#1
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When something goes wrong at a gig and no one says anything....
Not me, I was a spectator, but we stopped into the Twin Doors in Maywood NJ just last Saturday and there was a band playing who were excellent.
The only problem was that the singer didn't have his mic turned up higher than the guitars so all you heard was mumbling. There was only one song, Aqualung, where they did this megaphone effect to the vocals where you could actually hear the singer. We left in the middle of a song so I wasn't able to mention it to the band on their break. Someone didn't do a sound check? You would think one of the employees there would have pointed it out long before we had arrived.
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Barry Sad Moments {Marianne Vedral cover}: My SoundCloud page Some steel strings, some nylon. |
#2
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I was at a Bruce Hornsby concert at the Paramount in Peekskill. The venue has an excellent sound system. For the first few songs there was a slight crackling sound from the right speaker bank which went away for the rest of the concert. I spoke to the sound engineer after the concert and complimented him for cleaning it up. He told me that the crackling was in both the R&L speakers and he was not happy about it. Obviously a good engineer who takes his job seriously!
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Taylor V-Class 814ce, 717e BE WHB, 520ce, 454ce, 420 Cedar\Maple, T5z Classic Martin D18E Retro Cordoba C10 Crossover Emerald X20 Rainsong H-OM1000N2 Voyage-Air VAD-04 Custom Les Paul Hot Rod Deville 410, Fishman Loudbox Performer |
#3
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It' always frustrating to listen to a performer whose sound can be easily improved. But it's also frustrating as a musician to have audience members giving unsolicited "helpful" suggestions. "Dude, turn up your guitar!" "Cut the 20Hz frequencies on the tambourine," etc. IMO, if you have to say anything, say it to the soundperson.
Last edited by Kerbie; 12-13-2018 at 07:04 AM. |
#4
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I would never leave half way on any band playing Aqualung.
One of my top 5 guitar solos of all time. Pinch Harmonic artifacts, distorted compression from an amp on 11. I would leave after the solo. |
#5
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We were on a boat dinner cruise this summer and the same thing happened. It was just a singer and keyboard but the singer got drowned out much of the time with the keyboard player. I wondered about the sound check as well.
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#6
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It amazes me how many very competent people but musicians and sound techs try to bury the vocals in the mix. I had to fight this in the mixing of my last CD. He kept trying to lay the vocals where you had to really listen to hear them. The majority of the listening public want the vocals to be up front and clear because they want to be able to sing along. Never have understood burying them.
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#7
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I've seen sound men from the largest sound company in the states make some really bush league mistakes. But what can you do?
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Waterloo WL-S, K & K mini Waterloo WL-S Deluxe, K & K mini Iris OG, 12 fret, slot head, K & K mini Follow The Yellow Brick Road |
#8
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Hearing you loud and clear about that solo tippy!
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#9
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Quote:
Quote:
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Barry Sad Moments {Marianne Vedral cover}: My SoundCloud page Some steel strings, some nylon. |
#10
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Quote:
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Bill |
#11
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The Royal Albert Hall in just about the prestigious auditoriums in the UK.
I saw a very famous and much beloved American "kinda country" sing with an outstanding band play there and she had an opening act of another perfectly good female "kinda country" singer whose sound was, frankly, unlistenable. (we left our box to get away from it). It was so bad and the main act was so good that one coldn't help but wonder if the difference might have been deliberate. That couldn't ever happen could it?
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Silly Moustache, Just an old Limey acoustic guitarist, Dobrolist, mandolier and singer. I'm here to try to help and advise and I offer one to one lessons/meetings/mentoring via Zoom! |
#12
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I see it as incumbent upon the performers and the sound techs to balance the sound, consequently I would never offer an unsolicited opinion.
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Some Acoustic Videos |
#13
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Ultimatly the sound techs responsibility.
If the band is running their own sound it was probably just a case of poor sound check and the instruments turning up after the set began. Lead singers like to be heard and they should be up front in the mix. Telling the lead singer he was muffled would probably fix the issue. Like telling the lead guitarist he's not loud enough... |
#14
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....having done a fair bit of live sound engineering I am compelled to come to the defense of sound techs..yes I know there are hack sound guys just like there are hack carpenters and hack musicians...hacks aside...on many occasions I have had bands and solo musicians preside over sound checks and insist on some pretty dreadful mixes...rarely do they intentionally bury their vocals but their lack of experience especially at a sound desk in a noisy club environment. can be a problem.....vocals might sound clear in an empty room but fill that room up and the vocals are the first thing to drop out of the mix...especially when players turn up their rigs to overcome the crowd noise..when the vocals are maxed out you can”t turn them up without feedback....
....when sound mixes are poor in clubs it’s usually on the musicians...that said..a brilliant sound tech can do wonders..but only if the musicians are willing partners...all in all it’s a pretty thankless job...and even though there are well intentioned and often valid comments from the listening audience...they are not usually appreciated because a good sound tech knows very well if the mix is good or not...and they know a lot more about why it sounds the way it does than anybody else...referring to the OP’s observation that the vocals weren’t turned up high enough...it’s far more likely that the instruments were up to high... |
#15
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One of my favorite (sarcasm) things to hear after hauling thousands of dollars of gear to gig, and having invested decades into my playing is, "We couldn't hear your guitar at all."
Seems we are all at the mercy of the sound man. |