If it sounds good FOH does onstage matter?

[jaywa]

If your onstage sound sucks to the point it's affecting your play, it's a problem.

OTOH if I have to choose one or the other I'll take the great FOH sound and less than stellar sound onstage.

IEMs can go a long way toward helping the situation on both fronts.

 

[1958Bassman]

What is FOH?

Just stand up for yourself, whatever the issue is.

A bad bass stage mix drives me insane. I use a loud rig for that reason and prefer minimal through the monitors... I need to hear myself just right to play my best.

FOH stands for 'Front Of House', which is what the audience hears.

 

[1958Bassman]

I gigged recently and the onstage sound was awful. Guitar was too loud and bassy, I couldn't hear the singer very well or myself.

I said to the guitarist that we had to sort this out as I was not enjoying myself at all. He said the sound out front was good and it didn't matter if it sounded bad where we were.

He has a wireless and goes out front during soundcheck and during the first couple of songs to see how the mix is. I also think he is always surrounded by a glorious bubble of guitar whenever he gigs so doesn't appreciate my feelings on the matter. Anyway, enough complaining about the guitarist.

My question is do you guys think that a great onstage sound is an absolute imperative or it doesn't matter as long as it sounds good to the audience?

It matters and the FOH mix should be separate & completely different from the monitor mix. If the sound guy is worth a crap, they should be able to handle both unless it's a really big system. Then, they may have a separate mixer for each.

 

[Emanuel Apascaritei]

Good stage sound means a better foh mix. If you have a good sound on stage (as low volumes as you can depending on the music) it will translate in a good foh sound.
I try to have musicians play confortable on stage and the foh mix comes by itself. Imho

 

[JimiLL]

Absolutely. If im not comfortable with OSS, playin becomes much more difficult

 

[lowfreq33]

If the guitar, with amp on the opposite side of the stage from me, facing into the audience, is drowning out the whole band on MY side, I guarantee it's too loud out front where his amp is actually pointing. High frequencies being directional and all.

 

[JimmyM]

While a bad stage mix is not a good thing, it's not the end of the world, either. Try not to let it affect your performance.

 

[73jbass]

Next souncheck,have your guitar player stand where you normally do,and see if he thinks it still sounds good. He "might" understand then.

 

[Stumbo]

I suggest you go wireless and do your own "sound check".

Your g'tar player may be turning up or changing his tone during the gig.

I like to listen to the sound at the beginning of each set.

 

[AndybradleyUK]

If you can;t hear what you want to hear then no, it's not alright. For the punters it's fine but you need to get monitor mixes with what you think might help you. I generally like kick, vocals and brass in the monitor. Not guitar cause that's always a bit too loud and my guitarist isn't very prominent in leading the song.
So if you're happy with what you hear on stage then leave it but if you think it could alter your performance tell the sound guy.

 

[badstonebass]

OK, I have been the guitarists as well as the bassist and IMO

1. GOOD Guitar amps need to be pushed at a certain volume to sound good. Period. For ANY size gig a 30 Watt amp is MORE than adequate. That way you can PUSH the amp at a lower volume. If you have a 100 watt amp across from you good luck.

2. If I can't hear my bass it's usually MY fault. Cab aiming is as crucial for bassists as guitarists. Sure you will "feel" bass regardless but to really HEAR you need the cab aimed at you head not your glutes or knees. As well if you are using something rated below 300 watts for bass forget it unless it's CLOSE and aimed at your head.

3. Onstage sound is rarely good. I'm not talking just local dives either. I have played on a LOT of "high end" gigs and 4 out of 5 times the sound sucks onstage. Unless you have "side fills" or quality IEM's... if the sound is good enough to hear yourself that's "good sound"

4. Try something different. Our old monitor system needed some repairs so for one gig we pulled out some of those little "hot spots" to use. We had never tried them so we were laughing about getting by with these tiny things. They worked GREAT. The old system is for sale. Never heard the vocals so clearly in my life.

