Sound Check: Book Two of the Front Row Center Series

Microphones on stands are also placed in front of instrument amplifiers to pick up the sound. Headset mounted and tie-clip mounted microphones are often used with wireless transmission to allow performers or speakers to move freely. Early adopters of headset mounted microphones technology included country singer Garth Brooks , [6] Kate Bush , and Madonna. Other types of input transducers include magnetic pickups used in electric guitars and electric basses, contact microphones used on stringed instruments, and pianos and phonograph pickups cartridges used in record players.

Electronic instruments such as synthesizers can have their output signal routed directly to the mixing console. A DI unit may be necessary to adapt some of these sources to the inputs of the console. Wireless systems are typically used for electric guitar, bass, handheld microphones and in-ear monitor systems.

This lets performers move about the stage during the show or even go out into the audience without the worry of tripping over or disconnecting cables. Mixing consoles are the heart of a sound reinforcement system. This is where the sound engineer can adjust the volume and tone of each input, whether it is a vocalist's microphone or the signal from an electric bass , and mix, equalize and add effects to these sound sources. A sound engineer needs to have an expert knowledge of speaker and amplifier set-up and other technologies.

As well, a sound engineer has to have a good "ear" for what the music should sound like in order to create a good mix and use effects units appropriately. Every genre and style of music has different approaches to live sound mixing. The mixing approach for a hard rock band is very different from the mixing approach for a bluegrass music show; a hard rock show will typically have powerful subwoofer cabinets to create a "heavy", loud onstage sound. A bluegrass show will typically have a more "acoustic" or "natural" sound, in which the PA system simply reinforces the volume of the more quiet instruments.

Multiple consoles can be used for different applications in a single sound reinforcement system. The Front of House FOH mixing console must be located where the operator can see the action on stage and hear the output of the loudspeaker system. Some venues with permanently installed systems such as religious facilities and theaters place the mixing console within an enclosed booth, but this approach is more common for broadcast and recording applications. This is far less common in live sound reproduction, since the engineer performs best when he can hear what the audience hears.

Large music productions often use a separate stage monitor mixing console which is dedicated to creating mixes for the performers' on-stage or in-ear monitors. These consoles are typically placed at the side of the stage so that the operator can communicate with the performers on stage. This arrangement can be problematic because the performers end up having to request changes to the monitor mixes with " The engineer also cannot hear the changes that he is applying to the monitors on stage, often resulting in a reduction of the quality of the onstage monitor mix.

In the s, small PA systems for venues such as bars and clubs are now available with features that were formerly only available on professional-level equipment, such as digital reverb effects, graphic equalizers , and, in some models, feedback prevention circuits which electronically sense and prevent feedback "howls" before they become a problem. Digital effects units may offer multiple pre-set and variable reverb, echo and related effects.

Digital loudspeaker management systems offer sound engineers digital delay to ensure speakers are in sync with each other , limiting, crossover functions, EQ filters, compression and other functions in a single rack-mountable unit. In previous decades, sound engineers typically had to transport a substantial number of rack-mounted analog effects unit devices to accomplish these tasks. Equalizers are electronic devices that allow audio engineers to control the tone and frequencies of the sound in a channel, group e.

The bass and treble controls on a home stereo are a simple type of equalizer. Equalizers exist in pro sound reinforcement systems in three forms: Graphic equalizers have faders vertical slide controls which together resemble a frequency response curve plotted on a graph. The faders can be used to boost or cut specific frequency bands.

Frequencies which are too loud, such as a "boomy" sounding bass drum , or an overly resonant dreadnought guitar can be cut. Sound reinforcement systems typically use graphic equalizers with one-third octave frequency centers. These are typically used to equalize output signals going to the main loudspeaker system or the monitor speakers on stage. Parametric equalizers are often built into each channel in mixing consoles, typically for the mid-range frequencies. They are also available as separate rackmount units which can be connected to a mixing board.

