And on the clothes departement, that depends on wjat kind of music you play
And WHERE you are playing it. I have played Southern Rock wearing a Tux.
It was AT a wedding reception, AT a Country Club.
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First gig in a lifetime is coming!!! I'm scared!!!
- Thread starter Bass_Band
- Start date
And WHERE you are playing it. I have played Southern Rock wearing a Tux.
It was AT a wedding reception, AT a Country Club.
Hey it sounds pretty good on my crap laptop speakers here at work.
You sure don't look like a guy playing his first gig ever. I expected to see you standing dead-still, eyes fixed on your left hand. You're actually moving around, looking at the other members, paying attention!
Nice job. Be happy.
You sure don't look like a guy playing his first gig ever. I expected to see you standing dead-still, eyes fixed on your left hand. You're actually moving around, looking at the other members, paying attention!
Nice job. Be happy.
That's pretty awesome, brother! Nice job!!! When's the next gig? hehehe
5sg.
Thank you! Really appreciated!
Im back to ground since my lifetime first gig. Heres a report.
Pre-show. I arrived at 3 with all my gear. The setup was in place, subwoofer, drum + PA and PA speakers, but the guitars and guitars amps were still in the garage. Ive bring my gear (MB combo 115 + 210, basses and pedalboard). In view of the space available, we place the cabinets lead guitar, rhythm guit and bass all on the right side of the drum (as you can see on the pervious pic). They informed me that I will play on the right side of the drum; fine. Only the singer get a monitor in front of him; we only have one. Me and the lead guitar had a PA speaker just behind us and for me I had all the guitars cabs (Basss cab, Ryhtm guits cab and lead guitars cab) behind me. Drummer had his PA in charge at his left. I made a 30 seconds soundcheck alone; I set the amp volume as they wish and we were ready to rock our 25 songs! The crowd (25 folks!) came back from boat trip/walk/whatever and we began to play.
First set. I was surprisingly comfortable and in a good vibe. We played the 3 first songs straight. I made an OK job I think. At the first mini-delay after the third song, lead guitar told drummer he had hard times hearing himself so he gets his volume up. We go through the set and it was now me having trouble hearing myself; I heard mid/high-mid well but my low was lost in the mix. I totally screw a song played in the mid-zone and it deserves me a volume drop. In a song with a nice low groove that I master well, I just heard the lead guitar riff. In one of that kinda tune, Ive lost my basss cable 30 seconds before the end and no bandmates notice! (except for the drummer who as in-ear mix). I realized I was unplugged at the end of the song. It was funny (really?) when we realized that I was unplugged; it was time to change my bass so I make it like all was under control! I think they tried to protect the mix (and me!) in that volume issue. OK, you can drop the volume from the worst musician in the band to protect the mix and the bassist; on the other hand, when your rookie had hard time hearing itself its hard to do a nice job. Notice that I let them take care of all sound/volume issue; with no experience I dont wanna be involved in that process. I had full confidence in the band and it was a good way for me to know wich kind of place I have in the band/mix. We ended the first set.
Second set. I was feeling comfortable. I rushed the tune I was good at, making it hard for band mate to keep good beats. I just want so much to groove the song I was comfortable but my volume doesnt allow me that. I was more laid back in my worst-mastered tune again not offering a solid ryhtm. In that set, I played 4 songs with my MM5 my D string set a half-tone up! I tried to tune myself with Tu3 but with the sunlight and experience lacking I didnt notice the . after the d. I can tell you to be off-tune in that zone it was freaking! I finally found that dot after the d in our last song (comfortably numb). I think everybody was happy to clear that show with the nice lead guitar solo with a bass riffs in tune!
