Unlike popular boy-bands like N*SYNC or the Backstreet Boys, real rockers don't use headset mics. Can you imagine a hard rocker on the stage with a headset on? No way! Seriously, no one but the weak pop bands uses those headsets to prance around the stage. Say hello to the hardcore mics and stands of the rock world, people!
Jonathan Davis of Korn has a wicked mic stand, featuring a naked female torso done in chrome. How much cooler are can you get? I know if I had that mic, I'd really be rockin'. Davis has his whole unique personality that includes a kilt, wicked dreadlocks and a shiny silver grill. Now imagine him with a lame, school talent show type microphone in front of him. Can you see it? Neither can I. The microphone itself has become a part of him, like another body part, and completes his image to the hilt. He's the perfect combination of sexy and dangerous with that bad-ass mic in front of him!
Of course, the voice effects the mic enables the vocalist to create are intrinsic parts of the song as well as the way the artist handles the mic. Adam Gontier from Three Days Grace uses an old school hand-held mic that he can get intimately close to that creates the sound we know and love.
Some, like Dani Filth, prefer to spin their mics to create interesting ripple effects. He keeps singing as the mic sways, twirls and turns, creating an amazing effect on his voice. Others incorporate the usage of switches on the mic itself that can make the singer's voice sound hollow and far away or make an eerie echo.
This all adds to the mood and tone of the song itself. While some bands like dangling mics, ones that are attached to a crane neck extension and suspended above the artist, like in the recording studio. Then there are those who have the long mic stands, usually decorated, with a hand-held mic that can be removed while in motion. Others still, like Three Days Grace, use a completely hand-held mic that can be held very close to the mouth for the desired effect. What do you think this says about them?
Bands like KoRn and Cradle of Filth have vocalists who really get active with the mic. It makes fans go wild when they dance with it, caress it, and, in Dani Filth's case, even lick it. Hell, Steven Tyler from Aerosmith decorates his with flamboyant scarves and practically seduces it on stage! These artist truly treat their mics like a part of their wardrobe, just as much as the shirt on their back is. They become the kind of accessory that's custom made for the person using it.
If you're a musician, you need to remember that whatever your personality is, the microphone you choose can either enhance it or blow it all-together. The audience sees your equipment as part of who you are. Use the mic that represents your cause the best and you're definitely heading for a win. The mic is a part of your band take as much time to pick yours out as you would any other band member.
For More On Microphones And More About Your Favorite Rock Bands And Music, Visit http://AudioFlip.Com
AudioFlip.Com is dedicated to rock and roll music and rock culture. The site offers the latest music news, rock band reviews, music videos, free music downloads, indie music, concert ticket information, rock radio, pics of rock stars, rock fashion, tattoos and piercings and everything else rock music fans need. Musicians can also learn about the music industry, get guitar lessons, learn how to play the drums, get independent record label information, learn about concert promotions and much more.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vin_Hayes
Showing posts with label gear. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gear. Show all posts
Monday, 23 November 2009
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
Playing Live - How to Set Up Your Band With Monitors For a Killer Sound
You've got your amps, you've been practising in a garage or small rehearsal room and things sound pretty tight. Now you've got a chance to play down at the local pub/bar. How difficult could that be? Well, if you feel that all you have to do is set up and play just as you've been practising then there is a 99% chance of disaster. Many bands sound awful at their first gigs because their PA isn't sorted; they find themselves playing out of time and out of tune.
Why? It's monitoring - or to be precise a lack of it! Your singer will only be able to sing in tune if he can hear what he is singing. Your guitarists will only bend notes accurately if they can hear their own guitars. Bass and drums will only lock in if they can hear each other, and each of you will only know where you are in a song if you can hear the rest of the band. It's wholly different to the confines of the garage or practice space and this can really throw you all. You will be struggling to hear the overall sound and may even have trouble in properly hearing your part of it. No matter how good you all are as musicians, no matter how much you've practised, without good monitoring you will end up out of time, out of tune and wishing you'd stayed at home. When the on-stage sound is wrong, amplifying it will just tell the audience how wrong it is.
