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Live Audio: The Art of Mixing a Show |  |
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Live Audio: The Art of Mixing a Show | |
A live sound engineer's world revolves around the venue. Whether you find yourself working in a cozy club or an expansive concert arena, every location has challenges. It takes more than plugging in a few amplifiers and turning up the volume full blast to get the job done. Experience and ingenuity are needed to ensure that the band's sound is always at its best.? Live Audio?is a practical, hands-on, 'in the trenches' guide to mixing and live sound from an author with years of professional experience. Combining a lively writing style and real world examples with essential details covering the technical and practical aspects of working a live show, Live Audio gives you a real-world look into working a live venue. Learn the technical, practical, and political aspects of the job. *Choosing the right equipment *Being creative with the tools you are given *Letting your mixes become more instinctual *Understand the important elements of live mixing *Working with the band?
*Authors extensive in the trenches experience with big name artists *Practical hands on approach to mixing live sound, including real world examples *Covers the most up to date equipment, including modern digital consoles
作者简介Mixing Engineer, Live and Studio Audio Engineer, Tour Manager, Tour Consultant Toured Extensively in Europe, North America, South America, Japan Mixed & Supervised countless sessions including: Itunes, Aol, Yahoo, BBC, B-side cuts... Live TV appearances include: Jay Leno, Saturday Night Live, Dave Letterman, Austin City Limits, Conan O'Brien, Regis & Kelly, VH1, Later with Jools Holland, Brit Awards, Live at Abbey Road, BBC One Sessions, Parkinson, Friday Night Project, Album Chart Show, E4, Taratata, New Pop, Jonathan Ross, Alan Carr, Top of The Pops, CD:UK, T4, Davina, Mobo Awards
目录
Introduction
Section 1: Pre Show What is a Live Audio Engineer? Audio Engineering Basics Decibels and dB Limits Electronics Power and Electricity Advancing the Show Rehearsals
Section 2: Show Day Load In Public Address Systems Desks Up Line Systems Acoustics Tuning the System Setting the Stage Soundcheck The Mix The Show
Section 3: Post Show Touring Maintenance Definitions Equipment Lists Reference
网友对Live Audio: The Art of Mixing a Show的评论
Let's talk about this book itself first.
This book is fake because there are a few spelling mistakes and one major mistake in the book that everyone who is not stupid enough would tell.
Second,
you can tell from it's cheaper price than UK.
Third,
the only good thing is delivery was faster.
This book is a description of tasks and advice for people mixing the sound for major acts on big tours. Swallow was the sound engineer for La Roux on a recent international tours. In this book, he presents an overview of his approach to mixing sound for live performances, covering such topics as power and electricity, setting up equipment, PA systems, mixing boards, soundchecks, and packing gear.
Although the blurb on the back cover suggests that the material in the book might be equally useful for mixing a small band in a cozy club or a stadium show, virtually all of Swallow's discussion is geared towards shows in halls that hold at least several hundred people--he terms a hall that holds 900 people "relatively small". Towards the beginning of the book, there is an informative chapter on acoustics and audiology, but the material there is never directly connected to the remainder of the book. Swallow certainly includes a great deal of information about dealing with microphones, monitors, PAs and giant mixing boards for large shows. But it's hard to see the direct relevance for a sound engineer who is just starting out, mixing for friends in a 25 seat club. And experienced engineers who mix for big-name groups in large venues would hopefully know much of the material presented here anyway. There are a few proof-reading issues that escaped the editor, as for example, on page 162 where an illustration labeled "a 3-D image of how the cardioid polar patterns work" looks rather omni-directional. Perhaps the best bit of advice to aspiring sound engineers is to "spend a week locked in a room with a graphic EQ, playing your favorite track through, and using the graphic to mix the track" to learn "where certain instruments sit in the frequency spectrum and how they can interact with each other". If the book had more useful suggestions such as this, rather than details about flying speakers for stadium shows, it would be a very valuable contribution indeed. Overall, the book relates quite a bit of Swallow's experience as a professional sound engineer, but the information is not geared to the intended audiences of novices and engineers who haven't yet developed the experience needed to find work in large venues.
Dave Swallow's Live Audio: The Art of Mixing a Show is a text that provides specifics regarding live audio situations (shows, etc.). The text is divided into two major sections, one being `Pre-Show' and the second being `Show Day.' Within each major section are chapters detailing specifics of the totality of the live audio process.
