General Music Chat

I hope our gig Saturday in the park here in Kilgore goes well.
It will be the first time I have had to relenquish control of our sound to someone I dont know.
Makes me very uneasy.
If we suck because I screw up, well I can accept that. Wont like it, but I can accept it.
Just kind of nervous about the whole thing. Ya know what I mean?
Fortunately the next gig we have booked after that will just be us, doin our thang.

Ahh, the illusion of control is sweet.

Every gig is like that for us, since we use the house PA/soundman wherever we play. For the most part we've never had much problem, and even on the odd occasion where the sound sucks we try to step up the performance to compensate.

Saturday we open for a bunch of bands we used to play with years ago. The event is called Fiasco in Ferndale at a bar called the New Way. www.myspace.com/newwaybar

Keep cool and have a great show.

Yea George just relax and enjoy the fact that you dont have to fool with the sound.

I recently fired our soundman and am going to start doing it myself again. Should be interesting, but I did it for years so its no biggie.

It was nice having someone to keep us in fresh beer thou.

Don't forget the Bud light. A video camera hooked up to the mixing board would be cool.

I agree with RGM.

But what do you mean that you are not in control?

Chippy George and his band ussually use their own PA System at thier gigs. Im assuming that someone is providing a PA at this event with an engineer.

George if for some reason it doesnt sound good you can always blame the engineer.

Im sure it will be fine.

If I were having the same problem I dont think I would be worried a bit.

And its another day in Paradise !!!

Thanks guys.

I am a control freak I guess. Like I have stated before, logistics is my thing. I try to live by the old boy scout motto. Be prepared!
Depending on someone else to be there with the "goods" is unsettling for me.

This is supposed to be an all Christian Music event. To include some traditional Gospel and Hip Hop.

Hope they are ready to ROCK !! :twisted:

Heheheheeeeee

I was watching a show on a christian based channel last night when it took the guys 30 minutes of trying to get set up and 2 trys to get some sound out of thhe bass amp. found out it werent turned on. But on the third try at starting their set those guys did a great job. I was thinking the whole time their nerves are what wrecked them getting a good start. Once they got over it they kicked some ass. Funny though if they hadnt had so many problems I might not have watched any of it. Now Im glad I did.


But another day in Paradise !!!

you'll do fine.
he'll do fine.
the worst case scenario he has this or that too low and you growl and he raises it up.

if he really does a bad job just turn the crowd on him!!!

hehe.

good luck partner!

Best of luck Sans. I TOTALLY relate. I'm a control freak too. I guess that's obvious since I do EVERY job.
I just want an agent to book me.

Yea, Paul. I kinda figured you and I had that in common too.

Just in case I am going to practice my growl.

Rock on brother!

Sans, "let go" and enjoy the gig. Trust that the sound will be great. Maybe even the best you ever sounded...

All you need to worry about is the sound on stage. There's not much you can do about the sound in the front of the house without your own soundman. You'll have to trust that this guy is good enough, to realize how to mix your band right.

The main thing is that you get your sound on stage right. That everything each of you wants in your monitors is there, and at a comfortable volume. Tell your bandmates NOT to be intimidated, and afraid to say if something is not right. Until they have been around the block a time or two, some guys just clam up and accept whatever happens, only to b*tch about it later.

If you need the vocalist louder in the stage-right amp, then tell the soundman this. If your singer wants more drums in his amp, but less back-up vocals, make sure he tells the soundman.

If I am working with a soundman for the first time, and he doesn't really know the music, I prefer to get a good sound check, even if it means sacrificing one of the songs. When you hear yourselves onstage well-mixed, and this makes you more comfortable, it will come through the music. Everyone will play better, and consequently sound better, with fewer mistakes.

And whatever you do, ANYWHERE YOU PLAY:

The sound man is your friend. Be disrespectful to him, or unecessarily demanding and you are F*CKED for as long as your set lasts. And don't think these guys won't pay your band back by screwing your sound! THEY HAVE THE POWER! Don't let ANY of your band members make that mistake. I have gone so far as to tip the soundmen before a show, and if I can't do that, I will get the soundman's name before the show, and say something like "Before I introduce the band, everybody give Brian over there, a big hand. He does a great job on the sound, and he's the one making ALL the bands sound good today! Give it up for Brian!"

Do this, and I guarantee you, your soundman will do the best he is capable of, because you have just told your crowd that he is the one making the bands sound good, so by default, if YOUR BAND doesn't sound good, they know who's fault it is. He won't embarass himself like that. He'll pay as much attention to your sound as the headliner's after a set-up like that!

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