Your Bands onstage volume - Enjoyable or not

[deepbass5]

Having posed the question of large powered bass amps on another thread, and if we really need this much power. some of you, I accept may do

The next obvious question for debate is are you happy with stage volumes on gigs. has everything got out of hand. Who decides when enough is enough.
Have you been in a band where you feel you are all too loud only for someone to use band funds to buy an even larger fold back system.
How many times do you feel sick due to volume, or just miserable enough for it to show in your performance because one or more members is on a mission
Do you feel you have lost punters or gigs through volume - when do you decide to walk or take the sensible guys with you and start over.

Over to you

[Kevin Dean]

My view is , If you can't hear the bass drum you are too loud .

[chris_b]

I play from acoustic duo's to ear splitting loud, but I'm always focussed on playing at the volume the situation demands. My gear is designed to cover all eventualities so it's only a question of how many cabs to take and how much master volume to dial in. If it was my decision I would always play quieter rather than louder. Unfortunately I don't run a band so it's hardly ever my call.

I'm only unhappy if the band hasn't hasn't got a good balance or hasn't gauged the gig correctly. It should be a basic skill to match your volume to the gig so the promoter and punters are happy. I don't buy the guitarists line, "I need to be loud for my sound", or drummers who say "I can only play at this volume". That's BS and if the good players can do it why can't these guys?

I put my seat belt on and wear custom ear plugs. Basic safety procedures.

[Woodinblack]

Nope, I have suggested turning down many times. The others don't agree. It doesn't make me sick, it just means that I have to wear earplugs which I feel ruins the sound so I think we make a poorer sound because of it.

However, apart from the I enjoy the band so no plans on walking, I would just like it to sound better.

[paul_5]

I rehearse and perform with ear plugs in.

I practice at home at a much more respectable volume so that when I'm doing the above I don't really need to critically hear stuff, as it's mostly on 'automatic pilot'.

Mostly...

[scalpy]

In general live music is too loud in my view. We seem to be caught in a perfect storm of delusions of grandeur, a culture of 'this is how it's done properly' and cheap accessible power. All we're achieving is making venues' lives very difficult and an unattractive experience for potential audiences. That said even top end performers are guilty of this, saw Tommy Emmanuel on Saturday. No need for an acoustic guitar act to be that loud.

[wateroftyne]

I knock back stuff if it's too loud. It's amateurish.

[Woodinblack]

[quote name='scalpy' timestamp='1484550053' post='3216180']
That said even top end performers are guilty of this
[/quote]

Agreed. I saw 'From the jam' last year, it was deafening. Luckily my wife had some spare ear plugs, otherwise I would have gone outside. She did. Certainly a lot louder than motorhead when I saw them in the 80s.

[No lust in Jazz]

We only use backline for monitoring, If it gets too loud, this for me an indication that something is out of control. At rehearsal we stop and sort it out; live we get the sound man to do this

I use ear-plugs and have done for years.

Edited January 16, 2017 by No lust in Jazz

[itsmedunc]

Tried for years (without any success) to get the band to a reasonable level. They are far too loud. I went onto in ears recently and now I don't have that problem. Most other members do though.

Pity that most of the other lads may have to spend a few hundred quid each to save their hearing because one member won't turn down though.

[EBS_freak]

Make a point of not playing. If nobody notices, then you are not just too loud, you are far too loud.

If nobody notices that you are not playing, you should go out and fix yourself up a cuppa.

[SICbass]

In band situations, there is a limit to how loud I feel I should be. The actual volume varies of course depending on the situation, indoor/outdoor, size of stage/venue, music genre etc. If the others are so loud that my volume is insufficient, I actually turn down a bit. When they complain, I suggest that they try turning down a bit. I adamantly refuse to partake in an onstage volume battle.

Edited January 16, 2017 by SICbass

[ROConnell]

Difficult, pretty much every gig we play is a different venue with a different sound guy, some gigs are better sounding than others, at least on stage.

[Beer of the Bass]

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1484559465' post='3216238']
Make a point of not playing. If nobody notices, then you are not just too loud, you are far too loud.

If nobody notices that you are not playing, you should go out and fix yourself up a cuppa.
[/quote]

In rehearsals, right? That would be serious primadonna behaviour in front of an audience!

