46 and 2 Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 Well a while back there was a lively thread regarding proper stage volume. I was in the "more is better" camp and some others were of a different mind set. I promptly took my rig out and played a venue where I experienced some of the worst feed back I have encountered in almost three years of gigging. I had my amp's gate clamped, Hush pedal clamped, and guitar volume down and still couldn't control it. This week we opened for a national band at the same place so I really didn't want the same problem. I downsized my rig, lowered my amp volume by about a 3rd, and changed a few other settings and had no problems at all. I am still of the mind set that rock/metal/blues rock and the like should be plenty loud but as stated by Milod I believe, with the PA's available today (and this club has a sweet one) there is really no reason to be cranking the stage volume. Thanks for the advise. I am still a TOOL but a wiser gigging musician thanks to you all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveinspain Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 If you have a good sound man let him control your volume... Ask for volume from your stage monitor not your amp. You want your amp just loud enough to sound good. The sound tech should do the mix in the P.A., if he is fighting a guitarist playing excessively loud it sucks for everyone... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damian Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 The next step is to go acoustic........just kidding... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Versatile Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 This is a very important thread... Interesting to hear how the older members used to amplify, and how they do today Bearing in mind healthy hearing Does anybody go really low onstage with their guitar amp...say 20w...then mic up or line out to the PA at 1-2kw? And how are people getting on with earplugs or in-ear monitors today? V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 I use a sound level meter and keep the stage volumes 100db ("A" weighted / slow response) or less, and wear 15db custom fit ear plugs. This keeps the level of the music hitting my eardrum at the recommended 85db or less. Insights and incites by Notes ♫ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShredAstaire Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 46 and 2....Glad to hear you tried something new. That is key....can't bash something until you give it a shot...and you may like it and not want to bash it any longer. Nice work man...I dig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Witmer Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 46 and 2....Glad to hear you tried something new. That is key....can't bash something until you give it a shot...and you may like it and not want to bash it any longer. Nice work man...I dig. +1... ...And then to come back and thank the guys who pushed you to try something new (that you argued with )... good for you, man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 Playing anything with the volume cranked way up is like hanging a picture frame with a 21 oz framing hammer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanMan Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 This is a very important thread... Interesting to hear how the older members used to amplify, and how they do today Bearing in mind healthy hearing Does anybody go really low onstage with their guitar amp...say 20w...then mic up or line out to the PA at 1-2kw? And how are people getting on with earplugs or in-ear monitors today? V You're a class act 46 and 2! Teachable, too, which speaks well of your intellect :D I was an early adopter of small amp on stage through the PA. I played through a Marshall Lead 12 for awhile (ended up picking up a bigger amp when we changed bass players... :( ) I got the idea from watching a guitar player at my local watering hole play through a tiny little Fender amp. he could cover everything from the Cars to Van Halen and Night Ranger. Was a real eye opener.... so I dropped the 50w Univox and went small amp :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 I agree with the others on this one... There's a world between what "we" hear and what an audience hears, and I guess that's the point. Frankly I think the ideal is to have a "sound guy" checking different place in a venue. Doesn't happen much for me <grin> but... I think with a band it works best. Sounds to me you're getting a habit of getting a step up on stuff so best of luck so some day you'll have some folks opening for you and picking up tricks... m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOL! Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 If you have a good sound man let him control your volume... Ask for volume from your stage monitor not your amp. I don't like this solution. Unless you are playing a monster stage and venue (think House of Blues and larger), anything other than vocals and maybe kick drum in the monitors muddies things up. A good solution if you crank it on a smaller stage is to point your amps across stage so they are perpendicular to the audience. Gives the sound guy some mixing room and allows you and your bandmates to hear yourselves. I would rather do this than be told to turn down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
46 and 2 Posted December 16, 2010 Author Share Posted December 16, 2010 Playing anything with the volume cranked way up is like hanging a picture frame with a 21 oz framing hammer. Destructive and complete overkill but a little fun sometimes?!?!?!...haha...good point though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
46 and 2 Posted December 16, 2010 Author Share Posted December 16, 2010 I don't like this solution. Unless you are playing a monster stage and venue (think House of Blues and larger), anything other than vocals and maybe kick drum in the monitors muddies things up. A good solution if you crank it on a smaller stage is to point your amps across stage so they are perpendicular to the audience. Gives the sound guy some mixing room and allows you and your bandmates to hear yourselves. I would rather do this than be told to turn down. Good point evol. We have played unmiked at parties and stuff and this is an effective way of doing it. Almost all of the clubs we play (which are all smaller than a HOB) just automatically mic everything 'cept the bass which they usually run direct if possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 Hey... I'm the "Back down on stage" guy but... If'n you think I've totally forgotten the fun of a 1,000 decibel <grin> amp blasting from behind... you're nuts. It's just that after X number of years it even hurts to think about. Too many nights when an after-gig shower was in water I couldn't hear running... m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
46 and 2 Posted December 16, 2010 Author Share Posted December 16, 2010 You're a class act 46 and 2! Teachable, too, which speaks well of your intellect :D Easy ChanMan, you are going to ruin my reputation!! I am still a crass bull headed opinionated TOOL, but in this case I now see both sides a little clearer. Sometimes I gotta close my mouth and open my ears and admit when I have had to make an adjustment in judgment. Thanks man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golem Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 ` As a customer, I walked out of a 50-person venue recently, as the band was setting up. The hostess had earlier tried to assure me I'd dig the band, so she kinda wanted to know why I'd book before they even finished setting up. I told her "I've got a super low tolerance for assholes, and only assholes mic the kick drum in a small room." So, I wasn't gonna waste my time waiting for them to start playing. In my terms, I'd already made an informed decision. Lotsa hack bands claim that it's the drums that set the stage volume. I disagree. But even if I were to agree, if you mic the kick then the whole argument falls apart. The mic wasn't for a recording track, as they were already doing the "check-check" thing. ` Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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