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Help. Having trouble keeping up with my band.

#61
Buster Brown said:
That's great!!! I remember them being "semi-loud"....:D

Now, Deep Purple....:scowl:


I dunno, hearing these young dudes playing at the sonic level of jet engines reminds me why I can't hear my Wife calling me anymore....shoot - I can barely hear myself fart....:rollno:


lordy lordy
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You can't hear your wife calling you.... Is that a good thing or a bad thing? ;)

You know why farts smell? So deaf people can enjoy them too. :hiding:
 
#62
Well, as to the OPs "dilema", I can only relate my situation. I currently play a SVT4Pro through a SVT6X10HLF. In my rack I also (for some weird reason) use an ART compressor....now, mind you, I can get sustain and feedback for an hour if I want. Additionally, I push more power than anyone could EVER need....but I don't. Why? My reasoning is fairly straightforward in that "it is better to HAVE the power and not NEED it, rather than NEED it and not HAVE it"....

That having been stated - I use my MarkBass CMD121P MORE that the Ampeg rig. For probably 95% of the jobs that I play, it has MORE than enough power to get the job done and done correctly. And, as an added bonus, weighs in at 30 lbs...

Now, should the need EVER arise, we run a PA that is powered by 4 1600 amps for the mains and subs and 2 500 watt amps for the monitors.....we've yet to ever have to push it, though. We mainly invested in that much power for the outdoor shows that we do (a lot of them in the Summer) and the added power is a must.

Again, I strongly urge you to consider hearing protection! You have ONE set of ears. Please take the advice of the many Pros who are on this forum - we ALL either use protection or play at a volume conducive to "saving" our ears for later in life and, I might point out - (as several of us have tongue-in-cheek) we've "been there- done that" and don't want to do it again!

Have a good 'un!!
 
#65
The OP says he is using hearing protection.

Two things about the OP's 140dB claims:

1) Are high levels at low frequencies less damaging than higher frequencies? A quick web search didn't turn up a statement either way.

2) The rock concert can't possibly be at 140dB, because SPL drops 6dB for each doubling of the distance. So, assuming the bass cabinets produce 140dB at 1 meter, that means at 4 meters you're already down 12dB. Etc. Also, most venues have volume limits. Trust me, a sports stadium isn't going to risk lawsuits from every attendee.

3) Trying to run a 2000w bass head in that little room will probably pop a breaker, which may be a good thing.
 
#66
Rick Auricchio said:
Also, most venues have volume limits. Trust me, a sports stadium isn't going to risk lawsuits from every attendee.
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Not to derail this, but I have to respond:
If most venues have volume limits, they are rarely enforced. Or if they have them, those levels are so high, that hearing damage can occur well below the threshold of that volume limit. That is particularly true of sports stadiums which are surrounded by acres of parking lots, which by their existence minimize the need to turn down, as there are no houses immediately adjacent to the concert, and therefore neighbors or communities are less likely to complain about noise.

With all due respect, that attendees don't bring lawsuits doesn't mean much as a validation of sound levels in stadiums as being "reasonable"- we seem to have many musicians on this board who have little regard for their own ears, despite the necessity to protect them. What makes anyone think concert-goers, in general (some of whom may and may not be musicians) would be more concerned about their hearing than musicians?

Regards.
 
#67
Thunderthumbs73 said:
Not to derail this, but I have to respond:
If most venues have volume limits, they are rarely enforced. Or if they have them, those levels are so high, that hearing damage can occur well below the threshold of that volume limit. That is particularly true of sports stadiums which are surrounded by acres of parking lots, which by their existence minimize the need to turn down, as there are no houses immediately adjacent to the concert, and therefore neighbors or communities are less likely to complain about noise.

With all due respect, that attendees don't bring lawsuits doesn't mean much as a validation of sound levels in stadiums as being "reasonable"- we seem to have many musicians on this board who have little regard for their own ears, despite the necessity to protect them. What makes anyone think concert-goers, in general (some of whom may and may not be musicians) would be more concerned about their hearing than musicians?

Regards.
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Sadly this is very true. There's a notorious venue in Toronto where I went to see my step son's band play on a show with about a dozen young and inexperienced bands. The sound system was very big and very powerful. Every band played way too loud on stage of course. The guitar players all had Marshall or Mesa stacks of course and they had them really cranked. Understandable as they were mostly too young to know any better. But the sound man had the PA, with everything on stage either on a mic or D.I., running through the mix and then he cranked it up way louder than there was any need to. I was standing front and center about 20 feet from the mains and it was very loud. I mean ear damaging loud. It must have been 130 db where I was standing. Within 20 minutes I had a headache and couldn't take it anymore. I was partly deaf for the rest of the day. Yet there were people in the audience, mostly all in their early teens who stood there all day and absorbed that onslaught. I assume they do this on a regular basis. I can only imagine the damage they're doing to their hearing. Once in a while you could catch a bit of the vocals but otherwise it was an unmusical mess. The only way to stand that volume is to be drunk or stoned.

There's no need for being that loud and it's very irresponsible of the venue to encourage it.

I know I sound like an old fogey but I've played my share of loud gigs. I used to run through two Acoustic folded horn setups. Back then I liked it pretty loud but never this loud.
 
#71
sickwindsor said:
Well at practice only the vox goes thru the PA. Live is not a problem. We do have an option of buying a bigger pa to fill out some of the low end however I would rather it come direct from my rig just to have headroom on my terms not the sound guy.
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That much low end coming from the stage backline and not the PA will make everything out front sound like garbage. The job of the backline amp is to provide monitor for the player on stage. The job of the PA and soundman is to cover the house. You're not setting the soundman up for success having a rig that loud and remember, it's you that will sound like crap out front.

It would be like you as a bass player being told to play through an amp with the bass EQ controls and volume stuck on max and being asked to get a good usable tone. :rollno:
 
#73
are you sure you cabs are working fine?

my Genz Benz Neox 212T can cause my ears to hurt on a open stage in a large auditorium, or a small low-ceilinged rehearsal room.

Of course i feed it 1200watts, but I can use it with only one side of my power amp at 400 watts and still get it loud enough for loud rehearsals.

Maybe you just need more power.
 

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