For bands of three to six people with electric guitars and bass, a drummer, a singer and possibly a keyboard, playing in small venues to audiences of less than 200 (a typical start up scenario) your amplification needs are threefold:
1) Back line - this includes your guitar and bass amps, your drummer
2) Monitors - these are on-stage speakers relaying "fold-back" - your own sound
3) PA - the front of house sound which the audience hears
Notice that 1) and 2) create your on-stage sound whilst 3) delivers the on-stage sound to the front of house. Lets take them one at a time:
Backline
You will need 30 to 50watts RMS for your guitar to match the drums. The bass will need 50 to100 watts. If you are using keyboards they will need 100 watts as a back-line instrument but if you choose to put the keyboards directly through the PA to the front of house, bear in mind that without a mixer they will be a distraction for the vocalist. Those pieces of kit which do not have a volume control - the drummer and the singer - now need to be considered. The vocals will definitely need a system that delivers over guitars, bass and drums to a room full of noise absorbing people (and audiences absorb the higher frequencies more efficiently than the lower ones), so PA's are first and foremost the province of the vocalist, but also for keyboards and, if you chose to microphone them, the drums.
Monitors
You need stage monitors so the singer can hear themselves and the rest of the band can hear the singer. A monitor is a speaker, often quite small and wedge shaped, which can be pointed at the singer without hiding him and generally raised at the front edge by a stand (or propped up by an old brick) to project better. Add more monitors so the rest of the band can hear the singer and position one of these next to the drummer. You'll need a separate power amplifier to drive the monitors although it needn't be as powerful as a PA power amp, and if you have extra acoustic instruments you will need to put these through the monitors too. Look for monitors of 100W, you can get active ones with built in amps or go for a monitor amp with separate speakers. Understand, too, that your guitar and bass amps are, on-stage, monitors. You need to set these so that you can hear yourself and the other band members, and that they can hear you as well as themselves. This is the trickiest part and when sound wars break out on stage, often a competition over being loudest, it's the audience that suffers. Don't make the mistake of turning up your amps to impress the audience as you will just be unbalancing the band's sound. In very small venues and for mainly acoustic bands, the monitors can be angled to spill sound to the audience.
You now have control and balance issues to consider. Decision one: either you balance the back line to the drummer or you microphone the drums and balance through the PA . There are compromises possible when playing small venues where it may be effective to simply microphone the kick drum.
PA
To the singer, the PA is what an amplifier is to a guitarist, but it's much more besides. What goes to the PA goes through a mixer. These days a mixing desk capable of handling the whole band can be picked up for the price of a low mid-range guitar. Given that many venues, even smaller ones, now have their own PA systems, including a mixing desk, you will need to come to terms with these either way. At the basic level if you only have vocals going through the PA you will only need 100W per channel and a couple of full range speakers with stands. The speakers will have a ten, twelve or fifteen inch bass speaker and a horn to handle the high notes. You'll need to raise the horns above the audience or the people at the front will absorb all of the treble and the rest of the room will get mush. This is why most PA systems feature stands, so use them! Make sure the cabinets are well to the front of the vocalist or your back-line sound could overpower the vocal mike and set up a howling feedback loop. If you've got your on-stage sound right then you won't get this problem from the back-line but if you do then you now know the answer. Turn down the back-line!
Jez Rogers is a guitarist/singer performing both solo and with several groups. His Sea Company project promotes local music with training and advice on setting up bands sound systems for live performance. Jez writes from hard earned experience, his newsletter for news, reviews, guitar tuition and advice on equipment for live performance and home recording is available free at http://sea-company.heart-shapedworld.com/index.html
(c) Jez Rogers 2009
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jez_Rogers
Why? It's monitoring - or to be precise a lack of it! Your singer will only be able to sing in tune if he can hear what he is singing. Your guitarists will only bend notes accurately if they can hear their own guitars. Bass and drums will only lock in if they can hear each other, and each of you will only know where you are in a song if you can hear the rest of the band. It's wholly different to the confines of the garage or practice space and this can really throw you all. You will be struggling to hear the overall sound and may even have trouble in properly hearing your part of it. No matter how good you all are as musicians, no matter how much you've practised, without good monitoring you will end up out of time, out of tune and wishing you'd stayed at home. When the on-stage sound is wrong, amplifying it will just tell the audience how wrong it is.