Parametric equalizers typically use knobs and sometimes buttons. The audio engineer can select which frequency band to cut or boost, and then use additional knobs to cut or boost this frequency range. Parametric equalizers first became popular in the s and have remained the program equalizer of choice for many engineers since then. High-pass low-cut and low-pass high-cut filters restrict a given channel's bandwidth extremes. Cutting very low frequency sound signals termed infrasonic , or subsonic , a misnomer reduces the waste of amplifier power which does not produce audible sound and which moreover can be hard on the low-range speakers.

A low-pass filter to cut ultrasonic energy is useful to prevent interference from radio frequencies, lighting control hum, or digital circuitry creeping into the power amplifiers. Such filters are often included with graphic and parametric equalizers to give the audio engineer full control of the frequency range. If their response is steep enough, high-pass filters and low-pass filters function as end-cut filters [ clarification needed ]. A feedback suppressor is an automatically-adjusted band-reject or notch filter which includes a microprocessor to detect the onset of feedback "howls" and direct the filter to suppress the feedback by lowering the gain right at the offending frequency.

Compressors are designed to help the audio engineer to manage the dynamic range loudness of an audio signal, or a group of audio signals. Prior to the invention of automatic compressors, audio engineers accomplished the same goal by "riding the faders", which mean listening carefully to the mix and lowering the faders of any singer or instrument which was getting too loud. A compressor accomplishes this by reducing the gain of a signal that is above a defined level the threshold by a defined amount the ratio.

Most compressors available are designed to allow the operator to select a ratio within a range typically between 1: A compressor with an infinite ratio is typically referred to as a limiter. The speed that the compressor adjusts the gain of the signal called the attack is typically adjustable as is the final output of the device. Compressor applications vary widely from objective system design criterion to subjective applications determined by variances in program material and engineer preference.

Some system design criteria specify limiters for component protection and gain structure control. Artistic signal manipulation is a subjective technique widely utilized by mix engineers to improve clarity or to creatively alter the signal in relation to the program material. An example of artistic compression is the typical heavy compression used on the various components of a modern rock drum kit.

The drums are processed to be perceived as sounding more punchy and full. A noise gate sets a threshold where if it is quieter it will not let the signal pass and if it is louder it opens the gate. A noise gate's function is in a sense the opposite to that of a compressor. Noise gates are useful for microphones which will pick up noise which is not relevant to the program, such as the hum of a miked electric guitar amplifier or the rustling of papers on a minister's lectern.

Noise gates are also used to process the microphones placed near the drums of a drum kit in many hard rock and metal bands.

Lesson 1: Staff, names of notes, treble clef

Without a noise gate, the microphone for a specific instrument such as the floor tom will also pick up signal from nearby drums or cymbals. With a noise gate, the threshold of sensitivity for each microphone on the drum kit can be set so that only the direct strike and subsequent decay of the drum will be heard, not the nearby sounds. Reverberation and delay effects are widely used in sound reinforcement systems to enhance the sound of the mix and create a desired artistic effect.

Reverb and delay add a sense of spaciousness to the sound, imitating the sound of a singing voice or instrument in a large, reverberant hall. Many mixing boards designed for live sound include on-board reverb effects. Modulation effects such as flanger , phaser , and chorus are also applied to some instruments. An exciter "livens up" the sound of audio signals by applying dynamic equalization, phase manipulation and harmonic synthesis of typically high frequency signals. The appropriate type, variation, and level of effects is quite subjective and is often collectively determined by a production's audio engineer, artists, bandleader , music producer , or musical director.

Reverb, for example, can give the effect of signal being present in anything from a small room to a massive hall, or even in a space that does not exist in the physical world. The use of reverb often goes unnoticed by the audience, as it often sounds more natural than if the signal was left "dry" without effects. For example, an audio engineer may use an Auto Tune effect to produce unusual vocal sound effects that a singer used on their recordings.

A feedback suppressor detects unwanted audio feedback and suppresses it, typically by automatically inserting a notch filter into the signal path of the system, which prevents feedback "howls" from occurring. Audio feedback can create unwanted loud, screaming noises which are disruptive to the performance, and which can damage performers' and audience members' ears and speakers.

