TimR

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1346591653' post='1790877'] Take this with a pinch of salt, as I've no covers band experience, but it seems that some of the best received covers bands I've seen have been the ones who react quickly and include a couple of this months (or even this weeks) hits in their set. It doesn't even seem to matter if the style is totally inappropriate, as forty-something rock dudes doing Lady Gaga or whatever can make for an entertaining night. If Pulp, Ocean Colour Scene, Oasis and the Stone Roses (which could be 10-20 years old depending on song choice) are the more recent stuff in your set, this might be worth a try. [/quote] You're right. That and they're not responsive to their audience. If the pub is full of 18-30s play recent stuff. 30-50 70s and 80s, 60+ and play 60s music.

Fair point but that's mainly families. Drinking canned beer? I'd rather poke my eyes out. People who want to see live music will come and see live music. I think FaceBook and forums have a place in this with people staying in and chatting on line rather than meeting strangers in pubs.

Bands are getting louder. I can just about take an hour of being played at. CDs mean that the dynamics of tunes are being reduced songs are either slow and quiet or fast and loud. As performers we need to up our game to get people to sit up and say, that sounds good I'm staying here till the end. Add dynamics and over emphasise the existing ones. Playing the same old tunes because that's what the punters want is one thing but there are loads of tunes out there that nobody plays. The bands that play in St. Albans are very good at doing this and I suspect that getting gigs there is hard. Might have something to do with Hertforshire University Arts being located very close.

Agree in writing songwriting credits and make a simple recording as soon as you've written the song, or sooner.

Well if you're continuing in that vein. Friends of mine were approached to be signed. Great, they loved the image, that they could all play well and read, the only snag was their music was cr.p. The label had a writer, all they had to do was drop all their tunes and play what the label provided. Or Another band that were signed to a restrictive exclusive deal and kept out of the studio for a long time; 3 years+. While another band who looked and sounded very similar were given all the breaks.

There will no doubt be other issues that as a friend they may feel that they couldn't talk about. Friends are often odd and won't say things for fear of upsetting you. I was chucked out of a band due to not having long hair. To this day I still meet long haired musicians who seem to think that their long hair is a very important aspect of their lives and think not having hair must be a real worry for me. Looking back, the image was only part of it. A lot if it was due to my attitude which probably didn't come across in the way I'd hoped. Also my playing wasn't quite as good as I thought and not as good as one of their other friends. Anyway the 'interest' ended up being a loser and the bands music went downhill, my playing wasn't great but I helped rein the mad guitarist back (I suspect this was part of why they got rid of me). The fan base drifted (I had a big circle of friends who stopped going to the gigs). People bring different things to bands apart from image and playing ability. The big part of a band is the hang. They may have trouble integrating another bass player, they may not. You shouldn't have much trouble finding another band.

Maybe you should get some strippers in too.

I think if you are drawing a good crowd you can go on an estimated £2/punter. So if you're playing to 200 in a pub at least £400. If you've only got 50 people in the audience and you're asking £250 you have to try to justify why/how the landlord can pay you £5 a head. If you can justify that on the strength of what they are spending then charge it.

Quote all gigs on an individual basis but base them on a standard rate. Factor in repeat gigs and ability to pay. Eg if you'll get a residency from a pub then it's worth doing 12 for £250, if it's a one off wedding at a big venue a lot more. So no such thing as mates rates. If you want to do the gig you drop the price accordingly. £300 is a lot for a 3 piece playing in a back garden, not a lot for a function room of a hotel. My band are happy as individuals to play for free but not happy to be taken advantage of. When you drop your price by £300 for a mate and then find he's put £300 on the bar you start to feel like you're paying for his guests drinks!

Yes. Drums and bass is a partnership. You both have to listen to each other. If it's a one way street and the drummer just insists on playing what he wants it can get very frustrating. You're spoiled now. Once you play with a drummer with good ears and feel you can never go back. I played with a bad drummer for so long I began to doubt my ability as a bass player. Depping for 3 bands was all it took to convince me to quit. I've since been told that the wrong person quit....

It's standard practice to charge for missed lessons. Even my dentist charges if you cancel less than 48hours. I believe the NHS won't rebook you if you miss an appointment and you just go back to the end of the line. We ask for a non returnable deposit when we take bookings for gigs. If it's just one student then next time he calls tell him that he's missed his slot this week and will have to wait until next week, that it's becoming a regular occurrence and if he cancels again within 48hours he'll be charged for the missed lesson.

This is another one of those 'I don't understand physics but when I turn up the mids I hear more distortion, therefore turning up the mid causes distortion'. It's just like 'If I stand further from my bass amp I can hear it better, therefore sound waves from bass take longer to develop.' Distortion is mainly second order harmonics added to your original signal. If you turn up the bass, the fundamental will get louder but the volume of the distortion will not increase. If you cut the mid then the distortion appears to decrease because you hear more fundamental. So effectively, yes, turning up the mid will increase the distortion, but only if the distortion is occurring before the EQ stage, eg in the preamp gain section or via a pedal etc.

