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#1
10-17-2007, 11:01 AM
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"THAT" Live Sound (Solo vs. Mix)
I was just thinking to myself, in the context of amplified acoustics, in a band setting, when you first plug in and adjust your sound and level...
You get that nice sound you like, adjust the EQ, etc. Then everybody starts playing and it doesn't cut through the mix. I remember that happening with me when I played electric bass. I would turn the Low EQ way up, because I liked the deep rumble and roll back the Highs, but then the bass was just muddy in the mix. On the other hand, when it was adjusted to sound tight in the mix, it seemed too bright by itself (to my taste). This is all in the absence of any sound man, we always adjusted our own sounds. So I'm just wondering if you've experienced the same thing with live amplified acoustics. And could it be that some of use have blamed sound engineers unfairly 
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Gone back electric last 4 years or so 
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#2
10-17-2007, 11:53 AM
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It's a funny thing: Early on you seek the sound that is great on its own, full and commanding. Eventually, if you play mostly in ensembles, your "grail" sound begins to change to the sound that will work within the mix. Context is everything. These days I just set up for the mix and skip the middle step.
Of course, I am an audio engineer... Bob
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"It is said, 'Go not to the elves for counsel for they will say both no and yes.' " Frodo Baggins to Gildor Inglorion, The Fellowship of the Ring THE MUSICIAN'S ROOM (my website)
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#3
10-17-2007, 01:29 PM
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Yes, that seems to be what happened to me. The more I learned about mixers and sound reinforcement technology the more I realized that I've been doing it all wrong. And it also explained why we couldn't get a workable sound in a basement, even with good gear, when we used to rehearse.
Now, I'm wondering: let's say for a "power ballad", when an acoustic plays by itself for a part of a song, and then the band enters (recording or live), do they usually actually change the sound of the acoustic (to optimize for solo and then for "mix")? I'll never be or work as a sound tech, but I've always enjoyed learning about it and doing it as a hobby (i.e. helping friends set up, if they have a band, etc.)
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Gone back electric last 4 years or so
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#4
10-19-2007, 03:09 PM
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Gone Acoustic,
You're hitting the nail on the head that a lot of folks never get - I call these "LBMs" - as in Light Bulb Moments. What sounds good by itself rarely sounds good in a mix, and of course vice versa. In fact, if you've listened to any single track of a multi-track recording, often the guitar sounds terrible by itslef, but then when you play all the tracks together it sounds awesome. This has to do with the way it falls into the mix, or soundscape as it were. So yes, everything has its place. The funny thing I am discovering is that this pertains not only to your sound in a mix, but also to gear as well. Though that now sounds obvious as it's your gear that gives you your sound, though I just never thought of it that way until recently. In fact, I've been playing an amp in an acoustic trio for the last two years and loved it. Recently I've started playing solo and I can't stand the sound! So do I love or hate my amp? Does it mean the amp is good or not? Neither, it just means that Context is everything! Enjoy the learning - it never ends! Dave
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"Well, I finally decided I'd rather drive the old 4x4 and be real, than cruise with all the wannabe Porsches. Solo810." Breedlove Revival D-R Deluxe Taylor 810-CE ES Taylor T5 PRS Custom 22 Taylor Baby (the wife's, uh, my camping, guitar) More gear & amps than I can haul
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