Professional Roles

Professional Roles

What studio roles have you filled while completing your EP/group work?

How have you supported your classmates while they worked on their music?

How are these roles related?

The roles that I have filled while producing my EP were an engineer, a producer, a mix engineer and mastering engineer. I have very often sat in on classmates mixing and recording session and give my feedback to them while they are working on there music. I felt that this would probably be quite useful to them as I don't really listen to the music that they are producing so a fresh pair of ear and a honest non bias opinion is probably quite useful as I can just tell them how the music sounds to me sonically and musically. My role as a producer relates to this as a producer would be listening to the music and its being recorded and always seeing how it can be perfected. I worked with Reggie a couple of times and listened to his music and gave my opinion on how he could improve it.

I also engineered a session for Shai. He was recording a student from the performance course and I set up all the microphone for the drum kit and positioned them how I thought this was going to match the sound best that Shai (The Producer) was looking to achieve out of the session. 

What industry roles have you undertaken during your events and marketing units?

How did you work with your classmates to promote/run/support your events successfully?

The roles I have taken up for these are the promoter, marketing man, graphic designer and artist liaison. For this project I was working with Shai to put the event on and we worked really well to make sure the event was as successful as possible. We started by having central Facebook group for us to post all information about the event and discuss any important issues that needed addressing. Shai and I worked together when we needed to discuss the main details for the event such as the venue and timings and riders etc but we distributed the roles needed to put the event on successfully between us so we could get more done and focus out skills into a few particular areas. Shai was in charge of finding a magazine or online review company to attend the event and review the event which would be fantastic promotion for us as well as the bands. Shai was also in charge of money and the tickets on the night of the event. He was sat on the door during the show managing all the people coming into the gig and confirming online purchases too. My roles were different but they met in the middle so we could work together to put the show on. My jobs before the show were to book the venue and and bands. This was my strong area as I know a lot of bands in the area and I also wanted to put a specific genre on. My other roles were also online - marketing/promotion and graphic designer. My role as online promotion and marketing was another one of my strong points as I myself are quite active on Facebook and other social networks so it was easy for me to keep up to date with everything and respond to questions about the gig. I also took the role on as designer as I didn't want to pay for a designer as I can already make half decent flyers and poster myself so by doing this it saved money. Finally my last role was artist liaison. This is where I looked after the artist when they arrived and made sure they had everything they need to perform. I sorted out a rider of beers that we put back stage as well as some of drinks. These rolls mainly linked on the day of the show where Shai and I were making sure that all the tickets and wristbands were being allocated to the right people and the people who were getting in on the guest list such as the photographer and a few people requested by the venue. We also had to make sure that the artist got wrist bands to secure access to the whole venue. 

What career path do you see yourself following? What industry connections/support will you need in order to be successful in this role?

The career path I see myself following is mainly in production weather that be music and studio production or concert production and even film production. Its quite a varied role but i think this covers all the areas that I like to succeed in, in the creative industry. The industry connections I think I will need are people in bands looking to start up and make a few new demos which I can use to work on my mixing and recording skills at my studio at home. When bigger jobs come in id like to work in larger studios with better engineers and larger bands with maybe a bigger budget. I think I will also need a lot of connections to people who are already working regular in studios such as producers and engineers. I have many friends that are recording in high end studios with their bands and I have sat in on a few sessions to watch the producer at work and this is really valuable experience.

Other connections I think i'll need are band who are playing live regularly so I can join them and regularly do their live sound for them. This is something I am equally interested in following up in a career path. Getting my hand on board with any live sound work I can and using everything I have learn at college for the last 2 years about sound and live sound production. I think these skill will be forever useful when taking up a career as an engineer for live and studio production.

For these last few weeks I have been working with Jay, Shai, Kipras and Jerald on our EP's and also the end of year shows. These guys are all really useful contacts that I can use for the rest of my life in the industry because I know that they are all reliable and really good technicians and producers for live music and studio. I think if I work really hard to do what I love doing and work with really talented people I will be able to get great opportunities to worth with larger productions for live and studio as well. 

EP Budget - Phil

Budget

Studio Time - £0.00

I put that the Studio time for my EP was free because when recording I used studios from Universities and colleges to record for free. I know this won't normally be the case and I was very lucky to uses great facilities for no money. I think spending money on a great studio is really important especially for the type of music that I am recording because most of the sound and tone and energy all comes from the performance in the recording. It really helps to have a great engineer who knows the great studio you're working in.

