My First time being A1

This was the first time I was the A1 for a gig, which was for a fellow student’s broadcasting project. My job was to mix the band performing for the livestream. I had never programmed a mixing board before, so it was definitely a learning experience. I also used Dante for the first time to send the mix to another mixing board in a separate room.

I created the input list the day before the gig while programming the board. It was a pretty simple band—just vocals, drums, bass, and guitar. For the kick drum, I used the kick-in and kick-out mic technique. I also decided against micing the bottom of the snare. I wanted to try it to see how it would sound in the mix. I had never had the chance to experiment like this before, so I thought, "Why not?" I wasn’t sure whether to mic the toms, as I wanted to keep it as simple as possible, but I decided it was a good idea on the day of the gig.