Introduction To Live Event Audio Mixing
Introduction To Live Event Audio Mixing
This course is designed to introduce you to live event mixing in a hands-on, real-life situation, working in a venue with performers, microphones, and a PA system. Whether you’re a complete novice interested in a career in live sound, a musician wanting to better understand how to set yourself up on stage, or a DAW-based producer curious about the live side of audio engineering, this course provides a practical and accessible entry point into live audio. Across three sessions, participants will build core technical knowledge, apply it in a real venue environment, and reflect critically on their learning.
Course Description
Introduction To Live Event Mixing
This course is designed to introduce you to live event mixing in a hands-on, real-life situation, working in a venue with performers, microphones, and a PA system. Whether you’re a complete novice interested in a career in live sound, a musician wanting to better understand how to set yourself up on stage, or a DAW-based producer curious about the live side of audio engineering, this course provides a practical and accessible entry point into live audio. Across three sessions, participants will build core technical knowledge, apply it in a real venue environment, and reflect critically on their learning.
SESSION ONE - Introduction to Live Sound Mixing (Full Day)
SESSION TWO - Practical Training session in a real life live sound mixing environment (Dates will be offered at or just after first session) (Half Day)
SESSION THREE - A final session to review your experiences, ask more/follow-up questions, and critique what you have achieved. (Full Day)
Who This Course Is For:
This course is ideal for beginners, musicians, and studio-based audio practitioners who want a clear, practical introduction to live event mixing in a supportive, real-world setting.
SESSION ONE – Introduction to Live Sound Mixing
This introductory day focuses on the fundamentals of live sound. Participants will be introduced to the role of the live sound engineer and the core concepts that underpin successful live mixing. Topics include signal flow from microphone to speaker, gain staging, microphone types and placement, basic EQ and dynamics, monitor mixes, and identifying and eliminating feedback. The session combines demonstrations with guided hands-on practice, allowing participants to safely experiment in a supported environment.
Key focus areas:
Understanding signal flow in a live sound system
Gain staging and level management
Microphones, DI boxes, and basic stage setups
EQ, feedback control, and system awareness
SESSION TWO – Practical Training: Live Event Mixing in a Real Venue
This practical session places participants in a real-life live sound mixing environment with performers and an audience. Under the guidance of an experienced engineer, participants will assist with setup, soundcheck, and mixing during a live event. Participants will gain experience operating a mixing desk, working with musicians, managing monitors, and responding to the pressures and unpredictability of live performance. Dates for this session will be offered during or shortly after Session One, aligned with suitable events.
Key focus areas:
Setting up and testing a live sound system
Conducting soundchecks with performers
Mixing a live performance in real time
Troubleshooting feedback and technical issues
SESSION THREE – Review, Reflection, and Critique
The final session provides space to reflect on the practical experience and consolidate learning. Participants will discuss what they encountered during the live event, review challenges and successes, and ask follow-up questions. Through group discussion and facilitator feedback, participants will critically assess their approach to live mixing and identify areas for further development, building confidence for future live sound work.
Key focus areas:
Reflecting on real-world mixing experiences
Deepening understanding of live sound challenges
Identifying next steps and further learning pathways
In-Person
This will happen at Accidental in the Theatre, in the Ground Floor theatre.
Remote
This will happen over zoom, you will be able to see and hear the course but you won’t have the same hands-on experience
Facilitator - Martin Price
Martin is a musician and sound engineer from Belfast who's been working and performing in most of the venues around the city & country for the past 15 years. He is the Technical Manager at Accidental Theatre.
Talk to The Professionals
Accidental’s Talk to the Professionals Programme empowers artists and technicians to thrive within today’s fast-changing creative industries. As digital innovation, hybrid performance models, and new production technologies reshape how work is made and shared, creative practitioners need future-focused skills that combine technical capability with bold artistic thinking.
This programme offers a practical, hands-on pathway for early- and mid-career creatives to develop those skills. Through workshops, labs, and mentorship led by experienced artists, digital specialists, and production professionals, participants gain confidence in areas such as digital performance tools, emerging media, core production practices, collaborative creation, and innovative storytelling.
Funding by the James Kane Foundation.
Course Info
In-Person
Venue: 12-13 Shaftesbury Square, Belfast, BT2 7DB
Access: Directly from Shaftesbury Square
Date(s): TBC
Starts: TBC
Age Guidance: 18+
Run Time: TBC
Disabled Access: Theatre (ground floor) is fully accessible. Toilets & Book Bar (1st floor) are accessible via a wheelchair platform lift. Carer tickets available: Call 028 9032 5881 to book.
Online
Access for the remote access will be emailed out a few days ahead, please check junk/spam folders.
Booking Info
Please book a ticket per attendee to avoid issues.
£100 - IN-PERSON TICKET - a standard ticket that gives you in-person access to watch the show in the theatre.
£100 - REMOTE TICKET - a standard ticket that gives you in-person access to watch the show in the theatre.
£150 - DONATION TICKET - a special ticket that gives a little extra to the exceptional and hardworking artists creating the event. Donation Tickets include both attendee options above.