 

[musicman7722]

IEM solved my problems

 

[rtslinger]

You need someone other than your guitar player to let you know the FOH sounds good I would think? We have a person who roadies for us who has a great ear for the band mix we also look to him for the mix help. Being in the band with instrument in hand is going to sway you no matter what anyone says. My volume is at mic'ed kick drum level and I am not concerned about standing out unless adding a fill or soloing other than that I am just part of the overall band sound. On stage my sound is nothing like what I like to hear when playing my bass at home. "MY TONE" isn't something that works well in a band situation and I have learned to live with the fact that the entire band sound is most important in the end.

 

[Phalex]

FOH is all that matters. I like more midrange in my stage mix than I do FOH.

 

[keiththebassist]

It's better than the other way around. But on the other hand, When I can hear a really nice mix on stage it's easier for me to forget about tones and just soak into the music and let loose. Any time I start wondering about tones I focus less on playing properly and mediocrity ensues!

 

[RL Scott]

Last year we had a monitor flake on us while doing sound check. After making a few calls to no avail, I grabbed my old Peavey TKO 75 bass amp and hooked it up as a monitor. Had to use a piece of split firewood from the back of my truck to prop it at a decent angle, but during that gig we had better sound on stage than any previous gigs. No issues with hearing myself or anyone else.

We've since replaced that monitor, but I still haven't been able to replicate that sound. I may just insist we use the TKO all the time. It just looks silly on the front of the stage.

 

[pudgychef]

I think it matters more than your guitarist said. Some effort should be made so that you can hear yourself reasonably well.

Having said that, what it sounds like out front is different than on stage, and if you can hear youself you just have to go with it. As long as I can hear myself, I'm not too picky about the monitors. You have to let it slide a little bit.

Two answers:

1. You know your guitar player. If he says it sounded good FOH does that mean that THE BAND sounded good or does that mean THE GUITAR sounded good? Maybe you're asking the wrong question.

2. The end result is all about the FOH. Yeah, I'd love to always get a good sound for my ears on stage, but I don't always get that, and the point is to play well even when the stage mix sucks.

+1 imho and ime - sometimes its great on stage, often times...not so much. What really matters in my mind (imho) is how it sounds to the audience......that is who 'its about' (again imho) for whoever is paying the bills

If you play out once in a blue moon - then yeah I could see it being frustrating not hearing yourself like at the practice space or how you imagine it....but (ime) you work with what you have and make sure the band sounds good in the FOH - then worry about personal stuff.....

 

[pudgychef]

While a bad stage mix is not a good thing, it's not the end of the world, either. Try not to let it affect your performance.

much more concise way of saying it

 

[Stumbo]

We've since replaced that monitor, but I still haven't been able to replicate that sound. I may just insist we use the Peavey TKO 75 bass amp all the time. It just looks silly on the front of the stage.

Maybe you can make an angled wooden support for it to hold it at a low angle so it won't be so noticeable on stage? Or, possibly separate the amp from the cab, cut the cab down in size for easier stage placement?

 

[mellowinman]

Anyone who says stage mix doesn't matter is obviously not singing any challenging vocals.

The better the band hears, the better the band plays. I do not like suffering while playing music.

Not only that, but if anyone videotapes you, their camera may pick up more stage mix than FOH. Why wouldn't you want to hear something similar to what the audience hears?

I get sound guys all the time "explaining" to me (as if I am a small, fairly unintelligent child,) "why" there should never be effects on vocals when they are in monitors.

I ask them if they would be explaining that to Aerosmith, if they were doing their sound.

Of course you want effects in your monitors. Effects mean you have to eq better, or you will get feedback. And these guys don't want to work that hard.

But effects also mean you know what your voice sounds like in the mains, and that means you temper your PERFORMANCE based on the ACTUAL SOUND, and not dry monitors. Does it make a difference? I'd swear to it.

As for instruments, I think the same thing is true, only to a lesser degree.

Put the guitar player in his sweet spot. Get his amp UP and pointing at his HEAD and EARS, not his KNEES, and he won't turn that amp up to ungodly levels.

Put a shield around the drummer. Not only does it make the stage more tolerable for everyone, but you don't have cymbals bleeding into vocal mics.

Our stage volume is such that we can talk to each other during songs, without screaming.

That comes in handy.

Bottom line: if you care about your performance, you should work to have a great stage mix. And don't let anyone bully you out of it, just because they don't feel the need.