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Sound person

#101
juggahnaught said:
To be fair, I was halfway joking with my earlier post. I did lug subs up stairs, but I wasn't the only one doing it for that band. We all pitched in to get everything ready for the most part. (It was a club gig, club was on the second floor of a building in downtown Seattle, they had two staircases - one for guests and one for staff, both awful. But we got everything in and out as a group. The subs weren't even all that bad - it was the stage pianos.) That was a good experience even though it was pretty unorganized, but I've definitely been in other situations where there's less dedication to the group cause (or sometimes people just prefer to handle their personal stuff even if it's a slower overall process).

And yes - not everybody can lug heavy stuff, but I think that everybody notices when people help in any way that they can. From the same group, I remember one of the new singers wrapping cables instead of sitting idle as we were packing and unpacking - she was actively looking for ways to help, and that has stuck with me. I also remember another person who sang with us who would never have thought to lift a finger to do anything, and asking would have just felt pointless. Neither of them would be up to lugging large speakers around, but you could tell where the intent was and where it wasn't. Of course, this isn't just singers - you find this with the musicians who get their little corner situated, and then start noodling at high volume instead of helping get the rest of the band set up. So the effort is noticed, and it's always appreciated.
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Even worse, a former guitarist would get there more than an hour early, setup and head to the bar, and start flirting. Soundcheck time? He hadn't even turned it on, or checked signal, tuning....
Mmm yeah
 
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#102
JohnnyBottom said:
You dont happen to like amps with only 1 knob? nevermind, just thinking out loud.
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No knobs, it's on full at all times.
Through massive 18" black widow loaded folded horns.

Overheard at local corner dive bar:

SE: can you turn down the bass rig?
BG: nope sorry I need all thiß to level up with the drummer.
SE: the vocals are completely buried out there.
BG: it's got to be the guitarist he's always too loud I'll have a talk with him .

BG: Guitar God, the sound engineer says your too loud.
GG: yeah it is a great crowd! (GG proceeds to trill and divebomb)
BG: No! Turn, down!
GG; oh ! Jackson Browne! Cool.
BG: I give up .
(BG crosses stage past drummer.) Hammer of Thor shouts: Hey man can you ask SE to turn up my monitor , I can't hear the guitar!
BG: What?

Drunk hekkler from the crow shouts MOAR BASS!!
BG thinks to himself, I knew the guitar was too loud!

To be continued...
 
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#104
lfmn16 said:
I play guitar in a band. Since I have 6 strings, should I get paid more than our bass player who only has 4? Should the keyboard be prorated, because even though he has 88 keys, there are a lot that he doesn't use much, especially when we play in the keys of C or Am. :D
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I've heard some guys so busy that you'd think that they are getting paid by the note.
 
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#106
The bass is too loud. I was doing sound for a festival. We had a backline, but the bass player Needed his own "sound". when we checked levels, he was too loud and wouldn't turn down. I had him out of the house mix he was so loud. The singer asked to take the bass out of the monitors, he wasn't in the monitors. Every time he played any note below the A on the E string, the bass resonated through the whole club and was horrendous. you couldn't hear anything buta resonating bass. The lyrics couldn't be heard. Forget about the rest of the band.
 
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#107
Randy Dees said:
The bass is too loud. I was doing sound for a festival. We had a backline, but the bass player Needed his own "sound". when we checked levels, he was too loud and wouldn't turn down. I had him out of the house mix he was so loud. The singer asked to take the bass out of the monitors, he wasn't in the monitors. Every time he played any note below the A on the E string, the bass resonated through the whole club and was horrendous. you couldn't hear anything buta resonating bass. The lyrics couldn't be heard. Forget about the rest of the band.
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And he was probably standing 2ft in front of his amp the entire night..complaining that he couldn't hear himself!! ;)
 
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#109
Randy Dees said:
The bass is too loud. I was doing sound for a festival. We had a backline, but the bass player Needed his own "sound". when we checked levels, he was too loud and wouldn't turn down. I had him out of the house mix he was so loud. The singer asked to take the bass out of the monitors, he wasn't in the monitors. Every time he played any note below the A on the E string, the bass resonated through the whole club and was horrendous. you couldn't hear anything buta resonating bass. The lyrics couldn't be heard. Forget about the rest of the band.
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...and everybody knows that a very loud bass monitor , on stage , sounds so good 50/100ft away , helps a lot to make for a very precise and focus sound for the whole band !
(Insert sarcasm icon here)
 
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#111
keith1r said:
In many situations gigging we hire a sound guy where one isn't provided.
I like a good loud stage volume as loud as the drums and only want the volume behind me and don't like anything in the monitors.
Many times the sound guy says he doesn't even need to put bass through the PA.
Should I have to contribute a cut of my money to the sound guy especially if he's making much more than me?
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Like you said, stage volume is based on drummers volume.

Thats why we use a canned drummer.

My wife runs sound from the audience, making me and the rest of the band sound great every time for 10 per cent of the gig.
Been like that almost 25 years now, but the most improvement has been since ditching amps,and going digital.
 
#114
Yeah, pay the sound guy. That being said...

I'm a hack sound-guy but better than many and quickly came to the realization that an overly-loud stage / backline volume is the bane to our collective existence. When dealing with complicit musicians, one can fill the venue with thick / rich volume while maintaining a stage volume that allows for normal conversation. This is a concept many can't seem to grasp.

Riis
 
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#115
keith1r said:
In many situations gigging we hire a sound guy where one isn't provided.
I like a good loud stage volume as loud as the drums and only want the volume behind me and don't like anything in the monitors.
Many times the sound guy says he doesn't even need to put bass through the PA.
Should I have to contribute a cut of my money to the sound guy especially if he's making much more than me?
Click to expand...

Yes. The BAND is responsible for the PA. It's a group presentation.
 
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#116
You are right, and we get called back a lot because of that.
Most of our audiences are comprised of adults. (Over 40) A lot of them like dance music. When I do open my eyes and look out over the crowd, I see people actually able to converse without screaming or sign language.
When people ask what kind of music do we play, I tell them light rock, light country, maybe some gospel and or patriotic stuff, if the gig calls for it.
Basically stuff you can bring your grandma or grand kids to see.
We seldom play anywhere once.
But, then we're not a big band. Two girl singers with guitars, me on bass, and an electric drummer. With digital and in ears, my wife on sound can bring us down to tv volume, while we're jamming hard onstage if needed. It can't ne done with a live drummer, and works well for tiny venues.
 
#117
I think it also depends on the work required. I may be ok with less than a band share if I just have to show up with my tablet and mix a show and leave. If I am bringing and schlepping gear a share is the minimum I would want. Most times I am the first person to arrive at a gig and the last to leave, not to mention I normally bring about 20K in gear.
 
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#119
kittywithabanjo said:
I think it also depends on the work required. I may be ok with less than a band share if I just have to show up with my tablet and mix a show and leave. If I am bringing and schlepping gear a share is the minimum I would want. Most times I am the first person to arrive at a gig and the last to leave, not to mention I normally bring about 20K in gear.
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My wife doesn't just show up, mix, and leave.
She helps with all load in, setup, and loadout duties. She was an I.T. boss before retiring. And says mixing on a tablet is a nightmare, but we sound so so much different and better than we did for years, with analogue.
Even if She got the whole gig money, it wouldn't matter.
We actually have more money now, from not playing during this pandemic.
2hr drive a to practice or gigs, eating out twice each time we do, makes a big dent in whatever the gig pays.
 
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