Soundcheck Sign Language: What I’m Trying to Tell You From FOH
If you've ever played on one of my stages and wondered why the sound guy 80 feet away is tapping his watch, playing air guitar, pretending to play a clarinet, or making a sock puppet with his hand, I haven't lost my mind.
I'm talking to you.
When I'm mixing from FOH, I don't always have a talkback mic available. And from 80 feet away, yelling “GUITAR!” at the stage isn't particularly effective.
So I've developed a pretty simple collection of hand gestures that I use during soundcheck.
Most musicians figure them out almost immediately. But if you're playing on one of my stages, knowing them ahead of time can make soundcheck considerably faster.
And there's really only one thing I need from you for the entire system to work:
Every once in a while, look at me.
Here's what I'm trying to tell you.
Drums: Give Me Some Time
Drummer, you're up. I treat the drum kit as a single instrument, so the first thing I do is point at or tap my watch.
▍Translation: Play time.
Give me a simple 4/4 beat using the kick, snare, hi-hat and cymbals. Nothing fancy. Just play the drum kit like a drum kit.
While the drummer plays, I'm listening to the entire instrument and making my adjustments. I want to hear the relationship between the kick, snare and cymbals while they're actually being played together. Once I'm happy with the basic kit, I want to hear the toms.
Drums: Give Me the Toms
I point toward the drummer and make a circular, round-and-round motion with my finger.
▍In plain English: Run around the toms.
I want a quick run around the kit so I can hear each tom in context and make whatever adjustments are necessary. I don't need twenty isolated hits on each one.
Once I've heard the toms, I tap my watch again: back to playing time. Now I can hear the entire kit again, this time including whatever adjustments I've just made to the toms.
When I'm happy with everything: thumbs up. You're done. You can stop playing.
So my drum soundcheck sequence is basically:
Play time → Toms → Play time → Thumbs up.
It's quick, it gives me the information I actually need, and it treats the drum kit as what it is: one instrument.
Why I prefer this to individually checking every drum is probably another article all by itself.
Guitar: Air Guitar
This one requires very little explanation. I play air guitar.
▍Translation: Guitar player: play your normal guitar sound.
Give me something representative of what you'll play during the show. If there are two guitarists, I'll play air guitar and then point toward the side of the stage containing the guitarist I want.
But there's a second guitar signal I use.
If I want to hear the guitarist's solo patch, I'll switch from regular air guitar to an exaggerated two-handed tapping motion on my imaginary fretboard — basically my best Eddie Van Halen impression.
▍What that means: Give me your solo sound.
I'm not asking you to actually start tapping. Switch to whatever you use for your lead or solo tone and play so I can hear the level difference between your normal rhythm sound and your boosted solo sound.
It's particularly important to check because a solo patch that sounds dramatically louder on stage may barely change out front — or it may suddenly jump out of the PA far more than the guitarist realises.
So:
Air guitar = play your normal guitar sound.
Eddie Van Halen air guitar = give me your solo patch.
It's not sophisticated, but it works.
Usually.
Bass: Air Bass
Bass gets its own variation of air guitar. I hold my right hand with my fingers pointing downward and make the finger motion of someone plucking the strings of a bass.
▍Translation: Bass player: give me something.
Play something representative of how you're actually going to play during the show.
The distinction between my air guitar and air bass technique is subtle, but after nearly 30 years of mixing bands, I'd like to think I've developed excellent imaginary-instrument technique.
Keyboards: Air Keys
For keyboards, I put both hands out and pretend I'm playing a keyboard. Pretty universal.
▍The message: Keys, please.
Play something using the sound and level you'll actually use during the show.
No imaginary sustain pedal is required.
Vocals: The Sock Puppet
Vocals are probably my favorite. I make a talking motion with my hand — thumb against fingers, basically making my hand look like a sock puppet talking. Then I point at the vocalist whose microphone I want to hear.
▍Translation: You. Sing into your mic.
With multiple vocalists, pointing is important. Otherwise there's a good chance everybody starts singing at once, which isn't particularly useful when I'm trying to check one microphone.
Saxophone or Clarinet: Air Clarinet
For saxophone or clarinet, I mime playing a clarinet. No instrument in my hands — just the gesture.
▍In plain English: Woodwind player: you're up. Play.
It's close enough.
The woodwind player knows who they are.
Backing Tracks: The "T"
For backing tracks, I make a T with my hands, with my right hand across the top of my left.
▍Translation: Play the tracks.
This is particularly useful when I'm checking a band's playback rig and need to hear the tracks separately from the live instruments.
Thumbs Up: I'm Done With You
And finally, probably the easiest signal of all: thumbs up.
▍What it means: I'm done with you.
I've heard what I needed to hear, I've made whatever adjustments I needed to make, and you can stop playing.
This one is important. Without it, musicians have no idea whether I'm still working on their channel or whether I've moved on to something else.
So if you're playing guitar and you see me give you a thumbs up, you don't need to keep playing the same riff for another three minutes.
You're done.
Enjoy the silence while it lasts.
The Milbourne Sound Soundcheck Gesture Cheat Sheet
If you're ever on one of my stages, here's the whole system in one place:
No certification course required.
The Most Important Part of the System
There's one major technical limitation to this entire communication protocol:
The band has to actually be looking at me.
I can have a gesture for every instrument on the stage, but none of them work when the guitar player is adjusting his pedalboard, the drummer is talking to the bass player, the singer is looking for a water bottle and the keyboard player has disappeared somewhere.
Every sound engineer has experienced some version of standing at FOH making increasingly exaggerated hand gestures toward a stage full of people who aren't looking in their direction.
Eventually somebody notices.
Then they usually point at themselves with a confused expression.
I nod vigorously.
And soundcheck continues.
You don't need to stare at me for the entire soundcheck. Just glance toward FOH occasionally. If I'm waving, pointing, playing an imaginary instrument or apparently doing an Eddie Van Halen impression, there's a pretty good chance I'm trying to talk to you.
That little bit of eye contact makes soundcheck faster, gets you off the hook sooner, and gives me a better chance of making you sound good.
So here's the whole system's most important instruction:
During soundcheck, keep an eye on FOH.
We may not have a talkback mic.
But we're definitely trying to tell you something.
