People ask all the time if doing live sound is easy… art is easy if all you do is throw paint on a wall…. my point is live sound can be easy, but to do it right is hard, requires some skill, good ears, good gear, and a lot of practice.
My first answer is no, and then my second qualification for that answer is that it also depends on how high your standards are.
Almost anyone with a working knowledge of microphones, consoles and audio signal flow can probably get a band mic’d up and mix a live show… but that doesn’t mean that it’s good.
Is live sound easy? Live sound is heavy. I know that. Stage monitors weigh a ton. Amps weigh a ton. Arrays weigh a ton. If you like heavy lifting, or rather if you are really good at heavy lifting, then that makes like sound just that much easier. ;)
Things and set up that can make live sound easier:
A monitor console (digital / recall) that travels with you. If you don’t have one, spend a lot of time setting up monitor mixes, then save them (assuming you’re using a digital desk, which you should) and then convert that file to as many possible formats as you can so when you arrive all you have to do is load it up and you’re done w/ your monitor mix.
In-ear monitoring. If there was one thing I could demand of artists, it’s to always use in-ear monitoring. Once you get stage monitors off the stage your feedback issues are all but gone entirely, and it’s a lot easier to get mixes for all the artists with which they are happy b/c you’re not dealing with over-wash from the other mixes.
Control the guitar and bass amp level. Easier if the band knows and trusts you, a lot more difficult if you’re dealing with new people every night. It’s an easy rule: the lower the level coming from the stage, the more control you have over the actual mix. If they’re amps are cranked, then you’re mixing what’s in the console with what’s blaring off the stage. Control it. If they won’t turn down, at least try to get them to point them towards the side of the stage to lessen the sound hitting the audience directly from the amps.
Have roadies or very strong interns. (Heavy lifting… no fun. Back hurts.)
