I would have been MUCH less than polite with that guy. I would have given him the entire "***!!!" Treatment. Unplugging your cab? No, no no no no.
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.
I would have been MUCH less than polite with that guy. I would have given him the entire "***!!!" Treatment. Unplugging your cab? No, no no no no.
I've had a sound man ask me to lower my stage volume before in a smaller venue. I've had someone say something along the lines of "Hey, you know what would bring-out that punch a bit more?" and make a suggestion. Never has anyone come up and played with my amp - it would be a first and last time for them. I've asked for a few pointers from other bassists who were around at set up, guitarists and yes, sound guys, when trying out new things but no-one has ever just come up and started tweaking. I'm open to suggestion or working with someone if they feel there is a problem but ask before just starting to fiddle with knobs and sliders. All the respect in the world for the guy out front helping to make a band sound good - a good one is worth their weight in gold - but there is a fine line not to cross.
I wanted to, believe me. I was livid, but I think he had a legitimate mental illness or was on drugs, something. He was a sweet heart of a guy and great player if my memory serves me, but he definitely wasn't present in this reality.
Oh - yeah, while I was playing with blues-rock band in some sort of irish pub the sound guy comes right in the middle of the tune and sets my volume to the half of what I had before. I had hard times not to kick him in the face.
Since then never had such an awkward experience *starts hallucinating about killings and Vietnam*
Since then never had such an awkward experience *starts hallucinating about killings and Vietnam*
No way, no how. Nobody touches any of my gear or instruments without my express permission. Period.
I must be somewhat weird because I wouldn't find that strange or offensive for the sound guy to tweak my amp (not that it has happened, now that I think of it), but that KB player situation is an outright declaration of war.
Incoming sarcasm:
You're just a common low bass player.
Everybody knows your role better than you.
Even the non-musician on the street.
End sarcasm.
The gall of some.
On the other hand,I was playing a set for a small group of friends last year.
During the sound check we did a bass volume check.
Of course the bass gets turned down.
Go figure!
Later that night while I'm playing the bass to a set of fusion tunes,the guitarist comes over and cranks my volume UP!
I think to myself"Uh......... YEAH!!"
You're just a common low bass player.
Everybody knows your role better than you.
Even the non-musician on the street.
End sarcasm.
The gall of some.
On the other hand,I was playing a set for a small group of friends last year.
During the sound check we did a bass volume check.
Of course the bass gets turned down.
Go figure!
Later that night while I'm playing the bass to a set of fusion tunes,the guitarist comes over and cranks my volume UP!
I think to myself"Uh......... YEAH!!"
Last edited:
I was joking, but I had a feeling people weren't going to catch that.
I'm pretty laid back about my sound (and my gear), but if a sound person touched my amp I'd be pissed.
(In my best Robert Dinero voice, shaking a finger and smililing). This guy, this guy, lol.
I did a gig once where I simply turned the volume to 0 and had to listen to whatever bounced off the back wall from the mains. Then he told me I was still too loud.
I wonder if it were a soundGIRL how many here would let them touch their knobs.
I'm serious.
I'm serious.
I'm going to get a fake diamond ring and glue it to the front of my amp. Anybody goes near it and: "Hey, that's my girl..."
I had a drummer start tweaking my EQ at rehearsal. I got out my drum key and undid his snare.
No one has ever cared enough about the bass tone.
I've only ever played in clubs with a cover or tribute band- nothing pro, but I go straight for the sound guy (Who is usually useless), and tell him, I don't want extended low end coming out the FOH because it causes a wash between my amp and the FOH subs.
They don't pay me enough to screw with my sound. I paid a lot of doe for my stuff and want to have fun with the music.
If I ain't havin fun, I'm not there.
.
I've only ever played in clubs with a cover or tribute band- nothing pro, but I go straight for the sound guy (Who is usually useless), and tell him, I don't want extended low end coming out the FOH because it causes a wash between my amp and the FOH subs.
They don't pay me enough to screw with my sound. I paid a lot of doe for my stuff and want to have fun with the music.
If I ain't havin fun, I'm not there.
.
I've been asked to change settings by soundman. They can tell me what to do. And whatever they tell me I comply to his suggestions, save for turning the amp off. They have told me to turn up (imagine that!) and turn down and raise this or that EQ and so on. Even relocate the speaker cab so it won't bleed as much into the drum mikes. Sometimes we've been provided by a backline which consisted of bass amp I knew nothing about, and the FOH guy new more, because it was all his company. I had no problem comply with his directions.
The only time they would go up to my amp - and rightfully so - when they had their own DI box onstage and plugged it in to the back of my amp, and maybe switch off/on the ground lift switch. And that was early on even before soundcheck. But the rest, I "took orders" from the FOH desk and whatever was said into the monitors. If he asked me to be silent while checking others instruments out, I was. They always had enormous problems with the GTRDS, so that one got soundchecked last. They played always while others were talking and checking things out.
