Preparing for an Amped Song Session

The goal

An amped session should feel powerful, not stressful.

The best way to make that happen is to prepare the equipment before you need the energy. Once campers arrive, your attention should be on the room, not on searching for a cable.

Pack list

Bring or confirm:

• Guitar or keyboard.
• Capo.
• Tuner.
• Picks.
• Spare strings.
• Spare batteries for guitar pickup, tuner, wireless mic, or pedals.
• Instrument cable.
• Extra instrument cable.
• Microphone.
• Mic stand.
• Mic cable.
• Power strips and extension cables if camp allows them.
• Tape for cable safety.
• Setlist.
• Backup acoustic plan.

If camp provides gear, ask for photos before arrival. "We have a sound system" can mean many different things.

Setup order

Use a consistent setup order:

• Place speakers first.
• Place microphone and stand.
• Run cables neatly and safely.
• Connect instruments.
• Turn mixer and speakers on with volumes down.
• Check each input one at a time.
• Balance voice and instrument.
• Test the loudest song.
• Walk the room.
• Mark the final settings if needed.

Do not build the system around where the cable happened to land. Build it around the group.

Soundcheck language

Soundcheck with the real material.

Say a few words into the mic, but also sing the loudest chorus you expect to lead. Play the strongest strumming pattern. If you will invite clapping, test that the vocal can still be heard over clapping.

Ask someone you trust to stand in the back and answer:

• Can you hear the voice clearly?
• Is the guitar too loud?
• Is anything painful?
• Can you understand the teaching cue?

Right before campers arrive

Fifteen minutes before:

• Stop experimenting.
• Tune again.
• Check the first song.
• Put spare gear where you can reach it.
• Confirm who helps if feedback happens.
• Confirm who starts the next program after the session.
• Take one minute to breathe and look at the room.

The gear should now disappear into the leadership.

Backup plan

Every amped session needs a no-amp version.

Know which songs can work with only guitar and voice. Know where you would stand if power fails. Know which staff can help carry the singing.

The confidence of having a backup plan changes how you lead. You become less tense, and the group feels it.

The real success

The goal is not that everyone notices the sound system.

The goal is that nobody has to think about it. They just hear the cue, trust the songleader, and sing.