I have wanted to do a post discussing what I feel is a misapplication of a technicians "rule of thumb" that totally disregards the underlying principals. And then I had a band in Saturday whom I am close to, and I found out they have been getting the same B.S. in other clubs they have been into.
So hear it goes...
During setup the lead guitarist tells me that he is going to try pointing his amp at the wall because it will make the FOH sound better. The same story that gets repeated as some sort of celestial truth tha tis beyond questioning. Well I am going to question.
I told the guitarist that I would be up during the first break to help him turn it back around when it didn't work.
This is a band that has 4 monitor mixes, not in ears.
This is not a church where the entire FOH mix is limited to 90 db.
This is not an A list rock band playing a 65 x 45 stage.
So here are my thoughts:
Clarity trumps volume. A single source is always clearer than multiple sources.
By the end of the first set, because no one could hear the lead guitar, I had added it , by their request, to all five mixes. Add in the amp pointed to the wall and the bleed from FOH, each person was hearing at least 7 arrival times, that changed in every position on stage.
So by following the same B.S. that gets repeated over and over, they created a muddy mess for themselves on stage. But is that a worthwhile compromise to live with if it makes FOH cleaner?
Maybe, except I would rather have 1 amp bleeding into FOH than 5 monitor channels. Especially considering the guitarist plays a Mesa cab that is shaped like a wedge tilted back 60 degrees and he places it on top of a 3 foot high rolling rack on stage. So when you add in the 3 foot stage height, I guess the bleed would be of concern for any 24 foot tall spectators in the front row.
Localization trumps volume.
At the same time, the second guitarist/lead singer, who has his amp on a 3 foot tall rolling rack also, placed on the other side of the stage, can't distinguish between his guitar and the lead guitar in the wedge because he has lost the spatial orientation of the sources. Instead of having each clear source clearly to one side or the other, now both sources are just coming from a single point at the wedge. A simple widget to give 10 degrees of tilt back and his amp would be a non issue in FOH as well.
I am really getting tired of telling guitarists to turn up their amps. If you want to ask for guitar in your wedge at your playing position, your amp is either not pointed the right direction OR IT IS NOT LOUD ENOUGH.
And for all you techs with "turn it down-itis", if the band is not in one of the three categories above, stop spewing nonsense. It is a fricking rock show and guitars are part of the genre.
So hear it goes...
During setup the lead guitarist tells me that he is going to try pointing his amp at the wall because it will make the FOH sound better. The same story that gets repeated as some sort of celestial truth tha tis beyond questioning. Well I am going to question.
I told the guitarist that I would be up during the first break to help him turn it back around when it didn't work.
This is a band that has 4 monitor mixes, not in ears.
This is not a church where the entire FOH mix is limited to 90 db.
This is not an A list rock band playing a 65 x 45 stage.
So here are my thoughts:
Clarity trumps volume. A single source is always clearer than multiple sources.
By the end of the first set, because no one could hear the lead guitar, I had added it , by their request, to all five mixes. Add in the amp pointed to the wall and the bleed from FOH, each person was hearing at least 7 arrival times, that changed in every position on stage.
So by following the same B.S. that gets repeated over and over, they created a muddy mess for themselves on stage. But is that a worthwhile compromise to live with if it makes FOH cleaner?
Maybe, except I would rather have 1 amp bleeding into FOH than 5 monitor channels. Especially considering the guitarist plays a Mesa cab that is shaped like a wedge tilted back 60 degrees and he places it on top of a 3 foot high rolling rack on stage. So when you add in the 3 foot stage height, I guess the bleed would be of concern for any 24 foot tall spectators in the front row.
Localization trumps volume.
At the same time, the second guitarist/lead singer, who has his amp on a 3 foot tall rolling rack also, placed on the other side of the stage, can't distinguish between his guitar and the lead guitar in the wedge because he has lost the spatial orientation of the sources. Instead of having each clear source clearly to one side or the other, now both sources are just coming from a single point at the wedge. A simple widget to give 10 degrees of tilt back and his amp would be a non issue in FOH as well.
I am really getting tired of telling guitarists to turn up their amps. If you want to ask for guitar in your wedge at your playing position, your amp is either not pointed the right direction OR IT IS NOT LOUD ENOUGH.
And for all you techs with "turn it down-itis", if the band is not in one of the three categories above, stop spewing nonsense. It is a fricking rock show and guitars are part of the genre.
