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Is me

#22
Turnaround said:
I am particularly fond of Buddy Guy as a performer. One of his trademarks is how he does a killer guitar solo - he brings the band down to almost a whisper and plays a gut-wrenching solo so quitely. You hear every note, every nuance - it slays the audience. It’s far more emotionally powerful than the screaming leads you most often hear.

There’s a lot of value in lower volumes.
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Jeff Beck, RIP, did that pretty damn well too...
 
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#25
From a marketing viewpoint: You want to be loud enough to move dancers, but not so loud that bartenders can't hear even shouted drink orders. What truly mystifies me are the places that have deafening house sound. There are a few places where even though the house sound is free, we bring our own PA and our own soundperson. Which costs us. But that's how strongly we feel about it: Saving venues from themselves. It's a freaky world, and gettin' freakier all the time.
 
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#26
This goes for all manner of music making. When you're in the studio mixing sure it's fun to blast the mix on the big "client speakers", but when you're actually working, you mix at a lower volume on the smaller near or midfield monitors.
 
#28
I agree 100% with @woody357.
I learn songs at home with very low volume and I REFUSE to rehearse at mid-high volumes.
This not just so I can hear what's being played both learning and rehearsing but also, as I've written and said to my band mates "I'M NOT GOING DEAF OR GETTING TINITUS FOR ANYONE". I have to tell them to turn down at rehearsal sometimes, especially with a loud drummer (we've been through 2 in the last 5 months), but if they can't then I end rehearsal with a repeat of what I typed above. Screw that!
As far as I'm concerned, the ability to play at low volumes shows a number of aspects of musicianship that I look for in people to play with.
 
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#30
Completely agree. Fortunately, the last few bands I’ve been in rarely have volume issues at rehearsal. But if a player’s volume starts to creep up on a gig, it almost always indicates that they’re listening more to themselves than anyone else. When the whole band starts doing it, it can suck the fun out of a gig.

To me, the magic of live playing happens when everyone is listening and reacting to one another. As the volume increases, that seems to diminish.
 
#31
I believe the right amount of loudness is optimum, but obviously that's a subjective statement.

There's a guy who knows more than I (and I assume he's got some education behind him) who does mixing/mastering videos on Youtube (he does offer some paid courses as well) and he has said more than once that we're "programmed" to hear louder as "better". It's ingrained in us.

That said, when it comes to learning songs, I agree with you to a point.

If the bass has been mixed into the song properly (and there are times it isn't), it's easy for me to pick out the bass lines. If it hasn't been mixed correctly (see some Metallica threads), I need to turn the music up so I can discern amongst the guitars.
 
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#34
dbsfgyd1 said:
95% of the time I learn my parts on my own, not in a group setting. Since this is the way our works, There is no time waisted for somebody (s) to learn their part. When I get to practice I have a pretty good idea how I’m going to play it. Rehearsals are recorded. After review, I’ll refine my parts as needed. Historically volume is not a problem.
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I agree with that comment. At your group practice location is NOT the place to initially learn a song. It brings things to a grinding halt and wastes (for those who learned it at home) everyone's time. Sure, you all work out little stuff when you try a new song. I see the OP argument for playing quieter. But, I also have noticed that when someone doesn't know their part, they play quieter. It shows who isn't confident in their part or who hasn't done their homework.
 
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#35
Bunk McNulty said:
From a marketing viewpoint: You want to be loud enough to move dancers, but not so loud that bartenders can't hear even shouted drink orders. What truly mystifies me are the places that have deafening house sound. There are a few places where even though the house sound is free, we bring our own PA and our own soundperson. Which costs us. But that's how strongly we feel about it: Saving venues from themselves. It's a freaky world, and gettin' freakier all the time.
Click to expand...
IMHO I agree partly. My approach is to fill the dance floor with sound not the building. If the people want to hear the group louder they will sit closer. I have the equipment to rock almost any club or event hall, but I never push my amp hard.
 
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#36
logdrum said:
And yet: The minimum amp wattage for gig according to TB amp recommendation threads is 500 watt.
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I don't see that consistently, but I would be one who's guilty of that. :D

Depending on the gig of course, there are reasons many of us prefer having a more-than-necessary amount of watts (as well as speaker area), and it's not for reasons of volume. :)

Hell, I use my gig rigs for rehearsals, typically 500-750 watts through a 4x10 or 2x15, and I'm regularly asked to turn up...

but it sounds fantastic. :)
 
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#38
Turnaround said:
I am particularly fond of Buddy Guy as a performer. One of his trademarks is how he does a killer guitar solo - he brings the band down to almost a whisper and plays a gut-wrenching solo so quitely. You hear every note, every nuance - it slays the audience. It’s far more emotionally powerful than the screaming leads you most often hear.

There’s a lot of value in lower volumes.
Click to expand...
It takes musical maturity to realize and internalize this.
 
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#39
dbsfgyd1 said:
95% of the time I learn my parts on my own, not in a group setting. Since this is the way our works, There is no time waisted for somebody (s) to learn their part. When I get to practice I have a pretty good idea how I’m going to play it. Rehearsals are recorded. After review, I’ll refine my parts as needed. Historically volume is not a problem.
Click to expand...
^^^^ This, this and more this. ^^^^
 

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