Welcome to Pmailus Music And Live Performance

Pmailus Music delivers when it comes to providing information for all things related to music, instruments, recording, and live performance. Music and performance is a magical thing.

Live Sound Science

While creating great music is an art, producing great live sound is a science. Everything works together in a performance – from the artists’ instruments to their live vocal microphone to the mixing boards and speakers – to convey the music to the audience. Settling for lower quality gear will usually lead to dissatisfied musicians, frustrated sound technicians, and less engaged fans. Which is why it is critical for anyone involved in producing live sound to get the best quality equipment their budget allows.

Instruments

Amplifying instruments is a tricky business. Some, like electric guitars and electric bass guitars are designed to be plugged in to an amp and make the audio crew’s job easy. Other stringed instruments such as acoustic guitars and classic violins often require external microphones to properly capture their sound. That job can be fairly easy to dial in at the sound studio, but becomes a nightmare when dealing with a stage drum kit and screaming fans. Performers who use light or percussive techniques can be especially tricky puzzles to solve.

Speakers

Another key element to live performance is the speaker system. You need enough wattage to properly fill the venue with sound without introducing unwanted distortion. Many theaters and music halls will have house systems that are designed specifically for the room. Those situations are much easier for audio engineering, as visiting crews can usually just plug in their gear and then make minor tweaks to get the sound they want.

Stadiums and outdoor venues present much more difficult problems for the sound team to solve. Even though an arena has a sound system it is probably designed for a sporting event with fans in the stands, rather than a concert with a stage and fans down on the field. Those situations will probably call for a combination of house equipment combined with rented equipment sharing the load of balancing the sound across the venue.

Mixing

An often overlooked element to achieving superior live sound is the mixing equipment. And that really includes everything from the cables and snakes that bring the instrument and vocal signals to the booth, to the mixing boards and amps that allow the sound engineers to dial in the various nuances of every singer and musician. Pairing a multi-thousand dollar instrument with a cheap cable is a prescription for frustration. The smart sound guy knows that quality equipment from source to booth to speaker is the best way to ensure the highest quality audio experience for the audience.