Good read

[subharmonic]

Just ran across this. Haven't done much but skim it YET but seems to be a good read from what I read.

http://sound.westhost.com/articles/pa.htm

[SirNickity]

I've found all of the ESP articles to be extremely educational, but also capable of making everything seem so hopeless. You could never design a system properly, since there are countless variables, and they're always changing! hehe

[Bas Gooiker]

I can't remember finding so much usefull informationa bundled on 1 page lol...

Realy nice.

[DJ Higgumz]

great read!

[Moe]

The best quote of this was:
<<<---- SNIP!!! -------------->>>>>

One of the tricks I used to use when mixing live sound was to turn the master faders down when the band played quietly. The quieter the playing, the lower the faders ... people would actually stop trying to talk and listen! Since I made it my business to know the music, I knew exactly when the crescendo was due. The faders were snapped up to (almost) the maximum, and a very common comment heard from the punters was "That's the loudest f...ing PA I've ever heard !!". It wasn't (the whole system was about 1,200W), but by having dynamics it sounded as if it was much more powerful. It also adds greatly to the music ... loud bits and soft bits are as essential to the sound as the use of different notes. No-one would want to listen to a band that played and sang with only one note for the entire night, so why should people have to listen to the same volume for the entire gig?

All sound system operators should heed this, but simply because the "art" of running the sound system is as much an integral part of the live music experience as the talent on stage is.

<<<---- SNIP!!! -------------->>>>>

[biggerrigger]

Could have not said it better myself. This is a trick that I use in recorded music every time I am behind the controls. You can control the crowd if you know what your doing. You can make your self look like an ass if you do not.