Sound
Your Best!

Getting great sound in a live setting is tricky, but it's not magic. Whether you've opted for a full sound system hire for your band, a party, or a conference, how you set up and use it will make all the difference. Here are seven tips from the team at Audio Hire to help you get a clearer, better-controlled sound from your gear.

1. Don't Waste Your Soundcheck

A soundcheck is the most important part of your setup. Don't rush it. This is your only chance to find problems before your guests arrive.

• Test Everything: Check every single input, especially each component of your microphone hire.
• Set Levels: Get a good level for each channel (use the PFL/Cue button if your mixer has one).
• Check for Feedback: Have vocalists make "T" and "S" sounds ("test, test, one-two") into the mic. These sounds are most likely to cause high-pitched squealing (feedback). Find the maximum volume you can get before it squeals.
• Guitars: Leave instruments on stage after the soundcheck. Big changes in temperature (like from a cold car to a hot stage) can affect their tuning.

2. Double-Check Your (and the Hired) Gear

You can't get good sound from faulty equipment.

• Your Gear: Before you even leave for the venue, check all your personal gear. Restring your guitar, check your laptop's audio output, and bring your own power supplies and essential cables.
• Hired Gear: When you pick up or receive the gear from Audio Hire, give it a quick visual check. Make sure you have all the cables, stands, and power leads you were promised. A missing cable is an easy fix at our shop, but a show-stopper at your event.

3. Position Your Stage Monitors (Foldback) Correctly

Monitors (the speakers on stage pointing at the performers) are a common cause of bad sound.

• Point Them Carefully: Make sure monitors are pointing directly at the performer's head, not at the back of their knees.
• Less is More: An overly loud monitor is the #1 cause of feedback. Encourage performers to only ask for what they absolutely need to hear in their monitor mix. The less sound you have bouncing around on stage, the cleaner your main "Front of House" sound will be.
• Avoid a "Volume War": If one performer turns up, everyone else will want to turn up too. Start with monitor levels low and only increase them slowly as needed.

4. Know Your Setup (Your "Tech Rider")

You don't need a 20-page professional document, but you should have a simple plan.

• Draw a Plan: A simple sketch of the stage showing where each performer will be and what they need (https://e.g., "Vocal Mic," "DI for Acoustic Guitar," "Power").
• Make a List: Write down a list of every input you'll need on the mixer. This is your "channel list" (e.g., Ch 1: Lead Vocal, Ch 2: Backing Vocal). This is especially important if you have a complex microphone hire setup.

This plan will help you set up the mixer logically and ensures you don't forget to plug anything in.

5. Think About Your Venue

The room you're in has a huge impact on the sound.

• Big, Echoey Room? (like a hall or gym) Sound will bounce around everywhere. You may need to keep the overall volume lower and use the mixer's EQ (treble/bass) to cut some of the booming "low-mid" frequencies.
• Small, "Dead" Room? (like a carpeted lounge) The sound will be absorbed quickly. This is often easier to manage.
• Speaker Placement: The main speakers from your sound system hire should go on stands, high enough to be above the heads of the first few rows of your audience. This helps the sound travel to the back of the room.

6. Talk to Your Performers

If you're running sound for a band, communication is key.

• Who is in Charge? Find out who the "leader" of the band is.
• What is Most Important? Ask them what's most important in the sound. Should the synths be quiet "filler" or just as loud as the lead guitar? Should the backing vocals be subtle or prominent?

Knowing this before you start mixing saves a lot of guesswork and hand signals from the stage.

7. Know When Not to Amplify Something

In a smaller venue, you might not need to put everything through the PA.

• Drums: In a small room, a drum kit is often loud enough on its own. You may only need to use your microphone hire for the vocals, kick drum and (maybe) the snare.
• Amps: A loud guitar or bass amp might just need a tiny boost in the PA, or it might be loud enough by itself.

The less sound you're trying to force through the PA, the cleaner and less "muddy" your overall mix will be.

Audio Hire Adelaide.