Hails metalheads! My name is Fang VonWrathenstein, vocalist for the unsigned band Lords of the Trident (http://www.LordsOfTheTrident.com). Every month or so, I’ll be handing out my sage advice to other unsigned bands on how to take their band from the garage to the next level. I’m no industry insider, but I’ve been around the block a few times. Have an idea for a topic, or fervently disagree with something I write? Email me at LordsOfTheTrident@gmail.com.
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There’s a lot of different terminology thrown around when talking about musical gear, stage setups, PA systems, mixers, etc. And a lot of you have been using these terms incorrectly! In fact, one of my most-suggested topics for “Words of Fang” has been to give beginning bands a breakdown of terminology and stage gear that they might expect to see when playing various clubs. So this article will be a little different than the previous articles. Think of this article as the “glossary” of playing live.
Why this image came up in a search for “Glossary”, I’ll never know.
Let’s start off with some of the basics – lesser-known musical instrument terms! Some of these definitions may seem obvious to you if you play the instrument in question, but bear in mind that it took my guitarist 4 years of playing in a band to learn what a ride cymbal was.
Guitar/Bass Amps:
Dat’s a lotta switches
Head: The smaller square box that sits on the top of the amp (see picture above). This is where all of the power and tone control comes from.
Solid State/Tube amps: Your “head” is powered one of two ways – by vacuum tubes (a “tube head”) or by a semiconductor (a “solid state” amp). Solid State amps are cheaper, generally have a harsher overdrive, start up instantaneously, and are usually more durable. Tube amps are more expensive, have a “warmer” tone, take a minute or so for the tubes to warm up, and are less durable than a solid state amp due to the fact that you will have to eventually replace the worn-out tubes. Tube amps, however, always, always sound better. I have never found the exception to this rule. If you have a choice, go for tubes.
Cab/Cabinet/Speakers/”4×10”/”4×12”: This is the larger of the two parts of a guitar amp. Cabinets come in many shapes and sizes, and may be referred to as the number and size of speakers contained in the cabinet (i.e. “4×12” = four speakers, each 12 inches in diameter).
Ohm ratings: On the back of your amp, or speaker cabinet, you will see a small omega logo (Ω). This stands for OHMS, which is the level of electrical impedance. This gets complicated (especially for drummers) quickly, but the easiest thing to remember is to always match the ohm rating to the cabinet. If your cab says “8Ω”, then use the 8Ω output on your amp. Some amps have switches that change the ohm rating, while some have different plugs. The higher the number of Ohms in a speaker or cabinet’s rating, the more resistance to the flow of power and less power will reach the speaker. Google this for more info.
Combo Amp: The amp is “one piece” – head and speaker in one.Combo amps are almost always cheaper than their bigger brothers, but can still sound good. They are usually solid state. Some bands use them for practice, or on the road due to their portability. For me, personally, I’d recommend just getting a smaller cabinet (a 2×10 or 2×12) instead.
Speaker cable/Instrument cable: There IS A DIFFERENCE! DO NOT USE THEM INTERCHANGEABLY! Speaker cables are designed to carry a high-power, LOUD signal (that has been amplified already) to the cabinet. Instrument cables are designed to carry a low-power, quiet signal from the instrument to the amplifier. There is a HUGE difference in these cables
¼”/TRS Cables: The standard plug that you’re used to seeing on an instrument cable is either called a “quarter-inch cable” or a “TRS” cable. TRS stands for “tip, ring, sleeve”. TRS can also come in speaker cable variety as well.
Speakon Cable: These cables have a blue, large circular end, and are used for speakers and speaker cabinets. Compared to a TRS cable, they are MUCH thicker and more durable. Very few guitar heads/cabinets accept speakon cables, but many bass amps do! Most larger PA speakers in clubs are connected with speakon cables.
Guitar Input/Line Input: On your amp, guitar or instrument input is designed to take the weak signal (from an instrument) and amplify it. “Line input” is usually quieter, and will sometimes bypass most of the amplification, because it assumes the signal coming in is much stronger. Plug your guitar into an instrument input, and your already-amplified keyboard into a line input.
Backline: This means that the club will provide something for the band to play through. Usually this means that they have speaker cabinets available, and you should bring your own heads, but sometimes they will also provide heads, and rarely even full drum kits! If you’re driving a long, long distance, inquire if the club has any backline. It may save you hauling your large speaker cabinets 1,000 miles!
Instruments:
Oh look he’s gots some of the grandpa’s guitars
Active/Passive pickups: Pickups are the parts of electric guitars that live in the body of the guitar, near the picking hand. They capture (“pick up” – get it?) the sound coming from the strings. There are many, many different flavors of pickups. Active pickups boost the signal before it hits the amplifier, and require a battery (usually a 9v) installed in the guitar. Passive pickups do not amplify the signal, and thus, do not require a battery.