The `Pre-Show' section of the book encompasses six unique chapters. The first chapter, entitled `What is a Live Audio Engineer?' details the job description of the audio engineer. The chapter discusses on jobs including front of House Engineers (mixes audio for the audience), monitor engineers and system technicians, explaining the unique role of each. Audio engineering basics, the second chapter is a lengthier chapter, focusing on the ear, hearing loss, waves, pitch, and decibels among other topics. Diagrams via figures accompany this chapter and serve as additional explainers of the written text. Chapter three, electronics, provides specific data related to specific electronic components involved with mixing. Chapter four, `Power and Electricity' deals with issues with grounding, buzzing, and transformers ("an electric device consisting of two or more wires wound on the same iron core"). Chapter five, `Advancing the Show,' deals with `nickel-and-dime' details such as channel lists, PA specifications, venue specifications, and power specifications. Chapter six, `Rehearsals' - the final chapter of the `Pre-Show' section, deals with such stage issues as infrastructure and adapting to problems.
`Show Day' the second major section of the book, covers ten chapters related directly to jobs and duties that must be considered on `show day' for the live audio engineer. Chapter seven, `Load-in' deals with `loading in' equipment and the crew needed to set-up the show. Chapter eight covers `Public Address Systems' (PA), detailing principles of PA systems and what specifications are pertinent to achieving the proper sound at a live show. In chapter nine `Desks Up!,' mixing principles and guidelines come into play, with author Swallow detailing digital technology terminology, differentiating between analog versus digital, explaining `the Channel Strip,' and detailing the `Mastering Section' of the mixing board among other rich facts. Overwhelming perhaps, chapter nine proves to be a wealth of information.
Chapter ten, `Line Systems,' deals with microphones and unbalanced and balanced lines. Chapter eleven, `Acoustics,' details understanding the space, how certain materials work acoustically, and how certain stages (based on shape) work differently. Chapter twelve, `Tune Up' focuses on equalizers and the live audio engineer using their ears. Chapter thirteen, `Stage Setup,' covers microphones (dynamic, condensers, placement, etc.). Chapter fourteen, `Soundcheck,' deals with policing noise and judgements about `sound.` Chapter fifteen, covers `The Mix' and finds author Swallow detailing musical dynamics (build-up, tension, transfer), frequencies, and phase relationships. Chapter sixteen, `The Show,' discusses set changes, among other pertinent issues.
Overall, the text is well organized and features a wealth of information. In addition to the two major sections, there are prelude, intro, and outro sections. Additionally, an index for quick reference appears at the end. Overall, for the audio and recording industry enthusiast, this a text all should check out.
I'm willing to bet that nearly no one who attends a large live musical event is aware that the sound/music they are enjoying is not really coming from the musicians (at least not fully) but from the preparations and set up done by sound engineers affiliated with the musicians and/or venue.
Songs are composed and performed by real musicians, of course, with real instruments, but the sound is distributed into the event venue and to the audience by a complex system of microphones, amplifiers, mixers, switches, filters, wiring, and sound conditioners of various types multiplied by the effects of the venue's spatial volumes, construction, textures, shapes, and even, the ambient humidity level determined by the heat emitted by the audience as it responds to the show.
Every venue has its challenges and experience and ingenuity are required to produce quality sound consistent with the quality of the performers. The sound engineers select and place specialized equipment specially configured and constantly adjusted to make it seem as if the musical magic derives from nothing more than the artistic geniuses on stage. This book debunks that illusion.
The author is a knowledgeable and experienced sound engineer who has worked in a wide range of venues with major musical artists and television artists and programs like Leno, Letterman, MTV. He's written a very informative book about all of the elements of a successful sound engineering project--from equipment selection and features to preliminary planning, to setting up for the big show, to monitoring sound performance during the show, and even the pragmatic packing up and moving on to the next venue when the show is over. It is a hands-on guide to the profession.
The writing is workmanlike and in a narrative style, for the most part, with a timeline structure of Pre--During-and After the show progression. Given the subject matter, the writing is expected to be dense and technical, but it is often not well organized. Some themes seemed out of place and some seemed to be thinly or inadequately covered.
There are two main sections-"Pre-Show" and "Show Day" covered in 16 chapters. There are several early chapters which deal with basics of aural anatomy, the physics of sound, and definitions of technical terms and concepts. You will even learn how ear wax, for example, has a role to play for rock concert attendees! Later on he explains the differences between the three main types of sound engineers and details the plans, schedules, physical setups, and more, that are necessary to complement the artistic performance.
The author writes comprehensively, even including a section about how to conform to governmental noise ordinances. There are technical but informative sections on analog versus digital sound and equipment, types of microphones, sound effects, and tuning techniques using "pink noise."
Mr. Swallow provides many real-world examples of the life of a sound engineer-learning by trial and error how to mic pianos and drum sets using at least five mics each, how to read an audience and make adjustments according to its reactions to the performance, and how to make on the spot repairs and workarounds when beer is spilt on sound mixing equipment during a show.
