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everything is done wrong anymore
- Thread starter lavaxtris
- Start date
I'll have to repost this then, just because it's funny, and relevant since a sound man got chewed out for trying to help get a workable sound from a guitarist....
Did the OP state that he couldn't be heard.....or did he state that he couldn't get his tone?
To be honest, I've fired musicians for pulling stunts like you suggest. I'm not going to lose my hearing because some guy with a chip on his shoulder wants to blast out the sound man to prove a point.
If you're not getting your "tone" in the FOH, then it sounds like you've got three options:
1) Learn how to get your tone through the DI of your amp.
2) Test drive a few DIs and find the one that sounds best to you. There have been a few members here that have found a DI that work for them even though they preferred a mic'd tone
3) Buy a QUALITY mic for yourself, bring it to every gig, and try to reach a professional agreement with the sound man to try it out. Don't be a jerk about....try to be nice.
In smaller clubs and venues, the sound man will almost never have a proper mic for bass. They will either want to slap a SM57 on it, or some low end kick drum mic. Mics that work well for bass are expensive. Personally, I always carry around a Seinheiser 421.
He stated he is battling a ton of Bass drum which sounds like he wouldn't be able to be heard too well. If this thing is as big a mess as it sounds, you'd probably fire everyone involved.
Getting a power struggle going also has its own problems. Let's not forget the horrid sound guy tricks like "fake-twisting" a knob or two when you signal them what you need, and other mockeries of good sportsmanship.
:scowl:
:scowl:
interesting debate, i have a question though.
I only play little pubs and such we do our own sound and i vary the sound of my bass during the set with my active tone controls to roll off on the lows and increase the mids for more attack or less etc.
if we were in a bigger venue would i have to ditch this approach due to the fluctuating levels the FOH would be seeing?
I am always very conscious of where i sit in the mix as there is nothing worse than a too loud booming bass!
I only play little pubs and such we do our own sound and i vary the sound of my bass during the set with my active tone controls to roll off on the lows and increase the mids for more attack or less etc.
if we were in a bigger venue would i have to ditch this approach due to the fluctuating levels the FOH would be seeing?
I am always very conscious of where i sit in the mix as there is nothing worse than a too loud booming bass!
Only unhappy for a few hours at a time, since the majority of soundmen I work with actually get it and are awesome. But man, those rare imbeciles can suck the life out of you.
I'm playing wireless and stand in the audience now and then during my show, and almost always during soundcheck unless it's someone I've already worked with and know.
Well how about this one...
Did a gig 2 months ago...it was all subwoofer and not much of anything else, even after doing a soundcheck and telling the guy please don't make it all subwoofer. I pick up the upright and turn the wireless on after about 4 songs. I hit the first note and get uncontrollable feedback. So I reach down to my upright EQ and roll off the low end considerably. Great for about 30 seconds, then I hear him slowly adding bass to it until it's back up to the feedback level it was. I ended up not being able to play upright the rest of the evening, and the electric bass was up so loud from 50-100hz that it was absolute torture to listen to.
On break I tell him about it, and he says it sounds great from where he's sitting...in a booth 40 feet away and 15 feet up in the air! Not once did he even leave the booth to hear how it sounds at ground level with the bass just pummeling the crowd, and he's got a board with an iPad interface!
Stress-free, eh?
Last time we didn't use our own PA the sound guy brought in a brand new PA, first time using it, and with remote control via iPad. It was a bit messy during setup and sound check so we thought this will not end well ...
... but the difference is he's really good, and he and his iPad was all over the room listening from every possible place. I don't think we've sounded that good before or after that show. If we actually made money playing music he'd be on my speed dial.
/\
This!
And when you do find a good sound guy, be nice to him, buy him a beer or two and build a relationship.
They're usually pretty happy to have someone show them a little appreciation for a change, they often have a LOT of grief and whining to deal with on a regular basis.
Usually he's at least as proud of a good sounding gig as you are, since it shows he's doing his job well, even though most people will never know about it.
A few kind words of thanks go a long way sometimes, and he'll likely remember you and your band so next time you work together (emphasis on together!) he may go out of his way to help you when you really need it.
Be decent to him and he'll do the same for you.
Yes live sound is generally in a terrible state. I've done sound over many years and I always been annoyed by ****** clubs, crap gear, bands that were not worth my time, and audiences that are not really there to listen. My solution of late has been to start doing house concerts in my own living room and backyard.
We choose musicians we want to hear, we use the gear we want to use, and we have (small) audiences who show up wanting to hear the music rather than talking over it.
I always mic the amp on electric bass and always have a DI either for backup or to add to the amp sound if needed.
We focus on jazz and blues so the drums in my mind have to sound appropriate to that sort of music. Bass guitar and kickdrum should not just be driving the subs.... these instruments have mids and detail that should be heard in the mix!
Check out Listenshows. We are on Youtube, Facebook, and at www.listenshows.com
We choose musicians we want to hear, we use the gear we want to use, and we have (small) audiences who show up wanting to hear the music rather than talking over it.
I always mic the amp on electric bass and always have a DI either for backup or to add to the amp sound if needed.
We focus on jazz and blues so the drums in my mind have to sound appropriate to that sort of music. Bass guitar and kickdrum should not just be driving the subs.... these instruments have mids and detail that should be heard in the mix!
Check out Listenshows. We are on Youtube, Facebook, and at www.listenshows.com
Well, imagine getting paid for one setup and one set, and having to do 3 setups and 3 sets worth of work, first in, last out. That's a small scale venue pay rate for a sound person. Oh, the bands will usually be pissing and whining all night about the inadequate gear available for you to use.
That's what's wrong with this world.
wow lotsa posts. Ill do my best to fill you guys in.
I'm mainly doing venues that provide their own soundguy. bringing in my own is a no-go.
I'm still using my Bugera and Yamaha and probably always will, unless I upgrade to an SVT3 pro. Behringer =/= Bugera. Connected by company, but not by quality. I'm very happy with Bugera. Regardless, thats not the issue. Its the DI on my bass head lacking a speaker emulator thats the issue. A lot of DI's out of bass heads are too raw to properly use with an overdrive setting. Thats why DI boxes are a better option in
my case.
Actually, no. But other bassists at the show I ran were. As much as I've been talking about the DI stuff, it was a post mostly about how the soundguys do things anymore. Being a fan of 70s music, I just think it makes more sense to make everything sound good then to just run DI and crank of the bass drum. why do they do it? either because its convenient or because they are too stupid to realize that there are (still) bands in different genres that frown upon that kind of stuff.
lulz. I did that once. The place was so small it didnt matter.
I'm mainly doing venues that provide their own soundguy. bringing in my own is a no-go.
I'm still using my Bugera and Yamaha and probably always will, unless I upgrade to an SVT3 pro. Behringer =/= Bugera. Connected by company, but not by quality. I'm very happy with Bugera. Regardless, thats not the issue. Its the DI on my bass head lacking a speaker emulator thats the issue. A lot of DI's out of bass heads are too raw to properly use with an overdrive setting. Thats why DI boxes are a better option in
my case.
Actually, no. But other bassists at the show I ran were. As much as I've been talking about the DI stuff, it was a post mostly about how the soundguys do things anymore. Being a fan of 70s music, I just think it makes more sense to make everything sound good then to just run DI and crank of the bass drum. why do they do it? either because its convenient or because they are too stupid to realize that there are (still) bands in different genres that frown upon that kind of stuff.
lulz. I did that once. The place was so small it didnt matter.
Here we go again with another bash the sound guy for using a DI thread. It's been about a day since we had one so...
