Outdoors Lots of Brick

[DarinStevens]

We're outdoors, set up with a stage that is between two brick walls, maybe 25' apart, with the "stage" at a 90 degree angle to most of the audience. I'm the keyboard dude who runs sound for us at smaller gigs like this and I need some advice.

 

The way the venue wants us to set up is with most of the crowd 90 degrees to the left of us. There is a brick wall 25' in front of us that goes all the way down to the end of where the audience will be.

 

Any advice on how to orient our mains? Should I point both of them at the audience, or should I point one directly at them, and angle the other at a 45 degree angle off the opposing brick wall?

 

If it helps we're a five piece act.

- Three vocals

- Acoustic guitar

- Lead guitar

- Keys

- sometimes mandolin or lap steel

- bass (not through PA)

- drums (not through PA)

 

I only do sound for us in small venues, so I have no idea what to do here.

 

Thanks!

[Craig Vecchione]

Aim the speakers at your audience, not the wall. With the "back wall" so close, it's inevitable that the speaker is going to wash that wall, but try to get it pointed to do as much good as possible.

[Bugzie]

Talk to whoever runs the venue. No matter what you do its going to have mediocre results at best. Facing the lenght would sound sooooooo much better.

[Shaster]

 

I only do sound for us in small venues, so I have no idea what to do here. Thanks!

 

 

Hope the promoter moves you. If that fails, try to let the waterbags absorb some of the sound.

 

I saw a band at a Show and Shine that had to play in a street facing stores with plate glass windows. They had their speakers fairly low (on the raised stage) so that the crowds helped absorb their sound. Can't play real loud this way, and if there's a ton of people you won't hear the PA, but I've seen this "work" a few times.

 

If you've got the speakers with the dual sockets, you could also try pointing them down at the crowd and not at the walls.