Sound control on stage

[Silvershads]

Hi there

 

Same with backline. So yeah , get the cab pointing AT the player so HIS EARS can hear it. Anybody else who needs to hear it can have the sound sent to their own wedge / IEM

Thanks for this one and thanks to all who suggested getting the amps off the floor and up nearer the ears. That sounds like such a grand idea that we'll do that the next time we're together and see what happens. It makes eminent sense to NOT have amps pointing at the audience and then having to pump what comes out of those amps back to the band via monitors. As a drummer, I can never hear the lead amp properly. Why? Because Vox AC30 amps are tremendously focused - the sound doesn't spill around to the rear of the amp. If we turned the lead and rhythm amps (both Vox AC30) around to face the lads, we would be able to hear them all over the stage. This means one less thing to have to pump via monitors. Sounds like just the trick to me. Then we simply mic them up for the audience, who will hear 'em through the PA. Nice one. Worth a try in any event.

 

If when ur at FOH and you suddenly pull out all your faders but the sound level from stage stays the same - then something is REALLY wrong!!!

Yep - we've spent a lot of money on this kit - absolutely pointless if Cindy is sitting with faders at zero.

 

As a rule of thumb now - I NEVER let any muso have their bacline pointing out into the auidence (sometimes this requires carefull bribing and sweet talking on your behalf to the person concerned)

Especially in our case. I'm not "the sound engineer" - I'm the drummer and the person who runs the band. I am going to have to try and educate rather than demand, and then see how it pans out.

 

Cheers

Chris

 

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Now, I take a different approach.

 

If a muso wants their cab loud or wants to hit the drums hard I don't have a problem unless its causing me problems with the mix. If the guitar is loud enough without going through the PA why turn it down at the amp to turn it up in the PA?

 

Surely it is better to leave it, the musician is probably happier, the sound is closer to the one they want and the PA isn't working as hard. I'd still mic it up in case I need to boost it, and I tell the musician that that is their max acoustic level or no-one will hear the vocals. Most bands will want their vocals audible, so most understand not to push the amp any harder. If you need said guitar signal for delays etc then use a matrix or auxes for your delay.

If I have a problem with this scenario, it's because that's basically what we have - the musicians all turn their amps up to "get the sound they want" which ends up with very loud noise on stage, which in turn leads to "I can't hear my voice in the monitor", which leads to "please can I have more monitor", which in turn leads to feedback. Even with two Sabine 2400s and a stereo EQ, we simply cannot control the continual bursts of feedback which pop up throughout the evening. At the end of the day the Sabines do zap it as it happens, but it still makes us look unprofessional that it is happening at all, so I need to stop it.

 

This approach seems to lead to happier musicians who are confident in the engineers ability to craft a mix, whereas musicians who are asked not to make any noise at all and leave all that to the sound guy often seem annoyed, powerless and very unconfident that the mix will sound right.

I think you're talking about responsible, educated musicians who have bought into the whole idea and who realise that the levels on stage, although enjoyable, must be pleasant for the paying public. In our case this is not often the case and these folks are so used to the way things were done in "the old days" that they are taking quite a bit of teaching to get 'em to the point where they understand about these sound issues.

 

Cheers

Chris

 

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The question is does the muso want to turn up the amp to get "the sound" or is it he just cant hear it? It is an important difference, with different solutions.

 

Hi David

 

I think the answer here is both. Sometimes we'll be playing in a club situation, where we have different guitarists coming up to play with the band. Each one brings their own guitar, with its different pups and therefore different sensitivity, which forces changes in the volume of the output. Problem with these guys is "I can't hear my guitar properly" and they are so used to having the sound coming from somewhere directly behind them that our turning it up in the monitor doesn't cut it with them.

 

However, our main issue is with our own lead man, who has a hearing problem and cannot hear his amp or monitor properly. The idea about turning his amp to face him from the side is brilliant and I can't wait to try that. As it will also help get some of the other stuff OUT of the monitors, he may well be better placed to hear his monitor for vox without us having to turn it up to levels which border on the precipice of feedback.

 

Cheers

Chris