Cowbell Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 Hey guys, I've having a little bit of a problem here. I know this sounds kinda weird but... I just don't know what to spend my money on. I mean, alright, I have a "band" I suppose. Like, a group of friend I play with. However, for the moment it's completely just instrumentle jams. We have 12 guitars at my house,not including other members of the band,5 amps all together, and absolutely no vocal mics or any sort of PA, and no recording equipment. So I guess I'm just...blank on what to do next. We're all in the 15-16 age group,only I am old enough to have a job, the others are pretty much running on allowances. Ah and the usual "Dad can I have 6 bucks to see a movie?" and then saving it towards something else. How do I want to go and get gigs? What would be a great starting PA? The only decent computer we have is a Mac, yet recording software for it is so damn expensive. Any comments on this would be much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanG Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 See if you can join up with another band, musicians that have the gear and play some gigs with them. Or some school dances or whatever you can get yourselves in on. Can you not record at school, have you the gear there? Are there no communtiy places where you can record? I used to teach at a community hall for free on Saturdays and Sundays, they also gave out recording time as well. Hopefully, this will give you the cash you need, plus gigging chops as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revolead Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 Well, dude I hear you here. I think you just have to balance everything. My old band in high school broke up partially for the same reason you have. By the time we all had enough money to have decent amps and gear and everything else, I was off to college, the lead singer joined the Air Force, and we never found a drummer. It's just typical high school band drama. Not enough money, the drummer left the band for a girl; the bassist becomes flaky, the stories go on. What you need to do is make sure you're practicing as a band ALL the time. Don't blow off school for it, that's the last thing you want, but don't let school slow you down if it doesn't have to. Just keep working, keep learning, keep practicing, and eventually you might live the dream. Shut up and play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Gug Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 Start singing yourself. You dont have to have great pipes. Just great conviction. Singing and playing isnt easy at first, but since I dont want to let my voice go to waste, Ive forced myself to start singing while playing. Im getting the hang of it. Your e-mail sounds like one I would have written in 1983. We went to a neighboring town to find a guy with attitude and a willingness to get up on stage. Worked out pretty well. He sang like crap, but had a good stage presence. My buddy who stuck with it now has a couple of gold CDs and plays/writes music for a living. I didnt stick with it and now work for the State of California (My boss is a major movie star!!!!). Dont feel bad for me though. There are pros and cons for the both of us. Im envious of him in some ways. Its the same for him though. Dont ever stop playing. How do you get gigs? Go talk to any business owner that has a lot of space and wants to attract young people. Youth centers, skate parks, bars, churches, pizza parlors, game rooms, workout facilities, skate board shops, plazas, malls, strip malls, etc... Ask ALL your friends where they went when they left their house last weekend. Ask where they spent their money. That's where you'll want to be. That's where you'll find a business owner who wants more money. Mikegug www.facebook.com/theresistancemusic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coyote Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 For the short-term, take the clearest/loudest amp you have and set it aside. That's your vocal amp til you can afford a real system. Then have one guy go out (or online) and purchase a few cheap but good mics: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=040128112042012145107250150727/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/277021/ Have another guy get a cheap but good mixer: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=040128112042012145107250150727/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/631238/ Have a third get two stands: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=040128112042012145107250150727/g=live/search/detail/base_pid/452061/ And the last gets mic cables, and one more stand: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=040128112042012145107250150727/g=live/search/detail/base_pid/338001/ This way none of you spend more than fifty bucks, and you can get started! Then you just play together and listen to each other, and do it til it sounds good. The biggest investment for you right now ought be your TIME - time spent practicing together and individually. I used to think I was Libertarian. Until I saw their platform; now I know I'm no more Libertarian than I am RepubliCrat or neoCON or Liberal or Socialist. This ain't no track meet; this is football. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudcat Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 Here is a link to the software you need to record on your Mac. It's called Garageband and it's from Apple. I believe it's only around $40 and it's supposed to be pretty awesome. Bunches of high quality amp emulations and effects. The recording pros on Craig Anderton's forum have been talking about it quite a bit and have been very favorable in their comments. If you really plan on sticking it out with music I suggest that you suck it up and buy a PA on your own. For rehearsal purposes just pick up something used and inexpensive from Peavey, Yamaha or Mackie and you'll do just fine. You can find some used Shure SM58s or SM57s for cheap (or Audio Technia clones for that matter) and you'll be set on your microphones. I never owned a PA in my live playing days and it always made things a hassle. In my last couple of bands we shared a rehearsal space and were able to borrow the other band's PA as part of the deal. One unsolicited word of advice: COLLECT AS MUCH GEAR AS POSSIBLE WHILE YOUNG AND SINGLE. Marriage & children will greatly diminish your capacity to continue buying equipment. I know you are not thinking about such things at your age but I continually kick myself over equipment purchases I could have made back in the day that I passed on. Good Luck! Mudcat's music on Soundclick "Work hard. Rock hard. Eat hard. Sleep hard. Grow big. Wear glasses if you need 'em."-The Webb Wilder Credo- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darklava Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 http://www.lostbattalions.com/german33-45/ss/sscampaigns/VTfrance1.jpg Very interesting! The story of life is quicker then the blink of an eye, the story of love is hello, goodbye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitar Geezer Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 Coyote...nice job on the research...those are some KILLER deals I'm forwarding this to the Geezer Jam-mates! Lynn G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruupi Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 If you have the money and the space to use it, a PA is always nice to have around. I bought one in the first band I was in just because renting is a pain. There were always situations where you want together with friends or audition potential band memebers and a PA is essential. Having some kind of recording equipment is also nice. It lets you hear how the songs you write or play really sound. After some disapointing studio ventures I bought some computer based recording equipment and was very happy with what it let us do. Prior to that the best recording I had were of when a friend with a home studio recorded the band, he got a much better sound thean the proffesional studios just because he cared. If nothing else, recording is fun on its own and is an art all to itself. (don't be even begin to think I know anything about recording hehe) My soundclick site: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=397188 My YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/gruupi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Gug Posted January 29, 2004 Share Posted January 29, 2004 I've gotten VERY good sound from a Peavey bass amp and a Radio Shack mic. I got mine for clearance, $39. It's a sweet mic! Anyone else have good experiences with these? Bluestrat seems to dig on some RShack stuff. I've heard that they make AWESOME drum mics. Mikegug www.facebook.com/theresistancemusic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revolead Posted January 29, 2004 Share Posted January 29, 2004 Originally posted by Mike Gug: I've gotten VERY good sound from a Peavey bass amp and a Radio Shack mic. I got mine for clearance, $39. It's a sweet mic! Anyone else have good experiences with these? Bluestrat seems to dig on some RShack stuff. I've heard that they make AWESOME drum mics.We use Radioshack mics. They work decently, but nowhere near as good as the live sound, so I don't know if I'd recommend them. For starting off, they work just fine though. I got a pair for 40 bucks, and got some recording done with it. However, lately I've been direct lining with the DG Stomp. Shut up and play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cowbell Posted January 30, 2004 Author Share Posted January 30, 2004 Thank you guys so much for your responses, I really appreciate it So, what do ya'll think. I think we really need a PA system, but that it could wait for now. We really need a drummer, but...I don't know, things are getting complicated. There are bands at my school that are just not...musically skilled, yet they play at the biggest clubs around,get tons of people to attend,and get good money, and its just plain fun. It kinda just makes me irritated that my "band", which I personally think can really accomplish so much more, is just...sitting around. Thanks for reading guys. -allen- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cowbell Posted January 30, 2004 Author Share Posted January 30, 2004 Originally posted by DARKLAVA: Very interesting! Thanks, I think so too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revolead Posted January 30, 2004 Share Posted January 30, 2004 No drummer. Everyone on the snare line has been taken, and there are really no drummers in my high school. So we have 2 guitar players, and a bass....and that's it. Welcome to my life. Shut up and play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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