When you book Fun DMC, one of the first questions we ask is if sound and lighting will be provided for the event. Most bands don’t travel with a full PA system and typically have to hire it out to one of the many reputable production companies in the area. This affects the cost of the band’s quote as they have to cover the cost of the equipment and the operator for the duration of the event, including set-up and tear-down. This can get fairly costly depending on who you work with, what equipment is required, and so on, which leaves the band making very little until they build up a reputation and demand to ask for a higher rate.

The Importance

Fun DMC made the decision (and investment) early on to travel with our own sound equipment, particularly to make use of our in-ear monitoring system. This lets us have a better control on our overall volume to a minimum while protecting our hearing. Besides the long-term cost savings owning our own equipment offered us, we were able to be very confident in how our unique songs were presented to the audience while we formed our sound. One would think that a cover band really doesn’t need to worry about sounding any different than the artist they’re covering, but when doing mashups and medleys while quickly switching lead vocalists and harmony arrangements coupled with backing tracks, it’s important for us to make sure that it comes across as accurately as possible. We’ve worked very hard to develop these arrangements and want you to hear them at their highest potential.

Hiring Out

That isn’t to say that we haven’t had fantastic experiences with the hired sound engineers we’ve worked with! It’s impractical for a band to run our own sound at fests and fairs and larger venues and events, so we rely on a great working relationship with the best sound operators in the area. If you request a quote for an event that is bigger than our own system can handle, we’ll bring in one of these operators that we have a working relationship with and trust that they’ll offer a perfect, professional experience with Fun DMC. Alternatively, some clubs even offer in-house sound systems and operators as part of the deal, which allows us to work with guys who know their gear and the room inside and out. This kind of experience can make the difference between a good and great show.

Our Operators

We’re also very fortunate to be able to work with some great sound operators who get to know our arrangements and can anticipate when vocal changes or song changes are about to happen. Callie, Mason, Scotty, Matt, and Bill have been working with us regularly for the past two years and each do a great job of making sure you can hear everything exactly like you’re supposed to. Fun fact – Talon started with Fun DMC as a sound operator and moved into the drummer position when it became available.

Our Equipment

So what does Fun DMC bring with when it provides sound? While it can be a bit cumbersome to bring a trailer worth of gear and we have to always figure in a larger chunk of time for set up, testing, and tear down, we have specifically picked out equipment that will work for almost any mid-sized venue:

QSC K12 Powered Speakers and KSUB Subs – after carrying around a rack full of heavy power amps in our previous bands, moving to powered speakers was a high priority. Additionally, these are lightweight and low-profile, so they don’t break our back to move around and also aren’t overwhelming or distracting at weddings.

Behringer X32 Rack Mixer – digital mixers are becoming a more common item in sound company’s arsenals these days, but we got in early, almost a month after this had been released. We were initially reluctant to jump in with Behringer because of their reputation for being cheap or unreliable, but after getting to demo one out, we were hooked on it. This means that we don’t have to run a large sound board, snake, and rack full of gear in the middle of a room. Our mixer sits in a rack on the stage and is entirely controlled from an ipad. Most people who see us live have no idea that we even have a sound operator because they’re usually inconspicuous in the back of the room at a small table. This mixer also lets us control our individual in-ear mix with an iphone or ipad, so if you see us quickly fiddling with one of those onstage, we’re probably adjusting an instrument’s volume.

Shure PSM200 Wireless In-Ear Monitoring System – all of us except Talon use wireless in-ear monitors. We go into detail of why here, but needless to say, it makes all the difference in being able to control our stage volume and not being tied down. It also means we don’t have to bring a bunch of floor monitors with us. Talon has a Rolls PM50S that goes direct to his headphones that gives him a little more volume than the wireless packs. For anyone curious, we all use stock Shure SE215 or SE315 earbuds.

ART P16 Patchbay and custom splitter snake – this information will probably only appeal to the gear nerds reading this, but our stage rack is run always split. We have a patchbay in the front to quickly plug mics in (more on those in a second), and we can pull the tails out from the back without having to rearrange anything on our end. We do this to make it easy on sound operators to hook into their systems. Once we’re tapped in, we can still control our in-ear monitors and they don’t have to worry about us constantly asking for different mixes.

Microphones – all of the vocalists in the band use these Shure SLX24/Beta 87A Wireless Micropones which are quick to set up and don’t require running cables across the stage. We like to move around a bit while performing and these combined with the wireless monitors (and Robert and Aaron’s wireless instrument set up) gives us the freedom to go out and dance with the audience. Talon has a Shure Beta 52 mounted inside of his kick drum and an SM57 on his snare. Robert uses an SM57 on his amp that is connected via an amp clamp. This all means we don’t need to bring any additional stands beyond the vocal mics and all of the cables can be tucked away to provide a very clean aesthetic.

Our loops rack and lighting rig will be a separate blog, but hopefully this gives some insight as to what we bring along when we’re providing sound.