Monitor Madness

Ever been to a concert where the band is playing off-beat, singing in the wrong key, and taking all their solos out of tune — yet they just stand there smiling as if they were giving the best performance of their careers? This kind of situation happens with the best of bands from time to time; they�ll play their way through a set with a total consistency about their errors, and then wonder what�s wrong with the audience.

The problem isn�t too much dope or a total loss of motor control, but that the monitoring facilities at the job aren�t working properly. With the high volume levels, the caverns that have to be filled with sound, and the distance between musicians and their equipment, monitoring has become a crucial factor in live performances. If you�re, say, the bass player and the lead guitarist is playing so loud that you can�t hear the drummer it will be totally impossible for you to keep good time and come in on. the right key with your harmony parts unless there is some way for you to monitor the total sound as it is being projected towards the audience. The same goes for every other member, of the group and this has led to the development of monitoring equipment which is just as sophisticated as the more primary electronics being used to get the sound out into the hall.