Technician/Producer - £50 per day. (4 days)

The technician and producer was all one guy and this was really money well spent. He was extremely fast in protools and could chop takes and get everything moving really fast. It would have been really good to have had an engineer as well but as we were using the studio for free we were just paying for the engineers time.

Session Players - £0.00

There were no session players for this EP as it was all recorded by my band members and myself. I would have counted for session players but for this EP everything was playable by ourselves as there were no instruments are vocals parts that we couldn't cover by ourselves. Getting session players was very nearly a part of this EP as for the song Call Me Old Fashioned we were looking to get a small strings section in to record a few parts but it ended up being difficult to get the right musicians together at the right time. For my style of music its very common for bands to hire in session musicians because with drums bass and guitars sometimes its great to get a string section or a horn section over to really give that track some extra dynamic and interest.

CD Duplication x 150 & Sleeve Printing x 150 - £350.00

Another cost outside of the production is the manufacturing and distribution of the final product. The cost for the CD duplication is £250. I think this is a really good and useful purchase and a worth investment. I think that my type of music is very commonly listened to on CD's and it also gives me something to sell at gigs as a promotion tool. For a 6 track EP I think that I will probably sell my EO for around £5 each as they are costing more than £2 each to produce. Another reason why I think this is a good purchase because 150 copies is a good amount as its enough to keep going and make money from but its not too many that you're worried that you'll be left with loads left over with nothing to do with.

Posters & Flyers £0.00

For this EP project I have decided that posters and flyers would be an unnecessary cost as I am not putting on an EP launch show. Regarding the posters I would wait and see if it was something that fans were demanding for otherwise I see it as a waste. If it did prove that people did want posters then I would get some printed and probably sell them online and at shows. Maybe make a limited edition run of 50 etc. This way it keeps people interest and makes them want to have something that not everyone can get.

Vinyl x 50 £300
Printing vinyl was a tricky one and its a little risky because it really depends on your fanbase as to weather you will sell out this format. There are a lot of genres where this really wouldn't work because people who listen to a particular genre don't seem to even buy vinyl but there are a few pockets of niche genres that do manage to sell their music in vinyl and I think that a small run of these might be a cool way to promote the EP. You can also sell vinyl at a much higher amount as its a novelty item and also could be run as a limited edition item. I think this is a worth while expense because its something that your fans will like to own as a special item rather than the rudimental means of listening to the music as it will be available for download online too. 

Stickers x 1500

I think that getting stickers would be a useful purchase for the EP as its a really cheep way of promoting/marketing your EP as you can stick them pretty much everywhere! You can give them out for free at gigs and its something that people will love to receive after seeing a band as a word of thanks and they'll remember you next time. They are so cheep top guy that it seems like a no brainer to get a few event just to send out with purchases of the EP or even to stick on your gear!
Music Video

I think a music video is a really useful promotional tool for the EP and well worth the expenditure. I wouldn't have to spend as much on a video as some people would as I can do most of it myself but I would still spend a bit of getting a good director and a good camera. Music videos are always going to come at a loss at first but If you produce something that is exciting and entertaining it can be memorable for people to watch and they will want to find out more especially if the song is good. I think this is a really good use of the budget for my EP as it will live on way after the EP and continue to be a good promotional tool for a long time.

Radio plugger - £0.00

I didn't feel that for this EP that a radio plugger was needed as much as the other things I have spent money on. The style of music that I have produced would benefit from a few plays on some good radio stations, I just think it wouldn't be money well spent unless I got a huge reach from the plays and its always an known weather your music will be played. Also i feel that if I was producing hip-hop or a more commercial style of music then it might suit the radio a little better and have a better chance of getting played across more stations.

Online promotion & Social Media adverts - £0.00

I decided not to allocate any money to online promotion as I know that there is so much you can do without spending a penny. Facebook alone allows you to promote your band or artist page in really great ways without costing you money. There are also loads of new site that are becoming popular to give artist ways to sell music or merchandise and promote music for free. For this reason I decided that I wasn't worth spending money on this because I know I can do lots before it will become worth while spending money on online promotion. 

EP Evaluation - Phil

EP EVALUATION

1. My EP is called ‘PROWL’ This is the title track of the EP and I decided to name the EP after this track because its the one that gives the message behind the EP the best.

