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Bass player = sound tech

qball26

qball26

Feb 5, 2003
122
6
50
Ontario, Canada
www.euphoriarocks.ca
#1
Just curious to see if any other bassists are stuck with the responsibility of mixing your band? If so what are your thoughts?

I personally HATE doing it, especially when something goes wrong in the middle of a song, and the drummer tells, not asks, but tells me to fix it NOW! How on earth can someone mix and play at the same time? I don't know about you, but I only have 2 hands, which I need to use when I play bass.

I'm at the point now that when something happens and he tells me to fix the problem (usually to fix the lead vocals - she just doesn't know how to sound check properly, and always peaks when she belts a tune to the point of distortion), I just stop playing altogether (to spite the drummer), and I fix it.

Sorry about the rant...needed to get this of my chest.
 
#4
It's a drag. We are just bringing someone in to ride herd on Sound during the gig. I'll still make the mix; he maintains it. It's been NICE so far!!

qball26 said:
the problem (usually to fix the lead vocals - she just doesn't know how to sound check properly, and always peaks when she belts a tune to the point of distortion)
Click to expand...

She is not doing her job.

Providing an appropriate level is part of your job and it's part of the drummer's job. Why is it not part of her job?

Turn her on to a little trick; when you sing louder, moving the mic further away will (in effect) keep the vocal at an appropriate level in the mix. Wow!

Or have her buy a compressor+limiter & see if she can figure out how to set THAT up. Good luck; they're even more complex than a mic.

Or get someone who can sing.
 
#6
GregShadoan said:
Bad idea, A compressor is how you fix that. I would recommend never suggesting to a singer to move a mic away from their pie hole. Just the opposite.
Click to expand...

Unless they need to hit a few fortissimo notes but want to keep them at the same level in the mix as the rest of the passage or piece - it's standard mic technique. No compressor will be able to keep up with an extremely dynamic vocalist, and it shouldn't be expected to. Part of being a professional vocalist is learning to manipulate the microphone properly.
 
#8
I own all the PA equipment that my band uses on stage (except when we play with a house PA) and it's the same equipment we use in our rehearsal studio. I also am very obsessive about consistency and sound levels being maintained both in studio and live and I have the full cooperation of the rest of the band. By now I know what to expect from them, since they tend to keep professionalism in mind as a priority, and from the equipment, and this keeps any surprises at a show to a minimum (and usually nonexistent).


Knowing your equipment and being used to using it the same way over and over is the key to being prepared.
 
#9
AlembicPlayer said:
+1
a mic is a instrument and the vocalist needs to learn how to use it.
Click to expand...


I'll add my +1 to this.

Our drummer wanted to start singing backup on some tunes (he has a really good voice!) so he got himself a headset mic and his own little mixer that would feed into the main mixer. I showed him how to set it up and it worked fine for awhile until he learned enough to start screwing with the settings and the EQ and then he decided to get an Antares . . . :rolleyes:
 
#11
I started as a sound guy before moving to bass and that's because the original bass player went AWOL. I love being a sound tech and love playing bass.

And, yes, it sucks to do both at the same time if you have to be on stage with all the sound equipment. If you can properly place the sound board in the room and play bass from there :ninja:..... much easier to pull off. Also gets the crowd freaked out.

I am a member of two bands. Both do not have a dedicated sound tech. In one band, three of us will adjust the sound based on who has a free hand. The other band, I not only tech, play bass but lead sing. :help: And there are days it shows.:scowl:

Good news, my oldest son likes sound tech work and is starting to help out.
 
#12
GregShadoan said:
Bad idea, A compressor is how you fix that. I would recommend never suggesting to a singer to move a mic away from their pie hole. Just the opposite.
Click to expand...

I must also respectfully disagree.

A compressor is used to even out irregularities in a source's level. And even the very best ones cannot see into the future.

Better technique is to control the level of the source; self-compression. This permits more dynamic control by the signal provider, and now permits the "compressor" to see into the future; singer know when they are going to scream an upcoming note.


But these are fine points. I think the OP's situation has some vocalist just wailing away irregardless of the level.

There's an equipment solution to that as well. IEMs, & give them lots of themselves in their mix. The first time they dang near blow a vent hole in the top of their skull when they scream into a sound-checked mic right on their lips they'll somehow become 'self-inspired' to learn how to work a mic.
 
