Tuning a PA for a village square

Open-air stages forgive nothing. There are no walls to carry the low end, and stone squares throw sibilance around like a skipping stone.

Field notes from this summer’s sunset series: start conservative with the low end, delay the outriggers to the back of the crowd, and walk the square during sound check — not the stage. The mix desk hears one room; the crowd hears six.

Tuning a rig for a square is not about power. It is about even coverage and warm mids, so the people at the back hear the music, not the speaker.