2. The styles music on my EP are Rock and Alternative Rock. These are the genres that I listen to a lot and figured came across well with the story that was told through the EP.

3.

4. Overall I am happy with the content of the EP as a whole I think when it was being written this was something that I felt passionate as well as during the recording. I think some of the lyrical ideas are there but I also think that they might not be as consistent as they could have been. i the guitars and drums are the best part of the EP they are quite expressive through out as well they rhythm sections. I don't think the EP especially leaks in originality but I think for an early piece for the arsenal is defiantly a great place to start and a massive learning curve while making.

5. I think this music fits well into the genre of music that its style fits into but not necessarily the genres and artists that I listen too. The artists that this music fits very well too is DON BROCO and Lower Than Atlantis. These aren't artist that I personally listen too. I think the EP would be very different if it was in the genre of the artist I listen too such as Radiohead, Muse and The Envy Corps to name a few. I think that the genre that this music is in is perfect for the ideas behind the EP but even tho its music that id not normally listen too I think it works well for this music and thats what matters most.

6. I think overall the sound of these tracks is very good although I don't think that it particularly sounds the way I heard it and wanted it to sound at first. The strengths are that the music sounds very fulfilling and powerful and all the musical parts are coming together very nicely! I think that the main problem is that the musical parts are not quite sitting well enough together and the tracks don't have as much energy behind them as they could. This is all things that would need to be changed in the recording process. I would have loved to have a proper producer on these tracks who is a professional in this genre and knows how to make it sound good and how I wanted. In terms of the mixing, I would prefer that someone else mixed it as I think when its your own music its hard to forget about the musical contest and just think about the sound and weather it sounds right. If I could I would re record it all again to make it sound right.

7. I think that this genre relies heavily on the tones of the kick and snare drum and also the guitar tones. I spend a very long time during the mixing to find this but I think that it was something that needed to be changed in the recording process. The kick and snare sounded nothing like the tracks that we were listening too. I really think and phat kick sound and a deep yet cracking snare was what I was after but due to equipment and time its hard to find the exact sound you are after. Even after lots of hours mixing. I listened to a lot of other music while recording this EP which helped to get towards the sound I wanted. I don't think this Ep compares to well with the artist that I listen to. Partly because my favourite artist don't all sound like how I wanted this EP to sound but also because the sound I was looking for was really hard to recreate. With more time and knowledge this would probably have been vey achievable.

8. I collaborated with a few musicians on this EP. Other writers as well as performers. There was a bass/vocalist as well as a guitarist who recorded all guitar parts for the EP. This was a massive part of getting the EP to sound the way I wanted as they had a lot of experience in the instruments that I don't play. They were also heavily involved with producing the record and finding the desired sounds.

9. During the recording of this EP I worked very few people as this EP was mostly self produced.  There was a producer alongside myself who was running the session for the bass and drum recordings as well as being the engineer. He was very slick in using the DAW and running all the gear in the studio. This was a huge help towards my EP as the bass and drums sounded good afterwards and we managed to complete it all in one day. He was a huge help towards the completion of the EP as he was very good and choosing microphone positions and correcting things as we go all going towards the final sound which was in mind. On the other hand he wasn't the most experienced engineer and producer in the genre we were recording. This wasn't so good as he found it hard to latch onto what I wanted the EP we sound like.

10. My favourite roll would be the 'producer' title. I feel that I can perform well as an engineer as I think my knowledge on microphone choice and placement is fairly well rounded but I would say I prefer the producing roll because you are very involved with the artist and you can add so much to great songs and work with the bands to add your own touch to the music. I find this very rewarding but although you are not part of the band musically you can still interact as if you are an extra member and add a lot to the music even your own personal style and edge. 

11. I have used a lot of really important equipment during the making but the most important I used in this project would have been 2 hard drives. These were so useful and although they didn't appear to do much they stored all the audio files and help back ups which was so useful and really keeps everything safe from being lost. If I didn't use this and keep back ups you can always loose data but I made sure that I always had up to date back ups across several drives.


12. A really good example of a session that went well was when recording the guitars. We tried a different approach when recording these as we had already tried recording the guitars but the tones weren't correct and how we wanted. We tried running the guitar though real pedals and micing a different amp with different microphones. This session went so well as the tones for the guitars just sounded to perfect and we were getting all the sounds we wanted. As well as this the session was running smoothly and we were making progress all day. This is a really way to keep moral high in the studio and everyone in high spirits and we were all working to our full potential.

