Is it impossible to play a gig without sound check?

[Brad Johnson]

That was a response to the the post about dialing in your sound from your amp.

Blue

Your post was accompanied by a photo of a rig. And you say your sound is not controlled from your rig. That's what didn't make sense. What's the rig for?

 

[Brad Johnson]

Oh, Im pretty sure we both understood what you meant, we just cant really comprehend it is all. why have anything on stage at all then?

Exactly... it's too small for one of the usual dummy cab setups.

 

[bluewine]

Your post was accompanied by a photo of a rig. And you say your sound is not controlled from your rig. That's what didn't make sense. What's the rig for?

To send a dry signal to the board.

I think I know what you mean. I have some control from the rig, I don't eq from it.

Blue

 

[Brad Johnson]

To send a dry signal to the board.

I think I know what you mean. I have some control from the rig, I don't eq from it.

Blue

Cool... I'd guess you use the speakers too.

 

[EastCoastThump]

I have some control from the rig, I don't eq from it.

You mean you modded the amp to take the eq section out of the head's signal path entirely (so FOH DI is pre-eq, but the pre-amp section also bypasses the eq for your stage rig)?

Or do you mean you have the eq set, and then you just don't move the knobs?

 

[almightycrunch]

Im pretty sure he just means he doesnt change anything eq-wise from his amp onstage, letting the soundman tone shape for him. I guess Im curious if his main's signal is routed back to monitors onstage so he gets "that tone"

 

[JumboJack]

Im pretty sure he just means he doesnt change anything eq-wise from his amp onstage, letting the soundman tone shape for him. I guess Im curious if his main's signal is routed back to monitors onstage so he gets "that tone"

Yeah. Or how do you know how you're sounding?

I don't like "pre eq" DI. I like to have a good idea what my sound id before it gets to the FOH.

 

[almightycrunch]

Then why mess around with a rig onstage period???? and I know when I was playing guitar live, a bass guitar pounding through my monitor in front of me would have pissed me off to no end.

 

[denhou1974]

Hello all,

A few days ago, myself and a couple of friends played together when we were auditioning for a local organization.

Our performance was terrible. Guitar tone was too distorted that you couldn't make out the individual notes, bass was either too thumby or too trembly and drums were too loud. This combination has even led to bigger mistakes such as playing off rhythm every now and then.

It sounded like it was our first time picking up our instruments even though we have been jamming together for a few years.

Did any one ever face such circumstances? I am starting to think it is really not possible to play using someone else's equipement without spending at least 30 min sound checking with a few warmup songs.

I play without a soundcheck just about every weekend. Sound guy checks signals and drummer hits the kick a couple of times and that's it. Venue doesn't want noise before the band starts [playing music].

That being said, it's our own gear. If it weren't then I would still be okay because I can adjust while I play but I'm not sure about the guitarist.

 

[bluewine]

Im pretty sure he just means he doesnt change anything eq-wise from his amp onstage, letting the soundman tone shape for him. I guess Im curious if his main's signal is routed back to monitors onstage so he gets "that tone"

I think your right, I hope what I hear in the monitors is the same signal going to the mains.

I will talk with our sound guy tonight about this.

Blue

 

[EastCoastThump]

My sound is not controlled from my rig. As a matter of fact the only dial I use is the volume master. Now, I do dial in a little compression from my pedal board but everything else is done by our sound man from the board ( XRL post eq).

Blue

So, your amp eq contributes to the FOH sound, you send a post-eq DI from your amp, and your amp settings *do* feed your stage cab. IOW, you run a perfectly conventional stage rig.

Saying your rig doesn't control your sound is sort of true (in the sense that everybody's stage rig contributes to FOH sound w/o absolutely controlling it). But there doesn't seem like there's anything remarkable about that.

 

[Kmonk]

I always do a sound check.

 

[OmNomNom]

Impossible? No.

Optimum? No.

Preferable? No.

 

[bluewine]

I have seen some bands that play small bars only use sound for vocals.

I am not a fan of that method. I think you have little control over volume and balance.

You don't need the same system the Stones use but you need something. I guess a band could sound ok or just fine. Depends on where your heads at.

blue

 

[Brad Johnson]

I have seen some bands that play small bars only use sound for vocals.

I am not a fan of that method. I think you have little control over volume and balance.

You don't need the same system the Stones use but you need something. I guess a band could sound ok or just fine. Depends on where your heads at.

blue

Quite the contrary...

The band in this situation has all of the control over volume and balance. Unless you have musicians who can't control themselves.

 

[f.c.geil]

Quite the contrary...

The band in this situation has all of the control over volume and balance. Unless you have musicians who can't control themselves.

Except that all you know is stage volume and sound. Almost invariably, it sounds completely different in FOH (generally -not always- in a bad way).

 

[fdeck]

Acoustic musicians have dealt with balancing themselves by ear, and sounding good to the audience, for centuries. It's always been my preferred mode of operation, both as a player and as a listener. Hauling less gear, and skipping the sound check, are added benefits.

Like any other way of presenting a band, it can be done well or poorly, and probably doesn't go well without some practice.

 

[f.c.geil]

... it can be done well or poorly, and doesn't go well.

Fixed your grammar.

I would have to say that of the hundreds of bands I've heard that do their own sound from the stage, fewer than two have sounded good FOH. I can't even remember one, but will allow for the possibility, no matter how unlikely.

 

[bluewine]

Quite the contrary...

The band in this situation has all of the control over volume and balance. Unless you have musicians who can't control themselves.

That's usually the case.

However, me personally. I've never heard a bar band that had a good sound without using a full pa.

Blue

 

[f.c.geil]

That's usually the case.

However, me personally. I've never heard a bar band that had a good sound without using a full pa.

Blue

I have, but it's rare.