Music Balance

We were listening to Boom Radio this morning but we finally had to turn it off.  All we could hear was the rhythm tracks.  The vocals were completely swamped.  Now this is on recordings we had heard many times before so we know how they are supposed to sound.  

I guess the problem is that the DJ, or whoever controls the sound has set his "balance" or "pan" control way off centre.  Accidents happen, but not checking what is being broadcast is just a case of NGAS (Not Giving A Shit).

A similar situation occurs at music festivals.  When we watch performers doing their well known songs at festivals on TV, the vocals are usually swamped by the backing.  Maybe it's the same at the festival, although I would assume that the broadcast signal, the projected signal to the audience and the monitor signals sent back to the performers are all separate channels with their own balance controls.  Seems like NGAS to me.

It happens in smaller venues too.  (see my "sound man" comments) In a band it is often one of the performers who controls the mixer, and he does it on stage.  This is the worst place to get an idea of what the audience can hear. Best to go into the crowd and listen, or have a trusted friend in the crowd give hand signals back to the guy on the mixer. 

It is common with buskers.  With a guitar plugged in to their amp and singing into the mic they have no idea of what it sounds like to the passer by. The solution is to get a friend to listen, set up the balance and make a note of the pot positions and use that setting when your friend is not available.

It even happens when there is only one person playing with no amplification!  I have seen hundreds of performers thrashing their acoustic guitar as hard as they can completely drowning out their vocals.  Nowadays it is easy to practice at home and record yourself on a smartphone on the other side of the room.  Sound quality may not be very good, but you'll get an idea of the balance.

Rant over.