13. My favourite track on the EP is most likely ‘Call Me Old Fashioned’. I love this song for so many reasons other than just the production and the way it sounds. I love this song the most over the other despite the fact that its the softer, smoother track on the EP. I love the way all the parts work together but also its a very personal song to myself and the others as it is was written by all of us in one room together as a band and thats what we are trying to promote and get back into doing. This track even includes a snippet of guitar that was recorded on that day. In terms of the production of it I think its the best sounding track and it also is probably the best mixed. I wanted to spend a long time making this one sound amazing because the vocal performance was very very good as well as the guitar etc. 

14. My finished EP will most likely be put of for free on Soundcloud and Bandcamp and possibly Spotify. I want this EP to be a promotional tool and use it to build a fan base for the music and then go on a run of playing shows and promoting the music as much as possible. I could charge for the EP but I feel that if I want to use it as a promotional tool that might be a barrier and prevent the music getting to as many people as it otherwise might.

15. The most important thing I have learned from making this EP is practise more and edit less. I found toward the end of the making the EP that this really does apply to most thing when recording from the performance to the mixing and mastering. If you really perfect your skills as an engineer or getting the best performances your life when mixing and editing will be so much easier and you can get much better results. I found this was a really good lesson I learned.

16. My latest purchase of music is Muse’s new album ‘Drones’.I bought this on iTunes as I wanted to get the tracks that were released prior to the album as and when they came out. I have also purchased the CD for this album but Muse are a particular favourite of mine and I wouldn't do this for every album I buy. I also tend to buy albums in full rather than just the song that I like as I feel that most bands will want there albums listen to from start to finish as thats how they are intended to be heard.

17. I probably spend around £20 on music every month as well as a £9.99 subscription to Spotify premium. This is sometimes from iTunes and sometimes CD’s and occasionally vinyl. I could buy all my music digitally but personally i really like having the physical CD, like I said so i cant listen to albums in full.

18. I spend around £30 a month on live music. I try to get too 3 or 4 gigs a month, sometimes its friends shows or bands that I really want to see from tiny to massive shows or festivals but over the year I do like to see as much live music as I can.

19. In the near future I plan to take music production further and start recording bands myself. I have a few people who want to record with me already and a few mixing project. I plan to start perfecting my skills and using what I have learned from making this EP to develop my own style and hopefully produce to top bands in the further future and have a great portfolio.

Event Management - Chloe

BOOKING VENUE

I contacted 'Our Black Heart' to enquire about hiring the venue as i had been there recently to see a gig and saw how great it was. I emailed the event manager 'Josh' and we discussed dates for about 3 months before I finally agreed on June 14th. When the date was confirmed I could work of booking bands. I was in contact with the venue through out the entire process making sure they had all the information they need to update their website and Facebook pages. The venue was free to hire. The agreement was that I took all the door and they took all the bar.

BOOKING BANDS

I had a lot of trouble booking bands although when I started I knew exactly who I wanted to headline but after contacting agents they weren't available. I knew the genre of the night that I wanted to put on because I had confirmed my brothers band Rivals & Idols to be the main support but I found it really hard to get a headliner and support acts to fit the genre. I posted on loads of groups on Facebook advertising the slots and after a couple of weekend I did manage to fill the 4 slots. A Problem I had was that I had all 3 support acts before I had the headliner but I couldn't announce anything on social networks until this was confirmed.


MANAGING BANDS/LIAISING

Once the bands were confirmed I really had to keep in communication and make sure I got a biography, tech spec and logo as well as an image from the headliners First so I could start designing the posters. I used Facebook for all communication with all the bands and it worked really well. I didn't run into any problems, all the bands were quick to respond and gave me more than enough information to promote the event well and give everything to the venue.

MANAGING COSTS

There weren't many cost for this gig as the venue was free to hire so we just had to pay for the bands and the riders and any promotional cost like flyers and wristbands.


Here is the cost and ticket sales and the final totals after the night.

Sadly we made a loss on the night which is not great but if we were to continue to put events I think that we will be able to build a site with traffic coming through and people will be looking out for our events and they will become more and more popular. Overall I think it was a really successful night as the bands were all really great and they all worked well together.

