Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Gig....no P.A.???
- Thread starter DWBass
- Start date
I am also located in So Cal. Very few of the local bars we play at have their own house PA. For bars that seat less than a 100 patrons we have self powered JBL Eons and only use it for vocals and kick drum. No need to DI the bass for that small of a venue. When we get to play larger venues the PA is normally provided by the house.
That is my experience too. The nicer places even have a house drum kit, house bass amp, maybe even house guitar amp, and of course a house grand piano. (not 'beer guzzling' joints, but more like restaurants with concert stage and drinks served)
Anyways, different places....
The other case, already referred to, are places that usually do not have live music, like art galleries, reception halls, hotel ballrooms rented out to a variety of people etc. They may have equipment that they can supply for a fee, but might was collect that fee and supply it ourselves.
But there are some funny comments about singers without mics and all. Ha ha. (BTW the whole band benefits from the bass rig, and the whole band benefits from the drum kit too. The basic essence of the PA is for the singer, it is the singer's combo-amp-speaker. That's it. Every singer performing in the amplified styles should have a mic, a cable and some way to EQ+amplify with the reverb that they want. As things get louder, then the whole group can scale-up and re-purpose equipment as needed. )
We all should be prepared to supply what is needed, but also be smart to seek out the opportunities where what is needed is already supplied. And the more scale-able our systems are, the better. (Just because we have equipment, does not mean we have to use it every time.)
==
I think a venue that wants live music repeatedly, ensures a better overall experience for it's clients and hence makes more money long term by having an in house PA that is right for their place. The sound will be appropriate at all times, physical space can be optimized, set-up, take down, sound check is reduced, and per band payout could be a little less each time because the venue supplies the basics. (Musicians happy to play for less, because of less schlepp).
Where I live the only venues that have a house PA are the ones that cater to original bands. Cover bands supply their own.
Almost none of the venues we play have PA support. Two that I can think of off the top of my head.
We bring our PA to every gig other than those two places.
This is greater NYC, so nothing to do with urban areas.
We bring our PA to every gig other than those two places.
This is greater NYC, so nothing to do with urban areas.
I'm from NY (Mount Vernon) and gigged all over NYC for many years. I will say there are a few spots that do have a P.A. albeit a crappy one. Never, ever seen a nice one or state of the art one. Most spots didn't have one though. Played the World Trade Center once (Restaurant on top floor) and they had one but they also had an iron stage that caused havoc on the sound!
None of the bars I'm familiar with here in the Northwest supply any sound gear.... You are lucky to have a stage at all....
I live in NE Ohio...Most of the bars/clubs in this area do not have a stage and bands provide their own PA support.
A band I was in recently had a singer who bough his own PA. That was really nice because he owned his own. Same band and after a few gigs we were told to never come back because his vocals weren't so good! It was true...Drummer booted him out and now we dont have a singer and a PA.......My wife being the best most awesome woman in the world told me to buy a PA as soon as we get our income tax refund.....SO, I buy a descent Kustom PA system for the local watering holes and we are back in business.
Band finally imploded after 3 singers...I had enough and quit.....
I'm now in a new band with some great guys and they have their own PA.....so,between the new bands PA and my own we have more than enough PA gear......
A band I was in recently had a singer who bough his own PA. That was really nice because he owned his own. Same band and after a few gigs we were told to never come back because his vocals weren't so good! It was true...Drummer booted him out and now we dont have a singer and a PA.......My wife being the best most awesome woman in the world told me to buy a PA as soon as we get our income tax refund.....SO, I buy a descent Kustom PA system for the local watering holes and we are back in business.
Band finally imploded after 3 singers...I had enough and quit.....
I'm now in a new band with some great guys and they have their own PA.....so,between the new bands PA and my own we have more than enough PA gear......
Hey, I 'resemble' that remark!!The words decent and kustom PA should never be used in the same sentence.
i never used to think about PA back in the day but now i am out of the BIZ so to speak i have to have a PA ,in fact when my drummer and myself decided to get our current covers band together we got a PA before we got our git players. there aint many places where we are that have a house pa.we like to gig and go and some bar owners think we are supplying the pa for free( and we do for charity gigs etc) but we tell em we have another gig to go to if they have not spoken with us first about using the pa for the rest of there program. some take advantage, some dont.
The words decent and kustom PA should never be used in the same sentence.
Well, to be fair, he did say "descent" and not "decent".
Ya know those Musician Ads on the Music Store bullentin boards (pre-Internet!)?
Always loved those that said:
"Vocalist wanted. Must have own PA".
A whole more areas of this country have gigs that don't supply PA than ones that do. If a PA is supplied to you everywhere you play in your area, be thankful...then somehow manage to break yourself out of your cocoon. 
If your voice is your instrument, how do you amplify it? Do you only accept gigs that involve acoustic guitar, never electric?
It's not out of line at all to expect a singer to own a small powered mixer and a couple of modest speakers. It's what amplifies their chosen instrument (voice) up to a level to be heard with a drumkit, just like my bass amp and couple of speakers, or a guitar or keyboard amp.
Coincidentally, that also happens to be enough to perform small gigs. When things get big enough to need sound support for the full band, then a solution can be reached that involves more than just the singers small vocal PA.
How do they rehearse with no PA? Attempt to scream over everything else?
If your voice is your instrument, how do you amplify it? Do you only accept gigs that involve acoustic guitar, never electric?
It's not out of line at all to expect a singer to own a small powered mixer and a couple of modest speakers. It's what amplifies their chosen instrument (voice) up to a level to be heard with a drumkit, just like my bass amp and couple of speakers, or a guitar or keyboard amp.
Coincidentally, that also happens to be enough to perform small gigs. When things get big enough to need sound support for the full band, then a solution can be reached that involves more than just the singers small vocal PA.
How do they rehearse with no PA? Attempt to scream over everything else?
