THE GIG THREAD

[Discö Rice]

I have an MXR Carbon Copy that has a bright blue LED on it that it way too bright.  I put some blue masking tape over it so that it didn't blind me, I can certainly still see the light as it shines right through, but it isn't as harsh anymore.  I can't imagine staring at a whole pedalboard full of those things.  That would drive me nuts.

I do whatever my pedals tell me to do...

Just coughed beer into my sinuses.

[lordfinesse]

As a player, most of what I would say has already been well covered. Have your shit together as much as possible, don't play too long, don't get hammered before or during the show. One thing I will add: guitar players who play relatively loud amps, maybe a cranked non-master volume amp... Have a way to get the amount of saturation that you want at a lower volume, for those times when the soundguy asks you to turn down.

As a sound engineer, I'm willing to work with almost anything. A lot of soundguys aren't though. Some are downright dicks, for no apparent reason. So some of what's below won't always apply. That being said, I'll add these:

1) Ask the venue people where to park. Don't get towed.

2) Start and stop your set on time. This may not be the case elsewhere, but where I work, if it's a 9-9:30 slot, a mediocre band that is onstage ready to go at 8:59 and hits the last note at 9:30 has a good chance of being asked back. A kick-ass band that is still tuning up at 9:08 and is still playing at 9:41 will likely not get asked back. Especially if they dick around between songs.

3) A slight but not huge lead boost is a great thing.

4) If a guitar flips between clean and dirty sounds, make sure the dirty is slightly louder than the clean. It will have more impact. And clean cuts like a knife. I'll refrain from quoting a Bryan Adams song, lest I get smited a bunch.

5) Asking something to be double miked will usually draw a frown from a sound engineer. If there's good reason for it, like running stereo cabs and fx or splitting to a clean amp and a dirty amp, then ok. Might be best though not to ask for a single Marshall 4x12 to be double miked "for some added thickness".

6) Bring the things you need to actually play. This sounds elementary, but many times I've seen a guitar/bass player show up without a 1/4" cable or pedal power supply or an IEC cable.. Drummer with no sticks, DJ with no RCA cables. Seems silly, but it happens. I guess this falls under "just have your shit together".

7) Don't leave trash all over the stage when your set is done. Empty cups, beer bottles, set lists.. it's appreciated when the band takes that stuff with them when they clear the stage.

8.) Don't just plug an amp into the first AC box you see. You never know what else is on that circuit. Ask the soundguy where to go for amp power.

9) Singers that bring their own mic will almost always be welcome as long as it is of decent quality. A 58 is the safest bet here. A Beta, a Sennheiser or an Audix, or a plain ol' 57: also probably fine. A radio shack mic with cable attached, a Behringer with a switch, a mic other than a vocal mic (it happens).. not as fine, but I'll try to make it work. Also, just for hygiene it's a good idea to use your own vocal mic.

10) In my experience, vocal processors usually don't sound very good in a live setting. Singers tend to juice things up enough so they can really hear the effect. Usually that's a bit too much in the mix. Also, these processors tend to alter the tone in a way that makes it difficult to get good volume from the mic without any feedback. If reverb and delay are an important part of the vocal performance, then having one handy is not a bad idea, but if you're in a club with decent fx and a sound engineer that is willing to use them, I'd leave the vocal processor in the van.

11) I like loud amps. I prefer guitar and bass amp stage volume and mixing in drums, keys and vocals in the PA, with maybe a touch of guitar presence. A lot of other sound engineers aren't like this, and will act like you've just sucker punched their mother when you first crank up an amp. Probably best not to plan on running your amp super loud unless it's part of the gimmick (Jucifer, Jackyl), or you're in a bar with no PA (or no sober or caring sound guy.... or if it's "the last time we'll ever play this shit hole so let's tear some eardrums and test their pain threshold.")        

I have wanted so bad to enact that last bit there, but we've never had the chance  Maybe one day.   Anyway, I hope this helps some.