Phone number and e-mail address. Put them in as JPGs so you don't get spam. I'm not alone in getting put off by clunky contact forms. It's not clear where your setlist is, I took a punt and guessed it would be under Music - listen now. You should also include a wider range of songs from your setlist. It looks like you are aiming your setlist at teenagers. A guide price? I know every gig is different but it would be nice to know roughly how much you charge. Just for the standard performance with a simple caveat for travelling and standing around time being extra.

I've just got round to listen with the headphones. I think the big issue is that you're getting a chorus effect with some of the basses with the original bass sound. On some of the basses the chorus effect is more noticeable and others less. The Warwick seems a bit less bassy. The Alembic and the '95 Stingray seem to have more chorus. Liked the Alembic though and will have a look out for one to try.

I always visit pubs ask if the landlord/lady is in then buy a pint and chat. You are your own best advert.

This is one thing that really frustrates me. The idea of equal temperament was that it allowed instruments to be played in any key. What it doesn't allow you to do is transpose from any key to any other key. It's an approximation and a tune in the key in A has a different sound to a tune in the key of C. Not just pitch. Otherwise singer/songwriters would always write songs in one key. Reserve transposing for soloists who have to sing a certain song in a show, not for songs you will be playing for weeks on end. I've found it can often lead to several problems: 1. The singer starts to want everything transposed to 'his/her' key and you end up with a bland set-list with everything in more or less the same key. 2. They start using it as an excuse not to sing certain songs when you get fed up with transposing and decide to stand your ground. 3. You waste time spending hours trying to find a key that fits their range but also sounds good. 4. Somebody decides to practice at home to an MP3 on the day of the gig, and a car crash results. This happened to me with 3 false starts on We Are The Champions because the keyboard player had been practising the intro at home on the day of a big gig. That's a really exposed start to mess things up on, with no way to recover! I would always advocate if the singer struggles with a song then choose another song, there are millions out there.

[quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1344415350' post='1763992'] Heres the thing - in the studio little things can sound fantastic. The stuff that you do live than nobody ever notices will be heard! Its easy to overplay and a lot harder to just sit in the pocket and nail a groove. Have fun - good luck [/quote] This is why it is important to record your tracks and listen and make sure everything is ok before you go into the studio.

Not really any such thing. I would recommend that the band record themselves on a cheap mp3 recorder and all listen back before you lay out any money on a studio recording. That way there will be no argument afterwards that people weren't playing what was required. Well, less arguing anyway

... and if you're going to include cases then 2 cases for 15"/4x10" and a case for a head is going to be close to £1k anyway. Are cases backline?

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1344175366' post='1760686'] ... I added a 2x10" Warwick to a 15" trace and got some weird cancelling effects. Mixing manufacturers can have weird effects. ... [/quote] So I got rid of the 15" and bought another 2x10" and stack them vertically so there are 4 speakers in a single column. Awesome sound.

Again, read the link. You've got 3 problems with an 8x10". Vertical and horizontal interference between each speaker and off axis response from the 10"s. It's not sound waves travelling at different speeds or taking time to develop.

[quote name='Stacker' timestamp='1344199471' post='1761209'] come on.... [/quote] I made my comment at 8:20, you replied an hour and a half later and expect me to reply to it in 5 minutes? I'm not here all day! Then there is no way you could have read and understood every page on that link in the short time before your next post. Relax. There's a lot of myths in the bass world about sound propagation. There are also a lot of myths about 10s, 12s, 15s and 18s etc Read the link and the other pages properly.

The only time standing close to your rig is bad is when you have the speaker pointing at your knees. ie a 4x10, a single 15, or a 2x10. As explained in the link, the high frequencies are directional and will have a narrow off axis response. ie the highs and mids will only reach your ears if you stand about 10ft in front of your cab. Tilt your cab up and hey presto the highs and mids are directed to your ears. The op has stacked 15s he should be able to hear the top one with no issues.

[quote name='Stacker' timestamp='1344199637' post='1761218'] And? [/quote] Read and understand everything on that link. You're right it's physics but you're applying it incorrectly.

[quote name='Stacker' timestamp='1344199118' post='1761198'] Really? I'm always willing to learn, so why don't you explain where I'm 'completely wrong'? [url="http://www.homeworkassignmenthelp.com/images/loudspeaker-waveform%201.GIF"]looks like physics to me.[/url] [/quote] That gif shows the pressure in a standing wave of a fixed frequency not a dynamic wave containing many frequencies. The peaks and troughs aren't showing the loud and quiet parts either. Sound is a compression wave, not a longitudinal wave. They're showing the high and low pressure areas of the air.