Sound isn't THAT important... (?)
This time, I have decided to deal with a common myth (or belief) I have run into a few times here in Cyprus. This is the idea that it doesn't matter what the sound level or quality is for your gig as long as you performed well...
Yes, a great performance is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL, ALWAYS! However, the quality of the sound you are presenting to the audience is JUST AS IMPORTANT!
A sure fire way to lose an audience or prevent them from wanting to see your band again (any time soon, at least) is to assault them with either painfully loud, unbalanced, harsh, clipping, or muddy sound at your gig. Or EVEN WORSE, multiples of these things.
Hopefully, you and your band have put a lot of effort into crafting great songs (originals and/or covers) and then practicing for a brilliant performance of them. After all of that hard work, don't you think your music deserves to come across in the best possible way... AND HEARD PROPERLY?
Now, there are MANY various elements that go into good sound for a gig, but the VERY FIRST STEP is the band getting the right tones and sounds to start with. THIS IS NOT AN EASY TASK! Mostly because the tone you think sounds best from your instrument as you are standing with your head next to its means of amplification (behind the kit, in front of your amp, etc.) may NOT be what is best for the overall sound of the band.
Okay, some folks who know me are going to try to call me out on this. I do often say, and maintain, that a band MUST be happy with what they sound like on stage in order to give their best performance. However, it is (again) NOT that simple.
One of the reasons I feel this way is the result of having had to deal with 'live sound engineers' that have absolutely NO F**KING IDEA WHAT THEY ARE DOING! As a result they are not worried about making the band happy and sounding good as much as they are (usually) fluffing their own delusions and trying to impose on a band what they learned from a manual, YouTube tutorial, and even a dedicated music engineering program. (More about that particular issue in another entry)
Well, the first and most important step to dealing with that situation is knowing and having your sound as a band dialled inn before even heading to a gig. The fact is, even the best live sound person is not going to be able to FIX your band's horrible sound.
So, what to do?
1. And I can't stress this enough... TUNE UP! This
includes the drums. Okay, tuning the drums in a gig is not
very practicle, but there is NO EXCUSE for not tuning
them frequently; before gigs and at practices. Any
instrument that depends on strings or skins being plucked,
strummed, or thumped is going to go out of tune. Some
more quickly than others, granted, but don't let
something as simple as keeping things in tune make
you look and sound like a beginner.
2. Once everyone and everything is in tune, it is time to start
working on tones (for now we're going to use an example
of drums, bass guitar, and guitars typical of a rock band):
working on tones (for now we're going to use an example
of drums, bass guitar, and guitars typical of a rock band):
A. For the drums, tuning is pretty much the only way
to affect the tone, so start by getting a drum
sound/tuning that works.
to affect the tone, so start by getting a drum
sound/tuning that works.
B. I suggest then getting the bass guitar sound going. The
drums and the bass share lots of similar
frequencies, so getting them to blend a bit before
moving on is a good idea.
frequencies, so getting them to blend a bit before
moving on is a good idea.
C. Next, gets the guitar (only, first, or rhythm) sound
going. At this point it is HIGHLY SUGGESTED that you
start paying particular attention to the bottom end of
the overall sound. I don't know how many times I have
felt the only thing letting down a band (I was either
working with or watching as a fan) was that the sound
was just to bottom heavy and, hence, muddy. My
theory as to why this happens is; guitarists get used to
the sound of their amps when they are playing alone
where they need to push the low frequencies of their
amp to feel the 'power' they want. The problem with
that is when you take that kind of setting and add bass
going. At this point it is HIGHLY SUGGESTED that you
start paying particular attention to the bottom end of
the overall sound. I don't know how many times I have
felt the only thing letting down a band (I was either
working with or watching as a fan) was that the sound
was just to bottom heavy and, hence, muddy. My
theory as to why this happens is; guitarists get used to
the sound of their amps when they are playing alone
where they need to push the low frequencies of their
amp to feel the 'power' they want. The problem with
that is when you take that kind of setting and add bass
guitar and drums, low frequency build up becomes a
SERIOUS issue. It may still sound and feel good to the
person standing on front of the amp, but when those
tones mix in with the rest of the band, it just sounds
SERIOUS issue. It may still sound and feel good to the
person standing on front of the amp, but when those
tones mix in with the rest of the band, it just sounds
crap!
D. Now, start working on the second/lead guitar tone. Even
less low end might be a good choice here as leads tend
to need to 'cut through' everything else. You will also,
more likely than not, want it to sound different from the
1st guitar so they can be told apart! However, you need
to be careful that there is still enough 'body' to keep it
from sounding weak and brittle, while also keeping the
highs from getting too shrill or 'harsh'.
less low end might be a good choice here as leads tend
to need to 'cut through' everything else. You will also,
more likely than not, want it to sound different from the
1st guitar so they can be told apart! However, you need
to be careful that there is still enough 'body' to keep it
from sounding weak and brittle, while also keeping the
highs from getting too shrill or 'harsh'.
