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First gig need suggestions for our sound

N

NecroButcher

Sep 26, 2008
61
0
#1
Hey I just got my first show with my band set for february 21st. Were a pretty heavy band and the venue has a full PA.

To get a sample of how my band sounds just check out the myspace:
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For a good look at the club check out this image
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So im in a 5 piece death/ heavy metal band perform at this medium/ small club. My rig is just a warwick vampyre rockbass 5, a Hartke HA4000 head and a hartke 410,115 cab. What should we do to sound best at our first show??

One thing is definately mic the bass drum? Cuz in our rough tracks you can hardly hear any double bass and stuff. Any suggestions please
 
#3
Let the soundman do what he does, and you guys do what you normally do, and it'll be fine. One thing I'd caution against, though, is playing too loud. You'll get a much better result by playing at a reasonable volume. By reasonable I don't mean quiet, I just mean don't turn the amps up ridiculously loud.
 
#4
Something to remember- even if the sound guy is an idiot, he'll still have a better idea how it sounds out front that you will onstage, no matter what. He knows the PA and the room acoustics better than you do, too. If you get a good soundman, you're in good hands regardless. If the venue has a mediocre or poor soundman, trying to tell him how to do his job won't make you any friends, you'll just have a bad soundman who's pissed off at you. I've been making my living as a sound engineer for 15 years, but I never bust a club guy's chops when I'm the one playing.

And whatever you do, tell your singer to curb the impulse to ask the crowd "how does it sound out there?" or "can you hear the vocals?" between songs. What he's really saying is "that guy at the soundboard is a moron and we don't trust him"- not the best way to get 100% cooperation.

The soundman is on your side- let him do his job, which is to make you sound good. Most soundmen actually do want to help you, but there are always the dickheads out there that ruin it for everyone. I've seen bands act like the sound guy they've never met before was their arch nemesis, and that doesn't do anyone any good.

If you've never played out before, be aware that it'll sound totally different than everything does at practice. Also, if you get a soundcheck be aware that the show will sound slightly different than the check did, because the room acoustics change when you put mobile sound absorption units (people) in it. Don't get hung up on trying to hear everything perfectly in the monitors- you won't. Move around a little if you need to hear different things, constantly giving the soundman monitor instructions after every song drags your show down fast.

Have fun!
 
#5
One thing that might help is to figure out what you want to hear in the monitors.
If you can find out how many monitors they have and if they have a separate monitor mix would be helpful.

Maybe you can visit the venue and introduce yourselves to the sound guy. Check out what he does and ask him for some tips. Maybe talk to the band that's performing and get their opinion on how things sound on stage. If you let the sg know what type of band you are, he may have some idea on how certain types of amps/settings sound at the venue.

There no downside to getting more information.

Good luck.
 
#6
Hey guys thanks alot for all the quick replies! I think I'm gunna talk to the club and find out who does the sound.

We all have our own full stack, so I was thinking that we hook up our amps to the PA, but have mostly vocals and drums through it and only a bit of guitar/bass to even it out.
 
#7
NecroButcher said:
Hey guys thanks alot for all the quick replies! I think I'm gunna talk to the club and find out who does the sound.

We all have our own full stack, so I was thinking that we hook up our amps to the PA, but have mostly vocals and drums through it and only a bit of guitar/bass to even it out.
Click to expand...
Again, you need to let the soundman make that determination, not you. If his PA is happening, it wouldn't make any sense not to run instruments through it. Which also means that you guys will need to be a little judicious with your volume, but you'll get a much better overall sound if you run mildly loud onstage and let the PA do the heavy lifting in the room...even for metal.
 
#9
Don't make the sound guy mad.... cuz he can always make you sound bad...
The_Suck_Button-1.gif
 
#11
The strange thing about playing live with PA support is that you have to change your concept of your amp on stage. In that setting, it's only acting as your monitor for your sound, not as the thing that's delivering your sound to the room. Make sure that your guitar player/players understand this, too or they'll be way too loud on stage! You also want your drummer to be able to hear you so that both of you stay connected, so be careful not to set up too far away from him laterally unless you angle your rig in his direction a little bit. By the looks of that stage in the pic, you should be fine.

My band doesn't play the heavy stuff that you do, but when we use our own small PA, my drummer pretty much only mic's his kick and we only run vocals through our monitors. With full PA support, a sound dude will mic whatever he thinks he needs to for a good mix to the room which could include the snare, hi-hat, and other stuff. No biggie there.

You sound like you're taking a pretty humble approach to this show given your first time status which is commendable. Take whatever pointers the club's soundman gives you and even if you're really proud of your rig, let him get his signal for the PA through whatever means that's best for him. Make sure that you know what to do between sets - if you need to unplug your bass, he may need to turn you down on his end first. If you want to warm up a little bit on stage, you may need to make sure that your noodling isn't going out into the room, too. Stuff like that. If you're there early enough to avoid a rushed set-up, it will be a lot less stressful for everyone.

Have fun, connect a little with people in the room (don't just stare at your frets all night), and when mistakes happen in your set, just be mildly amused and keep on diggin' it!
 
#12
Thanks for the tips groove. Thats a good idea to have only the vocals through the monitors, they really help us know when were going to a new riff. My ha4000 has a mute switch so any warming up I do is gunna be muted, ill probably only warm up with 3 finger 8ths for a bit anyways.

We should be there plenty early, we arent opening or anything so we drop our gear off in the restricted area then get ready when the time comes
 
#14
Been at many a set up with the sound guy trying to explain that if the guitarist turned down a little on stage he can boost the levels out the PA without the sound being distorted.
And of course the guitarist refusing to turn down whilst whining about how crap and distorted it sounded - which it was, but he couldn't grasp that the crap and distorted sound was the sound coming from his amp 'on 11 man' not a problem with the PA.

So many bands forget that this is not their bedroom and the amp that 'rocks' at home can't cut it on full to fill the entire venue no matter how hard it tries. Unless you have a real monster of a setup then your kit is just not up to a full venue. Once you get over that you can realize that the sound guy is there to help you fill the venue. He wants you to sound good - after all he has got to listen to the whole set - squealing distortion and all, so it's in his best interest to work out the best sound.

If you have any particular sounds you like - growly distorted rumble, or ultra sharp clacks etc. etc. you can discuss that so he is aware that the wrooommmmm sound is actually wanted, and to not dial it out of the mix etc. But generally sound guys will listen to your sound when you start up and replicate that.

It's important to play for real in the sound check. Don't play with a light fingering and down on 5 only to crank it up to 11 and whack the strings with a hammer during the show - the sound levels will be totally wrong. Go for it in the sound check and the end result is a good gig with the right levels.

The sound guy will probably want to DI the bass or mike it in some way anway if it's a reasonable venue. It helps take the load of just your amp, and gets the sound filling the room rather than just the area right in front of the bass amp. Frankly anything larger than a pub and you need a PA even for bass. (or an 18 wheeler full of backline and roadies)

Cheers
Stuntie.
 
#15
All the advice above is good.

Just bring your stuff and set all your amps only as loud as you need to hear yourselves on stage. Bonus points if you set up your stacks crossfire (facing sideways instead of forward). Keep your stage volume as low as possible and even a crap sound guy can make you sound decent up front. Only the best sound guys can do something to salvage a band that is too loud on stage, and sometimes even they can't.

Just check your amp egos at the door and play a good show.
 

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