Equipment for Stand-Up Comedy
Technical Considerations For Putting On a Successful Comedy Night
P.A system
The audience are going to need to hear what the comics are saying. That doesn’t mean just run a microphone through a guitar amp it means a full P.A system. It must be clear and loud enough for your size of venue. Small P.A systems are available for as little as £250 now and they will include mini mixers with them. Most smaller systems will fit easily in the back of a large car. Obviously if you have a decent budget don’t skimp on the P.A as not only will it make your night better you’ll also be able to use elsewhere.
The P.A system will be used not only for the acts to be amplified through but also for the music in between sections. You will need something to play the music with i.e. a C.D player or I-pod.
What microphone is good for stand up comedy?
It might be tempting to use that cheap microphone you’ve got in your pub for announcing the quiz but this won’t be good enough for a pro comedy night and it will piss off the audience and the acts. When it comes to suitable microphones for stand up you can’t really go wrong with a Shure SM58. It’s a robust, sturdy mic that’s used throughout the entertainment industry. They retail for just under £100 and that really is money well spent.
If you have the budget then try and by two so you have a back up. You can also use the spare as an offstage mic for announcements. You’ll also need leads for your microphones. Any high quality XLR cables will do.
Don’t buy a cheap mic stand. There’s nothing worse than watching an act struggle with a stand that has a mind of its own. The microphone stand is going to be moved around and adjusted a lot and a cheap one just won’t have the stamina after a few gigs. Purchase a heavy and sturdy microphone stand.
Guitar D.I box
Many comedians will use instruments as part of their set. A D.I box allows them to take the signal from their instrument (a guitar for example) and put it through the P.A system. This means that acoustic guitars can be heard over a large audience. A good guitar going through a D.I box into a quality P.A system will make a real difference, giving a very professional sound to a comedy show. A good D.I box is the Behringer DI100 Ultra DI box. It retails for around £35.
Buy a couple of guitar leads (or jack to jacks as they are sometimes known). A good make is Whirlwind. Once again avoid cheap guitar leads. They won’t last, they’ll probably crackle and it will sound terrible.
A comedy night equipment summary
- Small P.A system with mixer
- C.D player or I-pod
- 2 SM58 microphones with cables and 1 good quality mic stand
- 1 Behringer DI100 Ultra D.I box
- 2 guitar leads (+battery for D.I box)
For more information on staging a stand up show please read putting on a comedy night.
