73 P Bass Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 We played the Webster Underground last night. We play a mix of Power-pop and Punk. The other three bands they booked play Thrash and Industrial Metal. Right before our set, the brother of one of the guys in the band before us comes up and asks me if I was talking shit about them (I wasn't, and wouldn't)! After I deny it and let him know I actually complemented their singer after their set, we shake hands and a young lady jumps on stage to confront me! I go through my story again, and jump down to talk to the actual band to let them know I didn't say anything negative about them. We start our set,and we can't hear the vocals in the monitors. The FOH person says the vocals are as high as the can go. Midway through our set the sound person announces she thinks my amp is clipping, and I should turn down the gain. It's not clipping on stage, and my passive bass is plugged into her direct box, so maybe it's on her end? We blaze through our set at the speed of sound, and still have to cut a couple of songs before our time is up. I felt very negative about my performance, but the people who came to see us liked it a lot. They made a soundboard CD for us, but our guitarist has it so I can't check myself yet. Not a gig from Hell, but maybe a night in purgatory! "Start listening to music!". -Jeremy C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Phil Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 well, that goes to show you that some people are assholes! http://www.briantimpe.com/images/LDL/dots/blue.JPGhttp://www.briantimpe.com/images/LDL/dots/black.JPGhttp://www.briantimpe.com/images/LDL/dots/fuscia.JPGhttp://www.briantimpe.com/images/LDL/dots/grey.JPGhttp://www.briantimpe.com/images/LDL/dots/orange.JPGhttp://www.briantimpe.com/images/LDL/dots/purple.JPGhttp://www.briantimpe.com/images/LDL/dots/red.JPGhttp://www.briantimpe.com/images/LDL/dots/yellow.JPG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBFLA Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 ahhh - just chalk it up to the 'WTF?' factor. Sometimes, there are just too many distractions/obstructions to be/feel your best. Don't sweat it - as long as you and your bandmates know the deal - it's a lesson learned, and the next show will be better because of it. You can only control so much... Jim Jim Confirmed RoscoeHead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Capasso Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 73, I met you. You are a stinkin' vicious lying animal !!! Seriously - what a bunch of jerks. I can't picture you talking anyone down, and bands at these kinds of things try to support one another. Somebody had a bug up their ass. Sorry to hear they took it out on you. Hopefully the recording sounds good... Tom www.stoneflyrocks.com Acoustic Color Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveAG Posted June 30, 2004 Share Posted June 30, 2004 73 P Bass.....gonna have to agree with the rest of the group here.....don't let'em in your head....just get back in there and rip it up!!! cheers! Have you hugged your bass today? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73 P Bass Posted June 30, 2004 Author Share Posted June 30, 2004 ...And another thing! We were originally billed with three bands that play compatible music! Not a lot of cross pollination between Power-pop and Industrial Thrash! Thanks for the pep talk guys, but I'm not discouraged, it's just another bump in the road. One of those lessons of where not to play next time. "Start listening to music!". -Jeremy C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DONUT Posted July 1, 2004 Share Posted July 1, 2004 So,why did you talk sh*# about the other band? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenLoy Posted July 1, 2004 Share Posted July 1, 2004 Why you talkin shit about me??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted July 1, 2004 Share Posted July 1, 2004 Some people are just Royale Clown Shoes. That's all there is to it. The nice thing is that if this guy continues to have this attitude, eventually he's going to say it to the wrong person and either a.) get his ass kicked or b.) get banned from playing in that club; hopefully c.) all of the above happens. The deal with the monitors... get used to it. A lot of clubs have really piss-poor gear and you can pretty much count on having horrible monitors. Sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davebassman Posted July 1, 2004 Share Posted July 1, 2004 Confrontational attitudes shit me. Why is it that some "music fans" want to make a competition out of gigs? It's like being back in the playground. I hope your desk tape sounds good, maybe you play better with a bit of fire in your belly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Bear Posted July 1, 2004 Share Posted July 1, 2004 I love fighting the soundman!!!!!. I had a gig where the mic line wasn't working and the sound guy insisted that it was on my end. We were almost bantering in the middle of the set through vocal mic's. He gives me another line, and I tell him it's dead. He says, it's still me. The drummer makes a sacrifice, and I grab a mic cable of one of his overheads and plug it in and it works. It never feels good when things just don't get going in the sound department. I'm sure you handled it well. Mike Bear Artisan-Vocals/Bass Instructor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73 P Bass Posted July 1, 2004 