OK anyone out there that knows something about this help me out. We are playing in a relatively small bar. Place is shaped like and L which kinda sucks. We are not going to mic the drums. I dont think it is necessary. The only thing running through the PA is vocals. Here is the problem. we have plenty of Amp power, plenty of speakers, all that stuff, but our singer insists on everyone turning their amps down all the time rather than turing up the vocals. Now I am of the opinion that shwne it comes time to set the sound, the bass and drums should be checked first. Since we are not micing the drums, we have to turn the bass up to where it is loud enough relative to the drums, Once thats done, you check the guitars and get them loud enough. Once all that is set, then the vocal volume should be adjusted to fit the overall sound. Am I way off here? The drums are the LOUDEST thing on stage, so shouldnt the vocals be loud enough to be clearly hear over the drums?
Whats your singers reasoning behind this, it there feedback or something? Because that sounds like the best way to do it if the drums are not being mic'd.
He seems to think that because the lights on the powered mixer are running up into the red when he screams, that we are pushing it too hard and he doesnt want to turn up the vocals. Its a 750 watt powered amp and ONLY vocals are running through it. I told him that I am pretty sure the mixer has a built in limiter that PREVENTS you from blowing it up and that when the light comes on that is just telling us that the limiter is kicking in. As long as it isnt constantly running up that high it should be fine right? And yes there is feedback when he gets close to the mains, I told him to just stop getting next to the mains. Stay behind them. Am i wrong?
Probably common knowledge, but make sure the mike is behind the mains or you'll get a feedback loop no matter what the volume. If the only thing going through the monitors is the vocals, you should get a good stage volume mix around the drums, then add the vocals and make sure they're loud enough - you can't turn down the drums. A 750W amp should be more than enough power, but you should investigate the red lights...
Sounds like you're depending on monitors for filling the house, but for FOH I mic everything so I can have it if I need it. Setup SOH first, drums, bass, horns, strings, keys, lead vox, vox, in that order.
I always ask strings to set their amps as low as possible; they never comply, but it's essential for FOH to have control of the final mix, so sometimes I have to cut them myself. It's always a chore to get inexperienced bands to not blow the roof off the stage, but the show is for the audience, not for them.
Of course, tiny venues, anything goes, but yeah, control everything around the drums as much as possible.
you mic everything even with only 750 watts of power? thats not even close to enough is it?
Answered on other thread.
No, it's not enough; I'll mic it anyway.