Front Row Center

Audio feedback from microphones occurs when a microphone "hears" the sound it is picking up through the monitor speakers or the main speakers. While microphone audio feedback is almost universally regarded as a negative phenomenon, in hard rock and heavy metal music , electric guitarists purposely create guitar feedback to create unique, sustained sounds with their guitar and guitar amplifier.

This type of feedback is sought out by guitarists, so the sound engineer does not try to prevent it. A power amplifier is an electronic device which uses electrical power and circuitry to boost a low-voltage level signal e. All speakers, including headphones , require power amplification. Most professional audio amplifiers also provide protection from clipped overloaded signals, as a power amplifier pushed into clipping can damage or destroy speakers.

Amplifiers also typically provide protection against short circuits across the output, and excessive temperature e. A limiter is often used to protect loudspeakers and amplifiers from power amp clipping. Audio engineers select amplifiers that provide enough headroom. Standards bodies differ in their recommendations for nominal level and headroom. When an audio engineer has selected an amplifier or amplifiers with enough headroom, this also helps to ensure that the signal will remain clean and undistorted.

Like most sound reinforcement equipment products, professional amplifiers are typically designed to be mounted within standard inch racks. Rack-mounted amps are typically housed in road cases , sturdy plastic protective boxes which prevent damage to the equipment during transportation. Active loudspeakers have internally mounted amplifiers that have been selected by the manufacturer to be a good amplifier for use with the given loudspeaker.

Some active loudspeakers also have equalization, crossover and mixing circuitry built in. Since amplifiers can generate a significant amount of heat, thermal dissipation is an important factor for operators to consider when mounting amplifiers into equipment racks. The heat sinks can become clogged with dust, which can adversely affect the cooling capabilities of the amplifier. In the late s, power amplifiers in PA applications became lighter, smaller, more powerful, and more efficient, with the increasing use of switching power supplies and Class D amplifiers , which offered significant weight- and space-savings as well as increased efficiency.

Often installed in railroad stations, stadia, and airports, Class D amplifiers can run with minimal additional cooling and with higher rack densities, compared to older amplifiers. Digital loudspeaker management systems DLMS that combine digital crossover functions, compression, limiting, and other features in a single unit have become popular since their introduction.

Systems may include several loudspeakers, each with its own output optimized for a specific range of frequencies i. Bi-amplification, tri-amplification, or quad-amplification of a sound reinforcement system with the aid of a DLMS results in a more efficient use of amplifier power by sending each amplifier only the frequencies appropriate for its respective loudspeaker.

Most DLMS units that are designed for use by non-professionals have calibration and testing functions such as a pink noise generator coupled with a real-time analyzer to allow automated room equalization. A simple and inexpensive PA loudspeaker may have a single full-range loudspeaker driver , housed in a suitable enclosure. More elaborate, professional-caliber sound reinforcement loudspeakers may incorporate separate drivers to produce low, middle, and high frequency sounds.

A crossover network routes the different frequencies to the appropriate drivers. In the s, horn loaded theater loudspeakers and PA speakers were almost always "columns" of multiple drivers mounted in a vertical line within a tall enclosure.

The s to early s was a period of innovation in loudspeaker design with many sound reinforcement companies designing their own speakers. The basic designs were based on commonly known designs and the speaker components were commercial speakers. The areas of innovation were in cabinet design, durability, ease of packing and transport, and ease of setup.

This period also saw the introduction of the hanging or "flying" of main loudspeakers at large concerts. During the s the large speaker manufacturers started producing standard products using the innovations of the s. These were mostly smaller two way systems with 12", 15" or double 15" woofers and a high frequency driver attached to a high frequency horn.

The s also saw the start of loudspeaker companies focused on the sound reinforcement market. The s saw the introduction of Line arrays , where long vertical arrays of loudspeakers with a smaller cabinet are used to increase efficiency and provide even dispersion and frequency response. This period also saw the introduction of inexpensive molded plastic speaker enclosures mounted on tripod stands.

