Left handed sound board?

From the department of dumb questions department, a
few odd thoughts rattled through the space between my
ears. I've been wondering if there may be differences in
channel order strategy twixt right and left handed sound
tech's?

I'd guess there's little difference for say
even/odd <==> vocals/instruments

However, with drum kits, back lines, backing vocals, etc.,
there may be differences.

I haven't seen much written on logical channel groupings
and such in books or here.

I tend to put stuff I may need to ride in easy reach but is
there more to it than that?

VCA's make life a lot more easier these days. You can assign instruments or
groups the way you like it best. And if you have chosen them right, you can
do most of the gig within the VCA section. That is, if you are a real
faderrider. Especially bands with two or more keyboards/samplers. I usually
give each of them a separate VCA group, as level changes may occur between
keys. Yes, that means some VCA's just get a left and a right channel, but
it's all you need to keep control over the mix.

Only disadvantage on the VCA's is that they are "pre subgroup insert". If
you have the 12 channel background choir routed to a subgroup, and inserted
a compressor there, the VCA for the choir will control "compression weight"
rather than level. A pity you can't assign subgroups to VCA's... The
subgroup faders on the H2000 for instance, are not really faderride
friendly.

I would think that limitation can be eliminated on digital boards. I can
also understand why analog boards tend to have that limitation.

For some acts I like to have the vocal effects return near the vocal faders,
instead of on ch 51-52. This gives you perfect control over the balance.
Sometimes this is a matter of dB's and you don't want to jump from one feet
to the other to get the balance right. Get a piece of gaff to link the two
return faders, locking the stereo image. But ask the local tech first before
you put sticky stuff on the board :)

That's a fun trick I hadn't thought of. However, I have heard of things like
using short pencils or linking knobs (like channel EQ or pan) via rubber
bands or o-rings. Put a twist in the rubber band and you get inverse
tracking. Not precise but can be a fun effect in the odd situations that call
for it ...and probably a piece of cake in the digital world of the future.

Later...

Ron Capik

Are there many common grouping styles, or do most folks
do what works best for themselves?
What about situations where tech's may be swopped out?
Do some large sound companies have standard setups?
...or do you just read the notations on the tape and learn to cope?

For me it depends on the gig. For a standard 4 or 5 piece rock band,
and if it's not a festival, then I do drums, bass, guitars, keys, then
vocals just before the master section, or in the middle (depending on
the console layout). If it's a festival then I'll skip some channels
between types of instruments so I can make room for, say an extra
guitar channel or more keyboards. For bluegrass or acoustic music I
start with vocals (left to right) then immediately to instruments (left
to right). Opening acts just start over on the next available channel
and get whatever's left.

I think that's a fairly standard setup, as most people I've worked with
do the same thing. If a band brings its own FOH engineer then I
usually have an input list that I stick to. I don't know if lefties
start with the kick on the last channel and work backwards; although,
that might be the dyslexic way of mixing. I can't say that I've ever
seen a console with the master section on the left. : )

Kik, snr, hat, rak, rak, flr, o/h lft, o/h rgt, bass, guitar(s), keys,
vox (from stage right to stage left...starting over upstage if in
rows...which usually puts them under my right hand...otherwise, I might
start vox after the master section if centered)

Depending on the board, usually route k,s,h: sub 1, then the rest of the
drums: sub2, bass on it's own group, guitars next, keys, then vox. That
leaves me a group for FX if desired.

later...

Ron Capik