So I'm doing sound for my friends show

[God Komplex]

My friend asked me to be his sound engineer for a metal show he is throwing. I've never done this before. I will be doing the levels and making sure the sound is where it should be. I'm expecting things to go smoothly if its just live EQing, but I have a feeling it will be more than that.

Has anybody ever done this before?
I could use some tips or just things I should notice or do, so I don't go into this with the wrong mindset. HALP PLOX <3
Much love, Many thanks.

[test_recordings]

It's not ridiculously hard, but needs some basic knowledge of how to balance the levels and avoid feedback etc.

Production forum is the place to ask this kind of thing...

[cyclopian]

check out the gearslutz forums

[test_recordings]

Harmony Central is good as well

[wehlfest]

I run sound for a small production company in San Francisco.

The main thing with bands is getting the correct mics for each instrument and having the proper mic placement. Are you going to be setting up everything or just literally running the board? If everything is already set-up it will be way easier. Good luck.

[wehlfest]

Also do a soundcheck before the show. Set the levels. You want to know the point where feedback may occur. Drop the faders a little bit before this threshold.

[test_recordings]

Getting it set up properly is definitely more important than 'producing' it (EQ is used for fixing problems, not artistic ideas on behalf of the engineer).

A lot will depend on how well your mates sound to start with. As you say they play metal, tell the guitarists to not EQ all the mids out on the amp and turn distortion up to 11 or it'll just sound like fizzy shit. 4, 3.5 at the minimum on mids, distortion-wise nothing wrong with 7 or 8.
Drummers and bassists can't fuck around with their sound so much so they aren't as much of a concern. The bassist should use a pick though, unless they slap

[jrkhnds]

The bassist should use a pick though, unless they slap

I can't think of a single reason why on earth somebody should use a pick instead of his fingers. less control, more likely to get string snares, much more metallic / brizzle sound ...

picks are for bassist turned guitar players.

[test_recordings]

Live situation gives it more presence . They're playing metal, you'll notice most bands have used picks for most of the genre's history. The only mainstream exception I can think of is the guy from Iron Maiden...

I only recommend it after hearing a lot of bands be 'bass-less' on stage...

[Jizz]

..and you know how us dubstep fans feel when we go to a bass-less night

[jrkhnds]

Live situation gives it more presence . They're playing metal, you'll notice most bands have used picks for most of the genre's history. The only mainstream exception I can think of is the guy from Iron Maiden...

I only recommend it after hearing a lot of bands be 'bass-less' on stage...

Iron Maiden, Metallica (except Jason Newsted), Judas Priest, Megadeth, Ministry, Pantera, Sepultura, Rammstein, RATM... to name a few.

I'm pretty sure amount and thickness of bass has nothing to do with pick vs. fingerstyle. pick sounds more aggressive and gives your sound more attack, fingerstyle will give you that "thump". it all depends on what equipment you use, who's playing the instrument and finally comes down to personal preference.