Franticsmurf

I played with backing tracks as part of a duo (guitarist/singer and me on rhythm guitar) on the WMC circuit for years. I hated it. As a musician, it felt like cheating even though we weren't trying to hide that we were using the backing tracks. I eventually re-recorded all of them so that almost everything but the drums was me playing real instruments. I felt better but it left the problem of not easily being able to extend (or cut short) songs according to the audience. Eventually we introduced our acoustic spot which was just us with no backing. It was so much more satisfying. Of course for the most part the audiences new no different - or at least I thought so until I started playing with a band in the same venues and we used to get the occasional comment "nice to see a proper band and not a karaoke act" or similar. I enjoyed interacting with the other band members, playing impromptu medley/mash-ups, bass and drum solos while the guitarist changed a snapped string or extended outros because the whole place was up and dancing. And I know that audiences react more favourably to a band that is clearly enjoying itself on stage and I never enjoyed playing with backing tracks. Each to their own, I know. But for me I'd rather re-arrange the song to fit the band than have to use a machine.

I am fortunate enough not to have to rely on gig income but I do expect the band to be paid for their time and effort (mostly invisible as has been described above) if the venue is taking money for the event and/or gaining a benefit from running the event. The main band I'm in plays for charity - all the proceeds from gigs goes either to the upkeep of the band, the village hall in which we rehearse and store gear or to nominated charities. Band members get no direct payment (although we benefit from our own PA and stage kit such as mic stands, music stands cables and lighting). I'm more than happy to do this but I have and will continue to refuse to play gigs that do not offer the band a reasonable fee. Our gigs are usually private functions and we have a self organised festival every year but we will take bookings from clubs and larger pubs. Last year our contribution to the nominated charities was around 80% of what we took in fees. Two years ago our 'fee' for a 45 minute set at a local multi band line up was a token for a half pint of cider for each of the band. The venue was packed to the gills from about midday well into the night and when I later found out that we hadn't been given a contribution to our charity I explained that I wouldn't be playing it again. When I gave my reasons - the manager was paid, the staff were paid, the business didn't suffer as a result of the event so I think it only right that the rest of the people contributing to the event were offered payment - we decided not to do it again. When I played in pub bands we were often asked to play at odd times for this reason. The weekend slot between afternoon and evening (4pm-7pm ish) when people were likely to disappear for food or, quite often, immediately after the big sporting event finished (around my neck of the woods, usually the rugby). We'd be setting up as the match was going on and expected to kick off (sorry) immediately after the final whistle.

Back in the day, I was the guitarist in my first band (which changed its name several times while retaining the same core line up). This recording was made in Neath College studio in 1991 after we'd spent a few days working on several new original tracks. We ended the session with a run through of our original set. This one was written by the drummer (as were many of the originals). In all the photos bar two, I'm the one playing guitar.

I had exactly the same experience with a band I was in. Often there'd be a request after he'd asked, and he wouldn't (or more likely couldn't) play it which made things worse. His arrangements of songs we played regularly were based on whim and his response when we spoke to him about it was along the lines of 'I don't care because it's you that look bad, not me', usually with an annoying laugh. We dropped him in it one night when he decided in the van on the way to the gig to change the set order so that he could start 'Knocking on Heaven's Door' solo on stage. The rest of the band were expected to join him after the first verse and chorus. We waited in the wings as he began far too fast. We could see the inevitable approaching, and his 'Knock, knock, knocking on heaven's door' in the chorus was delivered staccato about four or five times faster that even Axl Rose could manage. We waited for him to finish the whole song, giggling like schoolkids, so the bemused looks from the audience were his alone, and then joined him. We all left him en mass after he started a rehearsal session with a white board showing how much better we could be if we followed his 'masterplan'. 🤣

I had an idea at the beginning of the year to try the equivalent for the Hulla band (where I always DI). I use an Ampeg Classic preamp pedal and as it's always on, it could sit anywhere - even on the sound man's desk (we have a permanent sound guy). But, as @tayste_2000, I like the idea of being able to mute the signal so I quickly added a tuner pedal. When we started rehearsing, I added my Zoom MS60B so that I could experiment with different effects on the fly as new songs were tried out. And then I was asked to provide a keyboard bass part using a midi pedal, and that had to be mixed into the bass guitar channel so on went a Joyo Orthros line mixer. And so on. My pedal free pedal board now has the MS60b acting as a noisegate and compressor as well as a tuner/mute. Somehow, a Univibe and Chorus have sneaked on while I wasn't looking. 😀 Yes - I ditched pedals entirely for about 3 days in January.

5th knock with the new band - name as yet undecided - and it's still sounding good. We've run up a set list which varies from 'Does Your Mother Know' to 'Born To Be Wild' with side tracks to 'Superstition' and 'Games People Play' amongst others. The line up is drums, electric guitar, acoustic guitar and yours truly on bass. We all sing - them much better than me - so the potential is there for nice vocal harmonies. So far we've concentrated on getting familiar with each other's styles, finding the right mix of songs and, in the case of the acoustic guitarist, getting used to playing in a band (he's only ever played solo and then only a couple of times). We rehearse silently through a mixer and headphones and the recordings have been a great way to listen back in the cold light. So far, so good. Next steps are to fix the arrangements and get a couple of rehearsals at full volume with backline etc at a local hall. Then it's gig time! 😀

I'm using a Joyo Othros pedal, which appears to do the same as the LS-2, to combine bass guitar and bass synth signals. In the configuration I'm using I have independent control of each signal's output volume.

