Almost spat the dummy last night and took up golf..

[niceguyhomer]

Did a horrible gig last night in Heysham near Morecambe. It was a venue we've never done before - we'd been recommended by another regular venue just up the road. I asked the manager why he hadn't put the posters up I'd sent him and he said that the dog (more likely one of the bar staff) had chewed them. Fair enough, he did put one of his home-made ones up I sent but instead of "fantastic soul band" he'd written "fantastic blues band". Lovely.

Anyways, we set up on a cramped stage and started to soundcheck. The sound in the room was appauling - it was long and narrow with big oak beams and partitioning - the sound 15-20ft from the stage was awful but try as we may, we couldn't do anything about it.

We played a couple of songs to set levels and then sat down for a beer. We went on stage at 9.15 and did about 8 bars of the first song and...phut...silence. We stood around scratching our arses for the next 10 minutes trying to find what the problem was when somebody in the audience perked up and said it was the sound limiter. It would have been nice to have been told.

The manager then came up and told his he had a single socket that by-passed the circuit so..."put everything through that lads".. Now - I'm not an electrician, but I find the idea of putting all that gear through one plug socket a bit disturbing. After more arse scratching, we agree to give it a go after he reassured us that ".. all the other bands do it". A quick look at the forthcoming events poster kinda indicated that all they ever have on is bloody duos and karaoke.

So - we reconnect and power up again and with that, the guitarist's amp screams like a banshee feeding back to the point where everyone in the room sat cringing with their hands over their ears thinking a plane was about to crash into the pub. Then the guitarist loses it big time and chucks his Telecaster across the stage saying "that's it, we're not doing it".

More arse scratching followed and so I pulled all my leads out of everything and went outside to cool off cos by now it was getting very warm in there in more ways than one. Twenty more minutes passed, eventually the other band members decide to do it after all and by now there was a room full of disgruntled people.

Ten o' clock had passed but we went on and did the gig and amazingly, we played really well in the circumstances but I don't know whether it was the kafuffle at the start or not, but we went down like whale sh1t. It was like playing to a room full of people condemned to a slow death.

Another one like that and I'll definitely be taking up golf.

[warwickhunt]

Oh yes they happen!

Play long and often enough and you get to spot them as soon as you turn up. On one or two occasions I've played a blinder, maybe because I feel I've got something to prove and I give it my all... other times, who gives a f*ck!

Anyway how far could you reasonably expect to tw*t a golf ball with a Sterling? Now a Steinberger, that'd be a decent putter.

[Scoop]

Sound Limiters (shudder)

Thanks. I won't sleep tonight coz of that.

Nightmare gig by the sound of it but sh*t like that happens from time to time and it at least gives you something to reminisce about. I once played at a place called the Commodore in Birkenhead (now, happily, demolished) and mid way through the 2nd set the drummer disappeared into the beer cellar when the floorboards gave way underneath him.

Or the Black Horse in Wallasey Village when we did a Sunday afternoon to one man and a dog. Usually you get two men at the very least. But no... we had one man and a dog. And both of them actually lived at the pub. There wasn't a single solitary customer for the entire time we were on stage.

We used it as a paid rehearsal and did a load of new material we hadn't gigged before. Some songs were made up right there and then on the spot.

As you may have gathered, I had my fair share of run ins with sound limiters over the years too. Hateful bloody things.

Take up golf anyway, its a good way of getting gig stress out of the system

[3V17C]

ah sound limiters...... what a nightmare those things are.

there was one in a venue near here that would go off if you shouted loud enough - and thats unamplified - just natural voice! we played the quietest gig of all time there and all the while with one eye on the limiter as it permanently hovered near the red cut out point!

i never really get it when places have to have those restrictions but still happily go ahead and book loud/metal/rock bands who will obviously set it off or have to compromoise their sound by playing ridiculously quietly.

peace

c

[lowhand_mike]

aww, that sucks.
we had been told on several occasions of limiters being in place but they have fortunately never gone off and we aint exactly quiet.

know what you mean about playing to a room of corpses, for some reason we get alot of people thre but it takes ages for anyone to actually get into it or they just stand or sit there and stare. which is odd cos at the end of the night we get people saying "that was fantastic" etc. so what to do to get them moving, i have no idea.
the only time they did get moving was at our own gig that we set up, maybe we need to supply cans of red bull on the door.

you could always take up fishing as that along with the equipment you can get would easily replace you bass GAS.

