Thanks for checking out Your Sound Onstage, by In Tune Monthly editor Emile Menasché. The book, written with young musicians in mind, explains the equipment and techniques needed to sound great when you perform, whether you play punk or Puccini. This site offers links to audio and video files that illustrate some of the topics we covered in the book. Click the links below to start exploring!

From the back cover

“This book does a good job of explaining things I had to learn the hard way.”—Hartley Peavey, Founder and CEO, Peavey Electronics

As performance technology continues to improve and become more affordable, young musicians with the right tools and an understanding of how to use them can sound better than ever before. Your Sound Onstage is written specifically for those singers, players, or technologists. The book features tips and advice from audio professionals as well as musicians and teachers, written in jargon-free language and illustrated with more than 250 photographs and diagrams. Your Sound Onstage covers a broad range of musical situations and styles, including singer/songwriters, string ensembles, rock/combo bands, jazz bands, and electronic musicians.

Your Sound Onstage starts with a survey of the essential elements of sound reinforcement, clearly explaining equipment like mixers, amplifiers and loudspeakers, microphones and pickups, audio effects, and accessories. Later chapters offer hands-on advice about how to use the gear without losing focus on your real mission—performing well and sounding good. Learn how to set up the stage, choose and use microphones, set up your monitor mix, get sound to the house, run an effective soundcheck, mix your show, get along with professional audio engineers, and protect your hearing. You’ll even learn how to pack the van before the show! Throughout the book, music and audio professionals offer real-world insight on key subjects—including a foreword by the legendary founder of Peavey Electronics, Hartley Peavey.

An accompanying CD-ROM features video, audio, and other resources, including a behind-the-scenes view of a professional soundcheck, a guide to hearing safety, demonstrations of topics such as microphone placement and using signal processors. Learn more at media.intunemonthly.com/yso.

In Tune Monthly editor-in-chief Emile D. Menasché has been writing about music for more than 20 years. Drawing on his practical experience as an active performer, composer, and recording artist, Emile has interviewed hundreds of artists, songwriters, producers, and engineers. He is the author of five books, including Home Studio Clinic and The Desktop Studio (Hal Leonard).