Remember, I said this was NOT easy. If your band is a bit diverse and uses lots of different sounds and textures (different types of sticks, mallets, percussions, distortions, effects, styles of song, et. al.) then each of these situations and the different combinations needs to be addressed in a similar manner. Above is just the STARTING POINT. In other words, you will need to use your or a trusted friend's ears to dial in the sound of the ENTIRE band for all of your sound combinations. This will likely involve revisiting the above steps quite a few times.
There will also quite likely be some resistance by members of the band to changing the tone/sound they are USED TO HEARING from their instrument. However, the human brain wants what it hears to be good, so after a short time, the new sound will become not only acceptable to the players but preferred! (If you are interested in how humans process sound look up psychoacoustics. There are plenty of books and sites about it.)
Okay, so once you get a good, working combination of tones/sounds to make your entire band sound amazing, you are going to have to then deal with recreating that as best you can when you gig. The odds of being able to just leave all of your settings, ESPECIALLY VOLUME, exactly as they are in your practice room are NOT GOOD. In fact, if that ever happens, let me know!
Things get a bit more complicated for gigging as the size, acoustics, and Sound Reinforcement Systems (P.A.s) of different venues will NEED TO BE CONSIDERED AND ADJUSTED FOR. Not to mention that if you don't have your own regular sound engineer, you will have to find a way to work with the house sound person.
I'm not going to get into the whole dealing with a bad Sound Engineer thing right now, but I will say that it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY as the band to do EVERYTHING you can to make sure your sound is as good as it can be. Here are some pointers:
1. Your monitor or stage sound needs to be good enough for
each member of the and to hear themselves and other
NEEDED elements of the band. This DOES NOT MEAN
you should expect the sound engineer to give each of
each member of the and to hear themselves and other
NEEDED elements of the band. This DOES NOT MEAN
you should expect the sound engineer to give each of
you an individual monitor mix that sounds like a
major label CD!!! Just make sure you hear enough of
everything you need to keep you going. It also means that
you should have a 'reasonable' volume level from your
own gear on stage, unless of course there is a damned good
reason not to. Definitely strive for PERFECT
monitoring/stage sound, but realistically GOOD ENOUGH
will often have to do.
major label CD!!! Just make sure you hear enough of
everything you need to keep you going. It also means that
you should have a 'reasonable' volume level from your
own gear on stage, unless of course there is a damned good
reason not to. Definitely strive for PERFECT
monitoring/stage sound, but realistically GOOD ENOUGH
will often have to do.
2. If you are lucky enough to actually get a sound check, get
someone in the band (or a trusted friend) to stand in the
audience area to listen for problems and for the 'right'
sound. If you don't get a sound check, ask that friend to
give you feedback during the set.
someone in the band (or a trusted friend) to stand in the
audience area to listen for problems and for the 'right'
sound. If you don't get a sound check, ask that friend to
give you feedback during the set.
3. Try NOT to change your settings once your set starts just
because it sounds different to you than it did at sound
check. Wait for your friend's or the sound person's feedback
first. If you have a monitor, you can always ask for more
or less of yourself or someone else in it. Fact is, an empty
venue and a (if you are lucky) full venue are going to sound
different as human bodies absorb quite a lot of the higher
frequencies and will prevent you on stage from hearing the
room reflections you heard at the sound check.
because it sounds different to you than it did at sound
check. Wait for your friend's or the sound person's feedback
first. If you have a monitor, you can always ask for more
or less of yourself or someone else in it. Fact is, an empty
venue and a (if you are lucky) full venue are going to sound
different as human bodies absorb quite a lot of the higher
frequencies and will prevent you on stage from hearing the
room reflections you heard at the sound check.
4. Watch your volume! There is a fine line between a nice
EXCITING, LOUD band and an ANNOYING, LOUD band.
Hopefully, your sound engineer knows this too.
EXCITING, LOUD band and an ANNOYING, LOUD band.
Hopefully, your sound engineer knows this too.
The thing is, the more experience you have, the easier this becomes, even when starting a completely new band. Some people are also very natural tone finders, just like those freaks you meet who can play the crap out of any instrument they lay hands on, even the FIRST TIME! If you are not one of these people or don't happen to have one in your band, hopefully, the pointers above will set you off in the right direction.
Not only is taking the time to get yourselves sounding great what your fans deserve, but it will also set you WAY apart and above those bands that don't!
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