Volume when giging
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Other music related lounges
Forum Name: Tech Talk
Forum Description: Discuss musical instruments, equipment, hi-fi, speakers, vinyl, gadgets,etc.
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=84231
Printed Date: November 26 2024 at 07:59
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Topic: Volume when giging
Posted By: jimbish
Subject: Volume when giging
Date Posted: January 15 2012 at 10:16
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How do you guys cope with volume at gigs, I like to play loud but I realise anything above 50 watts is going to cause problems, talking about me guitar amp. Various reasons you cant push it more I have found are 1/sound guy says turn it down 2/venue is under threat because of noise complaints Iam sure there is more, whats your feeling. Id happily use lower wattage amps but have yet to play a venue with decent enough monitors to allow this. |
Replies:
Posted By: irrelevant
Date Posted: January 15 2012 at 10:36
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I guess you might just have to use a lower wattage amp that can still pump so you can use it at its optimal range. One of the guitarists I play with uses a 15 watt Badcat amp which actually runs at about 30+ watts. So when he gets told to turn down he says things around the lines of "I cant get any lower, I'm using a 15 watt amp!" Then we will start playing Jimi Hendrix or ZZ Top and the amp still sounds great. ------------- https://gabebuller.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow - New album! http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=7385" rel="nofollow - http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=7385 |
Posted By: himtroy
Date Posted: February 14 2012 at 14:02
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First of all there is the battle with the sound man. "Turn down your amp", no thanks sir, you turn down your mic input, I have the tone I'm going for.
------------- Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell? I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance. |
Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: February 14 2012 at 14:06
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Minor gripe...it is gigging. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: Vompatti
Date Posted: February 14 2012 at 14:09
I read "giggling". 
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Posted By: HolyMoly
Date Posted: February 14 2012 at 16:50
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Getting the optimal volume is a concern of my band too. Haven't played too many indoor shows but when we do, it's important to keep the volume under control - or else no one will stick around to watch you. But we do like to come off as a raunchy band, so high volume kind of accentuates that. We're still trying to find the happy medium. Quite often, we're using our own PA and don't even have a sound man - in that instance we just have to start playing and adjust as we go, often on the advice of a friend in the audience. ------------- My other avatar is a Porsche It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased. -Kehlog Albran |
Posted By: TODDLER
Date Posted: February 14 2012 at 17:42
| I will use my amp as a moniter by placing it on top of crates covered with a black sheet. I won't have the sound of my amp bouncing off my legs or or butt. I want the sound which is behind me to register in my ears. Every attack I use with the pick is in vain if it travels to any other place. Also I like when the soundman runs my guitar through moniters which of course are facing me. If you use your amp for a moniter....then it makes it a heck of a lot easier for the soundman to place you in the mix. If you're playing Metal then it makes sense to have a loud stage volume...but only to a degree. If you are playing prog then you want to keep your stage volume at a reasonable level so the mix coming from the mains doesn't suffer. |
Posted By: stonebeard
Date Posted: February 15 2012 at 22:48
Problem is you've got to consider the overall sound and mix for the whole venue, not just the tone that you as a guitarist desire. It's a problem when sound guys don't know their gear or when musicians don't know live audio. Not saying that's anyone's case here, but it is in a ton of places. ------------- http://soundcloud.com/drewagler" rel="nofollow - My soundcloud. Please give feedback if you want! |
himtroy wrote:Posted By: Philamelian
Date Posted: February 28 2012 at 03:55
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I am a keyboardist but any sorts of corded or cordles in-ear monitoring makes things a lot easier for the sounguy who needs to cope with the feedbacks and the front of house sound and I think its also great for the musician because you have always the same levels in your ears regardless what direction you are facing. Especially if you are not playing in a big stage front rows will never have a proper sound when you push the amp volume to 11.