Locking tremolo/Floyd Rose: These guitars have have a lock on the top and bottom of the strings, which locks the string tension in place. This is done so that you can use the whammy bar for HUGE bends without taking the guitar out of tune (see: Steve Vai). Because of this, changing the strings or tuning on these types of guitars is a real pain in the butt. If you have a Floyd Rose guitar, make sure you bring a backup guitar to your shows. If you break a string, and you don’t have a backup guitar, that’s the end of your set.
Toms/Floor Tom: On the drum, the floor tom sits on the floor and has its own feet. The normal toms are usually connected to the bass drum or are suspended somehow.
Cymbals: There are many different types of cymbals. The mains ones you will see are crash (usually thin, can be big or small, make a “crash” sound), ride (large, heavy, makes a “ping” or “whooom” sound), and hihat (near the snare drum, two cymbals that close together).
Drum Rack: Some drummers have SO MUCH CRAP that they have a separate set of metal arms to house all their stuff, which wraps around the kit. This can be assembled independent of the rest of the kit, and can usually be moved as one piece. Drummers who have drum racks are either REALLY good, or REALLY bad.
Drum shield/Drum cage: A clear, usually acrylic sound shield that protects the sound of the drums from overpowering other instruments. They can help to isolate the drums so that there is less bleed of the other instruments into the drum mics. These are usually only used by church bands and Dream Theater.
Lighting
File under: pretty, blinky, “…man.”
PAR Lights/PAR Cans: These are the circular lights that shine down on the performers. They are usually seen at the front of the stage, illuminating the performers, or in the back of the stage, creating ambiance. In either case, they will always be at the top, connected to a rack, and shining downward. The bulbs can consist of LEDs, or the more traditional “giant-ass-bulb”. That’s an industry term.
LED Light strips: Becoming more popular as of late, these strips of LEDS can be situated just about anywhere on stage to create a color wash. LEDs last longer and are cheaper to run than bulbs.
Fog Machine: Uses a glycol mixture to create suspended “fog”. Indispensable for just about any show. Fog makes everything look better, especially lights. Buy a small machine and timer, and carry it with you always!
Ground fogger: A fog machine that has dry ice added to the final stage of the machine to cool the fog as it exits the machine. This prevents the fog from lifting itself into the air, and creates the cool “misty ground” look on stage.
Hazer/Haze Machine: A large fog machine where the glycol has been mixed with water. This creates less dense particles, and instead of a highly visible fog, it creates more of a haze that sits in the air. This makes the beams of light from the PAR cans show up REALLY well, and enhances a light show without obscuring the performers.
Strobes: White unfiltered lights that flash on and off very quickly, creating a seizure-inducing strobe effect.
Moving Lights/Automated lights: Very expensive lights that have motors in them, allowing them to move. These are usually pre-programmed to do very cool things, or controlled via a light board.
DMX/DMX512: No, not the rapper. This stands for “Digital MultipleX”, and is used to control stage lighting. If you can hook your lights up via DMX, you can usually control them via a control board positioned somewhere in the venue. At its most basic, DMX lighting will usually have a sound sensor built in to the control, and automatically pulse with the music.
Sound System/Mics
Good god what is this devilry?
Monitors: Monitors are speakers that face towards you, to let you “monitor” your performance. They are usually “speaker wedges” – speakers found at the front of the stage, facing up at a 45 or 60 degree angle. Monitors can also be mounted on the ceiling pointing downwards, although this is MUCH less common.
Side Wash/Side Fills: These are a pair of larger monitors on the sides of the stage, pointing directly across the stage. For instance, if you were facing the audience, the side fills would be 90 degrees to your right and left. These are normally only found on bigger stages or nicer sound systems. Usually not required for a smaller club.
Dynamic/Cardioid/Condenser Microphones: There are TONS of different types of microphones out there, but the ones you’ll most likely encounter playing live are dynamic, cardioid microphones. Dynamic microphones are less sensitive to small nuances and sound pressure levels, can take a lot more damage, and are cheaper than condensers, which make them a popular pick for live sound. Cardioid is the type of pickup pattern of a microphone. If you think of a heart coming out of the top of the mic (get it – cardioid?), that’s the pickup area. It will “hear” sound in the front and to the sides, but not from behind the mic. Condenser microphones, on the other hand, are more expensive and more fragile, but pick up all frequencies MUCH better than a dynamic mic. I sing with a Shure Beta 87a, which is a condenser, but still can take a beating. (Find It Here)
SM57/58: These are the “industry standard” microphones for live sound. The Shure 58 has a round, silver top and is your standard vocal microphone, but can be used for some drum micing as well. The Shure 57 is a black mic with a snub nose top, and is used for micing everything from guitars to drums to trombone. Both mics have also been used as hammers by the sound technician before. They are $99 and solid as a frickin’ rock. You REALLY have to try to break these things.