For bands of three to six people with electric guitars and bass, a drummer, a singer and possibly a keyboard, playing in small venues to audiences of less than 200 (a typical start up scenario) your amplification needs are threefold:
1) Back line - this includes your guitar and bass amps, your drummer
2) Monitors - these are on-stage speakers relaying "fold-back" - your own sound
3) PA - the front of house sound which the audience hears
Notice that 1) and 2) create your on-stage sound whilst 3) delivers the on-stage sound to the front of house. Lets take them one at a time:
Backline
You will need 30 to 50watts RMS for your guitar to match the drums. The bass will need 50 to100 watts. If you are using keyboards they will need 100 watts as a back-line instrument but if you choose to put the keyboards directly through the PA to the front of house, bear in mind that without a mixer they will be a distraction for the vocalist. Those pieces of kit which do not have a volume control - the drummer and the singer - now need to be considered. The vocals will definitely need a system that delivers over guitars, bass and drums to a room full of noise absorbing people (and audiences absorb the higher frequencies more efficiently than the lower ones), so PA's are first and foremost the province of the vocalist, but also for keyboards and, if you chose to microphone them, the drums.
Monitors
You need stage monitors so the singer can hear themselves and the rest of the band can hear the singer. A monitor is a speaker, often quite small and wedge shaped, which can be pointed at the singer without hiding him and generally raised at the front edge by a stand (or propped up by an old brick) to project better. Add more monitors so the rest of the band can hear the singer and position one of these next to the drummer. You'll need a separate power amplifier to drive the monitors although it needn't be as powerful as a PA power amp, and if you have extra acoustic instruments you will need to put these through the monitors too. Look for monitors of 100W, you can get active ones with built in amps or go for a monitor amp with separate speakers. Understand, too, that your guitar and bass amps are, on-stage, monitors. You need to set these so that you can hear yourself and the other band members, and that they can hear you as well as themselves. This is the trickiest part and when sound wars break out on stage, often a competition over being loudest, it's the audience that suffers. Don't make the mistake of turning up your amps to impress the audience as you will just be unbalancing the band's sound. In very small venues and for mainly acoustic bands, the monitors can be angled to spill sound to the audience.
You now have control and balance issues to consider. Decision one: either you balance the back line to the drummer or you microphone the drums and balance through the PA . There are compromises possible when playing small venues where it may be effective to simply microphone the kick drum.
PA
To the singer, the PA is what an amplifier is to a guitarist, but it's much more besides. What goes to the PA goes through a mixer. These days a mixing desk capable of handling the whole band can be picked up for the price of a low mid-range guitar. Given that many venues, even smaller ones, now have their own PA systems, including a mixing desk, you will need to come to terms with these either way. At the basic level if you only have vocals going through the PA you will only need 100W per channel and a couple of full range speakers with stands. The speakers will have a ten, twelve or fifteen inch bass speaker and a horn to handle the high notes. You'll need to raise the horns above the audience or the people at the front will absorb all of the treble and the rest of the room will get mush. This is why most PA systems feature stands, so use them! Make sure the cabinets are well to the front of the vocalist or your back-line sound could overpower the vocal mike and set up a howling feedback loop. If you've got your on-stage sound right then you won't get this problem from the back-line but if you do then you now know the answer. Turn down the back-line!
Jez Rogers is a guitarist/singer performing both solo and with several groups. His Sea Company project promotes local music with training and advice on setting up bands sound systems for live performance. Jez writes from hard earned experience, his newsletter for news, reviews, guitar tuition and advice on equipment for live performance and home recording is available free at http://sea-company.heart-shapedworld.com/index.html
(c) Jez Rogers 2009
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jez_Rogers
Thursday, 5 November 2009
UK's Music Scene - Going Under?
The UK music scene has lost its allure and excitement, electronica artist and vegan Moby declared. Moby continued his critique of the said industry - most of the emerging acts were 'laddish' examples of 'pub rock', Moby said a few months ago.
Moby's noteworthy rant was commendable for a few reasons. One of them is that he finally made a stand, after hiphop star Eminem lambasted him as being effete and spineless in one of his songs (and its subsequent music video) some years back. The other reason is that Moby may have actually hit the nail right on the head. What happened to the once-innovative UK scene?