Analysis. The crowd was disciplined and attentive. We got claps after each song. We had nice comments after the show. My bandmates were proud of me. They congrats me. I was happy/proud about the job done. The post-show was OK but destabilizing. It was more like: What the heck have I done?. I was feeling very weird the days after the show. As it is not enough, we taped the show with my cam so I can visualize all our performance/sound in details. On-stage I was performing, not analyzing. I was in the moment, enjoying that first experience without doubt. Afterward with the recording, I had plenty of second-toughts coming to mind. Ive put so much effort/time in the setlist Im disappointed of the place they gave me in the mix. How can they judged me if Im the right bassman for them if they gave me so little place in the mix? Do they just want a rookie to do a subwoofer? I dont want to be a subwoofer. If they gave me that place in a family show with no impact bandwise (it was to break the ice as a band and feel the band in a performance) what would it be in a gig with more impact?
Conclusion. Im a rookie. Its the first real band Im in. Im clearly the green musician that have all to learn. Trust me I learn a lot in that last 6 months with them. Im really not used to be the weak spot of the chain. I have to work a lot more than them to be just OK. I still will always be the rookie for them. Two days after the show I thanked them and wish them luck to find another bassman.
Rock'n roll!
Pre-show. I arrived at 3 with all my gear. The setup was in place, subwoofer, drum + PA and PA speakers, but the guitars and guitars amps were still in the garage. Ive bring my gear (MB combo 115 + 210, basses and pedalboard). In view of the space available, we place the cabinets lead guitar, rhythm guit and bass all on the right side of the drum (as you can see on the pervious pic). They informed me that I will play on the right side of the drum; fine. Only the singer get a monitor in front of him; we only have one. Me and the lead guitar had a PA speaker just behind us and for me I had all the guitars cabs (Basss cab, Ryhtm guits cab and lead guitars cab) behind me. Drummer had his PA in charge at his left. I made a 30 seconds soundcheck alone; I set the amp volume as they wish and we were ready to rock our 25 songs! The crowd (25 folks!) came back from boat trip/walk/whatever and we began to play.
First set. I was surprisingly comfortable and in a good vibe. We played the 3 first songs straight. I made an OK job I think. At the first mini-delay after the third song, lead guitar told drummer he had hard times hearing himself so he gets his volume up. We go through the set and it was now me having trouble hearing myself; I heard mid/high-mid well but my low was lost in the mix. I totally screw a song played in the mid-zone and it deserves me a volume drop. In a song with a nice low groove that I master well, I just heard the lead guitar riff. In one of that kinda tune, Ive lost my basss cable 30 seconds before the end and no bandmates notice! (except for the drummer who as in-ear mix). I realized I was unplugged at the end of the song. It was funny (really?) when we realized that I was unplugged; it was time to change my bass so I make it like all was under control! I think they tried to protect the mix (and me!) in that volume issue. OK, you can drop the volume from the worst musician in the band to protect the mix and the bassist; on the other hand, when your rookie had hard time hearing itself its hard to do a nice job. Notice that I let them take care of all sound/volume issue; with no experience I dont wanna be involved in that process. I had full confidence in the band and it was a good way for me to know wich kind of place I have in the band/mix. We ended the first set.
Second set. I was feeling comfortable. I rushed the tune I was good at, making it hard for band mate to keep good beats. I just want so much to groove the song I was comfortable but my volume doesnt allow me that. I was more laid back in my worst-mastered tune again not offering a solid ryhtm. In that set, I played 4 songs with my MM5 my D string set a half-tone up! I tried to tune myself with Tu3 but with the sunlight and experience lacking I didnt notice the . after the d. I can tell you to be off-tune in that zone it was freaking! I finally found that dot after the d in our last song (comfortably numb). I think everybody was happy to clear that show with the nice lead guitar solo with a bass riffs in tune!