Phantom Power: Some microphones and DI boxes require what’s called “Phantom Power” or “Phantom 9v”. Instead of getting their power from a battery, power is sent along the microphone cable from the mixing board to power the device. This needs to be switched on at the mixing board. Crappy old microphone cables can cause the power to come in and out (and the microphone to pop loudly), so if you use a microphone with phantom power, make sure to use newer microphone cables (or carry your own)!
Compressor: A compressor is one of the most widely-used effects in mixing live shows. Essentially, it makes quiet stuff louder, and really loud stuff quieter. This means that everyone can hear the snare even when your drummer is doing very light brush work, and “screaming at the top of your lungs” vocals aren’t overpowering every other instrument.
Power Amp: This is where the power to drive the speakers comes from. In smaller PA systems, this is built into the mixing board. In a club, they will have separate power amps, because they need to drive bigger speakers.
Mixing Board: A mixing board is where the signals from your microphones end up. The sound engineer can raise or lower levels, tweak the sound, add effects, etc. The main board is usually located at a place called “Front of House”.
Front of House (FOH): The location for the main mixing board. Usually this is a decent amount of distance back from the stage, and DEAD CENTER between the sets of speakers. This lets the sound engineer get the best stereo mix. The best spot in the club to hear the performance? Right by the front of house mixer.
DI/DI Box/Direct Input: Sometimes sound technicians prefer to take the input of an instrument directly into the board rather than micing an amp. This is accomplished using a DI (Direct Input) box. This is usually seen with bass, keyboards, and acoustic guitars. DIs can also sometimes accept the “line out” from your bass amp to capture the tone/effects of your amp (instead of the dry tone of your bass alone). DIs need phantom power or a 9v battery installed in them to amplify the sound before it reaches the board.
Snake: Harrison Ford’s worst nightmare! Microphone cables are usually 25 feet. So how does that signal get from the microphone to the Front of House mixing board, which can be upwards of 500 feet away from the stage? A snake! Snakes have two ends – a large input box that accepts microphone cables, and individual mic inputs at the end of a large, long cable. Think of it like an extension cord for microphone cables. Most clubs will permanently install their snakes into walls, and these are sometimes referred to as “input boxes” or “I/O Boxes”.
Monitor Mixer: If you’re at a bigger club or festival, there will be two mixing boards – one at the front of house, and one to the side of the stage. This will be your monitor mixing board, and it will be staffed by another sound engineer. This mixing board runs your monitor mix, and is independent of the sound coming out of the main speakers. If you’re at a smaller club, the monitor mixers may be on the front of house mixing board.
Types of Speakers: At the top of a speaker there will be a box-like opening. This is called the “horn” or “tweeter”, as is the primary source of a lot of the high treble frequencies. Below it is one or two speaker cones, where the rest of the frequencies come from. Under that, there may be another separate box which usually contain larger speakers. These are bass speakers, and produce the low frequencies. The cheapest type of PA system is usually colloquially referred to as “speaker on a stick”. Essentially it’s a 15” (or smaller) speaker on a speaker stand, with no bass speaker. When professional sound technicians say “one box per side”, they mean there is one set of speakers for each side of the stage which consists of a top speaker and a bass speaker. Top speakers can also be aligned in floating “arrays” for more coverage. If you’ve ever been to a professional show, you’ve seen speakers “flown” (suspended from the ceiling) in “arrays” (multiple speakers chained together).
Drum Riser: A separate platform built on the stage for the drums. This allows the drums to rise above the other instruments so you can see them, and see the drummer.
Stage Plot: A diagram given to the club or sound engineer ahead of the show to let them know what your stage setup will look like. Usually this includes input lists, types of amps, monitor mixes, etc. (See below):
More like SEXaphone. I bet he gets all the groupies.
That should hopefully cover most of the more advanced terms used in everyday gigging. Did I miss one? Email me at LordsOfTheTrident@gmail.com, and let me know!
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Are you a band that owes your success to my pearls of wisdom? Do you wish there was some way you could pay me back? Well there is! Buy the Lords of the Trident’s album off AmazonMP3, iTunes, or BandCamp, watch our music videos on YouTube, and visit us online - http://www.LordsOfTheTrident.com.
Want to email me directly? Tell me how good/horrible my advice has been thus far? Email me at LordsOfTheTrident@gmail.com. If you give me an idea for an article, I’ll send you a FREE album as a reward!
