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Archive for the 'Live Sound' Category

How To Get Your Band In Tune

Posted in Bass Guitar Gear, Guitar Gear, Keyboard Gear, Live Sound, Live Sound Gear, Recording Gear on October 3rd, 2008 by Matt Rushton
Peterson Stroboflip VS-F
   I’m going to talk about a common problem that I hear quite often when I’m out listening to bands. It’s a problem I’ve encountered working with various musicians in my studio as well. The problem that I’m talking about is the use of several different electronic tuners while tuning the various instruments in a band. You would think that a tuner is a tuner and that they’re all properly calibrated but the truth is that any individual tuner can be slightly out of calibration. If you have two different tuners and they’re both a little bit out of calibration, let’s say one is slightly sharp and the other is slightly flat, you’ll hear a big difference in tuning between the different instruments that have been tuned on them. The audience will simply hear an out of tune band which isn’t good for any performance by a live musician.

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Getting Proper Equalization With EQ Frequencies

Posted in Live Sound, Live Sound Gear, Recording, Recording Gear on August 25th, 2008 by Matt Rushton
Mackie Quad EQ
   One of the most important aspects of mixing music in a live venue or in the studio is the use of equalization. The other day I wrote about how to tweak your guitar amplifier EQ settings. Today I’m going to write about the effect of equalization on other parts of the mix.

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A Few Words On Amplifier Equaliztion

Posted in Live Sound on August 22nd, 2008 by Matt Rushton
Fender 65 Twin Reverb Control Panel
When you’re EQ’ing your guitar at home you’re most likely turned lower in volume than onstage. You’re also most likely directly in front of your amplifier with the amp within arms reach so you can tweak the controls. So you work and tweak your amp until it sounds perfect and you’re happy with your tone. So why does it sound so horrible when you get to the gig?

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Standard Practice, Dress Rehearsal and Live Show Setups

Posted in Band Related, Live Sound, Stagecraft on July 30th, 2008 by Matt Rushton
Bill Likes Pepsi At Rehearsal
   I’ve been playing in bands for 27 years now and have been to lots of band practices and rehearsals. Today I’m going to talk a bit about how your band sets up for practice and gigs. I want you to think about how your band sets up during a standard band practice. I’ll bet you that you stand in some kind of circle or oval facing each other with all the amplifiers and speakers pointing at you. That’s really the standard setup for a regular band practice.

   Now think of your setup at your gigs and live shows. I’ll bet your backs are to the drummer and all your speakers and amplifiers are pointing forward. Read more »

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The Quest For Good Tone

Posted in 3. Improve Your Band Skills, Being A Musician, Live Sound, Musicianship, Recording on June 9th, 2008 by Matt Rushton
Pink Floyd - Capturing Good Tone at Live 8
   What is good tone? Well, the dictionary defines it as “The distinctive property of a complex sound.” I define tone as “The sound that brings me the most pleasure to listen to.” As a guitarist, I’m especially tuned in to the tone of my guitar. My guitar’s tone is the result of my guitar, amp and player’s touch working together to create that “distinctive property” that is the most pleasurable for me to listen to.

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How Many Instruments Should I Run Through The P.A.?

Posted in 3. Improve Your Band Skills, Live Sound on June 6th, 2008 by Matt Rushton
Mike Portnoy\'s Drumset
Somebody, Mic That Drumset!
   This is a great question and the answer is easy. You should run as many of the instruments as you can through the P.A.. It’s the best way to get an even live sound when your band plays. There are a lot of advantages to having everything running through the P.A. and it’s a must if you have a live soundman.

   The biggest advantage of running everything through the P.A. is the fact that you have a central location to control the overall mix of your band. Your soundman can’t do much if all the guitar amps are running louder on the stage than the singer coming through the P.A. and the soundman can’t control them. Read more »

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Get A Good Soundman

Posted in 3. Improve Your Band Skills, Band Related, Live Sound on May 7th, 2008 by Matt Rushton

   One of the most difficult things we have to deal with as live music performers is determining how we sound out where the crowd is. It can be a real nightmare to try to determine if you’re really sounding good out in the room. We’ve tried asking wives, girlfriends, fans, bouncers, managers and they all have a different opinion of how we sound. It’s a very subjective question and the feedback you get seems to depend on who you ask. If you ask the singers wife how the band sounds, of course the vocals are too quiet. The guitarists wife want more guitar… You know the drill. Then you get the “Pro Sound Technician” that comes up to you at a gig and gives you all sorts of advice and then pesters you until you change things that almost invariably ruin your sound.   Read more »

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