Anyone who likes gigging NOT loud?

[DaveParker39]

Generally speaking if people want us loud, we're doing better business. The exception might be weddings. Bars/clubs... if people are pumped we are playing loud and getting paid and getting booked again.

I use IEMs and then I can "feel" the loud without destroying my ears.

As a concertgoer I prefer loud. I'd rather put in earplugs than be underwhelmed by weak sound.

 

[DaveParker39]

I cannot, and will not, play in loud situations anymore. Visiting my daughter recently, she took me to a pinball/video arcade museum (all you can play for a flat fee). Had a wonderful time, but my ears were ringing for a couple of days due to the overall din of the play area. It wasn't even that loud db-wise, but I'm very sensitive to it these days.

For situations like the arcade, you might consider trying something like the 3DME. It was designed for musicians but has lots of applications. It's active hearing protection that allows you to EQ and lower/boost the room using ambient mics. Also has a built in limiter. I like it for performance and non-performance alike.

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[Medicine Man]

There are certainly more gigs available if you can go down to restaurant volume these days. I like the kind of gig where you can open up a little a bit more, but not stupid loud.

 

[Bar Band Bassman]

I wish I were able to play quietly more often. I can't recall how many times I've told band members: "The goal is never to be asked to turn down, it's OK to be asked to turn up". When we're loud everything turns to mush by the end of the first set. Then the "can you top this" volume battles begin. Everything becomes a dull roar. I love it when I can use vocal, mic, and right hand playing dynamics and the WORK! Nothing fun about screaming into the mic to be heard.

BBB

 

[micguy]

Is it still fun?

Playing gigs where the stage shakes from your fundamentals, and where your ears don’t ring afterwards is a LOT of fun.

 

[RandomKaren]

NOT loud for me, unless it's a big venue or outdoors I don't want to see mics on the drum kit. And 4x12s with 100 watt heads are verboten.

 

[badinage]

I think my favorite volume and venue is where the horn players probably don't really need to be mic'd.

 

[DaveParker39]

There are certainly more gigs available if you can go down to restaurant volume these days. I like the kind of gig where you can open up a little a bit more, but not stupid loud.

agreed, if you can taper from a dinner crowd into a dance crowd, that is valuable

 

[red_rhino]

For situations like the arcade, you might consider trying something like the 3DME. It was designed for musicians but has lots of applications. It's active hearing protection that allows you to EQ and lower/boost the room using ambient mics. Also has a built in limiter. I like it for performance and non-performance alike.

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Thanks for the link. I usually at least have a pair of foam earplugs handy, but didn't have any on me right then. I also wasn't anticipating it was going to be loud, but it was a huge space, and the collective cacophony of games and systems was intense.

But the whole experience was a wakeup call for me. I have to accept that any path forward means playing at low volume.

 

[pfschim]

I'm definitely in the not loud club. Most gigs are that way for me these days. I've been on a few stages recently where the venue PA is pretty rockin' but the band stage volume is not.

I've also had plenty (too many probably) super loud gigs over the decades I've been gigging. It can be fun if the material is right, the venue is good for it and the audience is into it.

I am really starting to appreciate quiet/easy stage volume and IEM's for monitoring, and letting the FOH set the venue volume.

 

[DWBass]

Seems unavoidable. We were already off the rails but we have a new drummer who slams! I wear ear plugs. Positive is I don't have the usual after gig ringing in my ears. Stage is extremely loud. I have complained! Sound folks are partly to blame. Instrumets in the monitors are too loud. Can barely hear the vocals. It's a challenge.

 

[eddododo]

I think basically all live music is way too loud.. including the loud stuff.

If you aren’t playing a stadium where you need to drown out thousands and thousands of adoring fans singing along, your music is probably too loud.

 

[2112]

I like playing at whatever volume level the venue wants.

 

[ryco]

I like both.
My cover band what sometimes plays the Senior Center and a small local bar play pretty soft, soft enough i look out and see people enjoying casual conversation - but we still rock (plus blues, a little country, RB, oldies, old jazz/American songbook)

In my original hard rawk band we play pretty loud cuz that's what the crowd wants. Same little bar, ear plugs are available. The geetar player is the owner, so there's that

 

[bajaandy]

I play in what some might consider a loud band. We still use amps and monitors on stage, and the drummer generally plays an acoustic kit with a mic'd kick. That being said, one of our local venues has been having issues with the ABC revolving around complaints of excessive noise. The last gig we played there, we had to keep it down to 85dB peak. The drummer brought his E-kit and the rest of us just dialed it down. Totally doable, and in my opinion that makes you a better player. The only minor drawback is that part of our energy comes from playing louder than that. Probably a more accurate statement would be that being forced to keep it below a certain dB level caused us to be far more cautious than necessary, so it felt like a lot less energy than normal. The crowd still had a good time, and we could hear them talking almost as much as the music we were playing. We look at it as a learning opportunity to get better at playing lower volume venues.

 

[Lance Bunyon]

Since going IEM my band has halved our volume. My new bass combo is 26 lbs.
25 years ago my cabs approached or exceeded 100 lbs.
The future is now!

 

[bigdaddybass12]

We play at a restaurant so we have to keep it down a little. Last restaurant gig, my wife looks at me and “points down” I knew what that meant!

 

[ProbablyTooLoud]

Absolutely love playing waywayway too loud. I like low volume gigs but do not love them like I love the waytooloud.

 

[backin82]

During my tenure as FOH engineer for a large church, we were instructed to mix for 95 dB peaks, which for me is just on the verge of uncomfortably loud. Churches are wild.

Same for our church. I don't understand it. I know people who won't attend our church (or any "modern" church) due to this, which seems like a good enough reason for church leaders to consider this effect and adjust. "The system doesn't sound good unless its pushed" is not a good reason. Get a different (less powerful) system if that's the case.

We have earplugs at various locations around the church to be respectful, but I'm like....why??? Why not just make the system sound good at 90dB or less?

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

In a rock band in a venue where the whole thing revolves around the music I like a loud, yet healthy volume. When I play say jazz gigs in an italian restaurant I keep it down, way way down. I constantly ask the waiters and bartenders to check volume, after all THEY hired ME.