Live Sound - help needed (1 Viewer)

[Cooperman]

This is my first time on this forum and it seems to be really good.

Im in a young band with gigs of our own and some supports and wanted to ask people about live sound. We have been told we should get our own soundman but have never had to do this before. Do all bands do this?? I have been to loads of gigs, sometimes the sound is shit and horrible and sometimes brilliant. I think i can tell the difference. It seems that bigger bands like the frames, bellx1, turn (my three fav irish bands) always have brilliant sound and big bands that come from elsewhere too.

If we were to get a soundman how would we go about it? Does anyone know how much they would cost, we dont have much money of course.

Help please


Thanks


CP

 

[egg_]

Very few people here would hire their own sound person for a gig, unless we're putting on a gig in a venue without their own sound people

 

[kmastering]

There's a rake of students about to graduate our Live sound course in STC, temple bar. Of course they wouldn't quite yet be at the standard of the guys that do turn and Bell x1 but they might be willing to work for free to gain experience. If your a young band then I think this would be ideal. Call STC on 6709033 and leave your info with Lee. She'll pass it on to the live class and we'll see what happens from there!

 

[aoboa]

Okay...
First up, the bands you mentioned sound great mainly because of years of experience. You could stick them in a coal shed with a 250w vocal PA and they'd manage to sound 'professional'.
They all do have their own engineers. Obviously this helps too.

Basically, get used to playing gigs first.
Getting used to making yourselves sound good on stage without monitors can be done when you reherse.
After a load of gigs you'll have met a few house engineers and have some experience of what you need and don't need.

House engineers are your friend - don't piss them off.
Things that piss them off :-
- I'm standing in front of my cranked-up-to-11-complete-with-crappy-roctek-distortion-pedal-100w-marshall-stack and I still can't hear myself, can you put more of me in my monitor? Now I can't hear anyone else, can you turn them up? Um, can I have a little more of me now? (note: in situations like this when the engineer looks like he's doing stuff for you, he's pretending and giving you the finger under the desk).
- Can you make my vocal pan from left to right really quickly two minutes into our third song and can I try it out now? What's going on I can't hear it panning in the monitors?
- etc etc

Make friends with the engineer that makes you sound the way you want to sound. This is usually don't by telling him how great he is and offering to buy him a pint after the gig.
Make sure said engineer that likes your band (this is important for you and very importantly for the engineers sanity) and ask him to do only your most important gigs. If you're doing a little 25minute support slot for some practice you don't need him. Engineers are expensive, so don't waste your money if you don't need to.

Don't use inexperienced engineers. Most house engineers know the rig in the venue they work in better than anyone else. Nothing worse than a guy who doesn't know what he's doing coming in and pissing the house engineer off and making you sound and look stupid.
In saying that most house engineers have become so desensitised and hardened by years of mixing and listening to music they hate, that they almost always take it out on the support bands (this is where the ego boosting and pint buying comes in).

Um, hope this helps

 

[aoboa]

Oh, and engineers cost at their very cheapest €50 and that's probably as a favour.

 

[Cooperman]

Hey thanks for all the replies.

Have been talking to a few other people and from what they say we really should get and engineer, we are a kinda unusual band. We dont really have any money but we could pay for someone for a couple of our bigger gigs. We have 3 gigs in May.

Does anyone have any names, numbers, emails for decent engineers. Is there anyone that is on this forum that is an engineer or in a band with there own engineer??

Thanks



CP

 

[brianMy Remorse]

the last points are pretty much everything you need to know.

Also i know this sounds slightly like a conspiracy (but its true) but support bands are never given the same sound as the headliner, sound for support acts will often be poorer, hence making headliners sound better. this isnt always the case but does happen.

invest in good gear and pedals. if you are using other peoples amps at gigs you need to have pedals that will maintain your style and sound and not sound crap with other peoples gear.

try and avoid the point ablove by always using your own backline. this isnt always possible but it helps.

im probably forgetting loads, but the best way is just by learning yourself.