The Sennheiser Sound Academy and SAE host successful live mixing workshop

The Sennheiser Sound Academy and SAE host successful live mixing workshop

Back to Overview

4th November 2009

A picture says more than a thousand words, and actually doing something can do what countless hours of studying theory can not. For this reason the Sennheiser Sound Academy and the School of Audio Engineering offered a practical seminar teaching the usage of microphones and the sound-mix for live bands from September 22nd until the 24th. The roughly 70 attendees of the Live Mixing Workshop had the opportunity to participate in everything from unloading the tech trucks to the show itself - and gained valuable practical experience.

Rolling up your sleeves and learning from renowned sound engineers: This is the opportunity that was offered to the participants of the three day long Live Mixing Workshops.

"There is a lot of demand out there for classes teaching live mixing, but the actual possibilities to gain practical experience are rare," explained Kirsten Wessendorf, the head of the Sennheiser Sound Academy. "This is what motivated us to extend the Sennheiser Live Mixing Workshop, which is known from conventions, and make it a three day event that enables the participants to experience every aspect of a live show in a practical way."

Most attendees were prospective sound engineers and musicians, but there were also some seasoned sound technicians that decided to take the time that they so often lack during their daily work to learn something new. Under the supervision of host Gregor Zielinsky, the sound engineers Wayne "Heights" Gittens (Monitor; Herbert Grönemeyer, Xavier Naidoo, Echo Awards, Comet) and Oliver Voges (FoH; Faith No More, Deftones, Sarah Brightman, Mousse T., Peter Maffay) as well as the expert for event technology Svenja Dunkel (Frequenzmanagement, Echo Awards) everyone got to work at the Musikzentrum in Hannover - starting with the set-up. Where do which speakers go? How can I ensure optimal sound in the entire venue? What is the best location for the FOH, where do the monitors go? When those questions were answered - with a lot of practical examples - the participants had to tackle the cables, in order to find the best locations for the antennas and get the best monitor signal for the musicians. Afterwards the microphones onstage were addressed - which microphone is best used for which instrument? Wireless technology was also a topic.

The set-up was finished with the frequency range of wireless microphones and monitor routes. Afterwards the four member indie band Rauschenberger, lead by singer Daniel Rauschenberger, worked on good monitor sound and the FOH sound check. After receiving all the necessary background information the participants then tried to create the best drum sound and the optimal sound mix for the band. The final day was dedicated entirely to fine tuning, in regards to the positioning of the instruments as well as the sound of the PA and monitors and the signal processing, followed by plenty of time for questions - as usual.