Moving up to pro(ish) standard.

[chaypup]

Hi fellow BC denizens!

I would greatly appreciate advice any of you have for playing bigger stages and also for tv work etc.

I've played bass for some while and until now my biggest gigs have been in front of a couple of hundred people in pubs and small venues.

I've just bagged a job which will involve playing festivals across Europe and is looking likely to include tv shows as well.
The band is hip-hop/roots style and I play the gear listed below generally.

Do I [u][b]need [/b][/u]a bigger rig?
Is it better to hire a rig?

What advice do you wish you'd received before stepping up to the big time?
I get quite bad stage nervousness at most gigs anyway so any tips there I'd love to hear as well!

Thanks.

[gjones]

If your're doing festivals with multiple bands the backline will generally be provided. Best to confirm this before you head off to the continent though.

[chris_b]

[font=Arial]Your gear is the last thing you need to worry about. A pro band playing big venues will use in-ears. Check out what the band requires. Having said that most touring bands centre on the Ampeg SVT 810 with good reason. Go with the flow, it’s a good reason.[/font]
[font=Arial] [/font]
[font=Arial]To broaden out the discussion, you need to play with confidence and that comes from hard work, practice and rehearsal. You need an extra level of evenness to your playing and your timing has to be right 100% of the time. The big difference between a good pro and a good semi pro is their timing.[/font]
[font=Arial] [/font]
[font=Arial]Your playing situation has progressed beyond "fun" and is now work; enjoyable and satisfying but work just the same.[/font]

[font=Arial]I'm jealous. Enjoy it, it's the best feeling in the world. Good luck[/font]

[JTUK]

Depends if you can get gear on the tech rider.
There are probably 3 general stage of doing this...

You schlep around in a band van with your backline gear so this needs to be able to all fit in ..or you get flown in and the backline is provided..
or you are big enough to take the entire production out and your set-up with be packed up with all the rest
I would suggest that a 100x30ft stage would drown your gear and you'd need pro monitoring.

You need to draw up a tech rider to give out to the Events and they need to send you theirs.

Edited May 24, 2012 by JTUK

[4 Strings]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1337863557' post='1666556']
[font=Arial]Your gear is the last thing you need to worry about. A pro band playing big venues will use in-ears. Check out what the band requires. Having said that most touring bands centre on the Ampeg SVT 810 with good reason. Go with the flow, it’s a good reason.[/font]

[font=Arial]To broaden out the discussion, you need to play with confidence and that comes from hard work, practice and rehearsal. You need an extra level of evenness to your playing and your timing has to be right 100% of the time. The big difference between a good pro and a good semi pro is their timing.[/font]

[font=Arial]Your playing situation has progressed beyond "fun" and is now work; enjoyable and satisfying but work just the same.[/font]

[font=Arial]I'm jealous. Enjoy it, it's the best feeling in the world. Good luck[/font]
[/quote]

+1 to all this, except if you've reached that point you probably already know this!
Not sure about the in ear stuff though, don't see that instead of backline too often.

Your sound will, of course, be foh, its just your own monitoring and if you're going to be moving around and away from your rig its going to have to be pretty powerful to be heard above the rest and outdoors.

If the bass rigs will not be provided I would suggest the 210 is not going to be enough, adding a second may be, but just. For pro stuff you'll need a backup rig anyway. Can you not buy a second, identical stack for backup and use it when required?

And +1 to the jealous, best feeling, good luck part too!

Edited May 24, 2012 by 4 Strings