Rockin’ Your Stage Sound:
A Musician’s Guide to
Professional Live Audio
By Rob Gainey
Hal Leonard
If the sound engineer and every person
in the band all want the band to sound
as good as possible, why is it so hard to
actually make
that happen? In
most cases, not
everyone is on
the same page
in terms of
training, methodology,
and
personal preferences.
Good
luck aligning
those planets. It is possible, however, for
everyone to have a better understanding of
the variables involved—the various capabilities
of the equipment being used, the
best practices for signal routing, proven
approaches for mixing different kinds of
setups in different situations, etc.—and
that’s what this book is about.
Author Rob Gainey has 30 years of
experience on both sides of the mixing
console, much of it with notable
acts in those famous clubs on the Sunset
Strip. He is a master at bridging the gap
between musicians who are focused on
their individual sound and the needs
of the audience. Rather than bitch and
preach about what people don’t but should
know, Gainey uses real-world examples
to illustrate common situations, dissect
problems, and explain possible solutions.
Almost every one of the book’s 240 pages
has some kind of stage chart, technical
diagram, black-and-white photo, or sidebar
on it. The sidebars feature experiential
anecdotes and tips from dozens of professional
musicians.
The book is thorough. Starting with
individual instrument tone and then
going through the nuances of stage setup,
monitoring, and house sound, Gainey
weaves easy-to-read tutorials into a larger
lesson that is eye-opening for beginners
and helpful to veterans looking for specific
solutions to specific problems.
He doesn’t stop there, though. He also
unpacks the organizational elements of
pro sound, the Zen of getting everything
to work right, and the technical aspects
of audio gear that any serious musician
or sound engineer should want to understand.
Either as a front-to-back read or a
handy guide explaining what to do when
tricky situations arise,
Rockin’ Your Stage
Sound is an important book that gigging
musicians and engineers should check out.