Soundprrson vs guitarist

shufflebeat

One other little detail that bugged me and I think worth mentioning.

Good sound in a room doesn't begin with faders up, it begins with the band, the musical arrangement, system design/placement and situational context.

I did a gig recently with four Latin drummers (Brazil, not Rome) and three amatuer singers playing to backing tracks. It was quite tough because I needed to find the sweet spot between the vocals/BT being heard over the drums (unamplified in a small room but played at 100% at all times) while trying to create a mood.

If I'd known what they would be doing I would have set the stage very differently to make the most of the elements and I think the band will learn a lot about listening to each other from their friends' recordings.

People were pretty happy but for me it was all problem solving rather than being in any way creative.

maltingsaudio

shufflebeat said:

People were pretty happy but for me it was all problem solving rather than being in any way creative.

For me it’s the problem solving to produce the best that is possible with the gigs limitations which is the fun for me. 

I agree with what you said “ had you known “ which is why communication befor the gig is so important.

I did a 30 piece samba band two weeks ago at a Chilli Festival and just turned the PA off !

PolarityMan

Oh I think one reason that sometimes guitarists get the brunt of this rather than other instruments is because of the vocals. Obv we share a lot of frequency space with them, if you combine that with a mumbling singer I guess it can be pretty ahrd to control the feedback from the monitors on stage and get the vocals above everything else..so i guess..duck the guitars..easy way out. 

shufflebeat

PolarityMan said:

Oh I think one reason that sometimes guitarists get the brunt of this rather than other instruments is because of the vocals. Obv we share a lot of frequency space with them, if you combine that with a mumbling singer I guess it can be pretty ahrd to control the feedback from the monitors on stage and get the vocals above everything else..so i guess..duck the guitars..easy way out. 

That would be lazy and inappropriate and would undermine the whole point of the exercise.

It's true that a good soundtech will want to build around the vocal, more people pay money to hear a singer than a kick drum or a guitar preset, although it takes all sorts.

Ideally guitar creates something cohesive with kit and bass, etc. and together they provide the vehicle for the singer to travel on.

What's to argue about?