Analysis. The crowd was disciplined and attentive. We got claps after each song. We had nice comments after the show. My bandmates were proud of me. They congrats me. I was happy/proud about the job done. The post-show was OK but destabilizing. It was more like: What the heck have I done?. I was feeling very weird the days after the show. As it is not enough, we taped the show with my cam so I can visualize all our performance/sound in details. On-stage I was performing, not analyzing. I was in the moment, enjoying that first experience without doubt. Afterward with the recording, I had plenty of second-toughts coming to mind. Ive put so much effort/time in the setlist Im disappointed of the place they gave me in the mix. How can they judged me if Im the right bassman for them if they gave me so little place in the mix? Do they just want a rookie to do a subwoofer? I dont want to be a subwoofer. If they gave me that place in a family show with no impact bandwise (it was to break the ice as a band and feel the band in a performance) what would it be in a gig with more impact?
Conclusion. Im a rookie. Its the first real band Im in. Im clearly the green musician that have all to learn. Trust me I learn a lot in that last 6 months with them. Im really not used to be the weak spot of the chain. I have to work a lot more than them to be just OK. I still will always be the rookie for them. Two days after the show I thanked them and wish them luck to find another bassman.
Rock'n roll!
I think you should use the pink balloon on the drain spout as your band logo 
no seriously, good stuff. everything seemed to go well (at least for that 57 second video) and you did a great job..
no seriously, good stuff. everything seemed to go well (at least for that 57 second video) and you did a great job..
paparoof said:
That's what I read too. WHY? If you enjoyed it, that's what matters. You can always work out details about mix and stage placement or whatever. I'm comfortable being on stage and have been playing bass for 14 years now, but ANY first performance with ANY group will always create some nervousness and have some glitches. Heck, even a gig your comfortable with will have some glitches occasionally! I've got some stories..... Lol
Don't quit a group over one performance, stick with it and gain experience/wisdom.
5sg.
Here's my lifetime first minute on-stage!
Rock'n roll
Nice job, although you are too low in the mix. Yeah I'm a bass player so I'm biased. What I tell people; listen to the radio, bass is always heard, usually very prominent. I listened on headphones like you suggested and on two different computers, one with a sound system, and the bass is very very low. Too low.
Sorry to hear that. You know you might have talked to them about it, seems like a good band with good vocals. Also your parting comments don't seem to convey your real reason for leaving. Possible that they will get the wrong impression of you for that, and think you were being flaky. Be careful with your reputation in the music community.
I don't blame you one bit for being frustrated, but it was your first show! After putting all that time into gettng up to speed with them I would have tried to work it out. You will find that being in a band requires some cooperation, some compromise, and some thick skin. And the balls to crank your amp when necessary, and just let them know that you WILL be heard. It's not necessary, productive, or beneficial to you to just walk away from every frustration.
Not tryng to be mean, just giving my 2 cents. Better luck next time!
A video, taken off-axis, is a terrible way to judge a mix. Many camera mics won't pick up anything under 100hz.
It's not uncommon to only hear mids and highs when on stage, especially outside and standing up against your cabinet.
It's not uncommon to only hear mids and highs when on stage, especially outside and standing up against your cabinet.
The fact that I didn't heard myself on-stage was the above-sea part of the iceberg. Nonetheless a primary subject; they all told me that my volume was OK through all the show. So there is no need to go further in whining as I'm concerned. I'm out.
I didn't hear myself in the second set. I felt ashamed and didn't enjoyed it so much; the scene experience was great but as for the musical performance we can debate as how much bass is needed in a mix. I think the first three song my volume was OK (as you can hear on the video: It was the first song) but then the guitar goes up... and up.. and up... Who care about the bassist? They obviously don't.
I walk my way out, maybe in a little flaky style but is there a good way to do it? I don't regret it. A lot of investment in a project with far more advanced musician than me. I think that with their experience they was well aware of how they put me in the mix. So that's the palce I have? No need to argue. Volume issue, next band I will be heard, trust me.
This experience was time and energy consuming. I had spare time this summer but now I can't afford 3-4 hours of music daily. They've been surprised at my decision but I'm sure they'll find a nice bassist to fill the spot and their band will go as they wish.
