I got to be the sound guy for the cover band Guilty Pleasures at Two Rivers last Friday night. It was my first time working the sound for this new indoor stage setup.

Guilty Pleasures is a 5-piece group playing a variety of classics. For this venue they chose songs to suit the tie-dyed shirts and eclectic feel of the space. Having both male and female vocals, trading back and forth on lead and harmony, really makes for an appealing show. The guitarist has a variety of equipment to match the tones of the mixed bag of songs. The percussionist with congas and other things like the clave really fills in the sound of the grooves. The drummer and bassist are experienced and kept a solid foundation for the other elements. I had a nice time following along with their songs, bringing up the solos here and there.

I have done sound at this venue for their outdoor stage previously. That involves setting up all of the speakers, the board, and dealing with the strong winds that blow through the stage. The indoor stage eliminates those encumbrances so it is a welcome change. But still, it was my first time working it and I had some kinks to work out.

Getting to know new equipment is part of it. There are many more channels, speakers, and stuff. This means more cables, stands and little details to pay attention to. Luckily a member of the band is also a sound guy for that stage and filled me in on my questions about the details.

It took a few songs to get the monitors and gain dialed in well. I had frustration with one signal until I realized the little button to send it to the Master was off, and I still grit my teeth recalling that! Once I had these things corrected, the band was able to settle into their groove and the audience along with them.

Overall it was a great night and I look forward to mixing the sound next time with this new experience and confidence. There are always challenges at a show and I like taking them on. There is one challenge in particular that I will be facing. I have learned that the stage monitoring is proving to be a challenge on this stage. Reflecting on this night and other experiences there, I have a theory.

The venue is a large room but it is not an open floor plan. A wall goes maybe half way into the room, forming a wide “U” shape. The stage is built in the top left of this “U”. My theory is that performers are setting up their amps to fill the large room, which is reasonable. But, the monitors facing them on stage are effectively filling a much smaller room. So, turning the monitors up to be heard over the amped up equipment over-saturates the small stage area, resulting in muddy monitor mixes and feedback.

During the next sound check I will try to communicate this idiosyncrasy to the performers and test my theory.