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Hello,

3 stupid questions:

- on the band' rehearsals - is it better to connect every instrument (except drums sure) to the mixer (and so on the main speakers) or not? Why?

- Why is it usually better to mike an electric guitar rather to just put a cable from amp's line out to the mixer?

- I think someone told me that it isn't a good idea of connecting the bass to the mixer. Is it bad for the speakers? Why - if the power of the main amp (not the one for bass) is always the same? Or isn't it? Where am I wrong?

Oh, it's for a rock band with 2 guitars, piano, bass, drums, vocals...

Yeah I know the questions are stupid but unfortunately I understand very little about all this hardware stuff...

Thanks very much,

Matej

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Here's a radical concept for you...just put the vocals through the 'rehearsal' PA and concentrate on the music instead of trying to do 'production rehearsals'. That way you'll be able to hear the vocals, the the rest of the people in the band can learn how to "blend" their playing without the aid of machinery.

 

By the time you get up to 'micing' everything for 'rehearsals'...you'll have a staff that will know what they're doing technically that can do that shit for you. In the meanwhile...try learning to play like a band might play.

 

------------------

Fletcher

Mercenary Audio

http://www.mercenary.com

Fletcher

Mercenary Audio

 

Roscoe Ambel once said:

Pro-Tools is to audio what fluorescent is to light

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When I was playing in bands, I always insisted on rehearsing at the minimum volume possible so that the "louder sounds better" syndrome wasn't hiding things. When I moved to L.A. in the early 90s and started working with some multi-platinum artists, I discovered that they also worked this way.

Scott

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Kinda neat, our band started out as an acoustic trio. We focused on harmony vocals. Now, that we're a band, we still have rehearsals once in awhile just acoustically.

 

Saw the Bangles documentary. Say what you want about the Bangles, but their harmonies are killer. Turns out they rehearse vocals and arrangements with the drummer playing tambourine.

"Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine"
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Originally posted by mte:

Hello,

3 stupid questions:

- on the band' rehearsals - is it better to connect every instrument (except drums sure) to the mixer (and so on the main speakers) or not?

 

not

 

Why?

 

Obviously no one in the band is the tech type, so keep it simple otherwise the music playing time will be diminished too much. And as was stated above, a good band knows how to blend with each other. Believe me this concepts eludes most bands. Period.

 

 

- Why is it usually better to mike an electric guitar rather to just put a cable from amp's line out to the mixer?

 

Because the sound of an electric guitar (especially distorted rock tone) comes also from how the speaker reacts to the signal it's trying to reproduce. So by going straigt to the board, you're missing an essential ingredient of the sound recipe.

 

- I think someone told me that it isn't a good idea of connecting the bass to the mixer. Is it bad for the speakers? Why - if the power of the main amp (not the one for bass) is always the same? Or isn't it? Where am I wrong?

 

OK don't believe everything you hear. Most people in this biz are wannabes whose basis for knowledge is so-and-so-told-me-so-it-must-be-true. If you got a bass amp, use that.

 

Now if it's such a bad thing to plug a bass in a mixer, ask that same person to explain where the hell does he think the bass goes thru at at a concert? A Cuisinart? (Get it, Cuisinart...mixer...ok I'm not funny.)

 

Good luck

Emile

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We wrote most of our songs at the local 24 hour coffee shop without the aid of mixers. When we practice its quiet as possible so we can hear the different qualitys of our music. Besides its too much hassle and a waste of time to set up a full PA for practice, but when we do a pre-show practice we set up everything the way it will be at the gig, when you show up to the gig all you need is a fine tune then you are ready to go.

 

have fun

- Fish

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Agree with everything that's been said. I just wish I could convince my current band to do so, they insist on hauling our whole setup into the basement and setting it all up, then wasting half of rehearsal trying to get it to sound good. A purely acoustic rehearsal once in awhile, as mentioned, will also do Wonders for your harmonies!

Botch

"Eccentric language often is symptomatic of peculiar thinking" - George Will

www.puddlestone.net

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I must be outside the box here but our rehearsals are with vocals, bass, keyboards, sax and guitar in the P.A. Since I run sound from stage, I use the rehearsals to make sure the balance is good and we are ready for the gig without a lot of fuss.

 

A big suggestion I use for acoustic groups is to practice with the P.A. because they usually don't have a clue how to use a mic when they get on stage. The Bluegrass folks have a tendency to rehearse in a circle and that just won't work on stage. They also have a huge problem with plosives because of lack of experience.

 

------------------

Mark G.

Mark G.

"A man may fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame others" -- John Burroughs

 

"I consider ethics, as well as religion, as supplements to law in the government of man." -- Thomas Jefferson

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