This is a rough guide to sound and the equipment that is used by Backstage. It is targeted at members but non-members may also benefit. Please let us know if any of the information in this guide is inaccurate.

This section is designed to explain the fundementals of sound and the equipment used and what it should be doing.

• Basic Sound
• Sources and cable
• Microphones
• Cables and signal level
• Balanced and unbalanced signals
• Connectors
• The FoH desk
• Intro
• Gain
• EQ
• Auxiliaries
• Fader
• Monitor mixing
• What a noise gate does
• What a compressor does

Here's a selection of some of the desks you may use during bands or shows.

• Soundcraft K1
• Soundcraft MH2
• Allen & Heath GL2200
• Soundcraft Spirit F1 (pholio)

There's a wide selection of 'black boxes' for getting the best sound from almost any situation and although they may seem daunting to use at first, the flexibility and sound quality they give when set up properly means that its definately worth getting to understand the wide number of signal processors.

• Behringer Autoquad Model XR2400 - Noise gate
• Behringer Composer Model MDX2100 - Compressor
• Behringer Multicom Pro Model MDX4400 - Compressor
• Yamaha SPX 90 - Effects processor
• Yamaha Model Q2031A - Graphic equaliser
• American DJ Audio Model XEQ-312 - Graphic equaliser
• Behringer DSP1100P - Feedback destroyer

For the sound engineer, the microphone is probably the most widely used piece of equipment and when you have to set up two dozen of them for a band, knowing which type to use where is essential.

• Shure SM57
• Shure SM58
• Shure Beta 52
• BST MKZ100 condensors
• Sennheiser e604
• Sennheiser e614
• Sennheiser e845
• Sennheiser e865

Amplifiers are essential to making noise. Backstage own a number of amplifiers, in various states of repair.

• MC^2 Audio Ltd T1500
• MC^2 Audio Ltd MC650
• PEC Industries A900

Without speakers, it just ain't gonna work...

• Monitor Wedges
• Shermans
• JBLs

• Denon DMD-1000 - MD recorder/player
• Technics SL-PG520A - CD player

Credits:
The Backstage Sound Guide was written by Colin Hodges and ammended by Tom McLean.
© BTS 2007.
No reproduction in whole or in part in any means whatsoever is permitted without written consent.