Live at Full Sail University - Part 1

Check out The Beer Brothers Band playing live at Full Sail University!

How to Use an Audio Mixer

Audio mixers are one of the most commonly used pieces of equipment in live performance and recording. Here are some tips and tricks for using one correctly!

1. Make sure all of your cables (going to and from the mixer) are plugged in properly. 

2. Plan out your inputs. Make sure you know which source is plugged into which specific channel. Once they're plugged in you can alter each source individually.

3. Adjust the level of your signals going into the mixer by adjusting the gain.  

 

4. Keep your levels out of the red. If your signals are in the red, you'll hear distortion in the recording. The further down your levels are (in the negative numbers) the clearer the source will sound. 

5. Learn about all of the mixer's features and take advantage of them. You can create a wide variety of sounds and effects if you know how to use your mixer properly.

Having a good understanding of your mixer can also help you when working with other mixers in the future, especially more advanced mixers. 

As always, The Beer Brothers Band thanks you for checking out our blog! Rock on! 

Source: eHow

Naming Your Songs!

Writing a song can come easily if you're in the zone and have inspiration. The hard part is usually naming the song. How you choose one word or short phrase to sum up everything you sing about in a 3.5 minute song? Here are some suggestions!

1. Give the song a placeholder. For example, Paul McCartney had written a song that was full of meaning but he didn't know what to call. For a while he called it "Ham and Eggs." We know it today as "Yesterday!"

2. Think about the what the song means to you and what led you to write it. Was it a person? A memory? A place? An idea? Try using what inspired you to write in in the first place.

3. Read through your lyrics. There may be a line or word that really stands out to you in the song. 

4. If you like artsy sounding words or phrases, take a line or some specific words from your song and Google them as a phrase. You might get some interesting results!

5. Go for an over the top title that may not even have anything to do with the lyrics in the song. That's a great way to make the song title memorable and may even be the only title on the CD that your audience remembers... just because it was so out there!

There are so many ways to play with song titles and you can see that we've done just that with our track titles! Whatever you choose you to, live it up and rock on!

Making a Setlist

Creating your setlist is about more than rocking your favorite songs. A well designed setlist tells a story and has maximum impact on your audience - keeping them interested and engaged from beginning to end.

Start with something captivating and a song that your audience will already be familiar with. This will get them hyped up and ready to rock with you. There's nothing quite as satisfying as hearing your audience sing your songs back to you!

Continue with intensity and play a few more upbeat songs to keep the groove going. After about four songs, your audience will be tired from rocking and could use a break. Slow it down a bit with a more relaxed groove for the audience to enjoy. At this point, you can feel free to mix it up a bit with new songs, covers or songs that you've never performed live. You've got their attention, so use it to your advantage!

Wrap up your show with a bang, and save one of your most popular tunes for the encore. That's right, finish up the show with your audience wanting more. Audiences live for the encore because they know to expect a song that will send them home humming for the rest of the night.

A setlist isn't an exact art, so don't stress. Like anything, practice makes perfect. Start by created a few different setlists and play through them during practice. Go with whichever version feels right.

Be sure to hand your setlist to a lucky fan at the end of the show, as these are collectors items that any die-hard fan would LOVE to own!

Thanks for stopping by The Beer Brothers Band blog! See you again next week!

Source: Wiser Rocker