DIY Sound
Engineer?

When you hire a PA system, you're the sound engineer for your event. It's a rewarding job, but it's easy to fall into a few common traps.

Here’s a guide on "what not to do" to ensure your event runs smoothly and sounds great.

1. Don't Be "Fashionably Late" for Your Own Setup

• The Mistake: Thinking you can set up a full PA system in 30 minutes, right before guests arrive.
• Why It's a Problem: Rushing is the enemy of good sound. You will run into an unexpected issue—a missing cable, a power socket that doesn't work, or a microphone that needs its settings adjusted.
• The Fix: Give yourself at least twice as much time as you think you need. A proper setup includes time to run cables neatly (to prevent tripping), test every single input (mic, laptop, etc.), and perform a soundcheck.

2. Don't Just "Set It and Forget It"

• The Mistake: Setting the volume during soundcheck (in an empty room) and then never touching the mixer again.
• Why It's a Problem: An empty room sounds completely different to a full one. When your guests arrive, their bodies will absorb a huge amount of sound, especially high frequencies. What sounded loud and clear during soundcheck will suddenly sound muffled and quiet.
• The Fix: Be present and active at the mixer. As the room fills up, you will need to turn the master volume up and likely adjust the EQ (adding some treble) to keep the sound clear.

3. Don't Assume It Sounds Good Everywhere

• The Mistake: Standing right next to the mixing desk (in one "sweet spot") for the entire event.
• Why It's a Problem: The sound can be drastically different in other parts of the room. It might be perfect where you are, but painfully loud near the speakers or a muffled, bass-heavy mess at the back bar.
• The Fix: Walk the room! During the event, take a quick walk to the back, to the sides, and near the front. Is the volume appropriate everywhere? Are the speeches clear? This is the only way to know what your audience is really hearing.

4. Don't Neglect Your Monitor Speakers

• The Mistake: Pointing monitor (foldback) speakers in the general direction of the stage and just turning them up until the performer stops complaining.
• Why It's a Problem: This is the #1 cause of feedback (that horrible high-pitched squeal). Monitors are for clarity, not just volume. An overly loud, poorly-placed monitor makes the whole stage sound muddy and will fight with the main "Front of House" speakers.
• The Fix: Place monitors on the floor angled directly at the performer's head. Ask them what they need to hear (e.g., "my voice and the keyboard") and only put those things in the monitor mix. Keep the stage volume as low as possible.

5. Don't Pretend to Make Changes

• The Mistake: A performer or guest asks for a change (e.g., "I can't hear the vocals"), and you just nod or pretend to twist a knob without actually doing anything.
• Why It's a Problem: It's disrespectful, and the problem won't go away. The person asking can hear the issue, and they'll just get more frustrated.
• The Fix: Listen to the request. If a guest says the music is too loud, it probably is (at least where they are). If a performer needs "more guitar" in their monitor, go to the mixer and actually turn up the "AUX 2" (or "MON 2") knob for the guitar channel. Trust what people are hearing and make small, real adjustments.