spinynorman Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 Last year I played in a pickup band at a benefit gig for a local drummer who had terminal cancer. You would have thought people could have left their egos and stupid genes at the door for that one, but no. The worst thing I saw was the guitarist who spent 10 minutes, after his band was set up, showing his wife how to use the video camera. By the time we got on it was running 2 hours over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Funk Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 [quote name='Clarky' post='222149' date='Jun 19 2008, 01:54 PM']Blimey, I'm scared in case we are ever on the same bill [/quote] Hehe, I'm nice to nice people and try to ignore the idiots. We've done some gigs with Up All Night. Their promoters and door people were great. Sound guy was a bit odd and made a terrible mess of things. You just have to play through it. It's great being on the same bill as nice people but it just doesn't happen all that much. Many musicians are just too self-absorbed to be considerate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geilerbass Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 [quote name='The Funk' post='222140' date='Jun 19 2008, 01:45 PM']Part of gigging life is learning how to deal with all the BS and overcome it. My way is to expect everyone else to be a total d!ck: unprofessional, unhelpful, discourteous, impolite, with no sense of punctuality. I always act the opposite way at gigs. On the other hand I know if I lend someone from another band something, they will either damage it, complain about it not being right or forget to return it at the end of the night. And if I offer to do sound for their soundcheck to get things rolling 'cos the soundman's an hour late, I know I'll hear nothing but whingeing and complaining. You can chat away with them and compliment them during the gig and after their set only to turn around at the end of the night and see them bitching to the promoter about your band. This is what musicians are like. They are selfish c*nts. They are your enemy. Sure, there are some exceptions. But so what?[/quote] This is pretty much my experience. I'm always friendly, considerate and professional, though I'm always of the assumption that other bands aren't going to be. At least that way I'm never disappointed. And it's always a pleasant surprise when you find out that some bands out there aren't total dicks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 [quote name='Crazykiwi' post='222082' date='Jun 19 2008, 12:58 PM']I don't understand it, I mean, do they teach ARSE 101 at soundman school or something?[/quote] Well they certainly don't teach much sound engineering... (A few honourable exceptions recently, thankfully!) Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muppet Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 (edited) Twice I've played at the Cavern and both times they have very strict rules and stick to them. I've seen the soundman cut band's soundchecks out because their guitarist isn't there or the drummer only starts taking his cymbals out of the bags at start of soundcheck time. If you've a weak sound man then he'll let bands walk all over him and the band at the bottom of the pile will normally end up with all the crap. Edited June 19, 2008 by Muppet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickeyboro Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 (edited) [ am worried! We're headlining a local festival a week Sunday, music from 1-7. What chance do we have after five one-hour sets of getting on at 6 and off at 7? Edited June 19, 2008 by Mickeyboro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Funk Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 [quote name='Mickeyboro' post='222515' date='Jun 19 2008, 10:08 PM'][ am worried! We're headlining a local festival a week Sunday, music from 1-7. What chance do we have after five one-hour sets of getting on at 6 and off at 7?[/quote] None whatsoever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 [quote name='Huge Hands' post='222101' date='Jun 19 2008, 01:14 PM']I will admit, that you do have to be able to be arsey quite often. Remember it's you (usually on your own) against several band members.[/quote] See, I think that's where it goes wrong before anyone in the band has said hello. We're a very friendly lot, bloody charming in fact and very professional. But the majority of soundmen we've encountered always manage to dredge up some contempt from somewhere. Worst we ever had was the arse who does sound at the Boston Dome in Tufnell Park. This charm vortex walks around with a stetson on and a massive bunch of keys dangling off his belt to let everyone know how important he really is. He doesn't give a flying sh*t about anything other than himself... ...sorry rant/OFF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 [quote name='Crazykiwi' post='222519' date='Jun 19 2008, 10:21 PM']We're a very friendly lot, bloody charming in fact and very professional.[/quote] Modest too! I have played a lot of gigs, and only had 2 or 3 real arse holes for soundmen. The rest may have been crap, but they weren't "arse holes", just didn't deal with bands strictly enough, or don't know their equipment well enough or whatever. We've probably had around 5 or 6 great sound guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 [quote name='alexclaber' post='222349' date='Jun 19 2008, 05:37 PM']Well they certainly don't teach much sound engineering... (A few honourable exceptions recently, thankfully!) Alex[/quote] Do these sound engineering guys actually do anything to learn their craft? My favourite type of soundguy are those who wanted to be in a band, couldn't, so slid behind some sliders thinking that they were actually doing something worthwhile... The best sliders guys dont leave the studio - why would you want to surround yourself with a load of muppets who wanted to be in a band... but then ended up lugging speakers around because they couldn't get behind the sliders...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 Some really good sound guys love the job! I would enjoy doing live sound, but I wouldn't want to be stuck in the same venue every night for years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 I have had alot of soundmen plugging there DI boxes into my FX loop output totally ignoring the XLR output next to it when i see that i know its going to be a fun night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Cooke Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 [quote name='waynepunkdude' post='222718' date='Jun 20 2008, 10:29 AM']I have had alot of soundmen plugging there DI boxes into my FX loop output totally ignoring the XLR output next to it when i see that i know its going to be a fun night.[/quote] hmmm... they know their DI works... and they know what level the output is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 Thats fine but why would you usev a di box when there is a balanced output on the front of the amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s_u_y_* Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 (edited) [quote name='waynepunkdude' post='222816' date='Jun 20 2008, 12:14 PM']Thats fine but why would you usev a di box when there is a balanced output on the front of the amp.