Author Share Posted July 1, 2004 Originally posted by davebassman: I hope your desk tape sounds good, maybe you play better with a bit of fire in your belly Actually the board recording was very Vocal Heavy ! I think the sound person was tweaking the wrong knob when we asked for more vocals in the monitors. "Start listening to music!". -Jeremy C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenLoy Posted July 1, 2004 Share Posted July 1, 2004 From an audio guy's perspective: Board recordings are always vocal heavy, because the soundman is mixing for the house, not the tape. A soundman in a club never needs to put very much guitar, bass, or drums in the PA because they're usually the loudest thing on stage and don't need much amplification. Soundmen generally don't have the time or the inclination to do three separate mixes for monitors, the house, and a recording. That's a lot of work. They usually have their hands full getting the vocals audible over the sound of many inexperienced bands that play way too loud. A board tape is usually useless for anything beyond performance evaluation, unless the band is playing at a reasonable volume. Even then, the soundman has to EQ each instrument so it sounds good in the room, not on tape. Don't expect to get a live album from a board tape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenLoy Posted July 1, 2004 Share Posted July 1, 2004 How to get a bitter, jaded soundman to feel like helping you have a good show in five easy steps: 1) Say Hi. Introduce yourself, shake his hand. Ask him questions about how you can make his life easier. 2) Ask his preference for getting your bass into the mix, don't just tell him to plug into your DI out. He may have a DI box he likes to use, or maybe he'd rather mike the cabinet. Don't tell him the best way, becuase you're relying on him. Let him choose the way he's used to working with...your odds of being heard will be better. 3) When doing a line check, make sure you test all your effects individually. Give him an idea of what he's going to be working with so he can tell you what to turn up or down or adjust. 4) Don't get picky about the monitors. Consider yourself lucky if the vocalist can hear themself and the drummer can hear you. 5) Thank him when you're finished, even if you weren't 100% satisfied with the job he did. As long as he didn't go out of his way to ruin your set or was completely inept at his job, what's wrong with saying "thank you?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbroni Posted July 2, 2004 Share Posted July 2, 2004 Great advice Benloy. There's a guy named Pete in a small club in Allen Park called Scalici's, who runs the sound and records board mix CD's. We often book gigs there just to get a reality check on current material. I'll usually just shoot the shit with him, and Chris our guitarist will usually talk tech with him because he's the one with the effects. Nonetheless he knows what to do and what to expect when recording us. We are mostly improv and instrumental and this bar is actually a punk/metal club, and were a more of a hippy jamband if you will. So its ironic. The moral of story is if you develop a rapport with these people they will make you jammin life a hell of a lot better. Pete the sound man has refered us to several agents and clubs. We never went for an agent, but gigs and contacts are always appreciated. Together all sing their different songs in union - the Uni-verse. My Current Project Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73 P Bass Posted July 2, 2004 Author Share Posted July 2, 2004 Originally posted by BenLoy: How to get a bitter, jaded soundman to feel like helping you have a good show in five easy steps: 1) Say Hi. Introduce yourself, shake his hand. Ask him questions about how you can make his life easier. 2) Ask his preference for getting your bass into the mix, don't just tell him to plug into your DI out. He may have a DI box he likes to use, or maybe he'd rather mike the cabinet. Don't tell him the best way, becuase you're relying on him. Let him choose the way he's used to working with...your odds of being heard will be better. 3) When doing a line check, make sure you test all your effects individually. Give him an idea of what he's going to be working with so he can tell you what to turn up or down or adjust. 4) Don't get picky about the monitors. Consider yourself lucky if the vocalist can hear themself and the drummer can hear you. 5) Thank him when you're finished, even if you weren't 100% satisfied with the job he did. As long as he didn't go out of his way to ruin your set or was completely inept at his job, what's wrong with saying "thank you?"FWIW We were corgial, before and after, and she charged us $10. We also were the quietest band on the bill. She was running everything thru the PA her way, without advice or questioning of her methods. But you advice is still very valid; be polite and respectful. "Start listening to music!". -Jeremy C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Bear Posted July 2, 2004 Share Posted July 2, 2004 I always give the sound guy $20. Say, hello, talk shop and such. There's a few sound guys I've had over and over at various clubs and it certainly helps. Though, I just love when your playing some dive and the sound guy walks off for half your set. Mike Bear Artisan-Vocals/Bass Instructor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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