The only time they would go up to my amp - and rightfully so - when they had their own DI box onstage and plugged it in to the back of my amp, and maybe switch off/on the ground lift switch. And that was early on even before soundcheck. But the rest, I "took orders" from the FOH desk and whatever was said into the monitors. If he asked me to be silent while checking others instruments out, I was. They always had enormous problems with the GTRDS, so that one got soundchecked last. They played always while others were talking and checking things out.
Well, if it's a bar, girls won't be allowed until they're women of 21 or older
total paradox
sound man
sound girl
I've had worse. I've had sound techs sneak a DI in on me while I was micing only, and this is after expressing my disdain for DIs to them. A couple years ago, I had a sound tech helper remove the speaker level DI from the amp, plug it in plain vanilla, and used my speaker cable instrument level! Nowadays I watch these techs like a hawk! Jerks!
My friend and I played in bands back in the 1960s/70s but don't gig anymore. Now we do sound for mostly bar bands, and some fairly large outdoor shows. Sometimes we do open mic nights where we have no idea if there will be a fiddle, accordion, and a flugelhorn show up and join the guitars, and maybe a pedal steel player on stage, with a doghouse bass and four, or five vocal mics all at the same time. We get complimented by bands and audience members on what we do, so I think we must be doing most things well.
I find guitar players to be the hardest to deal with, mainly because of stage volume, and also the over-use of pedals that make their guitars sound very bad, and with drastic level changes as they switch things in and out. Whenever I see a giant pedal-board, I expect that our job will be more difficult than I would like. When necessary we ask guitarists to turn down. Most do initially, but then as the night progresses, they turn back up. We often end up with their channel turned all the way off in FOH, and get requests from the audience, (often musicians themselves) to turn down the piercing over-distorted guitar, (in a modern country song where it seems inappropriate to have such a distorted sound). We once had a pedal steel player crank up a Fender Super Reverb into crunchy ear-spitting nastiness, (on a pedal steel yet!), and he said that is the only way to get "his sound". Ruined the jam for everyone else on stage. You should have seen the other people on stage staring at this idiot.
When this stuff happens, we just tell people in the house, "Sorry, there is nothing we can do. He's not even in the FOH".
About 25% of the drummers love to hit hard, and we usually just say something to them like "Hey this is a small room, so try to take it easy on the volume" That helps sometimes, but often our recordings are filled with drums in the vocal mic channels.
I find that bands who go amp-less, and in-ear to be the easiest to work with to get great live sound, and live recordings.
I like to DI (pre) as much as I can to give us a chance to have a signal that we can make the best use of, but if the guitar player cranks his 100 Watt Marshall at a venue where I could get by with a 15 Watt combo, (miced, if needed), I just accept the fact it is out of my control.
We have had almost no problems with bass players.
I would never adjust anyone's amp, (unless they came to me and asked for help), which has happened a couple times.
The bottom line for me, is we do what we can without trying to tell someone how to use their own gear. If they have crappy tone, I just assume we have a difference of opinion of what sounds good.
We try to accommodate every player as best we can. We use good equipment, and our schedule is full, so we must be doing something right. I have a policy to never say anything negative about any performance or tone to my partner at these shows until after we have loaded out and are on the drive home. The easier people to work with are also the ones that pay the best.
I find guitar players to be the hardest to deal with, mainly because of stage volume, and also the over-use of pedals that make their guitars sound very bad, and with drastic level changes as they switch things in and out. Whenever I see a giant pedal-board, I expect that our job will be more difficult than I would like. When necessary we ask guitarists to turn down. Most do initially, but then as the night progresses, they turn back up. We often end up with their channel turned all the way off in FOH, and get requests from the audience, (often musicians themselves) to turn down the piercing over-distorted guitar, (in a modern country song where it seems inappropriate to have such a distorted sound). We once had a pedal steel player crank up a Fender Super Reverb into crunchy ear-spitting nastiness, (on a pedal steel yet!), and he said that is the only way to get "his sound". Ruined the jam for everyone else on stage. You should have seen the other people on stage staring at this idiot.
When this stuff happens, we just tell people in the house, "Sorry, there is nothing we can do. He's not even in the FOH".
About 25% of the drummers love to hit hard, and we usually just say something to them like "Hey this is a small room, so try to take it easy on the volume" That helps sometimes, but often our recordings are filled with drums in the vocal mic channels.
I find that bands who go amp-less, and in-ear to be the easiest to work with to get great live sound, and live recordings.
I like to DI (pre) as much as I can to give us a chance to have a signal that we can make the best use of, but if the guitar player cranks his 100 Watt Marshall at a venue where I could get by with a 15 Watt combo, (miced, if needed), I just accept the fact it is out of my control.
We have had almost no problems with bass players.
I would never adjust anyone's amp, (unless they came to me and asked for help), which has happened a couple times.
The bottom line for me, is we do what we can without trying to tell someone how to use their own gear. If they have crappy tone, I just assume we have a difference of opinion of what sounds good.
We try to accommodate every player as best we can. We use good equipment, and our schedule is full, so we must be doing something right. I have a policy to never say anything negative about any performance or tone to my partner at these shows until after we have loaded out and are on the drive home. The easier people to work with are also the ones that pay the best.
