Volume Control. Yes, It *CAN* Be Done.

[Thunderthumbs73]

I just got done with a rehearsal with two guitarists and a drummer. The two guitarists played smallish amps (Roland Micro something, and one Peavey...) and kept the volume low. The drummer used his Roland electronic drums. I used my keyboard amp with my bass, and it was also turned down. The singer sang comfortably over all the instruments/amps.

It can be done, and rehearsals can still be very productive even when volume is hardly at 1. I could hear everyone just fine. And they could hear me.

This was in a townhouse, and we rehearsed/polished some harder rock songs like Alice In Chains, and some Seven Mary Three, and other hard-rock songs. Worked perfectly. No ear ringing whatsoever.

I'm just mentioning it as it again validates, at least to my mind, that you DON'T have to rehearse as though you're duplicating exactly your on-stage volume to make a rehearsal meaningful and productive. Sure it's fun to play louder, but with the right people, the right attitude, quiet rehearsals can be lots of fun and also very productive.

Yep, electronic drums makes a HUGE difference, but I think collectively, we share the mindset that it isn't about the volume (for practice).

It's a nice place to be. Wish you could experience it as I have.

 

[JMGiraffe]

You're absolutely right. For a long time my band had issues with a prima donna keyboardist that didn't quite understand what we meant by "the mix" or "dynamics." He would turn his keyboards and amp up so that he would be louder than everything and the rest of the band was left with either volume wars or just having the keys overwhelm everything. He's gone now, thankfully, and our last set of practices have been at such a healthy volume level that we've been able to really refine what we're playing instead of battling it out and leaving with headaches and ringing ears at the end of the night. It's great for working on new material, you just have to get everyone on board.

 

[Thunderthumbs73]

You're absolutely right. For a long time my band had issues with a prima donna keyboardist that didn't quite understand what we meant by "the mix" or "dynamics." He would turn his keyboards and amp up so that he would be louder than everything and the rest of the band was left with either volume wars or just having the keys overwhelm everything. He's gone now, thankfully, and our last set of practices have been at such a healthy volume level that we've been able to really refine what we're playing instead of battling it out and leaving with headaches and ringing ears at the end of the night. It's great for working on new material, you just have to get everyone on board.

Glad to hear it. Yep, everyone has to be on-board. But wow, to have a full band sound at less volume than a three-man acoustic jam, and have everything perfectly hearable is such a cool thing.

I hate to boast, but I wish everyone could experience what I just did.

 

[SteveC]

Not only that, you don't have to have crazy loud stage volume when you perform, either - no matter what genre you are playing.

 

[Thunderthumbs73]

Indeed.

 

[lolaviola]

A t-shirt over the snare drum is helpful.

 

[FunkMetalBass]

Electronic drums are key here. I don't care how good your drummer is - they are inherently very loud, acoustic instruments that, unfortunately, drive the sound up.

Quiet practices are actually more effective as everything is usually much clearer and more defined in the mix, so you can pick any tiny issues that affect the band's tightness.

 

[Jehos]

Electronic drums are key here. I don't care how good your drummer is - they are inherently very loud, acoustic instruments that, unfortunately, drive the sound up.

+1

The typical problem, even in a disciplined band, is coping with the volume of a drum kit. That determines how loud everything else needs to be. If you can turn down the kit (by using an electronic kit) everything else can come down too.

 

[SteveC]

+1

The typical problem, even in a disciplined band, is coping with the volume of a drum kit. That determines how loud everything else needs to be. If you can turn down the kit (by using an electronic kit) everything else can come down too.

Believe it or not, we are often telling our drummer to play more aggressively - sometimes even louder. He tries to finesse things that just need to be played.

The right set of "rods" will help as well.

 

[lousybassplayer]

+1 on drum kit, but a lot of that can be mitigated by thinking through the layout of your practice space and not just chucking stuff willy nilly. My point with volume at practice is that I actually hear the song much LESS than I would at lower volumes. To be able to pick up the minor mistakes, the rhythmic glitches and the other stuff you need to be able to hear the interactions of the instruments like you would on a recording. I play my music pretty loud when I am listening to it, but hardly at the decibel level of what a band practice can produce. I jsut don't think you can polish the song up and finalize it when all you hear is a wall of distortion and banging.

