Open mic questions

thecolourbox

Hi all

When open mics are underway properly again I fancy trying some. Either playing stuff accompanied by electric guitar only, or maybe with some basic rhythm keeping stored on a looper for more uptempo stuff

But it's been ages since I've done one and I would like to ask what stuff I could take and not look like an annoying plonker with too much kit with me

Would I be ok with:

1. My own amp, or do I have to use theirs?
2. A small pedal board - drive, fuzz, looper (would there be a plug to plug PSU into? Or battery only?)

Actually not sure about the looper thing as it would be better not going into my amp if it was playing a basic rhythm. Though I'm likely to be using a pedal sized power amp so as long as my drive pedal is a preamp then that should be ok (unless I have to use their amp!!)

How would I be best kiting out?

Thanks

EricTheWeary

I've done a few in the past and it's been supplied backline unless by prior agreement ( doing a twenty minute band set as an audition as part of an open mic evening). 
Certainly seen people take pedalboards, probably will be a plug socket somewhere but obviously takes the uncertainty out of it if you use a rechargeable source like a Volto. 
Probably just go to one the week before and see how it's set up. 

thecolourbox

Cheers Phil that's useful. So I suppose a preamp drive or character pedal is probably the best bet to look for, as long as it's a 9v one so could be battery powered. Hadn't thought until I typed the above about power supply availability, nor budgeted for a volto but I suppose batteries are ok if I pick the right pedal. Hmm

spark240

Get over to The Feathers in Lichfield ...I’ll do a couple with you if ŷou like !

ICBM

thecolourbox said:

How would I be best kiting out?

My experience is that travelling as light as possible is best - it not only makes you not look like a plonker, if you're only playing three songs or so you don't want to waste time setting up a whole lot of kit. The stage area might not be big either.

It's always better to use their amp - saves faffing around, mic'ing yours etc. Be prepared for it to be crap/not an electric guitar amp/not there at all, and plan ahead so that whatever you take can be plugged into it or the PA (ie preferably has speaker simulation or at least good EQ, if you're going to use an overdriven sound). Although it's amazing what you can get away with if you have to and are familiar with quickly re-adjusting your pedals...

It's also best if you can use battery-powered pedals. Less to faff around with, quicker and actually more reliable - typical cheap power supplies can break, and there may also not be a socket within easy reach if it doesn't have a long enough cable. No pedal will eat batteries quickly enough not to get you through a short set, so battery failure isn't a problem as long as you know they're good to begin with.

A looper for rhythm tracks should be fine even if it has to go straight into the PA - it's highly unlikely there won't be enough spare channels, and if it's running on batteries you don't need to worry about a ground loop so you can just use a guitar cable into a line input, it doesn't have to be via a DI box.

Your performance is going to be *way* more important than anything to do with your sound .

thecolourbox

Thanks IC that's also very useful and has helped focus my mind on what pedal(s) to play through as I'd thought at various points of getting a small selection of Mooer/Minipedal things but I think it's overkill when there is a "one pedal does everything" option I could get that would simplify it.

Thinking the Digitech RP360 - 9v power supply so add a Volto to power it. It's got the same models I use on my GSP1101 rack thing at home, can be used in Stomp mode so I can just set up a preset the same as my base tone on the GSP and then switch in and out the comp/boost, fuzz, and hopefully either a second longer delay on top of the standard slapback (may not be possible, researching it).

With that I can set up three versions of the same preset - into front of amp, into amp fx return, into PA. That way I should be covered right?

EDIT: I have a nano sized pedal train knock off thing which is small and would fit inside my amp cab were I to ever take that.

spark240 said:

Get over to The Feathers in Lichfield ...I’ll do a couple with you if ŷou like !

Hopefully in time, not sure I'm ready yet for non-anonymous fretboarder feedback haha

Snags

Best advice is to go along to a few that you're interested in, but as a consumer rather than a performer. I've found that different venues/organisers have different approaches, and what's acceptable at one will make you very unpopular at another.

Some will be acoustic only, some acoustic-biased because that's what people bring, and some very much electric and heavy, with a house band, or others who will sit in on drums, bass etc. (with greater or lesser competence).

Some value originals, some only seem happy with the same trite covers that everyone else does.

