I'm interested in how you do a sound check, especially since most of you are doing a single and may not have the luxury of a sound man. On my one and only gig since I've gone the AK route, I had a "poor man's sound man". The female vocalist's husband ran back and forth from the middle of the room to the on stage mixing board. When it was finally tuned, the levels were 100% higher than where I initially set them!

When you are behind the KB, you have no idea how it sounds out there. You may be able to hear the balance thru a monitor or the KB speakers, but not the overall level. I'm especially interested in hearing from those of you that do one-nighters and private parties.

Glenn

Glenn,
A wireles mic (or a LONG cord) and a midi file can help you do a great sound check! Just put the kb on "auto-pilot" and walk out in front with the mic !
You can also record a performance, and play THAT back through the system ....just to test the overall balance.

Glenn...

Always a challenge...specially on one nighters in different size rooms.

In very large rooms, I turn off my monitor (which runs directly out Monitor Ouput), put on a midi, walk the room and tweak as necessary setting it on the low side for the first part of the job.

Then, adjust my monitor.

As the room fills up and I find the monitor is more difficult to hear, I gradually increase the main volume to compensate for the crowd noise. I pay special attention to the tables nearest me making sure it is not uncomfortable for them to speak without yelling at each other.

If I am off base, someone will usually come up and ask me to turn up or down.

Smaller rooms are much easier. There I can often position speakers behind me without feedback so I hear what they hear, knowing it will be a tad louder for me than them.

And in very small situations (house parties, rest homes, etc) I use a powered speaker just off to my side, tilted up at 45 degrees. In this situation, it is very easy to tell what is comfortable for everyone.

Eddie

Glenn ... UD beat me to the punch, but that's how I go about it .... doing one nighters or private parties, and even if I'm doing a steady gig, I try to get to the place plenty early enough so that I can set up, sound check, and then get changed for the performance .... If the place is local enough I will do the set up as early as possible and go back home to change and relax a bit before the gig (I hate it when time constraints force me to set up in the same outfit I'm going to play in)...
But as for the sound check, I either play something into the sequencer or load in a midi, and then, using a long mic wire go 'out front' while the kb is playing and sing into the mic to check volume ... Of course it is better if you can do this before the 'guests' arrive ..... I also prefer to do this before anyone arrives so that no one thinks the keyboard 'plays itself' .....
During the course of the evening I will ask a waiter/waitress/bartender how the volume is ... I've found they are usually reliable ...
AND of course if you are too loud, the audience will let you know....
You should be able to 'read' the audience... are they shouting to each other, or leaning close to each other to talk, or are they having 'normal' conversation?... OR are they sticking napkins in their ears as ear plugs ....
In those situations when there is a table of people set up right next to me and/or a speaker, I try to 'jokingly' tell them they are about to experience what it is like to be 'onstage', that they are going to be my 'back-up group' ... Getting them 'on your side' is always a help .....
Lastly, I've always found that as the wine flows, the volume of the audience AND the entertainment increases .....
t.

Thanks guys, sounds like good advice.

Take your Wirless Mic and go
"ALL OVER THE ROOM" while you sing to a SMF song or a Backing Sequence at a healthy volume to get a good Idea of what it sounds like. Then make your EQ adjustments, and do it again. Hope this helps.

Dnj