Arrangements - It helps to find out as much as you can about the gig so that you can prepare as well as possible. When you are asked to play, find out from the organisers whether or not you are required to sell tickets. If this is the case, try and get them as soon as possible so as to give yourself sufficient time to sell them. Find out if you are required to put up any posters, hand out flyers or carry out any kind of promotion yourself in the run up to the gig. Make sure that you obtain the following details about the gig:

• Name and location of the venue
• Contact details for organisers and the venue
• Back-line requirements
• Contact details for other bands (if applicable)
• Date and time of the gig
• Sound check/Load in times
• Payment details

One or two days before the gig, give the organisers a call just to confirm all of the arrangements and make sure that everything is in order. Check on all of the above one more time so you have enough time to solve any problems that may have occurred.

Having gone through all of the above you should now be ready for your gig. All the final checks have been made and you have all the gear you need. If you’ve sold tickets make sure you have collected the money and have it ready to give to the organisers. Come the day of the gig if you have prepared everything should run smoothly leaving you to enjoy the whole experience.

Make sure that you leave yourself plenty of time to get to the venue. It is a good idea to leave a bit earlier just in case you are held up on the way. If you do get there before you need to then at least you will have plenty of time to relax and you won’t be rushing around getting ready. If there are sound-checks then they will take place in reverse order i.e. the band that is on last will be the first to sound-check. If you are last on then get your gear set up on the stage making sure you don’t get in the way of the sound crew.

Even if they are not ready to sound check it gets the setting up out of the way. If you are not on last you will be sound checking after another band. Hopefully most of the back line will be set up and all you need to do is set up your own instruments/pedals etc. and get going. There are two main objectives when sound checking. These are:

1. To make sure that the sound coming out of the PA towards the audience (front of house) is balanced and there are no problems with any of your gear and running it through the PA.

2. To make sure that the band are happy with the sound on stage. It is common to have a number of speakers facing the band so that they can hear each other. These speakers are called monitors

The sound coming from the monitors can be different to that coming out of the front of house. With larger PA systems there is sometimes a monitor engineer whose job is to provide various mixes to each member of the band via their monitors. Depending on the equipment it is possible for each member of the band to hear a different mix from their own individual monitor. For example, a singer might want to hear more of his vocals than the drummer so the sound check provides the opportunity to make sure that everybody can hear what they need to.

Remember to make best use of your sound check time by letting the engineer know if there are any problems with the sound onstage. Do not be afraid to speak to the engineer about anything that you are not happy with. That is their job!!

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