Done.

I moved to full IEM after lockdown, partly due to a double hernia and partly because the band I joined had a dedicated sound man who was able to give me a personalised full band mix. In the bands I played with before that I found I couldn't get enough vocal mix in physical monitors and I had started using one earpiece via a Behringer P2 fed from the PA mixer (the PA only carried the vocals). I love having a good mix in my ears; it's given me the confidence to sing more. I love not having to cart around amps and speakers, set them up, break them down etc and having more room in the bass corner. But I do miss the feel of the sound behind me. I've just started with a new band and while we rehearse with in ears, the plan is to play with just vocal monitoring and have a real backline. Fortunately I didn't get rid of my amp (in fact, before joining the 'IEM band', I had swapped from kit with its own gravity to light weight TE 1x10" cabs and class D amps). The hernias have been fixed (gaffer tape is so useful) and I'm looking forward to gigging with some volume behind me.

I'm no expert but I have found with active basses (I have a Sterling and an Ibanez EHB1000s) that the signal can be quite hot going into the pedal/pre-amp and this can create an unwanted distorted signal that can sound a bit 'artificial' (difficult to describe but almost like the signal is mixed with a cr*ppy synth sound with no useful tone). I tend to run my active basses with their volume down slightly, I have the mid tone turned down a bit on the active controls, and may adjust the bass tone up for individual songs My amp has an optional 'Active' input but for most gigs I'm going DI through several pedals. I love my Sterling; It would be a shame if doesn't work for you.

Last night's rehearsal with a relatively new outfit (we've been together for about 8 weeks with 4 practices) was pretty good. After a two week hiatus, we arrived with 8 new songs to work through; 6 went reasonably well with just some light sanding and polish required (starts and endings, as you'd expect) and two will require some extra work to bring them up to speed. Two of the 6 good 'uns featured yours truly on lead vocals. I'm not a singer by nature or by choice but as all the others sing and I've been doing BVs for years, I thought I should make the effort. Listening to the recordings this morning and I'm not as bad as I thought. I'll never be head hunted for a solo career, though. 😀

I had a run of four dep gigs as a rhythm guitarist in the band I used to play bass in - and for three of them I used a HB kit Les Paul over a Squire Tele.

Hulla rehearsal on Sunday. They're always a bit hit or miss at this stage (still working up to gigging season with nothing specific until April). But the BL messaged us all to say he had a 'great idea' and that we should listen to 'Ecstacy of Gold'. I didn't know that it's the title of a track from 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly', by Ennio Morricone. It's also been used in an advert recently. I'm always sceptical at unexplained 'great ideas' but this one turned out to have some potential as long as we work it through properly. Basically, at the festival we do every year the BL wants that band to come on stage section by section (we're 13 in all) in bringing in the instruments to build up the arrangement to a crescendo (which will be the drummer and me). Sounds corny and it probably is, but knowing the crowd and the ability of the BL to work them, I think it will be ok. As long as we can get the ukuleles to play the right chords. 😀 We've also started on 'House of the Rising Sun' one of the few songs I really loathe (and I don't really know why). But the version we're doing (following the Mumford & Sons 'Live at New Orleans' Youtube track) is rather good. And after two sessions, we seem to be getting the arrangement right. We have a talented multi instrumentalist in the line-up (she's my bass apprentice, sings, plays uke and guitar and she's only 17) and on this song she's playing trombone - rather well. And to cap it all off, there was birthday cake on Sunday courtesy of the BL.

I was talking about the nuances between basses, which is relevant to the original topic. I've been told my bass is too loud, and too quiet (not in the same gig, thank goodness) but never 'that's a great <insert bass model> bass tone' by anyone other than a few fellow musicians, and even then it tends to lead to a discussion about amps and pedals rather than the bass guitar itself.

Great post and I get it 100%. My experience is that punters rarely care what bass you're playing (the rare exceptions in my case are when I play the headless, when there are several 'your guitar is broken' type comments). They certainly don't care what the bass sounds like. And I would argue that in the venues I play gigs, the sound is so affected by my pedalboard, the room, the punters and the mix to get the whole band sounding good that all my basses sound very similar. If I was recodring it would be a very different matter. My bandmates do care what bass I'm playing, but as has been mentioned elsewhere, only as the standing joke 'Dave's got another new bass'. Soundwise, the only band person that regularly comments on my sound is our permanent sound engineer. To be fair, he has his favourite bass and always moans when I don't bring it to gigs or rehearsals. 😀 I find this is so true of me. I'm fortunate that my stable of basses, mostly sub £300, makes me smile. Basses fall in and out of favour but I always play better when I'm using an instrument that I really like.