#13
I also seem to get stuck running sound in most of the bands I'm in. Why oh why did I ever read the Yamaho Sound Reinforcement Handbook. Most of the time its alright, but I do get tired of setting everything up. Most of the time the bandmates are good about at least setting the mains or the monitors up, but sometimes they just walk in throw their stuff on stage, get a beer and sit down while I'm working my butt off:mad:.

In one of the bands I play in, most of the guys are part-time musicians. Not a lot of training, but they enjoy playing when they can. They are the absolute worst sound-checkers. Ask them to check their mic and they talk real quiet into it, but once we start playing they just go crazy on volume, even when you ask them not to do that kind of stuff. It really drives me nuts and I'm not sure how much longer I can take this kind of stuff. Fortunately a few of my other bands are all professional musicians and that offers my nerves a much needed break:cool:.

My favorite though is when the guy that owns the PA can't make it and the band leader comes up with some piece-mealed PA and then promptly shows up about 30-45 mins before the show so I have no time at all to make it work:(.

Wow I just read back through my post and didn't realize how much that stuff bothered me. Kind of cathartic getting this crap off of my chest and realizing that I'm not alone, though. Thank you to the OP.
 
#15
we make the best soundmen. really.

i try not to do it at the same time but i've had to a lot. many times i've had to set everything prior to the gig, then coach a freind on how to adjust stuff, make him promise not to do it too much, work out signals with him, buy him a beer, etc.
 
#16
I almost always did both when playing in club bands in the early years.
The experience served me well, as I now engineer sessions in my studio in addition to playing bass for a living.
More skills are a good thing, so I say go for it.
 
#17
qball26 said:
Just curious to see if any other bassists are stuck with the responsibility of mixing your band? If so what are your thoughts?
Click to expand...
I just got saddled with it on this past Sunday's gig. A FOUR hour gig! I also recorded the gig live off the mixer. Anyway, after the gig I sent out an email detailing the problems I had, the issues the band has, and some constructive ways to improve. I was quite clear that some of it was my own inexperience, but laid it out anyway. Two of the guys get it, and appreciate the time and thought that went into the email. The last guy came up to me last night at an open mic saying "we need to have a talk" and then proceeded to tell me how my email was "over the top" and that I bummed him out when he should have been feeling good about a great gig. It's no coincidence that he's the guy who has the most inflated opinion of his own capabilities :rolleyes:

I thought the bassist was the least appreciated member of the band ... until Sunday ...

Nearly every post in the thread contains at least thing I can heartily agree with. Including that running the sound and playing bass at the same time makes neither any fun.
 
#18
I have done it in the past, but the guys I played with did not do alot of odd stuff, so it was a set and mostly forget. I do work sound for my church for special events. I think bassist do make good sound persons. We are used to listening to the whole band.
 
#19
I own the PA and I have a wireless kit for my bass, so I'm the de-facto sound guy. Thankfully the PA is one of those 500W per side 8-channel powered mixers, so there's usually not much going on with it. We typically run singer, acoustic guitar, keys, and bass through it, and I'll probably add in a kick drum mic soon.

qball26 said:
Just curious to see if any other How on earth can someone mix and play at the same time? I don't know about you, but I only have 2 hands, which I need to use when I play bass.
Click to expand...

You never practiced your hammer-ons and pull-offs? It's possible to keep your bass line going while freeing up your right hand for a few seconds to twiddle knobs.

That being said, I'm thankful I have a band that understands dynamics and can self-mix on stage. I just make the monitor mix pretty much the FOH mix. Everybody naturally adjusts their playing to make it sound good on stage, which generally makes it sound good to the audience too. I'll normally walk out front in the first song to give everything a quick listen to see if anybody is way too loud or soft and adjust as necessary then I leave the PA alone the rest of the set unless some problem arises.
 
#20
Posting an update to my own situation, & a big thanks to all on the thread who helped my resolve in the early implementation of us creating a Sound Maintenance person.

Brad's always there already; S.O. of the Lead Singer (& yeah, I know, but with her there's surprisingly no need to 'go there'). And has good ears. Teaching Sound is step-by-step & on-going & so far he's just doing Gain & Faders, & Monitors.

It's f***ing GREAT!!! He's having more fun, I'm having a sh**load more fun & less stress just playing, & we sound better than ever. He's even pulling tricks like over-Monitoring a guitarist in his Monitor to help him fix his on-stage level.

It's going so well that the band today agreed to pay him for future gigs.

Wish we'd done this long ago!! Granted, you need the right person, but this is f***ing great!!!
 

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