 

[Vakmere]

Rare when that happens but wasn't it productive to be able to hear and enjoy you music?

 

[tiz_1]

Does anyone use those clear plastic/plexi drum walls? I've always wondered how they would work in smaller spaces and at rehearsals. Worth the money?

--Kevin

 

[Marko 1]

We use acoustic drums, but fortunately the space and equipment is such that volume isn’t a problem.

We aren’t anywhere near being stupid loud, but it is nice to have a volume where we sound like a band.

 

[JustDavid]

Glad to hear it. Yep, everyone has to be on-board. But wow, to have a full band sound at less volume than a three-man acoustic jam, and have everything perfectly hearable is such a cool thing.

I hate to boast, but I wish everyone could experience what I just did.

Go ahead & boast. & pass on my congratulations to your team for being such a shining example.

*****

Our drummer hates electronic drums; the feel is different & it distracts him immensely. If an acoustic kit is a 'must-have' I then see no reason why practice can't occur with the drums rather high in the mix instead of everyone else feeling a need to turn up over the one instrument that can't turn down.

Any thoughts on electronic versus acoustic kits &/or on practicing with drums very loud in the mix?

 

[JohnMCA72]

Go ahead & boast. & pass on my congratulations to your team for being such a shining example.

*****

Our drummer hates electronic drums; the feel is different & it distracts him immensely. If an acoustic kit is a 'must-have' I then see no reason why practice can't occur with the drums rather high in the mix instead of everyone else feeling a need to turn up over the one instrument that can't turn down.

Any thoughts on electronic versus acoustic kits &/or on practicing with drums very loud in the mix?

Put the drummer on headphones so you can more easily dial up the mix in his monitor only, without affecting the rest.

JM

 

[EastCoastThump]

A really talented drummer can play an acoustic kit with energy at whatever volume is called for, including playing live fade-outs down to zero volume.

Really talented drummers are rare.

 

[Stumbo]

A really talented drummer can play an acoustic kit with energy at whatever volume is called for, including playing live fade-outs down to zero volume.

+1

 

[Rob Martinez]

Our band used to play using earplugs, our guitar player used a 30 watt tube amp, I used a 600 watt bass combo. Too loud!

A gig came up that had volume limits, so we practiced, reluctantly, with a 5 watt guitar amp, a 15 watt bass combo, and our drummer used brushes. Our sound came ALIVE!! We actually had to play our instruments instead of use volume as a crutch. Our singing was audible, so it had to be good! We threw away the earplugs and haven't looked back. Only difference is I now use anything from a 50 watt Ampeg B50R to a Fender Bassman TV Ten 150 watt combo, but nothing more. And this is exactly how we GIG.

I always crack up when I read threads by folks asking how loud an amp they should get and some respond, "You'll need at least 300 watts to compete with a loud drummer and guitar player." Fact is, you're not supposed to be competing with each other, you're supposed to play music together and provide accompaniment to a vocalist.

My 2 cents.

 

[nastyn8c]

Not only that, you don't have to have crazy loud stage volume when you perform, either - no matter what genre you are playing.

+1. You can also be much better dynamically when you have lower stage volume IMO. That way you can actually hear changes.

 

[grifff]

+1 on drum kit, but a lot of that can be mitigated by thinking through the layout of your practice space and not just chucking stuff willy nilly. My point with volume at practice is that I actually hear the song much LESS than I would at lower volumes. To be able to pick up the minor mistakes, the rhythmic glitches and the other stuff you need to be able to hear the interactions of the instruments like you would on a recording. I play my music pretty loud when I am listening to it, but hardly at the decibel level of what a band practice can produce. I jsut don't think you can polish the song up and finalize it when all you hear is a wall of distortion and banging.

+1 to all of this.