mrtcat

Depends how popular you want to be. Play whatever the punters want and do it well with enthusiasm if you want a full diary. Play only the songs that the band members want to play if you're less concerned about it. By all means try new stuff, its really important to keep the set list fresh and relevant, but be objective about what is working and what isn't. Don't flog a dead horse because someone in the band loves it and don't dismiss anything that an individual hates until youve tried it. Be aware that singers may struggle with the odd song and, if changing the key doesn't help, there will definitely be some limitations there and you'll have to respect that.

If I'm in a covers band, which I am, I'm more concerned about what goes down well than what I love playing. I've heard loads of bands say "we want to do some slightly more obscure songs" but they rarely work that well imo. 

If you have band members rejecting suggestions just on personal preference then you're on a hiding to nothing. If they're rejecting songs because they're not well known bangers then they might have a point.

2 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

Don't they all come from China anyway?

Knowles are an American manufacturer and their drivers are the industry standard for hearing aids around the world.

15 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

Thanks, good info. I will look in to it. I guess £500 isnt out of the question if i end up with a good, reliable fit. 

 

i will disagree about the MEE’s vs KZ10 (and KZ10 Pro) though. My singer (and GF) has the KZ Pro, and i didn't like them when i tried them. I wanted to, but they just weren’t for me. They sounded a bit harsh and brash to my ear. Flat, and maybe more true, but cold and lifeless. I went through 4 versions of the MEE’s, inc the 4 driver version, and settled on the 3 driver version. Nice and warm, not neutral but much more pleasing to my ears. 

 

So i could get the MEE’s re shelled? I really like the sound of them, and while im sure (no pun intended) more money could get me better, it seems a waste of money to me as im already happy with the ones i have. Other than the fit. 

I think the thing to remember about having non custom iems reshelled is that the components don't necessarily dictate the sound. They may well limit the quality of sound and reliability but the person / persons doing the reshelling, if competent, will be able to tune the finished product so it gives a pleasing sound. KZ's use industry standard balanced armature drivers from Knowles (as used in many of the high end iems) whereas mee use Chinese parts. If I was spending £250 for the reshelling and £50 for ear impressions, I'd be reluctant to use cheaper Chinese parts in the finished product. 

My personal experience of KZ10 's is far from them being harsh or flat sounding. They have an inherently scooped sound with heaps of low end headroom due to the use of dual dynamic drivers. I'd liken them to the kind of "boom and sparkle" sound you get from the low midrange stereo offerings from Bose or B&W. I guess that's where sound becomes really subjective though. 

9 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

Hmm, id never thought of it like that. Now it makes sense that people get their IEM’s re shelled. I must admit im not too keen on having those large lumps sticking out of my ears. 

I think i need to re up on all this again and find some that take the custom shells. 

 

Thanks for  heads up. 

Proper custom fit iems aren't going to be cheap however you do it. Probably the most cost effective way in is to buy decent non custom in ear monitors (UE900s or similar) and have them reshelled by a company like lugs. You are unlikely to see any change from £500 but, personally, I'd rather spend that kind of money on in ears than on an amp and cab. 

If you could get some kz10s reshelled it may be a good value option because they use decent components. I wouldn't bother getting mee's reshelled. I had a pair and they were OK but definitely not the same quality as the kz10s.

2 hours ago, Geek99 said:

No we arent because no one has ever heard of your Newcastle 😛

I've had some cracking nights out in Newcastle-Under-Lyme. It's where our agents are based and we go up at least once a year to shoot new promo material and always get a hotel so we can have a few beers. There are some great ale pubs.

I married a Geordie. She's the embodiment of everything I love about Newcastle and its people. Beautiful, warm personality, hilarious sense of humour and can drink me under the table. 

I absolutely love Newcastle and love it when we get to go up there. 

8 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

I really need to look in to custom fits. Ive really struggling keeping my right ear in, even with foam tips.  Ive tried quite a few different types so far, and although most work, i find the seal isnt great after a song or two. 

 

It's a big step up in terms of isolation and comfort. 

2 hours ago, bassmansam said:

 

I also have the UE6. Was there an issue with yours that made you want to re shell them? 

Essentially the shape of my ears changed slightly and that meant the ue6s started to sound way worse because I wasn't getting a decent seal. I also absolutely hated the UE cable design, that was one of the most pi** poor pieces of design ever. The cable failed twice in 2 years and UE wanted £180 for a replacement which is criminal imo. The fit is now way better than when UE first produced them and the lugs cable and socket is infinitely better.

Just had my UE6 pros reshelled by Robert at Lugs. Really pleased with the result. The isolation is better than when I first got the UE6s and they sound fat and detailed. 

35 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

WOW that's impressive and well done.

That must have topped the list of best gig for 2022.

