EQ, Compression, Limits & Gates

[pattonaudio]

I would ask why you would need to compress/limit/gate live sound in the first place?

 

Is this for individual instruments or for the whole mix? :)

For individual vocals & instruments is what I was referring to in my OP, only thing I would put in the whole mix is a limiter for a DJ or for install.

[Matt Riley]

<snip>

the vocalist complained the she was "shouting her head off and not much coming out".

 

Don't want to go OT, but do acts like Madonna, britney etc who use headsets have their vocal compressed?

I would have thought so? hhmmmmm?

<snip>

Many comps have built in gates as well. This can have the aforementioned effect of making the vocalist go very quiet if you don't forget to turn it off!

 

Acts like Madonna probably have everything compressed, then a multiband comp on the output, just to make it that bit more 'album-like!'

 

M

[Kevin Ross]

I have tried using a compressor on live vocals,

( a solo act was using a sennhieser headset mic)

But don't they have tendancy for feedback problems? The lack of mic control was the obvious reason for using the compressor, but it lost the 'feel'

of the vocal, and the vocalist complained the she was "shouting her head off and not much coming out".

 

Yes it will in most cases reduce your gain before feedback and it depends on how much of a problem feedback is for you. If it is becoming a problem then you might want to go down the route of splitting the mic signal over two channels and have one for the house (with compression) and the other “Clean” signal for the monitors. You also get the benefit of a different EQ for the monitors to the house which again might help

[johndenim]

I never thought of that Kevin,

What would be the best way to 'split a mic signal'?

 

Should I XLR the mic reciever into a channel, then use the I/O insert socket (using the out) and put that into ANOTHER channel?

I could then keep the channel fader all the way down to prevent the signal coming out of the FOH, but have the aux buss on for the monitors?

 

Hang on a sec, I am forgetting the dsp!

 

Me thinks a bit of experimentation is in order!

 

John Denim.