Another Gig
- Thread starter smitty_p
- Start date
Jethro Rocker
Ambassador of Live & Loud Action
Excellent! Looking forward to details, pics, vids etc!!
OP
So, we've been gigging for awhile now. We've got a lot of the kinks worked out.
It is less mentally taxing and we're settling into our groove and having fun with it.
Plus, we've gone through some technical changes. All of us are on in-ears now and none of us uses an onstage amplifier, anymore. We've also upgraded our mixer. Our FOH sound is definitely improved. Our "regulars" have commented on how much better our sound has gotten as we've gone along.
But, as a new development....
Even our vocalist has a pedalboard now!
Too cool!
It is less mentally taxing and we're settling into our groove and having fun with it.
Plus, we've gone through some technical changes. All of us are on in-ears now and none of us uses an onstage amplifier, anymore. We've also upgraded our mixer. Our FOH sound is definitely improved. Our "regulars" have commented on how much better our sound has gotten as we've gone along.
But, as a new development....
Even our vocalist has a pedalboard now!
Too cool!
Kerry Brown
Ambassador of the Great Northern Bar Jams
What does your bass player use? A DI to the board or a miked amp? I am considering IEMs for my bass but so far haven't found a sound I like going direct to the board. Now I use my amp for most gigs and my amp with a DI out to the board for bigger gigs.I always have my amp for a stage monitor. Most of our gigs are bars. Occasionally we play outdoor events.
OP
He uses a Sans Amp. It's a specialized DI for bass. He goes into the Sans Amp and it runs to the mix. It does sound good. You can overdrive the mix if you're not careful, so it can take a few minutes to get the levels on the Sans Amp and the mixer board to the correct levels.
When I first joined the band, he was using a Fender amp and would use the DI out of the amp to the board. We also used stage wedges. Since then, we have gotten more compact with our gear. No more stage wedges and we're all on IEMs.
All this allows us to have a great deal of control over our sound. We can run our FOH mix as loud or quiet as it needs to for the venue. Yet, we can still hear everything we need to without any amps on stage adding extra, unwanted sound.
But, we did add a screen and projector to display graphics as we play.
This pic is just from our rehearsal space, but it shows the screen that we use as a backdrop now. This is a still image, but there are constant, full-motion graphics that run on the screen as we play.
Between sets, we switch to a slide show that automatically cycles through slides that show our upcoming dates, the QR codes for our social media pages, another QR code where people can leave a tip via Venmo, and anything that the venue may want where we are playing, like menu items or other specials.
Then we switch back to the "run graphics" when we play a set.
I also use these "throw pics". Througout the gig, I may toss pics out or give them specifically to people who seemed particularly into the music.
The other side has the QR code for our Facebook page.
For our next upgrade, our drummer has been looking at adding additional subs to the pair we already have. Getting a little extra thump would be a good thing!
OP
We added a new member to our group this week: a sound guy!
He’s actually more than just our sound guy, he’ll basically be our tech who also handles lights.
This is definitely going to make our gigs better. We have a four hour show on New Year’s Eve. It’ll be his first gig with us.
He’s actually more than just our sound guy, he’ll basically be our tech who also handles lights.
This is definitely going to make our gigs better. We have a four hour show on New Year’s Eve. It’ll be his first gig with us.
Jethro Rocker
Ambassador of Live & Loud Action
Wow, upper scale there!! A dedicated sound guy. Sweet.
BFT Gibson
Ambassador of Originality
No doubt the Sansamp it the best Bass device there is. Ampeg SVT type growl is in that box & big fat thick classic sound also. It's a tone weapon for sure ! As a bass guy its about the only piece of gear i would trust to go ampless with.He uses a Sans Amp. It's a specialized DI for bass. He goes into the Sans Amp and it runs to the mix. It does sound good. You can overdrive the mix if you're not careful, so it can take a few minutes to get the levels on the Sans Amp and the mixer board to the correct levels.
When I first joined the band, he was using a Fender amp and would use the DI out of the amp to the board. We also used stage wedges. Since then, we have gotten more compact with our gear. No more stage wedges and we're all on IEMs.
All this allows us to have a great deal of control over our sound. We can run our FOH mix as loud or quiet as it needs to for the venue. Yet, we can still hear everything we need to without any amps on stage adding extra, unwanted sound.
