National Association of Live Sound Engineers (NALSE) Requirements

NALSE is a nation-wide, word-of-mouth based certification course intended to show proficiency or

advanced knowledge of modern live sound (otherwise known as sound reinforcement or Front-of

house) engineering. There are no dues or formal certification process (save for the demonstrating of

knowledge to a higher certification when applying); they should not be necessary: the privileges and

responsibility that goes with the certification would be undesirable (and embarrassing) to be without

when a higher power assumes you have them.

Standard engineer certification must be attained before attempting Master; at least one year of active

mixing (or 50 hours of mixing events, whichever comes first) must pass between Standard certification

and Master attempts. Concepts may by taught and certifications will be granted only by an instructor of

a higher level than yourself: Standard engineers may claim NALSE certification after being passed by a

master; once a year of active mixing (or 50 hours) has passed, that Standard engineer may be certified

as Master by another Master who has had 5 years of paid experience in the live sound engineering

industry and is over 21, after demonstrating concept knowledge. Standard engineers must recertify with

a Master every two years if a Master certification is not attempted; Masters do not need to recertify

unless they take a hiatus of more than six months from any kind of sound mixing.

The responsibilities that come along with the certification are to upkeep your knowledge of these

mentioned concepts, as well as abreast of trends and new audio technology through news services and

the Internet. You should also be aware of the different models and brands of hardware on the market,

and maximize exposure and use so as to be the most valuable resource to people desiring your services.

Also, as a Certificate Holder of NALSE, engineers must show up to events on time, appropriately dressed,

well cleaned, and with any necessary equipment or documentation. You are now representing a

National program; your reputation is NALSE’s reputation.

Below are the necessary skill sets for the two tiers of certification.

Standard

• Control Surface Management

o 16+ channels

o Faders, panners

o Aux groups and concepts

o Channel grouping

o Basic Maintenance

• Mic Concepts

o Electret, Condenser, Ribbon, etc.

o Cardioid, hypercardiod, omni, etc.

• Effective EQ

o Familiarity with both Graphic and Parametric EQ’s

o Understand concept of Q and how it relates to curve tightness

o De-essing

o Basic memorization of various EQ points:

� Oomph, thump, whack, crunch, clarity, squeal, sibilance, etc.

• DSP Management

o Reverb

o Delay

o Pass/Gate Filters

o Noise Filters

• Feedback Response

o Knowledge of EQ setup; identifying ringing frequencies

o Ear response; wean off of frequency detector

• Cable Management

o Snakes

o Proper cable wrapping/coiling

o Cable storage

o Signal degradation

� Cable quality

� Distance

� Interference

� Type of cable

• Compression and Dynamic Range Management

o Hard vs. Soft knee

o Vocal compression

o Symptoms of over-compression

• Amplifier Technology

o Function of an amplifier

o Ground loops/hum elimination

o Clipping

• Decibel Concepts

o Logarithmic scales

o dBFR concept

o Read monitor scales

o Acceptable audio range

• Acoustic Theory

o Live vs. Dead Space

o Room layout

• Basic Wireless Theory

o As pertaining to In-Ear-Monitors

o Wireless communication systems

o Interference

o Bandwidth management (on older systems)

• Monitor techniques

o In-Ear, as well as wedge

o Ringing out only by ear

o Basic ear training

• Balanced vs. Unbalanced Inputs

o How badly things will go wrong if mistaken

• Effects Bus

o Concept of effects ordering

Master

• All “Standard,” Requirements

• Finalizing using Logic or ProTools

o Basic mastering

o Board-to-computer interfaces

o Mixer-as-controller

o Midi Concepts

• Control Surface Management

o 64+ channels

o Built in DSP functionality

o Advanced maintenance

� Circuit diagram reading

� Proficient with multimeter; knowledge of component testing

� Remote troubleshooting

� Soldering

• On-the-Fly Feedback Mitigation

o Auditory Isolation

o Sidechaining EQ’s to DSP compressors

• Induction/Crosstalk Theory and Mitigation

• Resistance/Impedance math

o Choosing the right amp

• Advanced EQ

o De-vocalizing

o Overtone boosts

o NO SMILEY FACES!

• Power Systems

o Phantom Power

o Surge/Sag protection

• Room Acoustics

o Basic acoustical math

o Room Architecture

o Lining speakers

• Rack Management

o Top-down design

o Portability