OUTDOOR BUSKING

STREET PERFORMANCE REQUIRES SOME EXTRA CONSIDERATIONS.

PERMISSION TO BAND

Busking is a great way to gain some live experience, and possibly make some money while doing so! But, before you pack up your gear and park yourself in the nearest performance hotspot, you first need to make sure you have permission. Individual councils have their own rules on street performances, and the last thing you want is to get moved on mid-set, or even worse, blacklisted. So, check out your local council’s website and see what the rules are first.

TAKE THE POWER PACK

Your main gear considerations with busking are going to be powering your rig while keeping things portable. This will most likely mean streamlining your setup where possible, and thankfully there are plenty of amps out there that are designed to do exactly that. Check out combo options such as the Roland Cube Street series, Blackstar Super Fly, Fender Acoustic Junior Go and many others for batterypowered combos that feature enough channels for your guitar, a mic and a connection for your phone for backing tracks.

As well as this, they’ll often include onboard effects and even loopers that are usually footswitchable, and could save you needing to bring quite as many separate items and power supplies. Invest in some decent rechargeable batteries, and always have some spares ready.

STABLE CABLES

Wireless options are great when you’re tethered to the grid, but out in the wild, you’re looking to conserve any power you can. So, while using wireless systems may seem like a good way of reducing your setup time and number of items you need to carry, switching on bluetooth for connecting your backing tracks, or even using a wireless system for your guitar or mic will eat up battery power and increase your chances of treating the crowd to the sound of silence.

MIC CHECK

If you’re singing, you’ll require a mic. We understand this is a street performance in a busy town centre being pumped through a small amp, but all that means is that you need to maximise the clarity of your gear. Get a decent gig-quality dynamic mic such as the Shure SM58, Audix i5, sE Electronics V7 (there are many options!) and you’ll be sure that you’re giving yourself the best chance of being heard. A tight hypercardioid or supercardioid pickup pattern will help reject unwanted noise in the mic and will also help reduce feedback. Don’t forget to kill the effects on your vocal mic if you intend to talk to the crowd between songs.

GO MOBILE

Chances are you’ll be arriving to your performance stuff – at least partially – on foot. Get your guitar in a gig bag, invest in a cover for your amp if you’re worried about it getting bashed-up, put your pedals on a pedalboard, and invest in a storage box for anything else you need to bring. A sack truck (a basic DIY-style trolley should be fine, but there many music-specific versions available too) combined with some bungee ties will enable you to move all your gear safely, and in one.