SOCIAL NETWORKS

Social networking was another one of my roles for this project. I wanted to promote the event as much as possible so I created a event on Facebook and posted regular to keep interest.
After I announced the event I posted weekly announcing the supports acts with links and biographies.
It was important to keep the consistency up with all the posts on Facebook so people would keep up the interest and it would remind them every few days about the event.
I posted reminders of where to purchase tickets and occasional links to the bands video etc.

I also managed to get the event onto the venues website. This was another good online promotion because it would been seen by people who are visiting the venues website as well.

Another form of online promotion I used was resigning the event for online listings and magazines

POSTERS + LEAFLETING IN CAMDEN

I printed 50 x A3 flyers for the event which I walked round Camden of half a day putting up posters in several shops, cafes and pubs. The Events manager for the venue put a few up in the venue as well.  This was a really good way to get the event promoted in the local area to try and bring in some unknown locals. I also put up a few posters at the college events to try and promote the show as well. The audience at the college shows were similar to who I was aiming for at my gig.

WRISTBANDS

As an attempt to make the a really well thought out gig we decided to get custom wristbands with all the event information. You would be handed one of these on the door and it would allow you access to the venue all night.

RIDER

We got the bands a rider to share for the night which was a pack of 24 beers that we put back stage and also some soft drinks. This is an expense purely for the artists as free beer keeps them happy and thats what you need for your event. They are playing for you and you need to keep them happy and comfortable. Often the headliner will request a rider but as this was a fairly small event we just provided one that all the bands could help themselves too.

ONLINE TICKETS
We made tickets available for purchase online at wegottickets.com for £4. People who purchased tickets online were given a receipt/code that they had to show on the door to get in. This is a really useful way to make tickets available because its free and people have the opportunity to purchase tickets for many weeks leading up to the event.

Overall the event was a really big success. Not financially but in terms of the preparation and how the audience reacted to all the bands was really really positive. Its given me a huge amount of knowledge and confidence about putting on events and what to expect and what is needed to make it successful.  I had a lot of fun putting bands as they were all bands I was really into as for this I wanted to put bands on that I really liked and wanted to hear.

EP Project MASTERING

Mastering

Now that the mixes are complete it was time to master the tracks. My goal for these tracks was to get them so they were sounding like one project and that from song to song they were all balanced correctly. To do this I used some basic tools to create a bitting, louder, wider and more finished sound to the tracks. This was the final process to the production.


The tools used for these 3 tracks were all the same, I just changed parameters to suit the song to gel the three songs together.

TRACK 1

 I decided to lightly compress the tracks to contain everything as I felt there was always something that was a little pokey. I wanted to be able to have full control over the tracks. I also decided to compress before I added EQ because otherwise I found that the EQ changes I made were just being changed and compressed with the compressor afterwards. This was not giving me the same effect from EQing after. I played around with some different compressors and even limiting ever so slightly but this compressor seemed to work best for this type of music. It really helped all three tracks to work well together.

With the EQ I wanted to give the track a very subtle change that really made the track fit right across the frequencies. I made a few cuts to help bring down the hi hats that blaring and a little harsh. This made a huge change to the feel of the track and made more room for other things.
I was also very quick to take out some of the bass because I figured that when I limited the track the bass was just getting turned down as well as the hi hats because they were the loudest thing in the track. If I could take out some of the bass and the hi hats this would allow me to turn everything thing up even further.
Also by taking out some of the 400Hz it helped to get the kick to punch a little more.

TRACK 3

Changing EQ for each song: 

The tool that I found needed to be specific most for each track was the EQ. This is where you could add very small notches in and out that can really change and benefit that track. I found there were a few harsh points that I could take out, usually around the 300Hz and 1K and 6K where the hi hats were. This was really good because it gave me a really balanced sound before sending it into the limiter which would have just squashed the Hi hats and not enabled me to turn the rest of the track up. i found it was important to EQ early on as well after compression for the same reasons. I would only use small notches on the EQ unless it was quite major bass cuts to even everything out.

Stereo Widener:

Another tool I used for the mastering process was stereo widening. This is a really great tool for making tracks sound really wide. I tried to use this sparingly but I found that with these tracks they sound really great when they were wide and open. This really helps the final master because it opens the whole track to sound bigger and potentially better. The difference is massive without adding this little feature.

