TimR

I wouldn't bother 'debating' with someone with so little intellect.

Fletcher-Munson. Modern equipment is as loud at midrange and high fequencies as it ever was, but where it excels is in the low frequencies as you need huge amounts of power to get the bass frequencies to double in volume. An increase of volume in the bass range is a lot less noticeable to the human ear. Couple this with modern speakers having a much greater XMax (the distance the cone can move) you get a much louder unit for a smaller speaker size. However the speaker is still what will limit the actual volume. A 100w speaker connected to a 100w valve amp will only produce as much volume as the speaker can handle. Connect it to 1000w and you won't get any more volume out of it as it will physically destroy the cone either mechanically or thermally. (Yes I know. Those particular figures are for demonstration only. ) .

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1476746688' post='3156966'] I must be missing something, I was hoping to hear more comments about how other members value their playing. I don't know how it turned into the Blue Story. That was not my intention. Blue [/quote] You seemed to be asking whether you should persue touring gigs. I thought "in Milwaukee" all the gigs were sown up, the places weren't advertised, and you would have to be invited? In the UK the best way of getting yourself known is to do lots of dep gigs and network with people at gigs. I think somewhere there is an intermediate step missing for you. Somehow you have to get known amongst the other bar bands local to you that play out further afield and make them aware that you're available and willing to dep for them. Maybe even look at theatre work (if they do that sort of thing in the US and you can read.) If you can't read then maybe that something you should be learning. .

[quote name='tedmanzie' timestamp='1476701184' post='3156344'] I'm surprised SO many people here seem to be in bands. If you asked the same question on a guitar forum I bet it would be much much less I've done a couple of gigs with an originals band I put together for a short period, and I use some of my own bass playing in my commercial work, but mostly I like fiddling around on it and learning a few things to try and get better for no real purpose. I'm not averse to a bit of air-bass either, especially when I've been at the air-wine, [/quote] Good drummers and good bass players are in short supply. There are thousands of fairly average guitarists. And it's fairly easy to play a tune and sing on a guitar and produce something worthwhile. Solo bass isn't so appealing.

[quote name='Burns-bass' timestamp='1476656868' post='3156135'] I used to love it. Problem is, I 'enjoyed' a drink too, perhaps a little too much. Mix big-gig adrenaline with the reality that when you leave you're just another normal person out there and it's easier to sit talking rubbish to people until the bar closes. [/quote] Yes. Three hours of adrenaline followed by 21 hours of 'whatever'.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1476643613' post='3155937'] I'm starting to think a little differently about the 4 hour bar gig, festival and fair market. Last night we opened for a national act. All I needed was my bass, and pedal board. Lighting and sound provided. We played for an hour and we're paid twice our 4 hour bar fee. Ok, whether you like it or not this is a business, at least it is for me. I think I'm devaluing myself in the bar band market and should start making plans to move up a bit. It's a hard business and I'm still up for the challenge. Comments, thoughts? Blue [/quote] Travelling is hard. It's a young mans game. Living out of a suitcase in a different 'clone' hotel every night. The worst thing is waking up in the morning and having no one around you but the people you work with to socialise with. It's not for everyone. I guess it depends on how well your contract is written.

[quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1476454602' post='3154494'] I must admit to struggling to find a symphonic, blackened death metal band in deepest, darkest Wales. Especially as I don't drive. [/quote] You may find you have to compromise.

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1476432516' post='3154166'] the ability to recognise fundamental personality incompatibilities soon, and quit bands or fire people is very useful. I see people stuck on the same unhappy situation again and again and stay just out of inertia. It is hard work... but we need to help ourselves a little by doing everything possible to find the right people. And even then it won't be all roses! People, eh? [/quote] 'Start ups' are really hard work. I know some really good experienced musicians that would work really well in a band situation. Currently Inhave a drummer, singer and myself, the missing piece is a guitarist who is willing to "play anything". I have a a very loose idea of what we should be playing and I think I need to cement that and present it to the two guys. We then have to modify it. Then we'll be ready to hit the studio wotha guitarist with 30-40 songs already prepared to either chuck or keep. I'm not sure endless discussions over what we should play are necessary with a group of experiences well motivated people. One huge list of songs that fit the purpose is all that's really needed.

[quote name='timmo' timestamp='1476279228' post='3152967'] Another innocuous topic turned wierd [/quote] It's still running on topic though... ...well it seems to be.

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1476259509' post='3152690'] I was having a very tough week, and I still am, however I also thank you for the understanding and empathy; I do appreciate it ... Some disparaging comments about bedroom warriors do surface from time to time, and I don't like the condescension. Some of us have fewer choices. ... [/quote] That's ok. I know how, when you're having a rough time, everything seems to be a personal dig at you and every little thing becomes a mountain to climb. On the subject of bedroom warriors, the only criticism levelled the them tends to be when they seem to have all the answers but no experience to back it up. There's nothing wrong with staying at home but when they start giving out advice on what gear to use, settings to use in a band context, what music to play, and the miriad of other advice frequently dished out with obviously no experience of it in real life to back it up, it gets a bit silly. Warrior, to me, is a term used to imply you're fighting a cause. Bedroom warrior implies a certain type of individual. .

[quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1476251426' post='3152634'] I've read through this thread a couple of times now and I keep coming back to this reply. Don't really see anything wrong with the topic subject or the way the original posr is/was phrased; I just don't get how the post was unthoughtful. I wholly understand how difficult life can be to accommodate the whims if the gigging musician; our ex-guitarist has a daughter that requires 24 hour care, but I doubt he would have said the post was in any way unthoughtful. Are we heading towards a situation here where we're unable to ask relatively straightforward questions on a forum for fear of upsetting anyone? #confused [/quote] No. I'm guessing geek was just having a tough day.

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1476182681' post='3151985'] I would say your taking a huge risk. Things may work fine but there is always a chance an old capacitor can let go. And they will sooner or later, why take the risk for parts that cost a few quid. [/quote] They'll all be through hole mounted and easily replaced. No surface mount technology like in the behringer.

[quote name='Barking Spiders' timestamp='1476173121' post='3151868'] You say that TimR, Blue but if you don't like or are indifferent about the music you're playing how can you infuse it with that most important of elements, feel!. I've been in this situation enough times and never stayed long. I'd rather be gigless than play stuff I don't like. [/quote] There's a difference between not liking, being indifferent and being too picky and choosy. I've come across musicians who just won't play certain tunes for no other reason than they don't like the artist. Put 4 people like that in the room and you start to severely limit the music you're going to play. Playing in a band is all about compromise, if the members of the band aren't going to compromise on anything then you won't get anywhere.

I've been playing in gigging bands since 1987. If a band isn't working for me I'll look for another one and move. I had a short break between '94 and '96 when I was too busy on my day job but I still practiced during that time. I think the key is not being too precious about the kind of music you play.

Specifically of Six of the Best concert? There is quite a bit of Gabriel doing at least some those tunes at earlier gigs. .

[quote name='ubit' timestamp='1476089481' post='3151040'] We have had the situation where playing pubs, you get folks leaving to go somewhere else or coming in from somewhere else. You don't want to waste your best numbers on a small crowd when you know it's gonna get busier later. I have even resorted to the old " we've had a request to do this one again" trick. It's a bummer if someone sits all night and moans that you are repeating. It can be annoying " wasting" a crowd pleaser on a small crowd. [/quote] There's not a lot of room for 'filling' in a two hour set. Every number should be a strong number. I've never had any negative feedback over playing the same song twice, although it's not really necessary if you've got 30-40 songs to draw from. I think if the first number goes down really well, there's no harm in playing it again.

There something called mean time to failure MTTF. It's a combination of use, cycles, amount of work it has to do. Electircal components will usually last 1,000,000 hours plus, statistically their MTTF are measured in failures per billions of hours. With PCs you get more failures with PCs that are turned on and off a lot than you do with PCs that are left running 24/7. It also depends where you store them. Sheds and garages will see them rust fairly quickly.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1475824789' post='3148943'] Forgive for being a bit cynical what exactly does this achieve? It say "At 10,000 signatures, government will respond to this petition" What sort of response? Thank you we'll have a look at it, meaning Now f*** off so we can make some money with our property development friends... And "At 100,000 signatures, this petition will be considered for debate in Parliament". That doesn't actually mean it will get debated, and you can be sure that even if it does it will be by and handful of backbench MPs late on a Tuesday evening when everyone is ready to go home... [/quote] Seems fraught with difficulties to me. Someone would/will have to write a very careful law that takes into account current levels of 'nuisance noise' being created by the venue and then once any development takes place, demonstrate that the level of 'nuisance noise' has not increased. Maybe venues should apply for some kind of licence to make certain amount of noise between set periods of times. If it's not done carefully you'll just get any old pub playing this card against its neighbours anytime it wants to make a noise. "You moved next to a pub, what did you expect?" Personally I think bands are too loud and getting louder and the 24hour licences now mean pubs can be playing extremely loud music at midnight when previously the noise would have been less intrusive and stopped by 11pm. It's all going to boil down to what the level of noise is and how long it's been going on previous to the development application.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1475947391' post='3150020'] What if the place is more than half empty, wouldn't you want to save all the upbeat popular stuff for when the room is full. If the room never fills I guess it doesn't matter. Blue [/quote] We've been known to play the same song twice. Only ever had one person comment. And they liked it.

[quote name='Mickeyboro' timestamp='1475942078' post='3149971'] I played Sultans of Swing 486 times with my last band - each time the set opener. Settled us down if nothing else, and everyone knows it. [/quote] Good choice.

Are we playing music or trying to kill the audience?

Something that many bands agonise unnecessarily over. I don't think anyone should be playing tunes they think are bland anywhere in the set. It doesn't really matter what tune you start with but it must be 1) Intersting for the audience to listen to and get their attention. 2) Played faultlessly. Bear in mind a lot of bands will use their first song to set levels as the place would have been fairly empty when they do their line level and basic mix check. So if the sound isn't working properly you need to still make a good first impression. You can't do this is both the sound is off and the playing is out.

There's a lot of water in that bath! I think you should have added some Matey. And some candles.

Obviously the article is satire, The Mash being a satirical news site. However, they're quite often very close to the point. Why does the band have to be so loud!? Obviously I enjoy live music and play in a fairly loud band but I've had to leave some pubs at half time due to the volume. We're often rebooked along with comments along the lines of "You're not like a lot of the bands we have in, you can play at a sensible volume." Surely there should be somewhere in the pub you can stand and chat and still hear the music without alienating your audience?

Hand wash it in the bath?