Set up the main speakers on the left and right sides of the stage. The speakers should be towards the front of the stage and elevated above the heads of the audience.
Place the monitors on the stage facing the performers and musicians. The specific placement of the monitors depends upon the number of performers on stage. Avoid aiming the monitors at walls to avoid sound reflection and bounce-back problems.
Set up the mixing board in the center of the venue. If this is not a viable option, place the mixer to the left or right side of the stage. Place the power amplifier for the system on the left or right side of the stage.
Place the microphones on the stage behind the monitors. The singers, musicians and performers should directly face the monitors. Microphones are also used to amplify musical instruments such as guitar amplifiers and drums. Place the microphone close to the guitar amplifier speaker and set up drum microphones for the drums. Drum mikes generally include a bass drum microphone, a snare drum microphone and an overhead microphone.
Connect all the parts of the sound system together with cables. The sound system forms an audio chain that consists of an input device (the microphone), a control device (the mixer), an amplification device (the power amplifier) and an output device (the loudspeaker). The parts connect together with microphone cables and instrument cables. The mixer controls the volume and EQ levels for each microphone or instrument as well as the overall volume of the system. Label each cable as it is connected to the mixer. This makes it easy to adjust each individual microphone or instrument.