Throwing the hosts for a loop, this episode is an off-the-cuff dive into how routing affects your line check.  We dig into the idea of using grouping for drums, bass, and other instruments, talk about when to get this routing going, and what the benefits can be.  We really dig into idea of when and why to use group bussing, and also the processing that an engineer might use on a group versus a channel.  

Guitars, often the next input in the list, can be quite complicated to manage.  This episode dives into how to capture the tones, how to process them, and even how to approach conversations with the players themselves to achieve tones that are best fit for the mix.  We touch on microphones, placement, and some options on what to do when you have one guitar player, versus two, versus three!

The next input in the channel list: Bass Guitar.  Weirdly, we don't actually talk much about basses pedals and amps, but man we really dig into the processing that an engineer can use to get the most out of this instrument.  Like the previous episodes we dig into equalization, dynamics processing, saturation and a lot more.  I'd also like to call out, that your subwoofer to mains to room relationship has a lot to do with how your bass instruments will sound in your space, be sure to go back and take a listen to some of our system tuning episodes!

We honestly thought this might be a boring episode, but it turned out to be one of the most interesting discussions.  In this episode we chat about cymbal selection, microphones, mic positions, processing, and a heck of a lot more.  This is a set of inputs that honestly took the three of us years to figure out how to use effectively and creatively.

In this episode we bring in a guest-expert Emmanuel “E-MAN” Cervantes (this guy literally started playing drums at age 3!), and hit the next set of inputs in the channel list: Toms.  Like the previous episodes we talk about drums types, tuning, microphones, mic positions, and a heck of a lot more.  In fact we probably overshare in this 70+ minute episode getting seriously detailed about how to make toms sound good in a mix.

As we continue through the line-check, we hit input number 2, commonly the loudest thing on stage, the snare drum.  Much like the first episode in the line-check, we dig into the drum sizes, the heads, the tuning, mics positions and processing.  

Season 2 is here!  In this season we dig into each input, one at a time.  It's like the podcast of a line check.  Input 1, the infamous kick drum.  We deep dive into the drum sizes, heads, tuning, mics, eq, dynamics and more, an entire episode dedicated to the biggest drum.

How many times have you walked into a venue or event space and found a system that's severely underpowered for the gig? Sometimes that scenario is a PA thats just too small,  speakers on sticks for a big rock show, sometimes it's a system that doesn't even cover the whole audience....  In this episode we talk through some of the options and tools you have as an engineer to get the most out of a system thats 'too small for the gig.'

When you've got a resume this long and this varied, everyone wants to know the secrets to your success.  Sully chats with us on this episode about perspective, what to pay attention to in the show and your carreer, and the path that has led him to mixing some of the biggest acts in the world.

We ask the age-old question, What can I do to make my mix feel loud without actually just turning it up?  And what about streaming, how do I make a livestream seem loud?  What defines impact, and what are some tools we can use to maximize the feeling of impact without having to simply make the show push more SPL?