Musician Gear & Tech Discussion

My PA System consist of ; Alesis 16 multimix; Furman power conditioner; Rolls headphone amplifier; Feedback destroyer pro; and a Crest CPX 1500 power amp. 2 peavey 12" 2way speaker.
I intent to add a limiter/compressor soon because at rehearsals everyone slowly plays louder and louder. Vocal can't be heard and the music becomes noise.

Is the limiter/compressor the answer?

No, self control is the answer. Playing as a band with respect to the overall sound is the answer. There are a lot of things technology can help us with. Stage hogg is not one of them. Step back and take control. Anyone playing out of the optimum level for your sound must be informed at to how they fit in so they can learn their place in the grand plan. Play with the monitor mix if the individual players cannot hear themselves it will lead to louditis.

Hey Darry...I think the limiter/compresser can help however I think most here will tell you that if the musicians are overwhelming the PA you can always get a larger PA.
I think it would probably be better to obtain a simple SPL meter and obtain a measurement from the beginning of rehearsal or at a point where you feel the vocal/band mix is proper.
Take occasional readings throughout rehearsal.
By the end of the night fill in your final measurement and make a simple graph to show your bandmates exactly what is going on....hopefully they'll get what they are doing and keep the vocal portion of your rehearsal as the primary instrument, if they can consistantally do this to the point of it being habit they'll probably do the same at a live show which would keep your mix proper throughout the night.
Anyway good luck and take care.

Darry,

If you want to sound special then your bandmates need to learn to control their volume.

For rehearsal just get a good tone out of your amps and leave it alone. If you cant get your vocals on top what difference does it make? In most bands vocals should determine your levels. If you overblow your singer what happens, he either overblows his vocal chords or has trouble staying in pitch. When you get out and play live you need to have control over this or your band will suck soundwise.

Being loud doesnt make for good tone. It just shows immaturity. I know Ive been there and done that myself and still occasionally do this, but in the end I want the whole group to sound good.

In rehearsal try to set your amp levels comfortably over your drummer. Once you determine this level try to bring up your vocals to where you can hear everything cleanly.

Our band practices at our bassist studio. We mic the drums and me and the bassist run preamps straight in the board and we listen thru headphones. You can hear every nuance of your fellow players. This has made us a much tighter band than when we used to use amps and just blast each other.

Live Ive learned to get really good tones on my amp at reasonable volumes. A lot of places you play will tell you you are too loud anyway. Another thing that can happen is if you practice at extreme levels when you move out of the rehearsal room to a venue the sound pressure dropps dramatically and it doesnt sound or feel the same. SOme players have trouble with this.

I dont think a compressor or limiter is going to make a lot of difference, in fact it may just make more noise. If your pa is underpowered for what you are doing then pad down the drums some and reduce everyones volumes til you can hear the vocals well enough to rehearse.

Good luck this is all part of becoming a better musician. The sooner you learn to control the volume the quicker you will become a tighter better sounding band.

I would agree with jw123 !
get your vocals and drums right and let the guitar and bass work with
those setings...this applys to practise and live .
at a sound check live start with drums and vocals .set the others
from there.you and your audiance will be happy.
don,t get to frustaded keep working at it.and let your feelings be known.

good luck and good playing.

To all, thanks for the advice. Membership cost is well spent and everyone is right on the money. We have a tendance to play over the drummer who at time plays very loud. he has muffed his set but probally needs to tame it down a little more. I grow weary with the excusses i hear sometime... but having a axcess to others (yall) lets me know" there's nothing new under the Sun." PEACE!!! thank again for your valuble info.

V

Self Control first and then setting up the sound system to acheive "Unity Gain" Then amplfy only what you need. In the end you will most likely have the vocals, the kick, and the snare. If you want the lesson in Unity Gain get back to me. Hang in there

Being a lead guitarist, I understand that with certain setups, you have to have a certain volume to get the proper sound and sustain. Being a soundman also, I understand that amps that are too loud onstage make for a harder time mixing a good front mix. With FX processors these days it is easier to achieve the tone and sustain at a lower volume. One trick I used to use (especially live) when I got my first half stack ( a Crate) and needed that certain volume for the sound I wanted and had friends telling me I was a bit loud on stage, was to turn the speaker cab so it faced the back wall and move it out about a foot so as to mic it. The head was facing me for adjustment. I got the sound I wanted and wasn't cutting heads off of the people in the audience who were sitting in direct line of my amp. All bandmates were happy and I was warm and fuzzy.