Are Amps and Cabs still a thing moving forward?

[EBS_freak]

18 minutes ago, Nobatron said:

Sounds like the guitar amps are positioned so they're pointed at the back of the guitarists knees. Try angling them backwards so they're pointed directly at the guitarist's ears. And if possible off to the side so it's not pointed at the back of their heads.

On some gigs I've done on sound I've put mics in front of guitar amps I know for a fact I won't be putting through the house. That way I can tell the guitarist they should run at a quieter level so I can push it out front and make it sound better. I have sometimes mic'd a guitar amp to only put it in the guitarist's wedge if I think the angle of the cab will be a problem.

Re electric drums I generally much prefer acoustic drums but they can be a good solution for a pub / club / function band if you have a drummer who struggles to control their level. You really need a good PA with subs to get the best out of them though.

Alternatively, have the amp(s) on the side of the stage, pointing towards the ears of the guitarist(s). Mic up the amps and let the PA push the sound out front. Being off axis with any vocal mics means you'll get less bleed through those too. Better dispersion through the front of house meaning it's going to sound better for the audience too.

Or even better, go full Springsteen and have your amps facing towards the sky. Mic for monitors and front of house.

Look. Plays massive stages - and still understands the importance of preventing bleed into the mic. Good on ya Bruce. (also note the combos pointing across the stage)

And wider shot for other amps -

Edited August 26, 2020 by EBS_freak

[EBS_freak]

Jeez, look at me dropping all my top tips... and killing the fun of live music for everybody (apart from the audience).

[Happy Jack]

Can you even begin to imagine the queue of punters at the Dog & Duck, all waiting to shout, "Oy! Your amp's fallen over mate!".

 

Edited August 26, 2020 by Happy Jack

[Happy Jack]

2 hours ago, TRBboy said:

Our drummer is loud, but at most of our gigs he's virtually drowned out by the guitars. I usually stand out front at soundcheck and tell the guitarists to turn down, which they do, but then I see the lead guitarist tweaking his volume throughout the set.

You could try buying your guitarists a pair of these:

 

[ahpook]

17 minutes ago, Happy Jack said:

You could try buying your guitarists a pair of these:

 

Yeah, but buy it in a shop, don't have it delivered.

[ubit]

I saw a band once in a venue where the drummer had a good quality acoustic kit ( I can't remember the name but it was one of the good ones) behind his kick drum he had an electronic kick drum pedal set up. This meant he got all the benefit of the acoustic drums, aggression, colour etc. but he had the superb dampened thud you get from an electronic kick. His drum sound was really good.

[EBS_freak]

I regularly deploy a RT30k instead of a mic on flabby kick drums. From that I trigger a kick drum sample, or a kick drum sample with sine if there's subs. You'll be amazed at what you can do with tech and how good it sounds. However, most people are still stuck in the dark ages.

[Greg Edwards69]

1 hour ago, ubit said:

I saw a band once in a venue where the drummer had a good quality acoustic kit ( I can't remember the name but it was one of the good ones) behind his kick drum he had an electronic kick drum pedal set up. This meant he got all the benefit of the acoustic drums, aggression, colour etc. but he had the superb dampened thud you get from an electronic kick. His drum sound was really good.

Our drummer has a roland bass drum trigger alongside his acoustic bass drum pedal which he plugs into the spare channel of my headrush frfr speaker. Usually reserves it few a few songs though, but it sounds great on the odd few 80s pop tunes or modern dance tracks that need 'that' sound.

His acoustic bass drum however has been fitted with a 'kick port' device. Wow.  I can honestly say it's probably the best upgrade any drummer can make to their bass drum. Tight, focused, deep and not flabby. Hardly needs any damping either. Although louder, it's more balanced with the rest of the kit, and often doesn't require mic'ing up in venues that usually require it.

https://kickport.com/kickport

Edited August 26, 2020 by Greg Edwards69

[peteb]

2 minutes ago, Greg Edwards69 said:

His acoustic bass drum however has been fitted with a 'kick port' device. Wow.  I can honestly say it's probably the best upgrade any drummer can make to their bass drum. Tight, focused, deep and not flabby. Hardly needs any damping either.

https://kickport.com/kickport

I think that virtually every drummer I play with these days has got one of those. 

[BigRedX]

14 minutes ago, Greg Edwards69 said:

His acoustic bass drum however has been fitted with a 'kick port' device. Wow.  I can honestly say it's probably the best upgrade any drummer can make to their bass drum. Tight, focused, deep and not flabby. Hardly needs any damping either. Although louder, it's more balanced with the rest of the kit, and often doesn't require mic'ing up in venues that usually require it.

https://kickport.com/kickport

Where does that go on the kick drum and how does it work? The web site is very light on info.

[Lozz196]

Our drummer mics his bass drum with some sort of gear, no idea what though. He doesn’t do it to make it louder, but so that he can hear it better as the speaker is like a monitor in how he places it. He says it helps his playing, and given that he’s one of the tightest drummers I’ve ever been in a band with I’d say he’s right.

[Greg Edwards69]

1 hour ago, BigRedX said:

Where does that go on the kick drum and how does it work? The web site is very light on info.

In the hole on the front bass skin. Acts like a bass port on a speaker cabinet. Their youtube channel has a load of information and demos of it.

https://www.youtube.com/user/KickportTV

[EBS_freak]

Speaking of Kick Ports..

OK, this is something that is bought by drummers because they hear demos like this.

HOWEVER, listen carefully to the Kick Port sample. Just listen to the amount of low end rumble and sustain that it gives. EXACTLY what you don't want in the majority of venues.

OK, you could tame it with a gate... but lets face it, most people find it difficult enough to EQ let alone set up a gate properly. 

[Dan Dare]

1 hour ago, Lozz196 said:

Our drummer mics his bass drum with some sort of gear, no idea what though. He doesn’t do it to make it louder, but so that he can hear it better as the speaker is like a monitor in how he places it. He says it helps his playing, and given that he’s one of the tightest drummers I’ve ever been in a band with I’d say he’s right.

I always mic' the bass drum, even at small gigs. Just a little in the FOH (even if you only run vocals through it) makes the whole band sound tighter and helps reinforce the bass.

[dmccombe7]

1 hour ago, Dan Dare said:

I always mic' the bass drum, even at small gigs. Just a little in the FOH (even if you only run vocals through it) makes the whole band sound tighter and helps reinforce the bass.

100% agree it makes some difference to the overall sound of the band.

 

[ubit]

12 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

100% agree it makes some difference to the overall sound of the band.

 

Yup, if you don't mic any other drums mic the kick drum at least. The other drums will cut through (in small venues) but the kick can get lost in the mix. When you hear the punch of the kick drum with the bass, it's heaven.