Harmonic Maximiser:

I used this tool to give the track a little bit of a shimmer before I limited the track. This plug in boosts harmonic in a particular frequency that you set, low and high. This doesn't make a huge amount of change but its subtle and it just gives the track a more polished touch. I played around with this for a while to find the right frequencies but when its right its make a lot of difference and it really gives the track a great finishing touch.

Limiting

TRACK 2

The final process I added was the limiter. This was to turn up the tracks to make them as loud as possible but still keeping the tracks sounding dynamic and full. For this I used a single limiter to squash everything and then turn it up setting the ceiling at 0.0. I toyed around with using several limiters together but I found that they were squashing the sound an awful lot and I was getting a better sound just from using one and it was much faster. For the style of these tracks I thought that they would most likely be played in a club so I wanted to make this track quite loud and I could squash the dynamics quite a lot before it got too much and sounds terrible.

Hedley Marks

11 June Yr 2 Summer Show Plan - Grant

2nd Year Show 11th June 2015 Stage Plan

Equipment List

MAIN STAGE

HK Audio Actor PA System

I have chosen the HK audio Actor PA stack for the main stage because this particular stack has a great full range response. This PA has great features that cater for all kinds of set ups depending if you are using all 3 speakers in the stack or just the top. You can adjust the cross over from full range or to ‘Satellite’ This will send everything from 110Hz and below to the subs to only handle those lower frequencies. I could have gone for the small Bose system as this would handle all the signals in the same way, it would be massively lighter to move and easier to set up but it wouldn't carry or produce a sound that was fulfilling enough to the room that the event is in.

HK Audio Dart Monitor Active X6

I have chosen to use the these actor monitors because they are active monitors which means the amp is inside them and can be powered from mains on stage. I chose the set up over using passive monitors because routing them all through an amp is just more complex and can be more confusing. I have also decided to use all the same monitors because I feel that they look better on stage.

Yamaha LS9 32 Channel Digital Mixer

24 Channel Recorder

For the Main Stage I have decided to use the Yamaha LS9 32 Channel Digital Mixer because using the digital system have many pros over using a analogue desk. Firstly its very compact and everything is internal. There is no need to run out board gear in this situation because the desk has a range of plugins built in that can be used for reverb, EQ compression etc. Another good reason for this choice was that all my levels can be saved and as this show contains lots of different acts I can get all my levels set including monitor levels and effects set up and then save that and reprogram for the next performance. You cant do this with analogue. A reason that you might choose analogue over digital is that if there is a power problem or something does down when it starts up the analogue desk will go right back to where it was but the digital desk has to start up and will make a few moments to go back to where you were potentially spoiling the show.

24 Channel Recorder

I have chosen to record the show using the 24 channel audio recorder. I chose this for its reliability. This device is dedicated to recording audio and will do that until its hearts content. The alternative for a full track for track recording would be to record out to a laptop and this can be a very unreliable way to record audio as laptops are known for crashing and can greenly be a risky way to record a live show.

Microphones:

SM58 x 5

I have chosen to use the SM58’s for the vocals as this microphone is a very reliably and sturdy dynamic microphone that has a cardioid polar pattern and a great frequency response. I could have gone for a SM7b but I felt that although I prefer the sound of the SM7b its grill is not as strong as the 58 and wouldn't use this for a live gig when it might not live up to the abuse it might get on stage. Also its not as ergonomic as the 58 as it doesn't have a place to hold it. I also could have used a AKG 414. A lovely microphone for the vocal but because its a condenser and designed to capture a bigger area its not idea for live use as you would pick up a lot of the other band members and would be prone to feedback. 

Audix D6 x1

I have deiced to use the D6 on the kick drum because its got great shielding and a good low frequency response. I have used other microphones for a live gig on the kick but a dynamic with good low response is always the best choice like the D6. The reason I chose this over the AKG D112 or the Shure PG52 is because of the other microphones I am using on the drums. They are all Audix from the same family and the tone will be consistent.

SM57 x1

I chose the SM57 on the snare because this microphone is very good at containing the snare sound and also because very consistent. It was the only one I decided to use instead of the Audix microphones because i think it sounds better than the D2. It has a really great frequency response and is rigid and strong and can take a few hits.

Audix D2 x2

I went for the D2’s on the rack toms as they will capture the tone of the toms as well a good attack. They are good for live sound because they are dynamic and will keep out a lot of the other drums because of the cardioid polar pattern. 

