h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi Dude,

I was going to give you the A.C.E.'s greeting but saw that Emmily has beaten me to it.

Nice to meet another music afficianado. A few months ago I would have been bombarding you with questions about micing drums, but we seem to have that sorted now. Have you had much experience with "Noise Gates" on your course?



Bassman

I've not really had a chance to use the noise gates, ours are drawmers and double as compressors. I would only use noise gates with cymbals and possibly kick drum, but it's been a year and a half since I miced a kit. I can easily find out if you need any pointers.

Are there any decent books you have been reccomended to read to assist with your course work. It seems like there are as many ways of setting up a PA as there are sound engineers....



Bassman

Erm, well music biz wise I found the following extremely relevant

All you need to know about music business - Passman, D.S. Penguin ISBN 0-140-26806-5
Confessions of a Record Producer - Avalon M. Miller Freeman
Live and kicking - the rock concert industry of the nineties - Cunninham M. Sanctuary publ. Ltd.
The musicians guide to the internet - Hustwit G. Rockpress Publishing
Inside MTV - Denisoff R.S. Transaction Publishers
This Business of music marketing and promotion - Lathrop T., Pettigrew J. Jr. Billboard books.
On recording there are:

Modern recording techniques (5th) edition - Huber and Runstien H W Sams
and a book called something like visual mixing that I skim read.

Lyric writing:

The Craft and Business of Song Writing - Braheny J. Writer's digest Books

I didn't make myself clear, something for setting up PA's for live work.

Thanks for those other references though.



Bassman

Oh, right, anyway. Well there aren't any per se. Erm, everybody has their own way of setting up, depending on desk, connectors etc. I certainly am not aware of any books on the subject but will I look in the library. It's geneally thought that it is a thing you learn as you do it. Basicly general rules of thumb are:

Set up before you get to venue ie get all levels marked for mics etc, then all you have to do is make small adjustments to the desk when you arrive
Make sure when you get to venue you can set out the cables ans duck tape them ok
Mics generally go in the first set of inputs
Depending on venue/function pa is best put at back if a large venue, to the side for pub
Take plenty of spare XLRs and other cables

We had a former roadie give a talk, so if you meet one prepare a bribe. Hope this helps!

oh and use masking tape for input names such as daves mic etc on front of desk.
Inputs should appear as equipment is on stage from vantage point of audience.

I've got one of those Dymo lettering machines, which is very trendy and produces much more legible results than masking tape

The main problems we have are feed back related. We generally run the graphic with the 100Hz slider almost all the way down - I was wondering if this could be related to a peak in the frequency response of the Bass bins?

I'll maybe have to check the Peavey website and see if the response curve for our bass bins is on there.

We were suffering horribly with feedback generated by the Kick Drum mic. The whole thing would resonate - but our man has a new kit now which has helped immesureably.

Lastly, we seem to play lots of places where the sound changes completely as the venue fills up, which is a real pain in the backside. The guitarist sets his level during sound check, and tweeks it up and up all night. I suppose that's just guitarists for you though!!



Bassman

Hmm, sounds like adrenaline related thing re: guitarist rather than anything else!
Kick drum mic may be getting feedback from kick drum itself (just like micing an acoustic guitar).
Eq, well yes that could be the reason, deends where the mic and speakers are in relation to each other.
For the gig problem the only answer is to mark the desk for each capacity, then move the levels. The guitarist should not really have to change his level, adrenaline and alcohol tend to have an adverse effect on the way ears pick up treble and high end frequency.

Hmm, sounds like adrenaline related thing re: guitarist rather than anything else!
Kick drum mic may be getting feedback from kick drum itself (just like micing an acoustic guitar).
Eq, well yes that could be the reason, depends where the mic and speakers are in relation to each other.
For the gig problem the only answer is to mark the desk for each capacity, then move the levels. The guitarist should not really have to change his level, adrenaline and alcohol tend to have an adverse effect on the way ears pick up treble and high end frequency.

Interesting comments about adrenaline and alcohol. I'd like to see some written evidence to prop up that statement - just in case I ever have to use it....



Bassman

Men tend to hear bass frequencies better than women and women tend to hear treble frequencies better than men!

I was stood out the front during the sound check one night, and said to the (female) vocalist - who does the mix, that I thought the Bass was rather quiet (what I actually meant was VIRTUALLY INAUDIBLE, but one has to tread carefully around such a polished ego) I was told that I was so used to standing by the Bass rig that my hearing was obviously not good at those frequencies.

I took exception to that. I used to be in the RAF and had my hearing checked on a regular basis, I also had it checked earlier this year on applying for a job - and it's very good for a man of my age. I always wear plugs when I'm playing. Rache on the other hand NEVER wears ear protection of any flavour, thus I suspect her high frequency perception is affected, so hears a greater proportion of Bass.

Do I dare tell her that?

Absolutely not.



Bassman

I have noticed that, depending on instrument, different people require different mixes. What you really need is an impartial observer to comment on your sound or record the performance. Another point to remember is that bass frequencies tend not to travel as well as high frequencies in enclosed areas (but also being right close to the source of the sound may make you slightly impervious to signal as time goes on [adrenaline/alcohol/acute paranoia], I,ve noticed this several times). If that doesn't work try getting a pschologist.

Bassman