I have a question perhaps someone on here could answer. I attended the concert in Charleston WV last night that included Chris Stapleton, Margo Price, and Marcus King. It appears to me all 3 acts used the same sound system. Why is there a huge difference in sound quality between them? Marcus King had the least sound quality and then it was good with Margo, and better yet for Stapleton.
It could be a ton of things.
Though they may use the same sound system in the venue, they definitely use different instruments and most likely use different microphones. That is one factor.
Another factor is soundcheck. I'm sure they all went through soundcheck, but that is with an empty arena. Throw 5000+ people in an arena, and the acoustics change. The first act is more or less of a guinea pig in that situation, as the sound booth then has to make changes . . . and that isn't a one time thing. They will go back-and-forth for the first handful of songs relying on feedback from the artists and stage manager trying to get everything right.
Each artist usually has their own sound techs on tour with them. Like with everything else, the more money you have, the better sound tech you can hire to go on tour. Stapleton's sound guy is almost assuredly more experience than the first opener, so the talent in that position plays a factor.
Some artists also know their limitations. They may want their vocals drown on purpose.
Finally, though I can't imagine in Stapleton's case, some headliners have spec techs in contracts that are different for openers than they have. Why? Imagine being a headliner and having a young but really talented vocalist as an opener (think Christina Aguilera or Ariana Grande opening for an artist earlier in their careers). The last thing you want is the opener over shadowing you, so you can manipulate that some by using better gear.
