From dta3923@yahoo.com Sat Nov 11 09:04:47 2006
Subject:Re: OT: Setting volumes in a band

I used to keep my amp at ear level years ago, like mentioned here. I wouldn't reccommend it unless you want to advance your tinitus (ringing in the ears) 20 years early. Just have everyone turn down. If your gigging regularly and its just practice, everyone should bring a "stipped down" rig especially the drummer (including the bamboo sticks like Norm suggested). It will make a difference.

Bruce Wahler wrote: Hi All,

>Put your amplifier up on a stand right behind your head. Not on the floor
>shooting underneath you. Have the guitar and bass do the same. If the
>drummer plays too loud, build some sound deadening panels to put around him
>as mentioned earlier. Make sure the guitar player is disciplined enough not
>to turn up loud just to get his tone, same for the bass player.

Moe has excellent suggestions. I have my keyboard monitor sitting on top of my lowboy Leslie, which puts it right about at ear level, and only 2-3 feet from my ears. In this situation -- which rarely happens on stage -- I can turn the volume down from 12:00 to 9:30 or 10:00 and still get plenty of "me" in the mix.

Also, if you can't get the guitar or bass amps off the floor, then have the guitarist/bassist stand *directly* across the room from his/her instrument amp. Our bass player was obnoxiously loud due to his standing off to the side from his rig. We turned the rig about 45 degrees in his direction, and it's made all the difference in the world. I remember reading that the Doobie Bros. used to place all of their stage amps next to the monitors, facing towards the individual players. Makes sense to me!

And finally, make a rule that if ANYONE in the band thinks the sound level is too loud, then everyone immediately turns down -- and not just a token adjustment, more like 20-25%. (Believe it or not, a good drummer can "turn down," too. Ours does.) Sometimes, the combined sound level can make it difficult to hear individual sounds in the mix. This approach has an added benefit in that listening to the band at lower volumes helps to hear missed licks, bad harmonies, etc. that get lost when a nice thick coat of "loud" is applied to everything.

Regards,

-BW

--
Bruce Wahler
Online Music Sales
AshbySolutions.com™ http://music.ashbysolutions.com
978.386.7389 voice/fax
bruce@ashbysolutions.com

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