Dialing in your sound

[DeathIsMyJustice]

Re: Dialing in your sound

I find most sound guys tell me to turn my amp down a bit... but I dont ever want to so to make it look like youve turned it down more that you have. Strum a good old highly distorted power chord then turn you amp up a bit befor you turn it down a bit... if ya know what I mean [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

but if the sound guy messes up the mix we (me and the other guitarist) normaly just crack our amps a bit more [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Rar!

[Riffmeister]

Re: Dialing in your sound

I hear that a lot of sound guys don't want your stage volume up, What do they care ? Does it actually make more work for them or what. My amp needs to be cranked to at least 5 to sound good.

It's only 50 watts and I have the power cut down to about 30 and run it that way. Is that gonna be too loud?

[Cleveland Metal]

Re: Dialing in your sound

For years, I made my living in the 80s playing live in clubs, and until 8 months ago, I played once a week or more in clubs to further the word of classic metal (some money but laughable amounts playing what I played).

Soundguys don't want you to have a loud stage volume because it gets into the drum and vocals mics. Basically, most sound guys will yank you out of the mix very quickly if you are too loud.

Without your friend the soundman, you are left to the natural dispersion of the finely designed classic 4x12 cabinet, you'll be really loud (unbearably) where your cab is pointed and anywhere else in the club, you and your golden tone will be non existant.

By being loud, basically, you are trashing the mix for everyone else. You wanna make friends with a sound guy, play quiet. Your bandmates will like you more too.

If you need to hear yourself, buy a 1x12 monitor and point it at you like I did powered by the extra output channel of my rig. Otherwise, if you have no extra output, buy a small powered monitor and find a feed for it. Never again be at the stage monitor systems mercy. Just try to aim it away from any other stage mics and you'll be cool...

Pretending to turn down doesn't do much but piss soundguys off. It's very obvious you didn't and an instant insult to their (possibly limited) intelligence.

Words to take to heart, never piss off the sound man...

[ August 28, 2003, 10:01 PM: Message edited by: Cleveland Metal ]

[Cleveland Metal]

Re: Dialing in your sound

Get the sound you like onstage and forget it. The soundmonkey will invariably F up all of your dialing in anyways.

I've played few halls that had a soundguy worth his weight. The small halls have often have people running osund that usually have little idea what to do to make guitar sound right, or have odd ideas about guitar sound anyways.

It certainly pays to buddy up with him prior to the show, maybe buy him a drink and let him know who you are etc. Maybe, just maybe, he'll try to do good for you.

Get your sound onstage and hope for the best. Maybe if you have time and you have a wireless (and the guy is cool), head up to FOH and see what it sounds like there, and maybe ask for some changes while you play a minute or two.