So it pays to do a little bit of homework, and maybe contact the organiser ahead of time. Particularly at the moment - all of the organisers I know are planning on making "bring your own mic" a requirement (a £20 Behringer will do) when they start up again, becasue of Covid.

The common factors that go well across all of them are:

• be prompt, even if the organiser isn't (most are, some are chaotic)
• bring as little gear as possible
• know when you're on, assuming you're told, and start getting your stuff out, guitar tuned etc. during the previous person's last number - changeovers need to be quick and efficient so everyone gets a fair crack
• generally it's three songs and piss off, and keep the chat to a minimum (i.e. a bit of background to a song, but get on with it and don't waste time)
• it's considered polite not to do your set and then leave, particularly if you expect to come back again

As a rule there will be suitable PA/backline available, and possibly a common pedalboard (although I hate that, because you have to take a bit of time to workout what the hell is on it). I have played one venue locally where if you're electric they prefer you to bring your own amp, and it needs to be loud enough to not need micing, so you have to balance it with the sound guy who's doing the vocals/acoustic instruments. All of the others have kit available, certainly for a solo performer, and wanting to run your own as a newbie doesn't always win friends and influence people.

Most of the ones around this way are really friendly and good fun. A couple can disappear up their own chuffs a bit, but you soon work out which.

maltingsaudio

All the local ones which have started again insist on you bringing your own mic and cables, just a heads up

Cols

maltingsaudio said:

All the local ones which have started again insist on you bringing your own mic and cables, just a heads up

Mic I can understand, but why cable?

Snags

@Cols based on discussions around here I think it's to minimise risks of transfer when plugging/unplugging.

I guess the theory is that the mic stand head can be wiped down between use, and whoever's manning the desk can manage some sanitisation at that end more easily than having people wander up and just paw everything.

As one still needs to put a jack in the guitar that's either going to have to be butler service, or sanitise before plugging up as well. Somewhere down the line there has to be a point of shared contact, though, so a shared cable but hand-sanitise between each person would seem adequate to me.

Cols

Seems like overkill.

The mic makes sense, singers are breathing all over them.  

No-one’s breathing heavily over cables, unless they’ve got a really weird fetish.

Cirrus

Most singers hold the mic and cable to avoid straining the connector at the mic end. They touch the cable. Even if they don't the cable is hanging one mic-length away from their mouths, from which any amount of detritus will be flying.

Plus, if everyone uses the same mic cable, then person after person will be touching the xlr connector/ cable up at that end. Making people bring their own makes perfect sense to me, to be honest.

midlifecrisis

I ran an open mic for about5 years and i always tried to accomodate whatever people brought. I much preferred it though if they used my backline or went through the desk. saved loads of time. Some people brought silly sized massive pedal boards, one guy even brought his own light show.  If time was short /loads of people wanting to play, id really discourage them from bringing to much kit. its not the kit thats the problem, is the time they spend frigging around with it, bores the audience too. 

thecolourbox

Thanks all, I've not managed to sort anything out yet as my work has taken over my life sadly. 

I'm ok taking my own mic and cables, seems sensible to me to be honest. In terms of kit to take with, I do now have a pedal sized amp inside my cab should the venue prefer this, but my plan would still just to take a minimal pedal setup to sort a clean/crunch/fuzz thing. Whether that's the cheap Digitech modelling thing or a amp-in-a-box pedal plus comp/boost plus fuzz, I still don't know. The only AIAB that's within budget seems to be the Joyo things, I didn't like the Fender one at all so maybe the Mesa one would do it. But yeah - max 3 pedals on a nano board possibly powered by battery or phone powerbank thing. That should be ok I reckon? Oh crap forgot if I need a rhythm track to play along to. Hmm.

Thinking about it, performing electric is pretty pointless by myself isn't it, the setup drawbacks aren't anywhere near outweighed by the result.

