Tips for live gigs

[Aceman]

A few questions before I make my suggestions - so subject to change.

#1 How loud is the drummer? Bottom line for audience and you is you have to be louder than him.
#2 How many and what kind of outs are on that amp? I assume none for headphones, DI etc. (Sorry - not a Vox guy)

Get a mic stand of cab attachment, a Shure 57 and a run the mic to the board.
Put the amp behind you pointed forwards
Blend the guitar and vocals in the monitor feed

Now - some general Items:
- As mentioned, get someone to do the mix (or play guitar while you do the mix). The value of a full band soundcheck song for a sound person to get it right can't be overstated - and you need to be there to sing/play and make sure you can hear everything

- Keep the amp volume low and the monitor mix where it needs to be, and the PA/House mix does the rest

- Put everything in the PA if you can. Drums and bass and all.

- Think about a couple of small powered monitors. One for bass, one for you, one for drums.

 

[Ascension]

I would not feel comfortable playing live with a 15w amp. The smallest I have ever gigged with is a 22w Fender Deluxe, a deceptively loud 22w. As Rex has mentioned, you can get an IR or direct box for the end of your signal chain. A DI box would be the least expensive alternative. However, I would be worried about relying on unknown house systems at random gigs supporting my sound. You can set something up for going direct; I would also look into something with a bit more wattage for live situations.

That depends on the 15 watt amp. My PRS MT 15 will spank many 50 watt tube amps on stage on a good cab in both sheer volume and clean headroom. There are several low wattage amps out now that run big bottle EL 34's, 6L6;s or 6V6's like my MT 15 that are very gig worthy on the right cab. While I have a little AX Trac isolation box with miced a real speaker where I have to run silent stage I vastly prefer running a real cab or a combo on stage with a mic on it. Reason is I know the tone coming out of my amp but working with an unknown system and sound crew is a crap shoot on what you will get. I mostly play modern worship in Churches and have 2 rigs that will rip your head off when miced in the FOH but have whisper quiet stage levels. I also have a couple bigger rigs that I can fill a room with running unmiced. One thing is knowing the environment you are coming into and bringing teh right rig . I have 5 different rigs I run ranging from mt 20 watt meas Subway Rocket 1/10 combo to my first gen PRS Archon head and a 2/12.
For reference on a super low stage volume level rig with a massive miced tone out front this is my little tiny 20 watt 1/10 Mesa Subway Rocket. Here I'm running at a whisper on stage and miced with a Beta 57 running nothing but a little verb and delay in the loop.

 

[Securb]

That depends on the 15 watt amp.

I get it and my concern is not the amp but the house system. I have shown up for many a gig and the house systems have ranged from bad to piss poor. There was one club in Lowell where the house system was vocals only, and the guy running the PA was a drugged-out mess. If I need a bit more headroom to get my guitar to the back of the room and above the drums, I do not want to have to rely on the house system to do that for me.

 

[Ewizard]

I always ask people to harken back to the days before PA systems.

Once upon a time, the amp used in the band was a Fender Tweed deluxe, bassman, or Vox AC15. The advent of 30+ watt amps didn't happen until the mid 60's. There is a reason that MOST guitar amps don't exceed 100 watts. It is mostly on the ROI aspect of it. Once you breach about 50-60 watts, you aren't buying volume, you're buying clean headroom out of the power amp.

I believe that 30 watts is the magic number, after that you are spending money on something you don't really use anymore. Now that is a personal opinion formed over 30 years of playing/performing and 20+ years of providing sound support services.

It mostly comes down to the speaker cab. What do most 15-watt amps utilize? A small 8" - 12" single speaker cab. You don't often see a guy place his 15-watt amp on top of a full stack, very rarely through even a 4x12". The speaker and cab, buy you the most volume per watt than anything. If you buy 4 speakers that are rather sensitive ( more volume given 1 watt of power ) the more " free " volume you will have. The ratio goes like this:

1. If you double the wattage with the same speaker, you acquire a +3db boost in volume output.

2. If you double the number of speakers with the same original power, you will achieve another +3db boost in SPL.

3. If you double the number of speakers again, also with the same original power, you would see a +6db increase in output.

4. if you double the number of speakers yet again ( a full stack of 2- 4X12" cabs ) you would gain +9db of output! That is twice the perceived output, and you haven't added a single watt.

So how is this better volume per watt than just having more power?

