Don't
ask for more guitar in the monitors
There are plenty of exceptions to this rule if we're
talking about acoustic guitar or direct feeds, but
not a full stack in a club. A friend was running
sound at a big local club. The band was a full-shred
death metal local band with pretentions of getting a
contract. They hadn't played out much but wanted to
sound cool and professional at what might've been
their first big break. Lots of props, lots of amps.
As I recall there were at least two or three
guitarist with at least full Marshall stacks each,
maybe two stacks for the lead. This alone was almost
a match for the output of the entire house PA.
Being
a nice guy, my friend agreed to mic the guitar amps,
not because he thought it would be needed but because
the band really thought it was necessary. After all,
he could just leave the faders down on those channels…
or not plug in the cables at the board… They get
onstage as the second or third act of the night so
there's no sound check except a few "Check,
check" by the lead vocalist. The volume they
need is clearly going to be a full "10"
from the monitors. As they start up their set with
all sorts of feedback issues to contend with, not
only does the vocalist need more in the monitors, but
the guitarists start saying they can't hear their
guitars. "More guitar in the monitors," was
the call over and over again.
Call
me narrow minded, but if you're standing in front of
a hot full stack on "11" in a club and you
can't hear it, there's something seriously wrong with
you, not the PA. There's was so much coming out of
the stage that front of house was almost completely
off. There's no way to rescue the sound at that
point. Remember, it's the audience that matters.
Trust the sound guy or take your own.
Don't
touch other people's equipment without asking
Most musicians have spent more time touching the
instrument they play than wearing underwear. It's a
day in, day out commitment. Grabbing someone's guitar
without asking is a violation of personal space. If
you don't like that reasoning, here's some GOOD
reasons: A guy picks up the electric guitar just
dropped on the stage only to find out it was dropped
because there's AC going through it. Or how about you
make a tweak on the board when the engineer's not
watching to make something "sound better",
when feedback ensues the engineer can't find the
source immediately. Just don't do it. It's rude.
Listen
to the sound man
If you're lucky, he's got at least a vague clue how
to get a decent sound in the venue. Chances are he's
on your side, the better you sound, the better he
sounds. Until you piss him off, then all bets are
off. He's likely to have some suggestions that will
help get the best sound to the audience. Frequently
this may include turning down an instrument.
Guitarists often won't believe in turning down,
thinking their sound will be compromised. But most
small and medium venues weren't designed with
acoustics in mind. The frequencies that travel well
are the low mids and below; the louder you get, the
muddier the sound away from the speakers. By paying
attention to the sound man, you might be able to
avoid the "wall of mud" syndrome. Maybe the
stage responds sympathetically if the bass amp is in
a certain spot. Maybe the kick drum slaps against the
rear wall if pointed in the wrong direction. There's
lots of things you can't possibly know if you're
onstage. The sound man may be your best friend. Maybe
your only friend.
Don't
choke the mic unless you really want that sound.
Wrapping your hand around the windshield of the mic
is generally a bad thing. Many amateurs do it because
they think it looks cool. I've heard some say they do
it to hear themselves better. If choking up helps you
sound better, you need to get a better monitoring
system. What's really happening is mostly bad. You're
defeating most of the feedback rejection properties
of the microphone, making it hard or impossible for
the soundman to maintain the volume - usually he'll
have to turn down to avoid ringing or feedback if
you're running at more than half volume.
Don't
ask the audience if they think the sound is too loud
"Can you hear me there in the back?" Dumb
question. Of course we can't hear you, that's why
we're standing as far away as possible. Usually this
sort of problem pops up from the prima-donna in a
band. Or the vocalist… Yes, you should be
concerned with your sound, but deal with it
professionally. Asking the audience if the lead
guitar is too loud just makes you sound whining and
petulant. Deal with onstage ego (volume) problems
before the gig. Deal with audio problems during the
gig by talking with someone who has their hand on a
fader. Send a friend into the audience to check the
sound if you're worried. The sound guy is doing his
best to make you sound good until you piss him off.
Turning the audience against him won't do you much
good.
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