Dave

Yeah it was definitely a highlight. It wasn't completely stress free because the General Manager of the hotel chain was an absolute pain in the derrière. He wasn't involved in booking us and it turns out he wanted a band with pretty girls in it rather than an all male act. After soundcheck he told us that, if we didn't perform well, he would fire the agent and the events manager who booked us. It was completely unnecessary nonsense and just added a ton of pressure which left a sour taste. All went well though and nobody got sacked. Day in the sun today then home tomorrow. 

Nice little gig in The Maldives. They flew us out here from the UK, put us up on full board in a swanky water villa for 3 days and then decided that they only wanted us to play for 1hr. 

Highlight was looking out across the dancefloor and seeing Peter Crouch and Jack Whitehall dancing together.

Nice big sound system too.

Wedding in Stoke. Thankfully many of the guests didn't want to stay too late, what with today being Christmas. Two sets, nice venue, average food and decent crowd that started leaving straight after last set so we could pack down and get on the rd by 11.30.

Groom was a bit self obsessed and insisted on getting up to play a song, of his choosing, with us which we were reluctant to learn so we just winged it a bit.  Luckily he didn't suck.......unlike the in house sound system which was shocking.

7 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

Oh FFS. Have you spent any time in the shop with the likely author?

Yes plenty.

There is a fair chance that someone at BD may have a slightly deeper issue with spelling than just being a little careless.  Maybe mocking it on here is a little unnecessary if we don't know the full story.

32 minutes ago, Muppet said:

Is it possible to get the internal gubbins put in to a new custom mould or do you need to pay for a complete new set? 

That's the plan. They are currently with Robert at Lugs waiting for me to have new impressions done. 

I literally couldn't think of anything worse than going back to the old days without in ear monitors. I hear everything I want, I don't lug an amp, I don't ever get home with my ears ringing and I just feel so much more in touch with the drummer. 

Some gigs everything is mic'd up. Others we just have an overhead and kick mic on the kit but guitars / bass / keys are always DI'd and it always sounds killer in my head. 

I have a pair of UE6s and a pair of KZ10s but my UE6s are now completely unusable because it seems my ear shape has changed a bit and now they just sound muffled and distorted. The KZ10s are great as long as you can keep stage noise down.

We live stream via the OSB platform using a digital mixing desk and a video camera. We essentailly do everything like a full gig and monitor with in ear monitors. ElGato Cam Link is used to connect a decent camera to a PC and it all syncs up with a little tinkering. Allows us to stream fully live with decent sound. Here's one we did a few years ago from my back garden.

On 06/12/2022 at 11:09, Al Krow said:

I suspect most bands wouldn't offer to learn more than one or two new songs for a wedding gig (eg a the first dance and maybe one or other fav) which typically pay the most.

We do probably 80 weddings a year. We'll learn as many tunes as they want as long as we have time and the client is happy to pay the £100 per song that we charge for learning requests.

Winter Gardens in Blackpool for a corporate do. Lots of fun and a big sound system to play with.

I love gigging. Yeah there's a world of poo to deal with at many of them but they're still always fun and the occasional special one makes all the nonsense pail into insignificance.

10 years ago I was playing pubs for naff money. These days it's all weddings and private functions. The money is decent and from time to time we get to play some special places. Last Friday was a corporate do at the Winter Gardens ballroom for 900 people. This new year's eve gig we are being flown to the Maldives to play on the beach. I think the thing that has kept it exciting is the constant push for something a little bit better. The thing that makes it fun is the guys I play with.

Did you match the drivers to the cab dimensions? Very interested if the celestions were chosen because they matched the specs of the old drivers and therefore give a near identical response. 

Just traded a synth pedal with Fraser. Super smooth transaction with great coms. Would be more than happy to buy / sell with him again.

2 basses and 1 acoustic guitar. Can't say I have any urge to own more than that. I regularly consider selling a bass but I do about 100 gigs a year so owning a backup is probably wise. 

I ordered new PA gear back in August. 2x RCF 745a tops and two RCF 905as ii subs. The tops arrived the following day and I'm still waiting for the subs. With all that's happening in the world and the UK at the moment and a global shortage of silicone chips, RCF (and many other brands) are completely out of stock and it doesn't look like they will be back in stock anytime soon. As a result the price and availability of used kit is also affected. I've seen countless people selling tatty looking RCF905's for more than new ones because they know that the demand is there. I'm looking into hiring subs in the short term but even finding hire equipment is proving tough around here. Anyone else waiting for stuff?

There's agents and agents. Our agency usually comes really high on any search engine as it's one of the biggest. They absolutely do not allow bands to dep multiple members unless its an absolute emergency and they always speak with the client if the front person is unavailable. Yes they have the contract side of things absolutely sewn up but they aren't the band's enemy by any means. Our relationship with them is excellent and they really look after us. In the event of a client breaching the contract they will take over and have been excellent at making sure we get what we're owed. I don't doubt they would come after us if we were to breach an agreement but they have been extremely supportive throughout my time working with them. I am currently in my second band under the same agent and between the two bands have been with them for a total of 6 years now.