I'm pretty inexperienced playing live - it's once in a blue moon. Anyway, it does happen occasionally and me and "the band" have been asked to play at a friend's 50th birthday party in a few weeks time. Great!...
In all likelihood we will be playing outside (they're doing a weekend camping thing and trying to create a Festy atmosphere). I've never performed outside before. Is there anything to look out for? (snakes obviously).
My main concern at the moment is my amp situation. I've been using a 5w Rift amp in rehearsals - it's small in a small room - but seems loud enough? (particularly if boosted by a pedal). Will this change if we're outside? I've never been to their place unfortunately but I don't think it's Woodstock or anything, I think we'll be playing just in front of the house to a garden, maybe a field?? I think there will be a PA of sorts for vocals but I don't think we'll be getting anything elaborate. I have a Blues Deluxe which might be fun to crank up a bit but I've been preferring the tones from the Rift and have got used to it. Can I just go with the Rift and not worry or would it be better to start to rehearse/get the sound right with the Blues Deluxe?
The songs/set are from a '70's rock direction - Clapton, Creedance, The Band, JJ Cale etc. so a mix of clean and driven....
Many thanks...
Comments
I've done gigs in car parks and fields/gardens, and if you can mic up so it's all going through the PA I would. I'm sure that amp will get lost on it's own.
Sometimes people put bands on in this sort of situation where you're expected to play on grass with an extension lead coming from a kitchen window...and of course in the UK there's always a chance of rain!
I'd make sure you know fully what the situation is going to be upfront.
If you use a pedal board you'd struggle to see LEDs in the daytime, and if there isn't a solid surface to play on might be worth using some wooden boards or such like to stick amps/pedal boards etc onto.
Could be fun of course, but plenty to check out upfront if you can.
If it's for a garden party the Rift will probably do it, but if it's anything bigger I wouldn't rely on it unless you can definitely go through the PA, especially if you want a clean sound.
The main thing to watch out for is rain, or damp ground - if you're using an extension cable which is connected back to a wall socket and a modern distribution box in the house there's no real risk, but make sure anything that can get rained on can be covered or wrapped in plastic (a roll of bin-bags is ideal for emergencies) if you get an unexpected shower.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
The wind blowing things away is something I hadn't thought about but I will now!
Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
I guessing just turning the treble down and the bass up at the amp may not be enough?
PA speakers. Usually you will have the normal pair of 'tops' (1x12" + horn, typically) but for more bottom end there may be a pair (or just one) sub, usually a 1x15" or 1x18" which only handles very low frequencies, usually from the bass guitar and kick drum - they shouldn't really be needed for guitars.
Ideally yes, or the sound may be a bit unbalanced unless he has a much bigger amp that can hold its own.
If the PA is big enough and preferably has sub(s), yes. If not, no since trying to use the PA to reproduce too much bass will take available power away from the vocals and guitars and make the whole thing muddy and confused-sounding. A more powerful bass amp can often be the better solution.
No - in fact that may make things worse for a similar reason… trying to make the amp produce more bass when the output section is at its limit will actually reduce headroom and volume, and make the sound become squashed or farty and lose definition.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Also also the sound will seem flat - nothing coming back off the 'walls' so any comfort reverb you use might need to go up a bit
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum
Oh, and have fun.