[/quote] I can see just as we have had bad experiences with bad soundguys, they've had bad experiences with bad bands. He might just prefer to use equipment he knows works for sure. They must have their idiosyncrasies as well as us. This is not to say I have met some pretty incompetent soundguys. There was one who forgot to turn on the guitar and bass for the FOH speakers! Apparently talking to other soundguys, he has a reputation for "forgetting" to turn things on. Edited June 20, 2008 by s_u_y_* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOD2 Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 [quote name='waynepunkdude' post='222816' date='Jun 20 2008, 12:14 PM']Thats fine but why would you usev a di box when there is a balanced output on the front of the amp.[/quote] The main reason would be that, depending on the amp (and the sound guy can't be expected to know all amps), the level from the balanced output on your amp may change if you adjust the volume on your amp. You might (quite reasonably) do this to hear yourself better onstage but this could have and adverse effect on the FOH sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironside1966 Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 “Do these sound engineering guys actually do anything to learn their craft?” Sound guys often ask the same thing about some musicians. If you behave like a pro that’s how most people treat you like one, I have found out both with musicians and engineers alike, it is easy to work with pros and amateur can be a pain. If you regally get pissed of by sound guy’s take your own but remember that you get what you pay for. Maybe it’s something to do with your attitude. If the venue pays the band very little, there is a good chance that the sound man is not on much more. I know there are egotistical incompetent idiots out there who call them self sound guys, but upsetting them is not going to get you nowhere. A sound check for me is nothing more then setting the levels and sorting out the foldback, it is the bands that turn it into a chimp’s tea party. I try to accommodate the bands wishes as much as possible if there is time, if bands are late or waste messing around time while sound checking then I stick with triad and tested methods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huge Hands Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 (edited) [quote name='ironside1966' post='222936' date='Jun 20 2008, 02:03 PM']A sound check for me is nothing more then setting the levels and sorting out the foldback, it is the bands that turn it into a chimp’s tea party.[/quote] Agreed. I often have to tell our guys to wind it up, as once set up, whether it be for a sound check or gig, they just love to play. CK, the guy in the hat and keys does sound like a stereotypical d**k. No argument from me. In my experience, good sound engineers are hard to find. Being in the industry myself, I have seen all sorts of top end blokes where you're thinking "now there's a difference in creative opinion, and there's just s**t" and there are some very clever guys who knock around with unknown bands and do a really good job for £30 and a couple of beers every night. I find, that the ones with a good theoretical background (i.e. us college/university boys) seem to fair well because not only can we create good sounding graphic EQ patterns, we can say why! However, experience is the key. I walked out of university and went to my first big rig gig and was s**t! I then spent a few regular gigs of either getting it a bit wrong and scraping through, and then finally got to a level where I think I was pretty good (there are probably plenty of bands out there who may think differently!) I also always had the motto: [i]If I walk away from a gig that I think couldn't have sounded any better, then it's time to quit. I wasn't concentrating hard enough.[/i] I took this attitude into all my gigs. I was very protective of my craft (sometimes I felt it was art!) and would get a bit put out if a band didn't like what I'd done. I would always try and stay happy, but it's true you do have to be thick skinned. There is a very fine line between being authorative enough to stop 5 strangers taking the p*ss and coming across as arsey. Some bands get it, some don't. Edited June 20, 2008 by Huge Hands Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 [quote name='cheddatom' post='222669' date='Jun 20 2008, 09:32 AM']Modest too![/quote] You'll never know one way or another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangerboy Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 I got so sick of the way other bands and promoters mess about (especially in London!) that me and a mate have become promoters. We make people stick to time, we enforce kit-share, sometimes weeks in advance, to minimise changeovers. If you mess other bands about, we cut your set short. Then we give all profits to the bands. I think it's time that bands took back more of the power like this. What is the point of a full-time promoter anyway? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 It wasn't meant as a real dig CK. However, if I said I was "bloody charming in fact and very professional", would you think I was being "up myself" or starkly honest, or humble and modest? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geilerbass Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 [quote name='dangerboy' post='223088' date='Jun 20 2008, 04:47 PM']I got so sick of the way other bands and promoters mess about (especially in London!) that me and a mate have become promoters. We make people stick to time, we enforce kit-share, sometimes weeks in advance, to minimise changeovers. If you mess other bands about, we cut your set short. Then we give all profits to the bands. I think it's time that bands took back more of the power like this. What is the point of a full-time promoter anyway?[/quote] The point of a full-time promoter is to have someone who pro-actively promotes the gigs that they arrange. Unfortunately, I've encountered only a handful in London who actually do this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 I agree promoters no longer promote they just take the money from the people the bands bring in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 [quote name='cheddatom' post='223092' date='Jun 20 2008, 04:51 PM']It wasn't meant as a real dig CK. However, if I said I was "bloody charming in fact and very professional", would you think I was being "up myself" or starkly honest, or humble and modest?[/quote] I'm too shocked that my opinion of your band would have such significance to say anything at this point in time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassmouseman Posted August 26, 2008 Share Posted August 26, 2008 [quote name='johnnylager' post='221967' date='Jun 19 2008, 10:34 AM']Then they bugger off before your set. Probably nearly bedtime though and mum's taxi meter is running.[/quote] Not just me that happens to then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.