I then decided to put the D4 on the floor toms to capture a bit more  low end punch. Another alternative for this could have been the Sennheiser MD421. The 421 is probably a nice microphone but I wanted to try and use all Audix microphones. Also I have used the 421 on the bass amps.

Audix D4 x1

Rode NT55 x 2 (Stereo Pair)

These are for the overheads but mainly for the recording purpose. I probably wont use these in the mix that much because the drums and cymbals are already really loud but for recording purposes the drums will sound very empty without the cymbals. I have gone for these for the stereo pair as well as the clear and flat sound that the capture.

Sennheiser MD421 x 1

I have chosen to use the Sennheiser MD421 on the bass amp as well as DIing the amp because this microphone although being a dynamic has great response to the low end which is why its also really great on the toms of the drums. I wanted to add this to the DI sound to get a really good full bass tone and having the choice of amp and DI gives you so much control. I think that this was a better choice over the Sennheiser e609 which is great for amps but this microphone doesn't deliver in the low end enough to use it for a bass amp.

Sennheiser e609 x 1

For the guitar amp I have picked the Sennheiser e609 this microphone is really great for guitar amps because if its frequency response and polar pattern but the shape is also designed to be able to hang in front of the guitar amps and be easily positioned around the cone. My other choice for this was a SM57 and they are both great for guitar amps and its hard to pick one but I ended up choosing this because its sound suits the guitar tones that they will be using during the gig. Also there will be several guitarist with slightly different styles so it needed to be one that could cater for all.

Rode NT5 x 2 (Stereo)

Ive picked the Rode NT5 stereo pair for the recording I wanted to capture a nice clean stereo image of the ambient sound in the room. These will just go straight to the recording as theres no  need to put this back thought the main PA. I chose these over the AKG 414 because they are easier to mount nicely but mainly the sound of the NT5’s are more sensitive to the high end and a little crisper to capture the room and also the audience.

DI BOX x 7

I will be using 7 DI boxes to convert several instrument and line level signals to microphone level signals to match the input on the stage box so they all match up at the desk. This allows all the channels to be XLR and makes things so much simpler. The does take line signals but its much easier to have everything at microphone level when you start to prevent confusion.

Red x 4

Green x 2

Blue x 1

Microphone Stands x 14

Microphone Stand Small x3

Stage Box 32x8

This 32 by 8 stage box will be used to run all the audio signals too and from the main stage to the desk. I have decided to use this instead of 40 individual cables because this will be much easier to manage where all the cables are in one big one. Also they are numbered. It looks much neater and is much safer than having 40 cables running from one end of the room to the other. 

Stage Box 6x2(Jack)

I will also be using another smaller stage box. This is just for the lead vox and the front of the stage and to prevent having to run cables accord the walk ways and where the musicians will be this makes it much neater and safer.

Cables on Stage:

XLR x 17 (3m)

PHONO x 2

PA Cables

ADAT x 3

Speakon x

PowerCon x2

XLR x 2

THE OTHER STAGE

HK Audio Premium PR:O Set 15A/18A

HK Monitors x2

Monitor speaker x1

Amp x2

Mackie Desk

Reverb

Graphic EQ

Acoustic Guitar

E.Piano

Bass Amp

Microphones:

SM58 x3

Shure Super 55 x1
Bud Microphones x 2

DI x4

Microphone Stands x 4

A list of all the non performing rolls in order to make the event run Smoothly.

For this event to run smoothly there are a few roles that need to be taken care of. 

Engineers - I think as we are running two stages for these shows it would be a really good idea that there is 1 person engineering each stage. This means you won't get distracted with one and miss the band walking onto the other stage and you haven't seen them. This will make the bands life easier as well as ours.

I also think that we should have at least 1 person manning each stage as stage hands. Ready to make changes as needed. Communication via the cans is important so the engineers and stage hands can communicate. Also this is a really good way that we make change overs as smooth as possible. Stage hands can help set the stage up for the next act to save the bands doing it. Each stage hands can have printed document that shows the set up needed for each song being performed. Someone to be available at all times is very useful.

If these roles are fulfilled the shows should be a success.


Pre Show -

BLOCK DIAGRAM (MAIN)

BLOCK DIAGRAM (THE OTHER STAGE)

CHANNEL LIST

STAGE PLAN + POWER (MAIN)

STAGE PLAN + POWER (THE OTHER STAGE)

STAGING PLOT MAIN STAGE

STAGING PLOT THE OTHER STAGE