It's great to have outside inputs! I really appreciate
Unfortunately this is a far too common situation I have encountered in many bands. They basically just want a bass-player to be seen and not heard. (and maybe felt)
My last band used to mic every drum for every piddly-ass 15 person gig, and everytime I said "Please put my bass in the PA mix, as it isn't heard at all off stage" I got the stinkeye look, and "Well the bass drum is all that matters" and mic the guitards half stack that was already blowing people off the stage without anything else on it.
Took a walk and am happy I did as well. I think the style of music you play with a band may make some difference, so am looking to move more towards, blues/motown/funk oldies/pop with my next band, where the BASS theoretically should play a much MORE important role, be louder and more crucial than in your typical hard rock band.
My last band used to mic every drum for every piddly-ass 15 person gig, and everytime I said "Please put my bass in the PA mix, as it isn't heard at all off stage" I got the stinkeye look, and "Well the bass drum is all that matters" and mic the guitards half stack that was already blowing people off the stage without anything else on it.
Took a walk and am happy I did as well. I think the style of music you play with a band may make some difference, so am looking to move more towards, blues/motown/funk oldies/pop with my next band, where the BASS theoretically should play a much MORE important role, be louder and more crucial than in your typical hard rock band.
Well IMHO I'm sure you couldn't hear yourself, possibly due to you standing in front of guitards amps. This is made worse by guitard not being able to hear his awesome tone with his amps "way over there". Then he had to turn the guitards UP to compensate for that space differential, and after all, he couldn't properly hear all of his awesomeness. To further this expert job of E.Q.ing and speaker placement, this genius turns you down in order to compensate. Yup real professional.
On the other hand, it's too bad you quit after only one gig.
But how many people marry the first person they ever had sex with?
Just My observation. YMMV
On the other hand, it's too bad you quit after only one gig.
But how many people marry the first person they ever had sex with?
Just My observation. YMMV
Yeah the deal with guitarists telling you to turn down is as common as the hot chicks in the audience ignoring the bass player - it just comes with the territory and you have to be prepared for it.
A lot of the issue can be mitigated by better amp placement. Get farther away from their amps and get yours closer to your head. Point the speakers at your ears. Then wander out front at some point to hear the mix - it never sounds the same out front as it does on stage.
Then as the gig wears on, and the guitarists keeping turning themselves up, compensate and turn up with them. Just make sure you do it when they're not looking.
Sorry you quit the band, especially since you'll run into this issue in virtually every band you'll ever play with. But what's done is done and I wish you the best of luck in finding the right group of folks to play with.
A lot of the issue can be mitigated by better amp placement. Get farther away from their amps and get yours closer to your head. Point the speakers at your ears. Then wander out front at some point to hear the mix - it never sounds the same out front as it does on stage.
Then as the gig wears on, and the guitarists keeping turning themselves up, compensate and turn up with them. Just make sure you do it when they're not looking.
Sorry you quit the band, especially since you'll run into this issue in virtually every band you'll ever play with. But what's done is done and I wish you the best of luck in finding the right group of folks to play with.
Volume wars are a constant issue. If you're going to quit every band you join every time you have a hard time hearing yourself, just quit now...
godofthunder59
Life is short, buy the bass.
- Feb 19, 2006
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For your first gig that was great! You look and sound like a pro! As for volume you guys are a 3 piece band, the bass has to be loud! I also play in a 3 piece band, When I joined I told them I'm loud, you are going to have to deal with it.
There are better ways to handle volume wars than just quitting every band you join, that's a terrible idea. I would have talked it over with them. Everyone wants to hear themselves play, otherwise what's the point? If you had given them the chance surely they would agree with this, and if they didn't, at least you would know you were dealing with jerks. You forfeit the chance to work it out when you simply walk, and you're not even sure they wanted you to be unheard.... you're assuming that.
Next time try a band meeting.
Next time try a band meeting.
