The Steel Guitar Forum

1: Befriend the tech, even if you don't like him/her. A battle with a tech is a losing battle

2: Cover your own levels. If your accompaniment is too loud the tech will have to pull you back, then won't be able to react quick enough when you do solo. Pull back when it isn't your turn, push it when it is.

3: Work hard on your tone so the tech shouldn't have to EQ it beyond a minor tweak for the system or room. I often look at my strip during a break... I want to see it as close to flat as possible - with some HPF applied.

There are many bad techs out there... but there are also many naive musicians that don't know how to provide a great tone. I'm not saying this is the case with the OP, I'm just saying it isn't always the sound techs fault.

Eric Philippsen wrote:Soundmen. I used to get all upset about 'em. Now I don't - ain't worth it. The huge majority of them had never dealt with a pedal steel. I've had more than a few stand in front of my rig, mic cord in hand, and a look on their face that said, "How do I mic this thing?" It's actually kind of funny. About then I'll jump in and ask, "Would it be more convenient for me to run direct," to which they become instantly relieved.

For most of 'em, setting levels for a steel means just seeing if they have any signal. But I do hold back from giving them "full throttle" during sound check. Otherwise, really, they'll dial you so far back in the mix you'd think your amp mic or feed was off.

I once saw a band so teed off at the sound man that they disconnected all the instrument mics and only ran vocals through mains and monitors. An outdoor gig under a shell, the result actually sounded good.

I did a large outdoor gig one time. I am one who won't play if I am not absolutely necessary for that section of the song. After the first song I did that on, one of the sound crew came up and started checking my amp mic as they weren't getting much of a signal. I told the sound dude that I stop playing in sections where it is not necessary so as not to clutter the song. They couldn't remember having someone that did that. They were a newer small sound company.

My job is to sound as good as I can onstage with my bandmates. Soundman's job is to help put it all out front. I've learned to only worry about my job, can't control the rest. As long as the stage sound works for everybody, we've got what we need.

That said, I agree with the advice to be friendly with the soundman. Always introduce yourself, get his/her name, shake hands, then you can speak to each other politely. Some humor passed around the stage during set up (including the soundman) makes the process light & fun. Get on one another's good side and it will be fine. Or it won't, but you've done your job.

Befriend the tech, even if you don't like him/her

Absolutely! Never argue with a surgeon before your operation.

Ask for his/her card, implying there are upcoming gigs and techs that know how to mix a Steel are rare.

This is why I always hated opening for main acts they would get a hour for sound check and the opener would get five minutes then when your 40 minute set was over they would grab your gear and all but throw it off the stage

I switch between guitar and steel and have resorted to two separate rigs just to have a little chance that the steel will have some headroom!

At soundcheck I give my "pad" volume - I'll mix myself for the solos and louder parts!

If I have the luxury of my own monitor mix, I tell the sound man that for him to have me where he can mix the steel guitar as a lead instrument equal to the fiddle and guitar, he needs to have me in my monitor where I can hear it as loud or louder than my amp behind me. Then add a little bass and lead vocal in my mix.

I tell him that I need to be in the main speakers, so whatever it takes for us to have a happy medium, that's what he should do. And keep in mind that when I'm about to solo, my playing will inform him so, since during the vocals I'm either playing fills I'm at a lower volume, or not playing at all.

Sound men like when I have me loud enough in my monitor that I can keep my amp volume low.

Never ever tell a soundman or a studio engineer that you have a volume pedal. Tell theit's an "expression" pedal like a Hammond organ.

Damir Besic wrote:I don't care about that any more, as long as I can hear what I need to hear out of my monitors, and I have tone I like coming out of my amp behind me, I'm good .... what sound man is doing, or what the band sounds like in the house, i can do nothing about, so I don't sweat about it... when people would come to me telling me they couldn't hear steel, I would just point to the sound booth and send them there... only thing I talk about to a sound man is my monitor levels and mix, the rest of it is not my business, I don't get paid to worry about that...

This!

If I ever called a soundman "sweetheart", no matter what context, I would be guaranteeing the worst front of house sound ever. Not just for me but possibly the entire band.

I answer sound guy's questions and get my Stage tone and volume levels. That's it.