to add about 4 db @ 80 HZ to fatten up the bottom end
coming out of a direct box, and moderate compression gives me the "thump" I'm looking for.
I've also noticed that many direct boxes don't have a very fast slew rate. In plain English, that
means the signal's rise and fall time is sluggish. So DI Placement is important.

NOTE: DI Placement:
If the Bass player has to play through his cabinet, place the DI between his guitar and his
amp. From the DI, run the balanced signal to the snake and unbalanced to his cabinet.

Bass Guitar Compressor Settings

Since bass guitar forms the foundation of most Rock and Jazz music, it's important that the
level of the Bass doesn't jump around in the mix. Also, adding compression to bass tracks (or
almost anything else) can make it "punchier", generally a good thing in rock tunes. Try the
settings below on a rock bass track:
• Threshold set so only the peaks are compressed (around 0dB)
• Ratio: 4:1
• Knee: Hard
• Peak/RMS: Peak
• Attack: 25 ms
• Release: 500ms

Bass EQ settings
1. Mud generally happens in the 200-300 Hz range, cut just a little if bass lacks definition
2. High Pass around 50-80 Hz to tighten up the bottom
3. Boost between 100 and 200 Hz if bass sounds flat or thin
4. Boost 350 – 400 Hz to stop frequency conflict between Kick drum & Bass guitar.
5. Boost between 2.5 and 5 kHz accentuates the attack, adding a little brightness
6. Boost between 500 Hz and 800 Hz for more string pluck and high end definition & Clarity
(800Hz).

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 DRUMS

The first approach is to use the attack time of the compressor to modify the drum sound. For
example, by using a slower attack time along with a 2:1 ratio on a snare drum and by varying
the threshold you can make very dramatic changes in the tonal character. By using a slower
attack time the initial "crack" of the drum gets through -- great if the drum heads are old. This
was a very popular technique for getting a beefy consistent snare sound for many years and
is heard on many rock ballads. By only adjusting the attack time and ratio you will be amazed
at how many variations of tone are possible, even without a stitch of EQ. Reducing the
leading edge of drum hits is another popular use of compressors. Try ratios between 2:1 and
5:1 accompanied by fast attack and release times. Listen carefully while changing the attack
time to find the final setting.

GATES
Now you can adjust the Gate on the snare to stop those other drums from 'bleeding' through
the snare mic: Begin by adjusting the Attack time of the Gate to .01(10 microseconds) by
turning the Gate Attack control knob fully counter-clockwise. Turn the Gate Release knob to
about the middle position, set the Gate Range to 60dB, adjust the Gate Threshold slowly
clockwise until you begin to hear those other drums disappearing. Too high of a Threshold
setting might disrupt the snare drum's natural sound, a Threshold setting that is too low will
let the sound of the other drums open the Gate. You need to adjust the Gate Threshold and
Release to suit your drumming taste. This simple application applies to any percussive
instrument, of course. Experiment.

KICK DRUM

Bass drums are difficult to capture consistently due to drumming technique and other issues.
It is common to use a compressor to keep the bass drum at a consistent level and tonality.
Since many mixes are created with the rhythm section as the foundation, it is important to
keep those elements even and consistent. This involves higher ratios (between 4:1 and
10:1) with a fast attack and release time.

To prevent turning the drum sound into pure mush, it is important to use a monitoring system
(or the main sound system) having good low frequency performance. Use high ratios to keep
the level consistent, and use the fastest attack possible without destroying the drum punch.

Kick Drum EQ
1st: Tune the Kick Drum: Tighten just until all wrinkles are out of skin.

2. Lows, Boost 60 Hz for more power on the bottom end.

3. Low Mids, Cut 250 - 450 Hz to eliminate the boxy sound.
4. Cut 350 – 400 hz to stop frequency conflict between Kick & Bass guitar.
5. Cut or Boost 3K - 10k for less or more of the sound of beater hitting the head, sharper
attack.

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 SNARES

Snare EQ
High pass at 100
1. Boost 150 - 300 Hz to fatten it up
2. Boost +2 @ 100Hz to Increase snap. Adds fullness to high-tuned snare
3. Cut 400hz, 800hz & some 1.3K to eliminate low end boxiness
4. Boost +4 @ 7 kHz to make crisper Cut to give distance
5. Boost 8 -15 KHZ to add snap & brighten up.

