mrtcat

RATM - killing in the name of. 'Twas xmas number one and we don't get grief for playing it.

For me it depends on type of venue and type of band. Bands (covers or originals) should always use their social media and email lists to promote shows. Originals bands especially need to push. Venues (some) seem to think that booking a band can will solve low turnover issues. Personally I think pubs that have regular bands need to think long term. If you want to be a recognised live music venue you need to regularly book decent bands. Don't rely on the band bringing all that night's trade. Work on building a customer base of your own that come regularly because they see your venue as a place that regularly has quality live music. That way you can reasonably expect good bands to see you as a worthwhile gig to really promote and you have a more stable platform in case a band brings nobody along allowing you to avoid total washout nights. Bands that don't promote to the best of their ability don't deserve to get regular slots at the decent venues. Venues that don't invest in building a reputation can't expect the best local acts to want to play there. If you are relying on bands to bring the punters make sure you state this when booking to avoid disappointment. In the OP's case I think this was a little unlucky as the venue clearly doesn't have the reputation it likes to think it has.

Thanks guys, I feel way more comfortable now. I absolutely love the amp and coupled with the Berg NV412 it absolutely rules in all scenarios.I may look into changing valves in the future but as mentioned originally it's not such an issue I'll lose any sleep. Thanks again.

Thanks Dood. It's not an unbearable amount of hiss and to be fair my old ampeg head (also with valve preamp) was louder. I have input gain set to just below the level where the red light occasionally comes on so now it never comes on. Is that too low? I've seen a post from you elsewhere where you mention you set yours so it comes on frequently. I always thought that was,a bad thing? The master is set to between 12 o'clock and one o'clock with eq pretty much flat and only a small amount of compressor and overdrive. The hiss is always there regardless of compressor and overdrive setting so may well be a preamp valve. At the end of the day it doesn't worry me as long as it's healthy and I love the way the amp sounds plus it looks awesome :-)

I have a Hartke Kilo and I'm really happy with it. My only concern is that when I power it up all is good for a few (10ish) seconds then you hear the usual click and then it makes a kind of pink noise hiss. It's nothing major and isn't that noticeable unless the room is quiet. I've done all the usual troubleshooting basics like trying different power sources, ground lifting, engaging / disengaging all the different buttons and trying various different cabs and cables. I usually run it with a Berg NV412. Is this normal?

We arrived at a wedding last year to be told that "the bride never showed up at the church but the groom still wants the party to go ahead because you and the venue don't offer a refund. Try not to say or play anything to upset him".

[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' timestamp='1384453993' post='2276971'] This was shot at the Jericho Tavern in Oxford a couple of weeks ago. Was going to put it in the "fretless in rock?" thread. Last song in the set, sorry about the singing and the face.... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUUn_5qNguo"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUUn_5qNguo[/url] [/quote] Wow had no idea that place still did live music. Used to play there when I was at school. £50 says they still turn their noses up at covers bands lol. Nice track well played though. Enjoyed it.

Mine goes with me everywhere. Can really save the day on raised stages and in pubs with wooden floors. Not really overpriced IMO - put your labour at £10 an hour and you'll be £20 down before material costs if you build your own (well) so by the time your done you won't have saved much. Bet you can earn more than £10 an hour gigging too.

Do it. There's not many 80's bands round here and therefore, much as I dislike most of the tunes on your list, I'm pretty certain you'd go down well and be plenty busy. Good luck sir!

[quote name='maldy' timestamp='1384106502' post='2272816'] Go to the normal site. Type in your email address to access the backstage area. Once in the backstage area there are a bunch of links when you scroll down to the bottom. Most of the backing tracks are here. Hope that helps :-) [/quote] Thanks Maldy, I'm on it!

I've joined too but struggling to find the backing tracks to download. I've paid the £38 but it's still no clearer as some of the links on the site seem to go to random pages. Anyone else struggling?

We're available a couple of weekends in Aug [url="http://www.crudemeasure.co.uk"]www.crudemeasure.co.uk[/url] but we may be a bit "cheap" for you - although quality is decent (drummer is pro and singer is top drawer). I used these guys for my wedding [url="http://www.indefinately.com"]www.indefinately.com[/url] and they were great. Quality playing is clearly important to you but I'd advise that as long as the band are good and tight the music selection will be more important for your guests.

We need a keyboard player with bv's. We're a busy covers band playing weddings, corporate events, beer fests, clubs and pubs. Check our website for deets of what we play etc. Don't be shy or if you know someone who may be interested give us a shout. We are based around Bicester and cover a decent radius. Cheers for looking.

Nope. You're helping them out. If it were me my response would be "OK but if that's the case I want an equal share of what you make at gigs". I'd be inclined to suggest the bass player you stand in for should pay your share.

Our drummer is a brilliant player and a true pro. He owns an electric kit but point blank refuses to use it for gigs saying that it sounds unnatural and there's a risk of crosstalk. Sometimes if we have a wedding at a venue with a strict db limiter I wish he'd bring it but he's pretty good at playing at the vol required. I definitely prefer the sound and look of acoustic kits but that's just me. I use a reasonably big amp set up as I like the theatre of a big cab and head too. PA and monitors are everything. A clean sounding powerful PA with lots of low end welly is essential to make an electric kit work.

Would be nice to hear the bass played in a band situation as well as just solo. Basses like Stingrays aren't my favourite solo but I think they sound great in a mix.

Gonna call my next band "The Rolling Stones". It maybe taken already (haven't checked tbh) but I don't care if it is and can't really see how it could lead to confusion anyhow.

I really like a decent DJ who can select the right tunes at the right times and put them together with style. I also like DJs in live bands and think they can add a huge amount to the overall sound. The vid in the OP id defo not my cup of tea though. It was clearly brilliantly done but like most bass/guitar/keyboard/*insert any instrument here* solo it was just a bit boring after the first 20 seconds. Not questioning the guy's ability though.

[quote name='crez5150' timestamp='1382269637' post='2249819'] Really...... well I guess it depends on the type of pubs you play.... most of the ones we play you need to have a decent system and there's no way I'd go out with just a pair of 12" tops...... [/quote] Agree totally but the OP says he's only interested in reinforcement for vocals and there are some really good powered tops that would comfortably do that. Personally I'd never dream of only putting vocals through the PA unless the venue was tiny with a nasty limiter but that is the criteria that the OP is saying he wants. My post was suggesting 12" subs not tops (our tops actually have 8" drivers - albeit in folded horns so they don't sound or act like you'd expect from 8's). 18's are generally big, heavy and difficult to move. A well designed lightweight sub can work wonders whilst keeping the amount of gear humping to a minimum.

Nowt wrong with that at all. Anyone who thinks they murdered anything need not come see my band lol.

Carbine gives great rock tone IMV. I'm not over sold on the other heads but its purely due to price. I think you can get close to the quality for less. If money's no issue then that becomes a moot point. The cabs however are great IMV. Yep they're uber heavy but beautifully made and will handle pretty much anything you throw at them without breaking stride. I've dismantled and rebuilt a road ready cab in the past and it was like a tank. There's a reason the cabs are expensive. Don't let the fact that Macca uses them put you off ;-)