068 – Mixing Monitors on Small vs. Large Stages
Every venue carries its unique set of challenges.
Written by Scott Adamson
It’s exciting when an artist you normally mix in small clubs lands a festival spot on a big stage. On the other hand, when you work with a bigger artist who usually plays in large arenas, adjusting to an intimate club setting for a special one-off show can present unique challenges.
How will the size of the stage affect your wedge mixes?
Check out this excerpt of a conversation with monitor engineers Karrie Keyes (Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Christina Moon (LCD Soundsystem, Death Cab for Cutie, Sleater-Kinney) to learn more about transitioning between small and large stages.
Your rig itself doesn’t change going from one sized stage to another. “The rig is what it is,” Karrie says. What does change is how you drive it.
Let’s start with moving from a larger stage to a smaller one. Say an artist that usually plays in stadiums does a special one-off show at a club — like in early 2020 when Harry Styles played a full-band set at the 600-cap venue where I work.
The sound of the FOH mix coming through the PA will bounce back more in a smaller, enclosed space than it would in an outdoor stadium. If the artist is suddenly hearing more of that on stage, you’ll need to take this into consideration as you construct your wedge mixes. For example, depending on the mix, Christina suggests you may need to clear out the low end with EQ so it sounds less muddied. When you’re working with less space, you may also need to get creative with staging and place wedges and amps especially strategically.
Get real-world live sound mixing tips straight to your inbox.
When moving from a small stage to a large one, keep in mind the artists may feel much more exposed. With far greater space to spread out and the pushback from a club PA taken out of the equation, it could feel quieter on stage than they are used to. Reinforce ahead of time that this is normal and prepare to make monitor adjustments accordingly.
Remember: monitor mixes aren’t necessarily intended to sound great on their own. Their purpose is to give the artist what they need to hear to feel comfortable on stage and give the best performance possible.