Edited August 13, 2007 by lowhand_mike

[Tinman]

All of my 'Forces base' gigs are like playing in a graveyard. No-one dances until the last 2 numbers and then they shout for more, by which time we've run out of material. We come off stage and get told we were fantastic to which we ask "where were you for the last 2 hours then?" in reply we get "I was talking to me mate" or "couldn't dance, I was holdin me pint" arse! It really gets on my wick when that happens.

[beerdragon]

I played my first gig friday night with my new band, the guitarist gets the gigs. he got one in a local pub. where, and he told me this on several occiasons, that is amp feeds back, i thought its just a coincedence but sure enough half way through the first set i could hear these horrible sounds coming from his direction. its interesting what you said niceguyhomer about all the band going through one socket, i dont think we where. he was plugged in one side of the room and i was in another socket, althought the double socket i was plugged into only one side worked. maybe there's a bad earth somewhere. i'm glad to say i only had a few finger fumblings the whole night, it was the singer who made all the c*ck ups.

[MB1]

MB1.

NO!.......ANYTHING...........BUT........GOLF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[niceguyhomer]

It's an age thing MB1

[bassninja]

GRRR... sound limiters, eh?

I've suffered from 10 to 11 syndrome in pubs for yonks too.

The silence between numbers, the tolling of a distant church bell, tumbleweed blowing across the 'stage' etc etc.

Until, at 10 to 11: "MAWWWRRRR!! MAWWWRRR!!!" (where have you been all night then?) Almost as bad as "can you do Bohemian Rhapsody?"

I've found audiences in Europe are often a bit more on side (not always of course...) Anyone have a view on overseas bar/club gigs?

[bass_ferret]

Peoples involvement increases with drink. If they peak at closing time..................

Done lots of gigs that sucked and been told after we were the best band they ever had - but I bet they say that every week.

Sounds like you gig was pants Homer but it happens and its mostly down to the venue management being tossers. We often dont get told the times etc. Bet you wont be going back!

Unfortunately noise limiters are likely to become more prevelant under 'elf n safety masturbation.

[warwickhunt]

[quote name='bassninja' post='44973' date='Aug 13 2007, 08:02 PM']GRRR... sound limiters, eh?

I've suffered from 10 to 11 syndrome in pubs for yonks too.

The silence between numbers, the tolling of a distant church bell, tumbleweed blowing across the 'stage' etc etc.

Until, at 10 to 11: "MAWWWRRRR!! MAWWWRRR!!!" (where have you been all night then?) Almost as bad as "can you do Bohemian Rhapsody?"

I've found audiences in Europe are often a bit more on side (not always of course...) Anyone have a view on overseas bar/club gigs?[/quote]

Did a self financed pub tour of original material in Holland and Germany 15 years ago and we went down a storm every single night even though they didn't know a single song. Added to which the bars provided PA/backline/drums (good quality) and they invariably fed and watered us! However the drummer got on my t*ts after 4 days and I nearly decked him over personal hygiene issues... How dare he say I stank!

[stewblack]

We did a gig in a local village hall and I'd been told there was a sound limiter so was dreading it. the guy who booked us said not to worry as he was a bit of a whizz at the technical side of life and had watched carefully while it was being installed, and ahem wink wink , we had nothing to worry about! Sure enough - no problems. the audience remained seated throughout and yes, many told us they'd loved the gig. weird way some folks have of showing it.

[niceguyhomer]

I think we're going to make it band policy not to play anywhere with sound limiters in future and also make it a condition that if they wanna see a live band, we wanna see a living audience.

