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
Showing posts with label gruop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gruop. Show all posts
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
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
Monday, 2 November 2009
Learn How To Be A Good Singer
"....The most frustrating thing is that many of these products and books come with contradictory informa.....
.....good singer, singing teacher....."
There sundry things you can do to be a goodness singer and one of the most important thing to do is to engage a behalf singing teacher. Each modus operandi and singing technique will usually include vocal exercises, singing techniques, skills and concepts. However, finding a weal singing trainer can be a confusing affair.
Most singing teachers in fact coin their own singing system and methodology to teach their students. The most frustrating thing is that divers of these products and books come with contradictory information.
With this abundance of information, you could be selfinstruction singing techniques that conflict with each other and this could be very detrimental to your singing foundation system and sometimes the damage done may be irreversible.
To add clutter to the confusion, there are books and intimation and sometimes misinformation you can find in the libraries, melody shops and on the internet.
Take a look at babies. Many exciting singing careers were destroyed of erudition wrongful singing techniques. How can they project their good voice so naturally?
This is behind the scenes nature has provided us with the natural vocal mechanism to harmonize well and powerfully. They are breathing naturally with their diaphragm and they can throw their powerful voices the room when they cry to get your notice.
One challenge to behalf singing is to combine a ingenuous yet powerful singing technique with intense emotions. It is when we choose bad vocal habits as we grew older that the natural ability to be a weal singer is lost and needs to be rekindled by benefit and correct vocal exercises and singing concepts. Good singing technique is the foundation to build the emotional aspect of singing. Powerful emotions can break down a lungs that is not trained with solid singing skills and techniques as a foundation. Pay attention to your inner feelings and you will know what sounds right or wrong.
Successful singing requires not only the will and ability to denominate your emotions in a song, but also the correct singing technique and skills.
For instance, if you pour out all your emotions in a song, you will know that something does not sound right in the singing sound you produced. With a service mastery of your tone mechanism, your own singing wording and translation of songs will be much more enhanced. Since emotions are channeled through your singing fulcrum system, your system must be fully developed for the emotion to come through and convincingly.
So to be a weal singer, you must build your bellows and the base system that frame that voice.
Yes, there are born voices, but there are no born artists. You do not have to be concerned about phonic like a copy of other goodness singers when you perform. It is not just how service a singing vocalization you have. Each and every singer must develop his or own individual skills to be an outstanding artist.
So getting introduced to a weal singing tutor to help you to hone your singing skills to perfection is destined if you want to be a advantage singer. It is what you can do with your individual vocal resources that is the crux of a advantage singer.
"........"
.....good singer, singing teacher....."
There sundry things you can do to be a goodness singer and one of the most important thing to do is to engage a behalf singing teacher. Each modus operandi and singing technique will usually include vocal exercises, singing techniques, skills and concepts. However, finding a weal singing trainer can be a confusing affair.
Most singing teachers in fact coin their own singing system and methodology to teach their students. The most frustrating thing is that divers of these products and books come with contradictory information.
With this abundance of information, you could be selfinstruction singing techniques that conflict with each other and this could be very detrimental to your singing foundation system and sometimes the damage done may be irreversible.
To add clutter to the confusion, there are books and intimation and sometimes misinformation you can find in the libraries, melody shops and on the internet.
Take a look at babies. Many exciting singing careers were destroyed of erudition wrongful singing techniques. How can they project their good voice so naturally?
This is behind the scenes nature has provided us with the natural vocal mechanism to harmonize well and powerfully. They are breathing naturally with their diaphragm and they can throw their powerful voices the room when they cry to get your notice.
One challenge to behalf singing is to combine a ingenuous yet powerful singing technique with intense emotions. It is when we choose bad vocal habits as we grew older that the natural ability to be a weal singer is lost and needs to be rekindled by benefit and correct vocal exercises and singing concepts. Good singing technique is the foundation to build the emotional aspect of singing. Powerful emotions can break down a lungs that is not trained with solid singing skills and techniques as a foundation. Pay attention to your inner feelings and you will know what sounds right or wrong.
Successful singing requires not only the will and ability to denominate your emotions in a song, but also the correct singing technique and skills.
For instance, if you pour out all your emotions in a song, you will know that something does not sound right in the singing sound you produced. With a service mastery of your tone mechanism, your own singing wording and translation of songs will be much more enhanced. Since emotions are channeled through your singing fulcrum system, your system must be fully developed for the emotion to come through and convincingly.
So to be a weal singer, you must build your bellows and the base system that frame that voice.
Yes, there are born voices, but there are no born artists. You do not have to be concerned about phonic like a copy of other goodness singers when you perform. It is not just how service a singing vocalization you have. Each and every singer must develop his or own individual skills to be an outstanding artist.
So getting introduced to a weal singing tutor to help you to hone your singing skills to perfection is destined if you want to be a advantage singer. It is what you can do with your individual vocal resources that is the crux of a advantage singer.
"........"
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