Being a music fan myself, I'd have to say that all the bands that come from today's UK scene are mostly mainstream acts that sound generic. That scathing comment from Moby may possess more than a kernel of truth. The laddish, pub-rock bands he referred to could apply to the more popular artists and bands from UK, such as Coldplay, Kaiser Chiefs, Razorlight, and even seminal alternative act Oasis. Kasabian has even joined the mix.
However, this name-dropping is quite indicative of the industry, whose mainstream acts have crossed over and developed followings in America and other parts of the world. Having a larger audience can tend to change a band or singer's sound, from inspired and groundbreaking to lackadaisical and generic - see Snow Patrol as an example.
Independent, DIY labels such as Winning Sperm Party are helping break the molds from where many of today's artists are cast. Some of these companies even release music from their artists for free. Bands such as Dananananakroyd, Dinosaur Pile Up, The Joy Formidable, and We Were Promised Jetpacks are beginning to make a stir. Even promising upstarts Los Campesinos! are proving Moby wrong, being as far from pub rock as can be.
The UK music scene isn't anywhere near its death throes, when you think about it. Maybe Moby just needs to dig a little deeper.
Read free music reviews and other insightful and entertaing articles. Visit the site for all music junkies.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ryan_Jay_Crisostomo
Moby's noteworthy rant was commendable for a few reasons. One of them is that he finally made a stand, after hiphop star Eminem lambasted him as being effete and spineless in one of his songs (and its subsequent music video) some years back. The other reason is that Moby may have actually hit the nail right on the head. What happened to the once-innovative UK scene?
Being a music fan myself, I'd have to say that all the bands that come from today's UK scene are mostly mainstream acts that sound generic. That scathing comment from Moby may possess more than a kernel of truth. The laddish, pub-rock bands he referred to could apply to the more popular artists and bands from UK, such as Coldplay, Kaiser Chiefs, Razorlight, and even seminal alternative act Oasis. Kasabian has even joined the mix.
However, this name-dropping is quite indicative of the industry, whose mainstream acts have crossed over and developed followings in America and other parts of the world. Having a larger audience can tend to change a band or singer's sound, from inspired and groundbreaking to lackadaisical and generic - see Snow Patrol as an example.
Independent, DIY labels such as Winning Sperm Party are helping break the molds from where many of today's artists are cast. Some of these companies even release music from their artists for free. Bands such as Dananananakroyd, Dinosaur Pile Up, The Joy Formidable, and We Were Promised Jetpacks are beginning to make a stir. Even promising upstarts Los Campesinos! are proving Moby wrong, being as far from pub rock as can be.
The UK music scene isn't anywhere near its death throes, when you think about it. Maybe Moby just needs to dig a little deeper.
Read free music reviews and other insightful and entertaing articles. Visit the site for all music junkies.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ryan_Jay_Crisostomo
UK's Music Scene - Going Under?
The UK music scene has lost its allure and excitement, electronica artist and vegan Moby declared. Moby continued his critique of the said industry - most of the emerging acts were 'laddish' examples of 'pub rock', Moby said a few months ago.
Moby's noteworthy rant was commendable for a few reasons. One of them is that he finally made a stand, after hiphop star Eminem lambasted him as being effete and spineless in one of his songs (and its subsequent music video) some years back. The other reason is that Moby may have actually hit the nail right on the head. What happened to the once-innovative UK scene?
Being a music fan myself, I'd have to say that all the bands that come from today's UK scene are mostly mainstream acts that sound generic. That scathing comment from Moby may possess more than a kernel of truth. The laddish, pub-rock bands he referred to could apply to the more popular artists and bands from UK, such as Coldplay, Kaiser Chiefs, Razorlight, and even seminal alternative act Oasis. Kasabian has even joined the mix.
However, this name-dropping is quite indicative of the industry, whose mainstream acts have crossed over and developed followings in America and other parts of the world. Having a larger audience can tend to change a band or singer's sound, from inspired and groundbreaking to lackadaisical and generic - see Snow Patrol as an example.
Independent, DIY labels such as Winning Sperm Party are helping break the molds from where many of today's artists are cast. Some of these companies even release music from their artists for free. Bands such as Dananananakroyd, Dinosaur Pile Up, The Joy Formidable, and We Were Promised Jetpacks are beginning to make a stir. Even promising upstarts Los Campesinos! are proving Moby wrong, being as far from pub rock as can be.
