Welcome to our first issue of SOUND ON STAGE, the magazine created to meet the needs of musical performers, mix engineers, and just about anyone else involved in performance audio. If you run your own sound system, or if you get up on stage and would like to sound better than you already do, this magazine is one of the best investments you can make.

SOUND ON STAGE comes from the same stable as SOUND ON SOUND, Europe's biggest and most succesful magazine for those involved in music recording and hi-tech musical instruments. SOUND ON SOUND has an unsurpassed reputation for its in-depth product reviews, its commitment to explaining how equipment works, and how it can most creatively be used. It is exactly this approach which we are applying to SOUND ON STAGE.

No matter whether you're a weekend warrior on the club and pub circuit or own a touring PA rig, SOUND ON STAGE will provide invaluable information on choosing and using PA systems, mixers, backline, and effects units, as well as the latest product news, and major features that take you behind the scenes at top-billing concerts.

It isn't enough being able to sing or play well — if you can't get your sound over to the audience the way you want it, then you may as well pack up and go home. When I first started gigging, there was nobody to ask about what size PA was needed or how to set it up to avoid feedback problems. Getting a slick, well-produced guitar sound was mainly a matter of trial and error, and effects were confined to fuzz pedals and tape-loop echo units. Similarly, where could you get advice if you found yourself with persistent tuning problems, inaudible monitors, distorted vocals or inexplicable hums and buzzes?

Now that's all changed, because in SOUND ON STAGE, we'll be looking at exactly these types of problems and getting the professionals to come up with the answers. We'll also be looking at the latest in radio mics, state-of-the-art monitoring systems — in fact, everything you need to turn your professional music ability into a professional-sounding performance.

SOUND ON STAGE isn't just about being an interesting or informative read, it's essential to your survival as a musical performer.