Can you ever hear yourself how the audience does?

[WashburnAB95]

Perhaps I have been a bit too vague. When I used the wolrd "hear" many people "heard" many differn't things in their mind. So here goes my new hopefully much more clear question...


Can you ever actually appreciate your own muic the say way that the audience does?

 

[Steve]

Yes I know acoustics, FOH and such matters but that is not what I am asking about.


Lets say you had a perfect wireless system and you where playing from the center of the audience... will you be hearing it the same way they do?

Trying my damnedest. I think, "He has big ears." and "That guy listens". are two of the nicest things you can say about a player.

 

[Steve]

Can you ever actually appreciate your own muic the say way that the audience does?

Oh , that? No. I pretty much play music I hate that the audience loves.

 

[WashburnAB95]

Oh , that? No. I pretty much play music I hate that the audience loves.

What if you where actually playing music you liked though?

 

[FretNoMore]

Yes I know acoustics, FOH and such matters but that is not what I am asking about.


Lets say you had a perfect wireless system and you where playing from the center of the audience... will you be hearing it the same way they do?

I don't think you will. I don't even hear the music the same way while playing as when listening back to a recording a minute later. I think this is because a bigger part of my focus is on my own playing but I listen more to the overall sound whan listening without playing myself. I'm for instance very aware of mistakes and timing errors while playing, but can sometimes hardly hear them in the recording. Another difference is the audience is usually not completely sober, while I don't drink at a gig.

 

[Savage_Dreams]

Perhaps I have been a bit too vague. When I used the wolrd "hear" many people "heard" many differn't things in their mind. So here goes my new hopefully much more clear question...


Can you ever actually appreciate your own muic the say way that the audience does?

no, nope, never, nu-uh..... (ok, maybe an exaggeration....)

its not a bad thing though.

you can play the best show of your life, the audience could love it, but you will always hear the one tiny mistake you made, even if the audience AND your bandmates didnt hear it. but i dont think its a bad thing as long as you use it properly, if you use to always to improve than its a motivating thing.

 

[Bassisgood4U]

I think hand wired electronics might have something to do with how up front your bass is on and off stage. I've read about Stanley Clarke's tone projecting all the way through the entire hall, and you can kinda hear that on his vids(never saw him in person). I don't know if it has as much to do with volume or not, more like clarity.

 

[Biggbass]

I use wireless for lots of reasons with sound checking being one of them. I find that lots of times, the on stage bass is perfect, but tends to gain a good bit of boom the further I get from the stage, beginning at about 20-25 feet. I hate it, but you have to find a little more treble or a little less bass to hit the sweet spot at distance while remembering that your sound is a bit different that what is on the stage.

This ^ +1

 

[Gaolee]

Perhaps I have been a bit too vague. When I used the wolrd "hear" many people "heard" many differn't things in their mind. So here goes my new hopefully much more clear question...


Can you ever actually appreciate your own muic the say way that the audience does?

Nope. I count the mistakes. First to 100 wins. The audience doesn't know this.

 

[NWB]

I play through a w-bin. There's very little chance the audience hears what I hear on stage. I just have to take it on faith and experience that it sounds like it should.

I thought it sounded quite good the other night.

Nice and full with good clarity.

 

[Gaolee]

Thanks, that means a lot! I have to take it completely on faith, because the upright through that amp sounds a little muffled and muddy when you are right next to it. It's complicated by the fact that I have to stand between the amp and the upright to minimize feedback, too. There's a slight pfzzzz noise that fingers on upright strings make that I can actually hear, and that's how I know it's pretty close to sounding like it should.

 

[Bunk McNulty]

FOH is someone else's job. It's also a totally different perspective. I gotta hear myself onstage, but that sound probably doesn't translate well to big picture.

+1

 

[seang15]

Not sure if this has been said yet, but use a looper. Play a part, long or short, your choice. Loop it, walk around the club. THAT IS YOU. What ya think?

 

[Stumbo]

Yes I know acoustics, FOH and such matters but that is not what I am asking about.


Lets say you had a perfect wireless system and you where playing from the center of the audience... will you be hearing it the same way they do?

No. Based on a discussion with my wife (perfect relative pitch, human jukebox, non-practicing/performing musician)

We were listening to Earth, Wind and Fire (September) in the car w/subwoofer. I said something like, "dude.... do you hear how Verdine really fills in the low end!" Her: Whaaaa? what do mean? So, I turn the bass to zero and then Her: "What happened, that sounds crappy!" I turn the bass up again and she smiles, "now that sounds more like it".

She listens to the lyrics (she can learn lyrics with only a few playbacks of any song) and sings the melody, so she never really concentrates on instrumentation unless it's out of tune or too mid-rangy.

It's taken awhile but she's learned what good FOH sounds like (she says I ruined live music for her ) and now getting her to listen to and pick out all the parts of the various instruments.

Sigh....seems like this is how the general public hears music as well...lessons to be learned...make sure your band has very good vocals/harmonies and don't sweat the small stuff with your bass/amp/effects/etc.

 

[rtslinger]

We use a Bose Pa so yeah I know just what they are hearing

 

[mtb777]

One church I play at is kinda small square room maybe 100' square and the platform is in a corner so the sound kinda bounces. I've always struggled with my sound and always hear a lot of highs and I'm dumping bass and low mids into my tone to sound fatter. Anyway last weekend, I'm packing out load #2 and walking back in and the sound guy is playing back what we just played though the really nice PreSonus Board and I was kinda blown away. Sounded NOTHING like what I hear up in the stage. I got this instant good feeling over all of my worries and quest to dial some fat tone. It was there. It just went under me evidently! Reassurance is a good thing. I really have never heard what I clearly and fully sound like. I have great gear and now feel much better about my playing and tone.

 

[mtb777]

We use a Bose Pa so yeah I know just what they are hearing

I played one little church that had a pair of the columns and 4 of the sub units. They are very clear but you are limited to room size and volume. Great sounding though.

 

[FretNoMore]

We use a Bose Pa so yeah I know just what they are hearing

Unless your audience is standing in your shoes they can't be hearing exactly what you are hearing.

 

[MLysh]

Know what those Bose systems are going to cause in the wrong hands? More musicians with tinnitus and greater hearing loss. Vocalists can never get enough of themselves in the mix, and now everyone gets the privilege of not being able to find a place on the stage to get away from the volume.

 

[Jarrett]

FOH is someone else's job. It's also a totally different perspective. I gotta hear myself onstage, but that sound probably doesn't translate well to big picture.

I think this is precisely where we shoot ourselves in the foot. Dealing with modeling technology and guitars made me reexamine this view and begin to focus more on FOH quality.