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Many feature built-in power amplifiers which made them practical for non-professionals to set up and operate successfully. The sound quality available from these simple 'powered speakers' varies widely depending on the implementation. Many sound reinforcement loudspeaker systems incorporate protection circuitry, preventing damage from excessive power or operator error. Positive temperature coefficient resistors, specialized current-limiting light bulbs, and circuit-breakers were used alone or in combination to reduce driver failures.

XLR connectors are still the standard input connector on active loudspeaker cabinets. The three different types of transducers are subwoofers , compression drivers, and tweeters. They all feature the combination of a voicecoil , magnet , cone or diaphragm , and a frame or structure. Loudspeakers have a power rating in watts which indicates their maximum power capacity, to help users avoid overpowering them. Around the mid s trapezoidal -shaped enclosures became popular as this shape allowed many of them to be easily arrayed together.

A number of companies are now making lightweight, portable speaker systems for small venues that route the low-frequency parts of the music electric bass, bass drum, etc. Routing the low-frequency energy to a separate amplifier and subwoofer can substantially improve the bass-response of the system. Also, clarity may be enhanced, because low-frequency sounds take a great deal of power to amplify; with only a single amplifier for the entire sound spectrum, the power-hungry low-frequency sounds can take a disproportionate amount of the sound system's power.

Professional sound reinforcement speaker systems often include dedicated hardware for safely "flying" them above the stage area, to provide more even sound coverage and to maximize sight lines within performance venues. Monitor loudspeakers , also called "foldback" loudspeakers, are speaker cabinets which are used onstage to help performers to hear their singing or playing. As such, monitor speakers are pointed towards a performer or a section of the stage. They are generally sent a different mix of vocals or instruments than the mix that is sent to the main loudspeaker system.

Monitor loudspeaker cabinets are often a wedge shape, directing their output upwards towards the performer when set on the floor of the stage. Two-way, dual driver designs with a speaker cone and a horn are common, as monitor loudspeakers need to be smaller to save space on the stage. These loudspeakers typically require less power and volume than the main loudspeaker system, as they only need to provide sound for a few people who are in relatively close proximity to the loudspeaker. Some manufacturers have designed loudspeakers for use either as a component of a small PA system or as a monitor loudspeaker.

In the s, a number of manufacturers produced powered monitor speakers, which contain an integrated amplifier. Using monitor speakers instead of in ear monitors typically results in an increase of stage volume, which can lead to more feedback issues and progressive hearing damage for the performers in front of them. The use of monitor loudspeakers, active with an integrated amplifier or passive, requires more cabling and gear on stage, resulting in an even more cluttered stage.

These factors, amongst others, have led to the increasing popularity of in-ear monitors. In-ear monitors are headphones that have been designed for use as monitors by a live performer. They are either of a "universal fit" or "custom fit" design. The universal fit in ear monitors feature rubber or foam tips that can be inserted into virtually anybody's ear.

Custom fit in ear monitors are created from an impression of the users ear that has been made by an audiologist. In-ear monitors are almost always used in conjunction with a wireless transmitting system, allowing the performer to freely move about the stage while maintaining their monitor mix. In-ear monitors offer considerable isolation for the performer using them, meaning that the monitor engineer can craft a much more accurate and clear mix for the performer.

With in-ear monitors, each performer can be sent their own customized mix; although this was also the case with monitor speakers, the in-ear monitors of one performer cannot be heard by the other musicians. A downside of this isolation is that the performer cannot hear the crowd or the comments other performers on stage that do not have microphones e. This has been remedied by larger productions by setting up a pair of microphones on each side of the stage facing the audience that are mixed into the in-ear monitor sends. Since their introduction in the mids, in-ear monitors have grown to be the most popular monitoring choice for large touring acts.

The reduction or elimination of loudspeakers other than instrument amplifiers on stage has allowed for cleaner and less problematic mixing situations for both the front of house and monitor engineers. Audio feedback is greatly reduced and there is less sound reflecting off the back wall of the stage out into the audience, which affects the clarity of the mix the front of house engineer is attempting to create. Sound reinforcement systems are used in a broad range of different settings, each of which poses different challenges.

