Bluesboy998
New Member
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2014
- Messages
- 668
Did Les say something
The success of a band can be directly attributed to their ability to scale their mix.
It's the head-to-head frequency competition with the guitars that's been such a challenge.
Then go old-school and put the PA on the vocals, only.
Oh how I wish the this market possessed the insight to use logic and common sense. Instead, it's micromanagement and perverted marketing. Granted, I believe this is relative to the caliber of venues (which points to our weakness in band management/booking), but the real bottom line is, as you say, butts in seats. But if the venue hires you on a known poisonous night, is a low turn out your failure or theirs? If no one is there to see a good show with great sound, what does it matter? And for a local bar band, you can't expect their following/regulars/family to travel over an hour to a crap-hole bar in BF Egypt...more than once. Heck, even Mrs. B refuses to go to any more shows if we continue to play the same places, and my friends politely claim to be "busy" (and come on, who doesn't want to see drunk chicks shed clothing, scream and fall over the monitors?). Honestly, we need to be able to trust that the venue has some business wherewithal and to trust us to hold up our end of the deal. Trust is a rare commodity. In this town, as we've been told several times, being an excellent band with a good show isn't enough. Our weakness is management.Actually, around these parts, a band's success (a coverband's anyway) is about one thing, and one thing only... Butts in seats. I don't have a problem with that...but club owners couldn't care less about how loud, or soft, or good, or bad a band is except to the extent it impacts butts in seats. Mix and volume control of course contributes to butts in seats, but song choice and what kind of show you put on seems to be a stronger influence...
We've been running vox/drums only thru the PA for 4 years and I believe we've done ok. There have been times where we've been too loud, but never to the level of insanity. If the PA were better quality and more flexible, those times would have been fewer. And having a good set of ears out front should have made all he difference in the world.
Boy, I did my best impression of a train ride in Philadelphia, eh? Too soon? Sorry.I don't understand the need to run drums through a PA if you're not running everything else through it. Drums ought to be loud enough without sound reinforcement, and running drums through a PA not only masks and therefore obscures the clarity of vocals, it forces all the other instruments to turn up.
Respectfully, this makes no sense to me whatsoever.
Should I guess from this that the PA belongs to the drummer, who really, really likes hearing himself play?
While the PA is technically owned by the drummer, his son, the vocalist, runs it, managed the band and booked the gigs. It's 'his way or the highway'. There's a reoccurring theme here, as you can tell.
At some of the clubs we play, particularly ones with a younger crowd, and ones where dancing is big, going loud with bass and drums through the PA is actually the ticket. Not so much from a sonic bliss perspective, but people seem to want to "feel" it. Those clubs almost always have a full sound system, but I always use our own. In that case, I use separate QSC KW152's on stands dedicated to the vocals. That seems to help. Also of help in those louder situations in terms of our sanity is that vocal monitor mixes run through separate graphic equalizers so that we can crank the monitor vocals loud enough without getting feedback. As a rule of thumb, if we go on 10:30PM or later, it's a gig with drums and bass through the PA. That's just how these clubs roll around here. We only do a couple of those a year though.
No, you're missing my point...it's not the drummer dictating this, but the vocalist. The drummer is the most even-keel, grounded, checked-ego drummer I've ever met. He couldn't give 2 turds if his kit was mic'ed. The vocalist calls the shots and we all just stand back and let it happen. Too bad this "kid" couldn't find his audio engineer backside with both hands and a Sherpa guide. That's what's so frustrating...PA is his responsibility and booking was his responsibility. Are you starting to see the common denominator here? *gigantic sigh*I could tell as soon as you said that the drummer sticks his kick and snare into the PA.
That can only happen if the drummer owns the PA.
... loud with bass and drums through the PA is actually the ticket. Not so much from a sonic bliss perspective, but people seem to want to "feel" it. .... We only do a couple of those a year though.
No, you're missing my point...it's not the drummer dictating this, but the vocalist. The drummer is the most even-keel, grounded, checked-ego drummer I've ever met. He couldn't give 2 turds if his kit was mic'ed. The vocalist calls the shots and we all just stand back and let it happen. Too bad this "kid" couldn't find his audio engineer backside with both hands and a Sherpa guide. That's what's so frustrating...PA is his responsibility and booking was his responsibility. Are you starting to see the common denominator here? *gigantic sigh*
Playing on stage with both of my boys was possibly the best day of my life. Even if you're playing at an open mic night, you should seize the opportunity. Highly recommended, but it might choke you up a bit.Though it's awfully nice that a father and son can be in the same band!
I'm pretty sure my son will never in a million years allow me on the same stage as him.
Yup, I get it.
Though it's awfully nice that a father and son can be in the same band!
I'm pretty sure my son will never in a million years allow me on the same stage as him.
Playing on stage with both of my boys was possibly the best day of my life. Even if you're playing at an open mic night, you should seize the opportunity. Highly recommended, but it might choke you up a bit.
I'll jam with you Les! you can call me son every time I pick your brain on stuff haha
If you aren't feelin' it, you can't expect your audience to feel it. To me, this is a big deal because it impacts the performance....no drums were mic'd, bass didn't go through the PA, and both guitars were at low volumes... It wasn't particularly satisfying on a bunch of the songs...
If you aren't feelin' it, you can't expect your audience to feel it. To me, this is a big deal because it impacts the performance.
I say we strap Les down, bring in a few hookers and have some fun!
From what I read the consensus on the cab clone is it has a good sound when using the the through jack to hook up a cab at the same time but sounds not quite there when used direct to the pa on its own.