50W amp and ear plugs?

[Blue Strat]

I was reading a thread on the Low Down Lowdown, and this idea hit me. When I play with my fledgling rock band (and we still haven't figured out who's in!) Casey, our drummer blows us out of the water. To be heard, JD turns up his Marshall AVT-50. I'm playin' my 2 x 35W Peavey Studio Chorus 210 and getting burried in the mix.

 

My new job requires that I wear hearing protection when I'm in my work area, and I've got a lot of disposable ear plugs at home now. I'm thinking that next time we get together I'll suggest that we turn down and that Casey plays softer, but if he doesn't, I'll get the Marshall clone out and put the ear plugs in and crank that bitch up!!

[BlueZet]

tried that one myself and all it did was throw my rhythm off, I tend to rely on the hihat (don't ask why, I just do...) and with the plugs I couldn't hear it and my rhythm went all over the place

 

that was in a rock band years ago, nowadays I play in a blues band and we can play for hours and I don't have a buzz in my eaers, hell, people can even order a drink without first having to learn sign language - guess I'm getting old

[Blue Strat]

I'd rather play at a level slightly louder than a normal conversation, but I don't think I'll ever get those guys to turn it down! There's no point in playing so loud that your head hurts after everyone leaves...

 

Maybe I just need to hook up with some more mature players?

[Big Red 67]

Headphones(isolation)and headphone amp. I can hear every thing and the volume is so low I can't listen to the drummer after I take them off. Direct out from the bass, guitar amp(s) in another room. I can not tell you how much better we became after going to headphones!!!!

[gtrmac]

I made mutes from used drum heads for the drums in my studio. Since it's a pretty small room the drum set was overpowering when we rehearsed and this is a jazz-funk band, not a hard rock group. If you are reharsing rock in a small room I think muting the drums is a necessity. Once the drums are filling up the room adding loud amps only makes matters worse. It gets to a point that everyone is competing for a place in the mix and it is impossible to control the level. It is practically a requirement that you need a large spce with good acoustics to rehearse a rock band at concert volumes and get a good mix. At this point you will need a good monitor system as well.

 

I think it makes more sense to reduce the drum volume with mutes and use small amps if the rehearsal space is small.

 

Above all, protect your hearing. I know several musicians with tinnitus and it's a very serious problem for them. My brother, a former pro drummer, suffers terribly and has been forced to use plugs for years. His condition makes it impossible for him to mix music in the studio now which is something that he did as a producer. Another drummer friend says that without heavy duty earplugs the sound of his own drums cause him extreme pain. He now uses plugs during shows and rehearsals but is always complaining about the loss of high frequencies. This same friend has known Jeff Beck for many years and he said the Jeff was actually crying when he told him that doctors said he must give up playing or lose his hearing entirely. Beck has obviously continued playing, with earplugs, but my friend said that he has a constant ringing in his ears.

[Big Red 67]

My tinnitus has not been as much of a problem since I went to headphones for rehearsals. The volume can be so low that it just doesn't hurt anymore.

[Billster]

Steve morse said the Dregs used to rehearse with electric guitars unplugged. They would just sit in a tight circle, and the drummer would keep time by tapping on the floor!

 

Obviously not perfect for every situation, but for learning tunes and working out parts, the lower volume, the more communication.

[gtrmac]

Originally posted by billster:

Steve morse said the Dregs used to rehearse with electric guitars unplugged. They would just sit in a tight circle, and the drummer would keep time by tapping on the floor!

 

Obviously not perfect for every situation, but for learning tunes and working out parts, the lower volume, the more communication.

That's cool! I used to jam with my bass player friend without amps too and it was a lot of fun to be free of all the amp hassles. I still like to play my Strat unplugged for practice.

[Big Red 67]

Try humming your parts together. It is funny as hell and helps you learn your part better.

[Dak Lander]

Originally posted by Big Red 67:

Headphones(isolation)and headphone amp. I can hear every thing and the volume is so low I can't listen to the drummer after I take them off. Direct out from the bass, guitar amp(s) in another room. I can not tell you how much better we became after going to headphones!!!!

Dude, grab this:

http://www.daklander.com/pics/red.gif

[Big Red 67]

Dude, thanks much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dak Lander]

Originally posted by Big Red 67:

Dude, thanks much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks from all of us.

[Guitarzan]

i know what your saying blue, we have a very loud drummer, i am constantly after the guys to spend the time getting our mix before we start playing (i have been using less gain as well). last practice i was on the same side as the bass player and weird stuff was happening with certain frequencies. the room is not small, but it is too small for the volume we were playing.i normally don't turn up too high because those dual v30's tend to project real well and even though i can't hear it as loud, anyone on the other side of our practice space sure can.

[Dennyf]

I always put the practice pads on the drum kit when we rehearse and put a strip of cloth on the cymbals. Yeah, it sounds like crap, but it's just rehearsal, nailin' arrangements and such.

[Hound Dog]

I didn't used to care so much about playing too loud, but now I am more careful. I played with some young guys the other day, and the cymbals just fried my ears. The drums are so hard to control, volume wise, when you have a drummer that just will not cooperate. Any other tricks out there people have used?

[Big Red 67]

Head phone amp and isolation head phones. I play at volumes lower than I listen to TV. THe Houndogs gettin' old. hehehe

[Reverse the Curse]

when my buds and I play I'm usually on the drums and I'm usually the first one suggesting we turn down. Then they say "no way" then once we are done and everything sounds like its commin thru a fuzz face we yell at each other "lets turn it down next time". But we dont

[Hound Dog]

I am often amused when I pickup my guitar the next day after jamming, plug it in with the same settings and think, "Damn, was I playing that loudly!"

[NMcGuitar]

They make some pretty good earplugs for musicians these days. Ones that give a pretty flat response (ie. they aren't cutting out all the high end compared to the bass). I've got a pair that I use sometimes (I'll try to remember the brand...) that are pretty good they cost about $6, but everything sounds pretty natural (just quieter). They aren't strong enough for a really loud band (I think they take off about 10-20 dB of volume), but they are perfect for a small-club sized band.

The only thing that's really weird about them is if you have to sing. Since your ears are essentially plugged, you will hear yourself WAY louder than you really are (like putting your finger in your ear when singing to help you hear yourself better and/or find your pitch). If you sing, you'll need some practice to figure out how to fit yourself into the blend/mix.

[Vortex]

When things get too loud and you can't tame other band member, I have resorted to kleenex. It actually works well. A small piece can be adjusted to take things down a notch.

Sometimes using just one earplug works pretty well too depending on your stage position relative to the offending player.