Snare Compressor Settings

• Threshold set so that all drum hits are compressed (around -3dB)
• Ratio: Start at 3:1.
• Knee: Soft
• Peak/RMS set for Peak
• Attack: 8 ms
• Release 12ms

By turning the Threshold down even more, you can "squash" the snare drum as much as you
want. Turn the attack up (longer) to get more stick out of the snare drum, and turn it down for
a synth pop slap. In the same way that we reduced the initial transient on a guitar or bass
note, we tend to want the same effect on drum hits. By reducing this initial peak, we bring out
the true sound of a snare - the crack - which actually occurs slightly after this peak. A fast
attack and release works well, with a starting ratio of around 3:1. Experiment with the attack
time - by slowing it down very slightly can completely change the sound of a snare, bringing
out more of the actual stick than the drum.

KICK & SNARE NOTE:

If you set a long attack time, say 100 milliseconds (a tenth of a second), then the transient of
the drum would get through before the compressor had time to respond. So to lower the level
of the transient, you should set a very short attack time, as low perhaps as just one
millisecond.

When compressing individual drums, the attack time is the most important control. The
compression ratio can be set to around 4:1 and the release time to 100 milliseconds.
Naturally you should experiment with all of these settings.

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 CYMBOLS

A fast attack, but a slow release is necessary here, in order to keep the natural sustain
of a cymbal. Try a ratio of 2:1 to start with. On the other hand, a shorter release time with a
high ratio and low threshold can lead to the classic 'pumping' effect, where you can hear the
compressor actually working - in most situations this sounds bad, but with cymbals it can
actually sound good in some songs.

MIC Placement: Shure Beta52A inserted into front 7”hole pointed off axis towards side.
Shure SM58 on right side, 5” away from beater Pedal.

EQ Order: EQ the Beta52a mic first, mute it, then mix the SM58 high end, un-mute, then
blend the two.

Hi Hat EQ
1. High Pass at 200HZ
2. The fundamental freq. Is (600 to 800)
3. Boost or Hi Shelf at 12.5 K for more brightness

Overhead EQ
1. High Pass roll off at 150 Hz
2. Cut in 400 Hz area
3. Cut at 800 Hz for a tighter sound
4. Hi Shelf 10-12.5 KHz for brighter airy sound

Tom EQ
1. Cut -4 @ 400Hz, Decreases ambiance & increases bass clarity. Increases cymbal sizzle.
2. Boost 100 HZ For more body on the low toms
3. Boost or Cut 3 - 6kHz to adjust the amount of attack
4. Boost +4 @ between 12.5K- 15K, Decreases ambiance & increases bass clarity.
Increases cymbal sizzle.

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 KEYS, PIANOS, STRINGS, BRASS

ACOUSTIC PIANO EQ
1. Boost around 3 K gives a piano more cut or edge
2. Boost at 12k for more airy sound.

KEYBOARD EQ
1. Boost +4 @ 5 kHz to Increases clarity & brightness.

STRING SECTIONS
The 200-300Hz range is great for giving a string section a fuller sound, characteristic of
tracks such as The Beatles 'Eleanor Rigby' and The Rolling Stones' 'As Tears Go By'. Much
of the mid-range timbre will depend on the forces used, so it's difficult to generalize here.
However, in the high-frequencies, the 7.5-10kHz range emphasizes bow and string noise,
as in The Beatles 'Yesterday', and larger, smoother string sounds, such as that on Massive
Attack's 'Unfinished Sympathy', may benefit from cut in this area.

BRASS SECTIONS
Recordings of brass sections can be warmed up by boosting between 200 and 400Hz.
A more honky sound, such as on Aretha Franklin's 'Respect' can be found at 1-3.5kHz,
Rasp in Stevie Wonder's 'Sir Duke' resides in a range higher than this, at about 6-8kHz.
Swing Out Sister's 'Breakout' also has a lot of rasp, but with additional shrillness in the 8-
12kHz region as well.

SOLO TRUMPET & SAX

The warm sound of the trumpet in The Kinks' 'Dead End Street' has a lot of energy in the 200-
400Hz region, as does the warm sax solo in James Brown's 'I Got You (I Feel Good)'. By way
of contrast, the solo sax in The Stereo MCs' 'Connected' is lacking in this region, with extra
boost in the nasal 1-3kHz range. The solos in Dire Strait's 'Your Latest Trick' demonstrate the
brightness that can be added at 6-8kHz, while Touch & Go's 'Would You' is almost painfully
shrill as a result of high energy in the 8-11kHz region.

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 REFERENCES

Books:

The best book you will ever get for front of house live mixing:
Live Sound Mixing by Duncan Fry 4th Edition.
http://www.plsnbookshelf.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=23&products_id=127

Free Downloads:

Download Mixing Guide from Soundcraft:

http://www.soundcraft.com/download.asp?filename=pdf/palz/guide_to_mixing_brochure.pdf

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