The book is illustrated with a large handful of graphics, charts, and grayscale photos. Reference is made to an associated website to access supplemental material, including color photos, but I wasn't able to access it. (A webpage states that material was not yet available.) There are a handful of sidebars where the author describes some real-world problem situations which required intuitive and creative adjustments in order for the show to go on.
There is high pressure on the sound engineers (as well as for the artists) to perform, except that for the engineers, their performance is graded "A" when no one in the audience even notices their work.
This is a fine manual for those wishing to be sound engineers or just merely curious about sound engineering in the live performance context.
(FTC disclosure (16 CFR Part 255): The reviewer has accepted a reviewer's copy of this book which is his to keep. He intends to provide an honest, independent, and fair evaluation of the book in all circumstances.)
In a perfect world, to learn all about mixing a live show, all we'd need to do would be to jet over to London, take Dave Swallow down to his favorite pub, buy him a few pints, and listen to his words of wisdom. But this is the real and imperfect world, where you don't have several hundred dollars for the fare, or Heathrow is closed for a couple of days when it snows, or the pub has stopped selling pints and now will only sell you something called "a schooner," and the band playing in the pub is so badly mixed that you can't hear a word Dave says.
Luckily we have this book. I thought I knew something about the subject, but Dave shows that a great deal is involved, including a lot of things that will seem obvious after the gig but not during. In fact, of sixteen chapters, only one is actually devoted to the show. All the rest is planning to get things right ahead of time.
The book starts off with a guide to the basics, but the rest of it is about what happens at the venue. This section starts with "load-in" and goes through all kinds of things like microphone placement, setting up the mixing desk, and everything through to the sound check. Swallow writes clearly and in a friendly manner, and his book is full of home truths ("Never put anything in your ear smaller than your elbow.") And in case you're wondering, you can't put your elbow in your ear. (Just another service of Amazon reviews).
Dave has worked with people like Amy Whitehouse (who I would have thought was not too conscious about the quality of her sound) and a British band called La Roux. The Electropop act has performed in the U.S. at Lollapalooza and on the Jimmy Kimmel show, and it looks like Dave has been the soundman since the beginning.
He has words of caution for newcomers to the art of mixing, including both how to deal with equipment and how to deal with artists and managers. He shows you how to create a PA Spec, or a list of equipment that you're prepared to work with. I was somewhat concerned when Dave said that there are certain makes he will not work with, but on reflection these are beginner level and there is plenty of pro-level (and pro-price!) equipment that is less likely to break down in front of an audience of thousands.
Some people have expressed surprise at the price of the book, but if you just get one idea from the pages (and you'll get many) it will save you the cost of the book. Hopefully, it might even dissuade folks who think that they have the ability to mix music but pretty clearly don't. Not, of course, that I come into that group (hides head).
So I was very pleased to read this book. It does what it says it will, it covers vital areas that aren't obvious to outsiders, and hopefully it will make musicians a little more sympathetic to the sound staff in general. Buy it.
Most all of the basics of sound mixing and live audio are covered here, and in basic terms anyone can grasp. There's a good grounding, so to speak, in the science of waveforms and electricity; you need to know this stuff and it's presented well here. Author DS is a good writer and you won't get bogged down in technical details---he keeps the forest of good sound clear from the trees of tiny detail.
But those detail trees can wreck a gig, even a little sapling, so it's nice to have a good forester on hand. DS knows this game well, and speaks as a working engineer, offering real-world tips that can help you squelch that hum quickly. I also appreciated his awareness of how a mixer must work with musicians and the audience as well, and the best thing here is the constant advice to use your ears over all. He knows that overtones matter, and he gets what makes a good gig go bad or go great. The only feedback we want to hear at the desk is from happy audience and band members!
I did sound for many years for my solo, duo and band gigs, as well as for other bands, and there are a number of things here I had to learn the hard way; if you want to mix well, this is a fine place to learn most of what you'll need. My only qualm is the price tag, as I think this will sell one third as many copies at 40 as it would at 20. (And it is 27 here, so that's pretty fair.) Lots of bands will balk at the rather hefty tag for an all black and white book, even if it does offer value in the long run. Which is a shame, as all bands who play out should be forced to read this so they can stop blaming the sound guy for all their musical issues!
But if you're planning on mixing your or other bands' gigs for any length of time, this belongs in the tour van beside those old pizza boxes. It's a very nice intro to making any band sound great (well, ok, as good as they can). And above all, the author understands that the goal is making good music, not just good sound. That's what separates the pros from the amateurs.
All told, Live Audio offers tight lows, rich mids, and clean crisp highs, with very little hum.
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