1. To increase the output +3db with only 1 speaker, you would need to double the wattage.

2. To increase the output another +3db with only that one speaker, you would have to again double the wattage. If you started at 15 watts, you would already be at 60 watts now.

3. To increase another +3db you need to yet again double the wattage. You are now at 120 watts of power to have a +9db total increase in output.

There are exactly zero 120-watt amplifiers that sound like an AC-15. This is why more speakers, or fewer speakers with more sensitivity, are better than just watts alone.

Imagine a 100-watt amp with a dual 12" cab that has two speakers with a sensitivity of 98db @ 1-watt - 1-meter. You would have a peak SPL of 121db.

That same cab with a 30-watt amp and two speakers that have a 100db @ 1-watt - 1-meter sensitivity, would have a peak SPL of 118db. Only a -3db difference with less than half the wattage. Bump that 30-watter up to 50-watts and you would have a peak SPL of 120db! That -1db is worth nothing since most people can't even clearly hear a change in volume until around a +/- 3db change occurs. It's not the power as much as it is the amount of air you can move with that power.

So to end this, if you really like the sound of X amp and you need more volume, bring more speakers.

 

[Demanic]

I'll slap a 100 or 200 watt head on top of a 300 watt 2x12 and call it a day. If you have the capacity with the house PA to mike it, fine, keep it low.
If not, turn it up.

 

[donaldr]

I would recommend a Bluguitar Blubox:

1. Vox AC15 speaker out -> Blubox (speaker in)
2. Blubox (speaker thru) -> internal speaker
3. Blubox (balanced mix out) -> FOH
4. Use one of the internal IR for FOH sound

That would be easier than micking a cab, and not have to worry about another mic stand on stage behind you.

 

[Securb]

I'll slap a 100 or 200 watt head on top of a 300 watt 2x12 and call it a day. If you have the capacity with the house PA to mike it, fine, keep it low.
If not, turn it up.

.

 

[Seashore]

There was one club in Lowell where the house system was vocals only, and the guy running the PA was a drugged-out mess.

Only one?

 

[Fender_Punk]

.

Crank that AC-15 most of the way so people can hear those tubes sizzle in the all their glory. When the sound guy rushes over to tell you to turn down, turn it up to full blast. :headbang:

 

[Ewizard]

A vocal-only PA system is what separates the men from the boys. You can't hide from anything.

 

[jeremy]

A vocal-only PA system is what separates the men from the boys. You can't hide from anything.

not sure what ya mean by that, care to elaborate?

 

[beaubrummels]

I think he means, if the P.A. only has vocals in it, then the audience will hear all the detail of the vocals, you can't hide.

It's actually a common trick some big names use, or a variant of it. The earliest I had heard of the technique was the Red Hot Chili Pepper's FOH guy would have two columns on each side of the stage, one for all the instruments, and one dedicated to just vocals. He said it's because he could get clarity at lower volumes, and not have to keep turning stuff up till it's unbearable.

 

[Ewizard]

Sort of to both of you. With a vocal only PA, the vocals have the best chance of sounding good, and that is one upside. Where it separates the men from the boys is the overall sound. The guitar sound comes from the guitar, bass the bass, and drums the drums. If it sounds good out in the crowd, you are one of the men. If it sounds like dog butt, you are one of the boys.

Keep in mind this is coming from a guy who has spent 20 years running sound, so providing and running PA systems is what my job was ( I'm an IT Specialist now moonlighting as a sound guy when it benefits me ), and I got to do it at the top level working with the best systems the world has to offer. Nothing and I mean NOTHING, escapes the talent. You can't polish a turd, you can't make a bad singer sound any better, you can't fix mistuned guitars and when running sound at the intermediate level in medium-sized, and small venues, the band makes up a considerable part of the overall sound, LOOOOOONNNGGGG before it spews out of the PA.

Since 99% of us are playing at bars, small venues, and perhaps an occasional outdoor festival, this 99% of us make up a large percentage of the sound that people actually hear. The PA can make things louder and balance things out, but there is still a considerable % of sound that people hear coming from your instrument, not the PA. That mix of sound can be good, just as easy as it can be bad. A PA is NOT a magic fix it all tool. It is just meant to make things louder, increase the coverage area, and even out the mix that the majority of people hear. That is it. A good sound guy can polish the mix and make it sound similar to a CD or studio mix.

