Too big of a question?

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BluesMan
Member Since: Dec 09, 2007

I started playing with a newly formed blues band a couple months ago. I haven't played in a band in several years as I have been focusing on home recording.

Anyway, we have a nice practice room and *some* decent equipment but I am wondering how we can solve some practice room problems, and eventually some FOH issues that I know will arise when we play our first gig coming up in a couple months.

We currently have 2 guitarists with their amps, one bass with his amp, drums (a heavy handed drummer) and me - I have two keyboards and my laptop connected to a Tascam US428 running Sonar (I run several VST instruments live.) I mix down my keys to two channels through a small Yamaha mixer and into the PA. There is also mics to the two guitarists and me.

We have a Mackie 808S (powered mixer) that we use as a PA for vocals/keys. It doesn't sound bad.

Our big problem is that it gets too loud and the drummer can't hear much anyway. I sit next to the drums and I can barely stand the snare in my left ear all night so we put up some plexigalss panels that helped a little. Now the drummer can't hear where we're at in the song.

Obviously we need monitors. It seems to me that we each need our own submixes - for instance I would like to be able to hear my own voice above the mix as I'm sure the others would like to have their own submixes.

I know headphones are fine for practice, but for performance we need either an "in ear" solution or stage monitors... what would be a solution that would solve ALL our problems now and when we perform?

Or, is this just too big of a question?

Jeff

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Pinnipedal Czar (: 3=
Member
Since: Apr 11, 2004


Dec 09, 2007 03:02 pm

The way we do it, is to run the vocals out of the board on a separate sub-out into the PA... just the vocals . The rest of the room gets mixed the 'ol fashioned way of balancing all of it against the drummer . Our guy is a very heavy hitter as well, and things also get a bit loud... this makes placement of the monitors all that more important . Try experimenting with where your monitors are placed . We put two in the middle of the room, facing each vocal mic, and then the drummer gets his own on a stand that is adjusted to ear level for him . We run a 1200w Mackie into two 12" two-way wedges, and a dual voice coil mono-12"... just loud enough to keep us all on que .

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002


Dec 09, 2007 03:51 pm

Welcome to HRC Jeff.

No question is too big really. We will just break it down if need be.

Hue has a lot of it kinda of covered there. Some of it might depend as well on the kind of places you are going to be playing. Are you planning on miccing the guitar cabinets and such as well?

But Hue points to making a submix for monitoring use. And that is truly the best way to do it.

And as well these days, if one can afford it the in ear solutions are really the way to go. But that can get tough as well since it is not the cheapest solution some times. But neither is a multi monitor/mixer set up either.

The Czar of BS
Member
Since: Dec 31, 2007


Jan 01, 2008 02:47 am

I agree with the information givin to you here. I would like to give some tricks that we have done in recording sessions with bands like the goo-goo dolls. In these sessions we had a simular problem with the band not being able to hear correctly. Monitors in recording have to kept low so they are not heard during the recording.(This was being done live.) What we did was to move all of the amps behind the drum line. Then slightly turned towards the dummer. As a result. We were able to turn everything down. Being that a 808 does not have a large output. the lower the stage volume the better. This will allow the FOH PA to work for you instead of against. Finally, for youself. See if you can rent a KC500 keyboard amp. It has 4 stereo inputs and a stereo output. This may help you to hear yourself, and the rest of the band to hear you. It also may free you from the Yamaha. This could be the fastest and cheapest solution for now. I the future, monitors will be your saving grace.

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