Audio visual AV rental systems have to be able to withstand heavy use, and even abuse from renters. For this reason, rental companies tend to own speaker cabinets which are heavily braced and protected with steel corners, and electronic equipment such as power amplifiers or effects are often mounted into protective road cases. As well, rental companies tend to select gear which has electronic protection features, such as speaker-protection circuitry and amplifier limiters.

As well, rental systems for non-professionals need to be easy to use and set up, and they must be easy to repair and maintain for the renting company. From this perspective, speaker cabinets need to have easy-to-access horns, speakers, and crossover circuitry, so that repairs or replacements can be made. Some rental companies often rent powered amplifier-mixers, mixers with onboard effects, and powered subwoofers for use by non-professionals, which are easier to set up and use. Many touring acts and large venue corporate events will rent large sound reinforcement systems that typically include one or more audio engineers on staff with the renting company.

In the case of rental systems for tours, there are typically several audio engineers and technicians from the rental company that tour with the band to set up and calibrate the equipment. The individual that mixes the band is often selected and provided by the band, as they have become familiar with the various aspects of the show and have worked with the act to establish a general idea of how they want the show to sound. The mixing engineer for an act sometimes also happens to be on staff with the rental company selected to provide the gear for the tour.

Setting up sound reinforcement for live music clubs and dance events often poses unique challenges, because there is such a large variety of venues which are used as clubs, ranging from former warehouses or music theaters to small restaurants or basement pubs with concrete walls. Dance events may be held in huge warehouses, aircraft hangars or outdoor spaces.

In some cases, clubs are housed in multi-story venues with balconies or in "L"-shaped rooms, which makes it hard to get a consistent sound for all audience members. Click here to view our concessions map. Please indicate to your server if this is a request based on allergy or preference. Electronic Cigarettes In compliance with our smoking policy, the use of electronic cigarettes is forbidden in the seating bowl and all other areas of First Tennessee Park.

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Sound reinforcement system - Wikipedia

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The area features a large slide, a giant blow up chair and a speed pitch. The Sounds provide Fun Zone attendants but cannot be held responsible for the actions of children in the play area. Gate Opening Times All gates open one 1 hour before game time for all home games. Gate Screening Procedures Prior to entering the ballpark, all attendees will be subject to security screening, including metal detector screening and inspection of bags or other items carried in.

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For items lost at previous games, a pickup time can be scheduled by calling HITS. Items lost at prior games are held for 30 days in the Sounds main office and then donated to an appropriate charitable organization. Mission Statement We are a team dedicated to bringing top-notch guest service to our customers both internal and external. We strive to put the Sounds at the forefront of sports in Nashville by providing fun, family-friendly entertainment.

Bands, choirs, groups, and individuals are all invited to participate. If you have participated in the past, you will need to submit a new audition. Click here for more information. Parking and Traffic Information There are approximately 6, parking spaces within a half-mile walk from First Tennessee Park.

Free and paid parking are available within this area. Click here for complete parking information. Disabled parking spaces are conveniently marked and are subject to availability with a valid state handicap permit. There is no additional fee for disabled parking. Parking passes must be displayed on the vehicle's dashboard while parked in lots surrounding First Tennessee Park. It can be accessed from the third base concourse.

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Restrooms Two sets of men's and women's restrooms are conveniently located on the first base side and the third base side of the main concourse as well as one set in the outfield area near the Ban Box concession stand.

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On the suite level, they are also located behind home plate and on the first base side. Family restrooms are also available. Retired Numbers The Sounds have retired two uniform numbers in their history: Skeeter Barnes 00 and Don Mattingly The number 42 is also retired throughout professional baseball in honor of Jackie Robinson. Safety In accordance with Pacific Coast League rules, only authorized personnel with proper credentials will be permitted on the field before, during, or after a game or event. Scoreboard The guitar-shaped scoreboard is a fan favorite for all who come to First Tennessee Park.

It measures ' long by 55' high and is Digital display is equal to 32" wide televisions. Scoreboard Messages Due to advertising commitments and game-related information, requests for personal messages and greetings are limited. Requests must be received at least 24 hours before the beginning of the game.