So with a vocal-only PA, you cannot hide from anything. If your drummer uses cymbals as an instrument and is bashing away on them while the singer is singing softly right in front of the drums, the only thing people will hear in the crowd is the clang of cymbals crashing away. If the bassist thinks it is cool to rattle the walls on the entire block, well that muffled, room-filling flutter will overpower everything, and all you will hear is the rattling of the building and the snare. If the guitarist thinks they are god's gift to EVH and peel's the paint off the walls, all the people will hear is their ears bleeding from the weedly, weedly of the guitar. And yes, if your singer can't sing much better than a dog howling, well god help us all. A great-sounding band requires very little " sound support ". A great band stands on their own and a small amount of effort from the sound guy can take it a little bit further.

I used to do sound at a bar in my early years and we would have showcases. So imagine 5-6 bands in a night. It is amazing how some you can make sound like a CD is playing, and others it sounds like absolute dog poo. Same PA, same mics, same sound guy, the only difference is the band. So what is the factor in all of this? The talent sets the pace. If you sound good naturally, it is 10X easier for me to take it from there and carry the baton to the finish line. I can play god to an extent, but I'm really trying not to. The more work I am doing trying to fix things, the less time I am spending actually mixing the show.

A trick I tell bands to try is to make a recording you your band with a single microphone in front of your band while rehearsing. That mic WILL NOT LIE, it will tell you who is too loud, what sounds muffled or bright, and will show you clearly what you need to work on. What that mic hears is similar in nature to what others would hear.

 

[jeremy]

great explanation, thank you! id say maybe 50% of my gigs are vocal pa only and i get what you are saying. i used to perform at one club at least once or twice a week for about ten years. there was no sound guy or pa, just two huge mains mounted from the ceiling, so i had to bring everything else. there was a beam about 20' in front of the stage so i mounted two large diaphragm condenser mics and started recording everything. it was a great exercise since, as you said, the mic doesnt lie. vocal only pa and everything else was stage volume, though i would mic the kick from time to time. after only a few recordings, we could consistently get a balanced, clear sounding mix in no time at all. miss that place and those gigs actually

 

[El Dunco]

Rehearse regularly, thoroughly and under the same circumstances you will be playing the show (don’t sit down if you won’t be on stools on stage, if you sing too, don’t omit your vocals from the rehearsal.)

Work together to make sure your sounds are cooperating (each piece of the drum kit, bass, guitar, extras being audible and functionally distinct) in the rehearsal space before mics even touch them.

This ensures even a rookie soundperson or just one under time constraints too tight to optimally EQ every element of your band can’t have too much of a negative influence impact because setting up like this means you’ve practically mixed yourself. I say this even though my next piece of advice is to bring your own soundperaon.

If you don’t want to pay for one, even just make good friends with a young, hungry and passionate go getter who loves and is very familiar with your material and knows how to make you sound like YOU, playing to your strengths and adding exciting dynamic mix choices with effects, level changes etc. that go perfectly with the music! Having someone like that on the team makes things come together in a big way.

Learn about live sound yourself. Being certified in live sound production has given me a better understanding of how to optimise my band for the stage aurally and visually. Speaking of visually, be creative. You don’t have to dress up like GWAR but have something happening that’s not just some guye standing around and playing. Can be creative use of multimedia, like a projector with clips that complement the music, catchy banners or something as simple as a dynamic light show that compliments the music, maybe some fog machines and a somewhat striking image. Do I dress like this in day to day life?

Yes. Am I insane? Also yes. It But is it entertaining combined with being in my element on the stage? You bet. These people came to see a show. Make sure you give it to them. I have to have a giggle at this imaginary “style vs musical competence/tightness” debate people have in music spaces, not realising the bands who have really got it and keep bringing people in have little problem with either. They aren’t mutually exclusive at all. Be the whole package! Of course have fun and be creative. It’s just as much a means of expressing yourself as the music you’re playing!

 

[Securb]

The other key tip I can give is don't wear cargo shorts with white Reeboks.

 

[El Dunco]

The other key tip I can give is don't wear cargo shorts with white Reeboks.

The one guy who could pull that off is no longer with us.

 

[Gtrjunior]

The other key tip I can give is don't wear cargo shorts with white Reeboks.

Now that’s just plain old bad advise!!!
Lol

 

[Ewizard]

I am friends with a band member who was in a famous punk band ( we will leave it at that ). He said never to wear white shoes. I'm inclined to believe him as I have always worn white shoes, and never became famous