[Paul Cooke]

[quote name='Tinman' post='44802' date='Aug 13 2007, 01:53 PM']All of my 'Forces base' gigs are like playing in a graveyard. No-one dances until the last 2 numbers and then they shout for more, by which time we've run out of material. We come off stage and get told we were fantastic to which we ask "where were you for the last 2 hours then?" in reply we get "I was talking to me mate" or "couldn't dance, I was holdin me pint" arse! It really gets on my wick when that happens.[/quote]

you're lucky that anyone turned up...

single room accommodation and singlies living off base killed entertainment on bases...

now the good old days, when we had 4 man rooms and you had to request permission before you could live off base... plus few singlies had the dough for a car anyway...

[2wheeler]

At my brother's wedding reception, the limiter kept tripping. It turned out that the "problem" was not the sound system but all of [i]us[/i] singing and clapping along too loudly

[MB1]

[quote name='niceguyhomer' date='Aug 13 2007, 05:53 PM' post='44925']
It's an age thing MB1

MB1.
you cannot possibly be that old!.......

[niceguyhomer]

I am. My broad mind and narrow waist have definitely changed places.

[GreeneKing]

[quote]we played really well[/quote]

That to me says it all Alan. You played well despite difficult conditions. What more can you do except be chuffed with that. A lot of people don't actually like ANY music. I can't imagine that myself.

Peter

[OldGit]

[quote name='niceguyhomer' post='45143' date='Aug 14 2007, 09:02 AM']I think we're going to make it band policy not to play anywhere with sound limiters in future and also make it a condition that if they wanna see a live band, we wanna see a living audience. [/quote]

Yeah that's on our rider - er well it's a rule I make when taking gigs.
Sound limiters are there 'cos the venue has an ASBO against it from the neighbours.

As one guy put it one time
Organiser "There's a bloke across the road who comes in and shouts at the bands when it gets too loud"
Me "Ok thanks. How do I know which one he is"
Organiser "He carries an axe"

Hummmmmmmmmmmmm


Have you noticed that sound limiters are now set for bass rather than vocals or guitar - used to be we could play pretty loud but the guitarist couldn't .. seems they have worked out that bass travels through buildings more than lead or vox...

[The Funk]

I'd never heard of sound limiters before reading this thread. I'm going to have nightmares.

[OldGit]

[quote name='The Funk' post='45515' date='Aug 14 2007, 11:27 PM']I'd never heard of sound limiters before reading this thread.[/quote]

You lucky man

Stage power goes through a socket attached to a thing that turns off if you play too loud. Too loud is a strange concept but it's usually around 98 db .. That's a good shout or scream, an anouncement or a folk song played quietly on acoustic guitars by nuns....

You generally get a traffic light indicator. Green is OK (total silence, usually) orange is "watch it guys" and light the orange for, say 10 seconds, and red comes on. 5 seconds on red and poooooooft! off goes the power. Try explaining that to your amp's power stage ...

Lots of venues will allow you to run a power lead to a non affected socket but that means you play louder than the room's ASBO allows and that ain't good so just avoid those venues.

[Hamster]

Heysham - that's your problem. I spent a fortnight in Heysham one Saturday evening

Hamster

[WalMan]

The problem with limiters often seems to be the really cheap Radioshack mike they use to feed it that has the wierdest frequency curve you have ever seen. The drummer can hit his snare with tree trunks and nothing, but the lightest tap on the bass drum and everything trips.

That of course leads to the mad panic to switch everything off before the power comes back on and spikes your amp / the keyboard players sampler / whatever.

The you get places like a gig we do regularly that has the traffic lights in but nothing seems to be connected as the power never goes out whatever we do - HURRAH!!

[The Funk]

[quote name='OldGit' post='45536' date='Aug 14 2007, 11:52 PM']You generally get a traffic light indicator. Green is OK (total silence, usually) orange is "watch it guys" and light the orange for, say 10 seconds, and red comes on. 5 seconds on red and poooooooft! off goes the power.[/quote]

Oh, I think I've seen one of those. They have one in the Spice of Life in Soho. It must be bypassed because it's permanently on full red.