PA Systems - accurate recreation of on stage sound:

[Dr. Ellwood]

Hair..good point!!! although I bet they have found what seems to always be their method for these cabinets? Im probably wrong ..just asking.. I never go NEAR what he does with the mikes they are forbidden territory!!

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

Originally posted by ellwood:

...would you use two SM57s ... or would you a different mike? (which we DONT have)

For what it is worth... I have been reading a lot over the last couple of years from guys who put all sorts of mics on the guitar rigs. Some are even putting +$1k ribbons there. And I don't really have a problem with this, I mean, if you've got the big dollar mics to spare, why not use them? I've put a U47 on guitar rigs in the studio, or other tweaky mics.

 

I've said this before: I did a personal shootout, and I clustered a 57, a Studio Projects B-1, a Sennheiser 609, and a mint vintage 409 around a couple of different amps, (oh, and a BLUE Ball, too.) and recorded the results. A couple of different players played a few different styles using my 25th Anni Strat, the '57 Gold Top, and my custom-made Pello. The amps were my Marshall, a 1952 Fender 600, and a Brian May model Vox. Everybody who listened to the playback prefered the sound of the 57.

 

Now, the non-civilians who listened picked out some nice things that the other mics were doing, and we agreed that there were definitely good uses for each of these mics, and situations where one would shine above the others. (Though I found the Ball to be the most useless of the bunch, sonically and ergonomically. It's sound didn't suck, it just didn't bring anything special to the table, and BLUE mics usually do.)

 

But far and above, the preference was for the 57. I don't know if this might not just speak to our expectations for a guitar sound... after all, we've been hearing 57s on guitar cabs for 30 years. But I do know this: in the early 90s, people were all hepped up about finding a better snare sound. All sorts of mics were tried and in the long run, the 57 is still the default snare mic, thoughout the industry, probably used more often there than on guitar cabinets. Sometimes, if it ain't broke....

 

Bill

[Guitarzan]

this bump is to drop the "critic" spam to the bottom of the page.

i call this the "spam missle".

please do not adjust your set. [big Grin]

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

Originally posted by fantasticsound:

Stadiums suck for performance, especially if they put you through their designed to throw voice PA ...

Huh? I thought that if you were big enough to be playing a stadium you'd supply your own PA?

 

I thought mixers tended to be pretty leery of in-house PAs?

[Dr. Ellwood]

BUMP AH ROOOO

[fantasticsound]

Wow! Miss a few days....

 

Here's a couple of thoughts...

 

Ell, you asked about synch'ing lights to sound. Put simply, the massive light changes are programmed, but as moves and scenes that are triggered by the LD. If the band plays slow or fast it has no bearing on the lighting because he's listening to the music and triggering his moves to the content. So no, there need not be communication between LD and FOH to synch lights to the show. Oh, yeah.. I almost forgot to reiterate that the LD is communicating with his spot ops to pick up the performers as they move around the stage. Free-spotting someone with a joystick controlled, intelligent light (a hung light able to pan, tilt and many other features using a moving "head" or mirror on the fixture) is tough to do. Now imagine following 4 - 7 guys with one light controller... not gonna happen!

 

Bill - Sounds like it was a very cool benefit!

 

BTW - I don't know the theater or club we're playing this Thursday, but the FOH system will be there and the guy who provided all for our Labor Day concert will provide the monitor rig.. and he's trucking in the entire system just in case the house system sucks.

 

Such is life when you're a minor act trying to rebuild without a record deal and support.

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

Originally posted by bpark@prorec.com:

The headliner is responsible for production, which includes the PA...

 

A lot of support acts carry their own FOH and monitor rigs...

 

The opening act usually uses what is supplied...

Yeah... I thought as much. So where does the hypothtical stadium "voice only" PA come into things? Sounds like a bit of an anomaly.

 

EDIT: Sorry, I see that Neil had already answered this.

 

 

I was thinking about this thread on Sunday. I went to see Steve Vai with Eric Sardinas supporting at a place called Alcatraz. It's probably the most dreadful venue I've ever seen, from a mixing viewpoint.

 

It used to be some sort of big warehouse, so the walls are made of cement blocks. There are big plate glass windows and the roof slopes, chalet style, and is made of metal. The result is usually a lot of bottom end mud and rather thin, plaintive highs. Bands always sound like someone singing while surfing on a mudslide.

 

But Vai's sound guy had it pretty much worked out about 1/3 of the way into the set. Now THAT was impressive.

[Dr. Ellwood]

Up we go again!