The UK music scene isn't anywhere near its death throes, when you think about it. Maybe Moby just needs to dig a little deeper.
Read free music reviews and other insightful and entertaing articles. Visit the site for all music junkies.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ryan_Jay_Crisostomo
Moby's noteworthy rant was commendable for a few reasons. One of them is that he finally made a stand, after hiphop star Eminem lambasted him as being effete and spineless in one of his songs (and its subsequent music video) some years back. The other reason is that Moby may have actually hit the nail right on the head. What happened to the once-innovative UK scene?
Being a music fan myself, I'd have to say that all the bands that come from today's UK scene are mostly mainstream acts that sound generic. That scathing comment from Moby may possess more than a kernel of truth. The laddish, pub-rock bands he referred to could apply to the more popular artists and bands from UK, such as Coldplay, Kaiser Chiefs, Razorlight, and even seminal alternative act Oasis. Kasabian has even joined the mix.
However, this name-dropping is quite indicative of the industry, whose mainstream acts have crossed over and developed followings in America and other parts of the world. Having a larger audience can tend to change a band or singer's sound, from inspired and groundbreaking to lackadaisical and generic - see Snow Patrol as an example.
Independent, DIY labels such as Winning Sperm Party are helping break the molds from where many of today's artists are cast. Some of these companies even release music from their artists for free. Bands such as Dananananakroyd, Dinosaur Pile Up, The Joy Formidable, and We Were Promised Jetpacks are beginning to make a stir. Even promising upstarts Los Campesinos! are proving Moby wrong, being as far from pub rock as can be.
The UK music scene isn't anywhere near its death throes, when you think about it. Maybe Moby just needs to dig a little deeper.
Read free music reviews and other insightful and entertaing articles. Visit the site for all music junkies.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ryan_Jay_Crisostomo
Tuesday, 20 October 2009
So you've learned the instrument, you can play a range of different songs and now you're ready to put your skills to use by forming your own band, the only question that's left now is how you're going to do this.
In our society today there are a lot of highly talented individuals when it comes to music and forming a band is the natural next step to take once you have gone through the process of learning how to play an instrument. For some people, especially young teenagers you may actually form your band while you are still learning how to play. This is especially true if all of you are learning a particular instrument at the same time. This is basically a great way of starting a band as you will all more than likely be into the same style of music meaning there will be no disagreements when it comes to the decision of which direction to take the band in. It will also be a lot easier as you would all be friends to begin with so you would have no problem spending a lot of time together to write and practice your music.
If however you are going at it alone in regards to learning an instrument then there are a number of options open to you when it comes to finding band members. One of the best ways of gaining contact with fellow musicians and potential new band mates is to approach the most obvious places where musicians are likely to hang out; this includes places such as local Rehearsal Rooms, music shops and gig venues. You should use such venues to your advantage by asking to place adverts and leave flyers so if anyone is interested in joining a band they can easily get in touch with you; in fact you never know, the people who work within such venues may actually know someone who is looking for a band member themselves so they could even pass your details over to them.
In other cases you may simply be looking for a new member to join your band in order to complete it. When it comes to cases such as this the term its not what you know but who you know comes into mind! What I am referring to is the fact in a local music scene a lot of the bands know each other so some of the bands that you know or you meet may know of a musician who is looking for a band to join. However in cases such as this it is important that you don't just take someone's word for it that this musician is perfect. Keep in mind that a new member would not only have to be up to the same musical standard as you but they would also have to be reliable and hard working.
There are a few aspects that you need to keep in mind when you are finding band members. You need to make sure that when you invite someone to join your band that they are suited to the music you want to produce that they are trustworthy and reliable and of course that you get on with them on a personal level as you will be spending a lot of time with them; if you don't get on with them personally the band will fail to gel together leading to many problems.
When you do find the right members for your band you will be able to move onto what you all love best, making music and playing live. Remember exposure is everything when it comes to music so spread the word and have fun in the process!
Bandjammer is for people who want to have some fun, learning to play great rock songs. Our unique teaching methods support you every step of the way, for both Lead and Rhythm guitar.
Learn easy guitar songs. You can play solo, jam with our band, or form you own. Click here for your free guitar songs DVD: http://www.bandjammer.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andy_Partridge
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