------------- http://www.facebook.com/philamelian" rel="nofollow - http://www.facebook.com/philamelian http://soundcloud.com/cagri-tozluoglu" rel="nofollow - http://soundcloud.com/cagri-tozluoglu |
Posted By: HolyMoly
Date Posted: February 28 2012 at 06:38
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My group just played a gig on Friday, and a funny thing happened. I was up front, singing and playing guitar, and the bass player was behind me, and my guitar amp was on the floor next to him and next to his bass amp. His wife was trying to get him in a picture but I kept obscuring him (I'm a big guy, 6'5"), and he wouldn't come out from behind me. After the show he told us what the deal was. With my amp low on the floor next to him, he couldn't hear me at all, but if he stood "just so" behind me, the sound would bounce off my back so he could hear it. We all had monitors at the front of the stage and by the drummer, but not by him. I guess we figured he'd be able to hear my amp, but it wasn't the case. So I was The Human Monitor! [I'd appreciate some feedback!] ------------- My other avatar is a Porsche It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased. -Kehlog Albran |
Posted By: jammun
Date Posted: February 29 2012 at 00:46
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These are the rules. -- The drummer shall play as loud as possible. This is an immutable fact of the physical universe. The only exception I am aware of is a drummer who had narcolepsy, but could still keep a beat while asleep (I am not kidding). The drummer will also have sex with any woman associated with the band, which may create unanticipated tension. The guitarists shall always attempt to override the drummer, volume-wise. They shall own the Marshalls. The bass player shall own the sound system, and therefore overrule all. The keyboard player, who has a mere Leslie, shall be at the mercy of the bass player (who owns the sound system). Thirty years later, the keyboard player shall own a 15W Night Train and a Les Paul, and a Yamaha Motif. He shall also own a nice 16-track digital recorder. He shall say "f**k those a****les" and record whatever he wants, at whatever volume he chooses. ------------- Can you tell me where we're headin'? Lincoln County Road or Armageddon. |
Posted By: Eetu Pellonpaa
Date Posted: March 02 2012 at 10:05
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^ from my own experiences, I agree the possibilities with the drummer's conquest for loudness. Our own "Keith Moon" had got a special china plate creating a crash making ears bleed if ears not protected. In small halls without proper acoustic design and pubs with large glass surfaces guitar and bass had to assault to match teh drum volumes with 100 watt amps, making good sounds but emptying the rooms with united quality and sound power. One good way to avoid the sound man's wrath is not to have one, and play with roughly soundchecked volumes without monitors. I understand that with more instruments, singing, and aim to coherent sophistication this won't happen. I read one local hifi essay with ironic comments about question "why rock concerts are mixed poorly, with too loud high frequency sounds?". The answer was "sound mixers of rock music have lost their hearing and thus cannot operate the volume adaptations correctly due thier false impression of concert's tonal realities. This is also beneficial for the rock musicians as they can hide their poor playing abilities more sufficiently with too loud and uncoherent sounds" I personally like loud sound when it fits the music, but it would be good if the higher pitches would be reduced in such occasions, in order to minimize hearing damages. I have seen that some wise people use earplugs in concerts, but somehow feels to myself bit like going to look Manet's works wearing sunglasses. |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: March 02 2012 at 10:56
Volume doesn't matter in the end. You just need an amp that can go to 11 and then you could turn it down to 10 but what's the point? Ow excuse me my ears are bleeding.  ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Posted By: Sagichim
Date Posted: March 04 2012 at 01:58
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Mainly you should do what your soundman tells you, because he controls the volume coming out of the venue's speakers and of course the sound of your guitar. The trick is to get what the band want not using high volume on your gear. The soundman console can give you a lot ( sound wise ) with its EQ. Concert sound contain a lot of problems, your soundman needs to take under consideration a lot of things, if he's not good your basically screwed. |
Posted By: Fathergolem
Date Posted: April 17 2012 at 17:32
I think the point is if you are going through PA and monitoring or not. I play mainly with a Mesa Boogie rack, with a Triaxis and Mesa Simulclass 295. If I'm through PA, I go at 3/10. If I'm not through PA, I will raise maybe to 4'5/10. It depend the size of the hall, but in my experience, too much volume means noise. There are tooo many factors, but one thing for sure, I play with ear plugs always...
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Posted By: sturoc
Date Posted: December 03 2012 at 23:42
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i'll reincarnate this thread for a monday nite: A couple of things to consider is overall band volume onstage. Is there a monitor system in place ? with in ears only or combo of wedges etc.? If you using a PA for sound reinforcement or just for vocals ? How big is the room ? Does the P.A cover the close stage proximity audience ? If not, is your backline (guitar /bass/keys etc amps) providing sound off the stage for the audience in front of the stage? Or is it being used primarily for onstage band members ? Answering these questions first will then determine what your stage/ PA volume will be. There will be alot of experimentation with tone, volume, etc between band and FOH engineer to get everything just right. One has to remember just because their amp sounds great at a certain volume , there are other band members to consider as well. i.e If you can only play your Marshall stack at 8 to get the tone you want but the other musicians are at lower volumes then you''ll have to find another way to get your sound at a manageable stage level without blowing their hearing out . Or on the flip side, making everyone else turn down to hear you . Monitor systems are a whole other can of worms. They are there for you to hear yourself and your other band mates onstage. Mixing monitors is a true art form and test of patience. The other aspect to be very concerned with is your hearing . I am wearing volume damping headphones due to the band I've been playing in has now gotten into mic'in everything and going thru a small mains system. I personally don't see the need for this in rehearsals but I can deal. Amazing though, how much better everybody plays when things get turned down or go with just backline and no mains. |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: December 04 2012 at 16:18
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frogs? ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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