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Author Topic: Flown monitors and a LOUD stage mix. How to handle??  (Read 7084 times)

Todd Larick

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Re: Flown monitors and a LOUD stage mix. How to handle??
« Reply #10 on: March 09, 2011, 12:20:24 PM »

Ever thought about in ear monitors??   

Just a thought...
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Roland Clarke

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Re: Flown monitors and a LOUD stage mix. How to handle??
« Reply #11 on: March 10, 2011, 05:08:32 AM »

This sounds like a classic case of "more me".  I would start again lowering the stage volume to give the players what they need. 

IMHO the most classic mistake people make with monitors is giving the performers what they ask for, not what they necessarily need, more often than not there is a huge difference.  Obviously I don't know exactly what you are dealing with in terms of instruments and vocalists, however, as a quick pointer, vocals are going to be the most important, add in the instruments that they need to pitch against (probably guitars and keys).  Make sure that there is enough of these for the (guitarists and keyboard players) to hear their parts of course considering where they are standing in relationship to which monitors.  With this type of monitoring situation I would keep the drums totally out of the monitors.  If bass is just off the side of the stage, you might not even need any of this in the monitors. 

Front monitors (assuming singers are standing front and centre) should have little of anything else in them unless they are also playing or need a little more to pitch against.  All the above makes a lot of assumptions about what you may or may not be doing, but good monitoring is as much about the planning beforhand.

Good luck!
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Jason M Wagner

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Re: Flown monitors and a LOUD stage mix. How to handle??
« Reply #12 on: March 10, 2011, 02:02:43 PM »


Questions: Dimensions of stage and wings. Position of monitor speakers relative to stage, both height and layout. Monitor speaker type, and dispersion.?????


I will have to get back to you with all the specs. I would like to gather all of it and have someone look at it.

The band does use IEMs, but we don't have the budget to include ears for our 7 performers and 2 backup singers. I would love to head in that direction at some point.
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g'bye, Dick Rees

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Re: Flown monitors and a LOUD stage mix. How to handle??
« Reply #13 on: March 10, 2011, 02:20:33 PM »

Of course, my gut is telling me it's just the performers are asking for too much volume.

It is always possible that when someone is asking for more volume what they really need is clarity.  You don't make a mix by making "everything louder than everything else", so don't do it with monitors.  I do agree that you need to check the delay of the various mixes to the mains, but delay will not apply equally all across the stage area, so you have to choose a point from which to delay.

I would wonder if a bit more collaboration with the on-stage folks regarding what they need to hear would be helpful.  If you can clear out the extraneous material, they'll be able to get their cues at a lower volume.  Volume per se is no substitute for clarity.  And clarity will apply across the entire stage.

I'd also go back to the content of the various mixes and make sure that whatever needs to be heard all across the area is addressed from the side washes and any individual or area specific content assigned to a special or local mix.  I would also recommend setting the room sound first, then adding monitors. 
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Jason M Wagner

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Re: Flown monitors and a LOUD stage mix. How to handle??
« Reply #14 on: March 10, 2011, 03:35:07 PM »

It is always possible that when someone is asking for more volume what they really need is clarity.  You don't make a mix by making "everything louder than everything else", so don't do it with monitors.  I do agree that you need to check the delay of the various mixes to the mains, but delay will not apply equally all across the stage area, so you have to choose a point from which to delay.

I would wonder if a bit more collaboration with the on-stage folks regarding what they need to hear would be helpful.  If you can clear out the extraneous material, they'll be able to get their cues at a lower volume.  Volume per se is no substitute for clarity.  And clarity will apply across the entire stage.

I'd also go back to the content of the various mixes and make sure that whatever needs to be heard all across the area is addressed from the side washes and any individual or area specific content assigned to a special or local mix.  I would also recommend setting the room sound first, then adding monitors.

I have done some delaying with the monitors to match them selves, but not with the mains. I'm hoping to get me Smaart rig up and running soon (as soon as I get retrieve it from another state!) so I can accurately measure the delay times. But for know, I'll continue to do it with a tape measure and my ears!

That is another thought I've had, is having the mains up while building the mixes. I wish the Soundcraft Vi1 already had an offline editor and iPad app for use. We almost had the M7 so the Stage Mix app would have been quite handy. All of this is great help. Thank you.
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Re: Flown monitors and a LOUD stage mix. How to handle??
« Reply #14 on: March 10, 2011, 03:35:07 PM »


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