But, we did add a screen and projector to display graphics as we play.
This pic is just from our rehearsal space, but it shows the screen that we use as a backdrop now. This is a still image, but there are constant, full-motion graphics that run on the screen as we play.
Between sets, we switch to a slide show that automatically cycles through slides that show our upcoming dates, the QR codes for our social media pages, another QR code where people can leave a tip via Venmo, and anything that the venue may want where we are playing, like menu items or other specials.
Then we switch back to the "run graphics" when we play a set.
View attachment 91625
I also use these "throw pics". Througout the gig, I may toss pics out or give them specifically to people who seemed particularly into the music.
The other side has the QR code for our Facebook page.
View attachment 91626
For our next upgrade, our drummer has been looking at adding additional subs to the pair we already have. Getting a little extra thump would be a good thing!
OP
Yeah, I’m looking forward to it. The need for a dedicated sound engineer/tech has been something we’ve been aware of for awhile. He’s also got a good personality and has fit right in to the vibe of the group.
We‘re starting to add more tech to our setup, like extra lights, light trusses (where they can fit into a space), and we’ll soon be adding fog machines and maybe cold sparklers. So, we’ll definitely need someone focused on that stuff.
It’ll also be nice to have an extra set of hands for load-in and out!
chilipeppermaniac
Ambassador of Decibels
No wonder I couldn't ever seem to unhear muddiness in the band's sound on the last few tours I saw live.
chilipeppermaniac
Ambassador of Decibels
Bdon, I am totally serious. It was especially bad at a venue called Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow VA. I could not believe how little drum and bass notes definition I could actually hear. I complained to myself that I was sure that RUSH had skilled Sound men who certainly could clear up the mud in the mix. I was glad it was a free show for me since my blind friend won tix and chose me to drive him to and from the show.
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I dunno. Geddy got rid of stage amps pre 2000. Live recordings that I have after that sound fine to me. Sound guys? The room? Both?
chilipeppermaniac
Ambassador of Decibels
Well, Jiffy Lube Live is an outdoor venue while the former Baltimore Civic Center/Royal Farms Arena where I saw numerous concerts from 82-2018, had decent acoustics for the shows I saw there. It was just something about that Jiffy Lube show that had me wondering why I felt like the show was like for the Deaf Dumb and Blind boy instead of Rush fans. Snakes and Arrows or Clockwork Angels tour if I remember.
After trying to see if anyone else had issues with the sound at the Jiffy Lube Live, it seems that the biggest issue is access to parking and exiting in a timely fashion.
Most reviews of the sound quality report it as good to excellent.
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Jethro Rocker
Ambassador of Live & Loud Action
I find here, with big shows in a hockey arena, often the sound guys (mostly deaf?) try to crank as much low end as possible thru the system and drive it just to see what it can do. Thus leading to horrid sound that can be too much for the venue.
OP
So, we played to our largest crowd yet, last night on New Year's Eve.
Here a few pics from the gig:
Just quick shot of your's truly with my Les Paul and our lead singer/band leader Gina.
This was also my first show with my new (used) Strat:
Our singer likes to get crowd selfies. The crowd is usually very happy to accomodate her
(You can just see part of me in view with my Les Paul):
The haze from our new fog machine is pretty apparent in this pic. This was also the first show with our new lights and light truss.
Just another shot of a happy crowd. This also gives a sense of the size of the crowd:
All in all, a very energetic crowd. The venue owners were very happy, too. They got the kind of excitement they were looking for on New Year's Eve.
Here a few pics from the gig:
Just quick shot of your's truly with my Les Paul and our lead singer/band leader Gina.
This was also my first show with my new (used) Strat:
Our singer likes to get crowd selfies. The crowd is usually very happy to accomodate her
(You can just see part of me in view with my Les Paul):
The haze from our new fog machine is pretty apparent in this pic. This was also the first show with our new lights and light truss.
Just another shot of a happy crowd. This also gives a sense of the size of the crowd:
All in all, a very energetic crowd. The venue owners were very happy, too. They got the kind of excitement they were looking for on New Year's Eve.
Looks amazing @smitty_p ! Well done! Thanks for sharing!
LiveeviL2000
Ambassador of Pentagonal Pentatonics
That looks awesome!! Looks like a great time!