[stingrayPete1977]

I've done it live with a pair of ridiculous guitarists, not the tea but I've sloped off into the corner to make a point to them, the quality of the performance has already gone to crap by then anyway.

[phil.c60]

It's quite simple, isn't it? We play in mostly small pub venues with people sitting or standing within 3 feet f the band. If people move away and leave a gap, don't sit at those tables and generally seem to congregate further away then you are too loud. There is always going to be a compromise, however, because it must be louder the nearer they are to you, and if you want to be heard properly half way back in a long thin venue it will be too loud at the front for some. NYE one comment was that it was a bit quiet at the very back (the place was chock a block) but that it was better that way than earsplitting at the front. At least people could be heard at the bar when they wanted a drink!
I've just started rehearsals with a second band, and for the last three occasions the drummer complains that he can't hear me. That's after we've been playing for an hour or so. Either my Compact is suffering from thermal issues (unlikely, it's never a problem gigging with my main band)) or he is just playing louder as the night goes on (much more likely). I can tell from my amp settings relative to where they are when I gig that we are too loud at rehearsals. Suggesting that perhaps he should play quieter has not gone down well. We've got the first gig in March, and if it's an issue on the night (and I will have some reliable friends coming who have seen my other band numerous times who will let me know) there probably won't be a second one.

[KevB]

Considering we play 80s/90s classic rock it's usually not too bad. The guitarist goes through the PA so his onstage vol is pretty quiet, in fact if he's not present high enough in the monitor mix I sometime struggle to hear him clearly over the other stuff. We sometimes mic the kick drum sometimes not it depends on the venue. If its a really big room we will have an overhead on the drums too but notroutinely. The drummer is probably the biggest issue as far as keeping onstage vols is concerned. I can be a bit loud onstage but only because i tend not to be put through PA. If its a general pub gig then i can usually come to a sensible level that fits FOH mix but isn't silly onstage either. We don't get asked to turn down very often.

[Yank]

I've been in bands where one member pushes the volume, but the band I'm in now, everyone plays at a nice level. Rehearsal and gigs.

[Japhet]

When there were 2 guitarists in my band we had volume issues. One has now moved on but his favourite line was 'I can't get my sound if it's any quieter than that' which was full on bludgeoning everything else. He was a great player but made the band sound crap. Now he has gone and the remaining guitarist is an absolute joy and if anything could do with being a bit louder. Terrific player who has blossomed with his new found freedom and everything is kushty. Drummer isn't a big hitter either and I know we're not as loud as some bands doing similar stuff, but that's fine with me.

Edited January 16, 2017 by Japhet

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1484562339' post='3216268']
I've done it live with a pair of ridiculous guitarists, not the tea but I've sloped off into the corner to make a point to them, the quality of the performance has already gone to crap by then anyway.
[/quote]
Good old Matt and Chris

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1484561718' post='3216264']


In rehearsals, right? That would be serious primadonna behaviour in front of an audience!
[/quote]

Yup.

But you could make it your thing and gain notereity if you did it at gigs!

[lowhand_mike]

try to keep it comfortably loud, our drummer isnt a big hitter and our lead i often ask to turn up a bit but we try to keep it sensible based on the room, but i do like it loud though but understand its not great for everyone.

[stingrayPete1977]

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1484566366' post='3216313']

Good old Matt and Chris
[/quote]

Yep, kings head, hey Joe.

[Monkey Steve]

Not really had a problem with this - more of an issue at rehearsals than at gigs. Possibly because I've got to an age where everybody I'm playing with has enough experience to know that what you can hear on stage isn't at all important as long as you can hear enough to play (and I've done a couple of gigs where I could barely hear myself at all, but knew the bass lines well enough to be able to carry on as long as i could hear the rest of the band) and that it's what the crowd can hear that is the only thing of any importance.

Saves a lot of time at soundchecks - we spend a lot of time making sure that the singer has the on stage sound he needs to be able to hear his queues and stay in tune, and very little time on whether the guitarists are happy with the sound on their side of the stage.

[Lozz196]

On-stage volume is same as rehearsal volume for us. We rehearse every week no matter what, so if we can`t hear everything on stage that well it doesn`t stop us from being able to play as normal. It does seem to me that bands who rehearse less seem to need more in the monitors.