General Music Chat

Last night I got to hear a real rockin' group. The place wasn't packed ,small club, tolerant management.
They CRANKED. Older guys from the 70s.
I'm talking about being just loud enough so that every kick hit gave you that punch in the gut. Every bass line had resonance and conviction to push the rhythm in your face.
Here's a new one, the guitarist used a plexiglass shield in front of his amp to push the sound up so he could still keep it cranked and not have the high end making ears bleed
They were great.

If you just want to hear juke box music don't hire a real rock band.
If you don't like it loud stay home and play with your Ipod.

But if you want know what live rock performance is,,,, be prepared for the "WOOOOMMMMMPPPPFF"
If its to loud, you are to old.

Glen

You are a shallow man. Me too - f**k opera.

I happen to agree with 100%! Kick it boys!

Here is a link for you: (Leslie West/Zach Wylde)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClLrB9cpTTU

Talbot

If the vocals are uninteligible it's too loud. I've went to shows where the vocals were mud, great bands that I wanted to see live, and left after a few songs. I've been to auditions and packed up after a few songs. Drummers that beat the crap out of their drums don't impress me. There's a difference between power and volume. If you can hold an audience, regardless of volume, you're powerful. If people take off regardless of volume you're wimpy. Just my opinion.

I've played loud too many times, huh what did
you say.lol

I like to play loud and I'm on the backside of 50 so
I'm maturing, so when I play loud, I always carry ear
protection in my guitar case.

It's the guitar players they just want
to turn it up and grab a power chord
and sustain. (I sometimes resemble
that remark.)

If the vocals are uninteligible it's too loud.

Excellent point, Bob. I saw Matthew Sweet about 2 years ago (the Paradise, in Boston) and it was turned up so loud that the vocals were mush. Even up on the second level to teh side it was painful. The opening act, The Bridges - a 4-female-plus-drummer band - who Sweet produced and whose music is very melodic with 4 part harmonies was just as loud and sounded horrible because of it.
I've done the loud thing, and the recurring tinitus in my left ear is a result.

To me it's about having good sound! I prefer low wattage guitar amplifiers so I can get a good sound at lower volume. Usually when you see a good band that is loud and the mix is good with the vocals inteligable its because they have a soundman that knows what he is doing!
Bad sound is when you get someone that doesn't know ANYTHING about sound. Has a couple 1000 watt pa amps and cranks it up until the speakers distort or the vocals are muddy! Those folks are usually better off with higher wattage guitar amps and speakers on a stick!

What the f**k is wrong with you people?

Get a pair of external head muffs.

I don't care if they use them to mow the lawn, the lower db range is perfect.
I use a cheap ass set of shooters muffs via Winchester, 13$ in Walmart and they work fine. (-23 db)

If the dummies want to let their hearing go, let them.
Just don't be one of the dummies.

The tinnitus sucks, let me warn you as mine is awful.

I don't care if you are using a 20 watt amp or a 1000 watt amp.
Both can be turned up to a painful volume, the muffs protect you from your crazy drummer or the guitarist on a solo mission to destroy the world via volume.

Vocals too loud? What no sound check? Someone didn't do their job for Mr. Sweet and the ladies.

FIRE that sound man..he's useless.

Vocals too loud? What no sound check? Someone didn't do their job for Mr. Sweet and the ladies.

FIRE that sound man..he's useless.

From what I'm told, Sweet likes his live music that loud (despite the great sound his stuff has in the studio). The (house) PA system was just cranked out way too loud for the show I mentioned. Look at the specs on most PA systems these days, typically 1% THD (total harmonic distortion) at 50% power and 5% at 95% power. Even 1% is sucky to someone with good ears (like musicians).

Why wouldn't you want it to sound good, yet not overblown?

That just doesn't make sense.

Even when you make an similar sound whether it be vocal or instrumental signal, there is a better way to do this.

Speaker cones waffling = no bueno
The sound sucks and it's destroying your equipment.

Fuzz is cool by me, but that's not how you make that sound unless your sloppy.

I think there are times to play loud, or maybe places that its expected, but many places and patrons you try to play for dont care for it, over the years my band has run many people out of rooms cause we were too loud, we go for a good smooth sound these days, vocals are essential on top for what we do, if you want to play loud hit some of the punk clubs, or heavy metal bars, they accept it there and expect, but if you are playing your neaighborhood bar, unless you pack the place you need to really think on your volume levels.

I went and saw Journey of all bands recently and they were too loud and had too many effects in the mix, it was just mush to me.

First the vocals were over the top . Second it wasn't mush because the driving power behind them was the bass and the kick drum. Third if anything the guitar ( really cool player) was trying to avoid being in your face.

Fourth, the weren't playing the blues or pop or pretending to be a sweet little cover band. They were playing heavy, Heavy, R&R.

I was just bringing up the point that it can be done. They didn't drive anyone from the place.

Usually I would say play to the volumes the drummer is laying down. In this case they were playing to the volumes the vocals would cover.
As a three piece with a tremendous bass, filling in all the overtones that a guitar might have to cover, the were able to deliver tremendous punch that is only suitable in this sort of a r&r situation

Thats all, and yes it won't work as a Blues band.

Having a good sound tech behind the board makes a whole lot of difference. The tech can make a rock band sound "loud" but well balanced. I treat them as an extension of the band and try to compensate them well after a performance through praising, beers and money we can spare.

Play Loud and proud!

Okay...theres a big difference between being 'powerful',rattling the teeth of your audience and being loud...

POwerful makes you a god-like musician... Loud just makes you a f**k idiot and an asshole.

Glen

You are a shallow man. Me too - f**k opera.

I happen to agree with 100%! Kick it boys!

Here is a link for you: (Leslie West/Zach Wylde)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClLrB9cpTTU

Talbot

Here I am trying to prepare some tracks for replacement with a real drummer. If I could catch a small part of that feeling I would be delighted.

Mike thats zactly what I was talkin bout. Cept these guys were pulling it off in a small bar. The best part of that track is the bass. If you got a bass player that fill in the harmonics and drive like that, reach over and kiss his B-ass.

Okay...theres a big difference between being 'powerful',rattling the teeth of your audience and being loud...

POwerful makes you a god-like musician... Loud just makes you a f**k idiot and an asshole.

I wouldn't go so far as to make them Godlike.
That seems to be the strange threshold that separates loud from a different generation.

Remember I said these guys were from the seventies.
Thats how much different they were. It was about volume, but also being able to control it.

I guess I can't explain it. It is not for everyone. Just trying share a very old r&rollers point of view.