So I went to practice today, which was scheduled to last about one hour. I set up and plug into the PA in the same spot I did last practice. But as I went to plug in, the last group who used the PA left the drumset mics plugged in to all the wrong spots. While we were trying to sort that out all of our soundguys, who are responsible for problems like this, are chilling out in the booth doing nothing. When we finally are plugged in, it took the soundguys 45 minutes to soundcheck. When my imput still wouldnt work they told me to plug into another imput which was the same one the guitar was in. When they finally got my bass working, they couldnt figure out why the guitar wouldnt work. What do you do when you have soundguys who waste an hour of our time doing soundcheck at every practice?
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clueless soundguy
- Thread starter solutionbassist
- Start date
Just a thought, maybe label the inputs so people use the same inputs for the same things all the time.
How many soundmen do you guys have? Seems weird to have more than one or one and an assistant.
Don't any of them know what they're doing?
Randy
How many soundmen do you guys have? Seems weird to have more than one or one and an assistant.
Don't any of them know what they're doing?
Randy
Talk to them. Ask what you can do to help them make things go more smoothly.
If necessary fire them, and hire an engineer who is trained, experienced, reliable.
If you can't get a good engineer for what you're willing to pay, accept the limitations of more modestly priced sound guys.
If necessary fire them, and hire an engineer who is trained, experienced, reliable.
If you can't get a good engineer for what you're willing to pay, accept the limitations of more modestly priced sound guys.
we have a soundguy, a video person, and an assistant and the numbers are labeled on the imputs and on the board. the soundguys even have a cheatsheet to where everybodys imput is and they still goof it up. And the assistant is the only one who knows what she's doing. we only have a total of 6 soundguys to chose from and most of them are novices.
- Feb 27, 2005
- 3,218
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- Full disclosure, I'm a certified Fender technician working in a music store that carries Fender, Yamaha, and Ibanez products among others.
A) The word you're looking for is "input" not "imput."
B) Whose responsible for getting people to do their jobs? Is this a church gig? If so, I'm assuming that there's someone who coordinates all this. They might want to have a chat with the sound crew about responsibility and not wasting other peoples' time. If it's a paying gig, it's even easier; fire everyone involved and hire people who know what they're doing.
The whole "imput" thing is seriously annoying the crap outta me. =P But, if you know where things are meant to go and how things should sound, why are you not doing it, rather than hiring sound guys?
In that case I recommend sleeping with the assistant. She's the only one that knows what she's doing. Keep her close.
And the other guys sound like.... guys.. Don't sleep with them. If you have a list with what to plug into what inputs and they can't get that, fire them, they're useless.
Randy
never in my life have I heard of a sound guy at a rehearsal. Out here in indie bar gig land, you only get one at a gig, and they generally are paid know what they are doing. as band we have the necessary gear to amplify ourselves.
If the sound guys don't seem to know or care how your band is sounding, the only surefire solution is to educate yourselves on the basics of sound reinforcement equipment and take responsibility for your own situation. It is a tremendously useful skill set to have in the long run.
If the sound guys don't seem to know or care how your band is sounding, the only surefire solution is to educate yourselves on the basics of sound reinforcement equipment and take responsibility for your own situation. It is a tremendously useful skill set to have in the long run.
Are all these soundguys volunteers, not getting paid? Can't figure this one out... Must be a church thing....
That's why some churches pay musicians/soundpeople.... to avoid stuff exactly this.
Randy
That's why some churches pay musicians/soundpeople.... to avoid stuff exactly this.
Randy
is this a church gig? Its the only place where I get a sound guy for rehearsal, if that the case then the sound guys are responsible to make it work, at my church nobody else touch the set up ( mics, click, aviom, soundboard, etc) we just plug in our instruments and if we need more mics or change the drum kit we request that to the sound guy, we have these rules because in the past we had the same issues, people changing mics, messing with the compressor, the eq, etc. causing a big challenger to the sound team to fix it on time.
What do you expect at a church gig. If you want a soundman who might have a clue go play in a bar.
+1 on labeling. Avoids many problems.
This does sound like a church gig. In churches you typically have one sound guy who knows what he's doing (maybe) and a bunch of volunteers with varying degrees of knowledge. They rotate depending on occasion and availability.
However, in my experience, if you have more than one band (or rotating band members) using one stage, they are the ones who mix the inputs and don't return things to their original settings, and the sound guys have to clean it up.
It's obviously a church gig, and they likely have practice in the sanctuary. After all, that's where the grand piano is and it's not like they're going to move it to another room for practice. I'm guessing that the PA is locked out unless an approved "soundman" is there.
When I did P&W, it was four vocalists and a backup band. The vocalists took all the practice time working out vocal parts - we only played maybe 15 minutes out of a 90 minute practice. Only one of the many reasons I don't do P&W gigs anymore.
Not enough info.
Someone should have pulled it all the way out and started over.
The "Assistant" would have done this immediately if she was that good.
Someone should have pulled it all the way out and started over.
The "Assistant" would have done this immediately if she was that good.
modulusman's reply was that of someone who has only played volunteer churches OR never played one.
Our sound crew are from the 2000 head count per night bars.... zero issues.. great guys
Our sound crew are from the 2000 head count per night bars.... zero issues.. great guys