The acoustic folk club thing i've been to before is back open which is great - they have only a mic hanging from above so no risk, nothing else plugs in and the sound is surprisingly brilliant. But again I've not had the time to practice the singing enough yet to put anything together to go there, it's only a two song and swap thing but obviously you're on you're own on a stage so rather exposed, therefore you want to be as good as you can be before you decide to go

TheBigDipper

thecolourbox said:

<snip>

The acoustic folk club thing i've been to before is back open which is great - they have only a mic hanging from above so no risk, nothing else plugs in and the sound is surprisingly brilliant. But again I've not had the time to practice the singing enough yet to put anything together to go there, it's only a two song and swap thing but obviously you're on you're own on a stage so rather exposed, therefore you want to be as good as you can be before you decide to go

Heavens, no! If you did that, you'd never go, ever. Just pop down and do something once you can get through a couple of songs without stopping dead. It's fun! 

thecolourbox

TheBigDipper said:

thecolourbox said:

<snip>

The acoustic folk club thing i've been to before is back open which is great - they have only a mic hanging from above so no risk, nothing else plugs in and the sound is surprisingly brilliant. But again I've not had the time to practice the singing enough yet to put anything together to go there, it's only a two song and swap thing but obviously you're on you're own on a stage so rather exposed, therefore you want to be as good as you can be before you decide to go

Heavens, no! If you did that, you'd never go, ever. Just pop down and do something once you can get through a couple of songs without stopping dead. It's fun! 

Ha no I know that's what I did last time, this exhausting my repertoire of folk songs in keys I can sing along to and play at the same time

Snags

thecolourbox said:

Thinking about it, performing electric is pretty pointless by myself isn't it, the setup drawbacks aren't anywhere near outweighed by the result.

I've gone "solo electric" at a couple and it's fine. No backing track, no dicking about, using either my board or a house board. Pick the right songs and it's just a bit of dirt and maybe some delay and you're fine. Backing tracks etc. are all well and good, but IME most open mics aren't really looking for that level of complication, and it can create potential aggro for the organiser. Swift on, do it, swift off wins brownie points. It also makes you think a bit more about how to do the songs.

That said, it's also useful to know the place you're going. One around here there's almost always a cajon on stage, and someone willing to sit on it and bash out some rhythm. And there used to be a 'house bassist' who would sit in on pretty much anything. Another one has a fully electric open mic night with loads of people who will sit in on drums, keys, bass, other instruments, even if you're doing originals. Just give them a rough rhythm and the changes, and they're fine. Although it helps if you know who to ban from getting up with you, because they're tone deaf

obviously you're on you're own on a stage so rather exposed, therefore you want to be as good as you can be before you decide to go

What @TheBigDipper said - just crack on, it's better to break the ice than aim for perfection. Not least because however perfect it is at home, it probably won't be as good for the first few times live anyway. Just find a supportive place, not a judgemental one.

thecolourbox

Thanks it's all useful advice from everybody so I'm grateful.

I know I won't be perfect, because I'm not really very good, but for example the folk night I literally have no other songs to do there so would prefer to only go back when I've had time to learn a few others and not just to finger pick pop songs and hope they don't notice (it's an old school crowd, I think I was probably half the average age when I went!). In terms of the electric, my original songs are quite "production dependant" so until I can get the stuff finished I've been trying to work on for a while that is more just guitar and "banging a tambourine on the beat" there's no point me attending to play, only to scout out a good environment for when I am ready.

But then there's the restrictions on places currently, plus the fact because I'm shit at my job I'm having to work 11 hours a day to try to catch up so getting myself drilled enough to get out there is hard. My voice is also dying on a daily basis becausde of having to talk on the phone so much during the day so singing practice has been out.

Woe is me, thoughts and prayers, small violins etc etc

Jeremiah

I normally just take my guitar and a Boss GT-1, which I  set up with a basic clean amp/speaker simulation sound and plug into the PA.

It sounds OK, is quick to set up and runs on batteries, and I don't normally faff around changing patches and stuff between songs, though I do have one patch with tremolo for a particular song, and versions of my setup with and without reverb.

mudslide73

spark240 said:

Get over to The Feathers in Lichfield ...I’ll do a couple with you if ŷou like !

@spark240 We play the Feathers two or three times a year and auditioned at one of Michael's open mic nights. Great venue - always lots of fun to play under his "Floyd" light show. (me frowning on the LP).

@thecolourbox Let me know when you're comfortable with Fretboarders and I'll be there too. Villa and Wolves central in Lichy nowadays tho

thecolourbox

Cheers I'm getting there (though been doing more piano than guitar of late due to my crapness at guitar.

Also I've adopted a policy of footballing neutrality as I'd rather that be a talking point than how quickly we can be relegated...