Monckyman Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 All the above are spot on, you can play quieter if you work at it. However,if you have a singer who tends to go up and down, then a compressor and a cheap IEM is the way to go IMO. This will be essential for gigs anyway so... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 (edited) If you're having problems in the rehearsal room how is she going to cope at gigs when everything's going to be even louder? Edited February 17, 2012 by BigRedX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Our singer always uses one of these: http://www.wembleypacentre.com/Catalogue/PA-Centre/Speakers/Wharfedale/Wharfedale-WPM-1-Active-Personal-Monitor-WPM1 You build it into any mic-stand so that it's only a foot or two from your ears when you're singing, and you have complete control over your own vocals. It will take a line out from the PA should you want to add other parts of the mix. Not a cheap option, but very effective, portable, and works equally well at rehearsals and live on stage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Let's start with admitting that I do not know everything and my experience does not necessarily translate to everyone. Now, with that out of the way, in every band I have played whenever there has been a volume issue, or a muddiness issue at practice where some instrument was not clear, the solution came through turning down the volume. Not everyone in the band likes that at first, in some bands. BUt it generally works. If the room is big enough to get all of you in said room, I think there's a good chance the drummer could play a little more quietly (even if he'd like to hit harder), and/or there are ways to mute drums a bit. I've played with drummers that deafen me if I don't wear earplugs, and drummers that I can play with in a small room for a couple of hurs and feel great... I believe there's some room for adjustment from the drummer's side. Things just sound better when it's not too loud anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 [quote name='musophilr' timestamp='1329496240' post='1543428'] BTW try nobbling the vocal EQ as follows: (1) take out the bass. The female voice produces almost no sound in that frequency band anyway so you're losing nothing by doing so other than the opportunity for bass frequencies to start feeding back. (2) Hike the 3kHz mid-range by 3dB, it will make the vocals stick out a bit more [/quote] +1 on that. Mids are where virtually everything gets the opportunity to shine. The singer may not like it too much soloed - possibly think a bit nasally - but mix-wise it should jump out much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandomProddy Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I've heard rumours about how adding a bit of reverb helps... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Reverb? Interesting idea ... I'd have thought that would make things muddier and even harder to hear clearly, but I've never tried it so that's a pretty uninformed guess on my part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 [quote name='RandomProddy' timestamp='1329513140' post='1543823'] I've heard rumours about how adding a bit of reverb helps... [/quote] colour me sceptical, but I've been wrong once or twice in my life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ba55me15ter Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 How's about some singing lessons to improve her projection? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOD2 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Lots of good practical suggestions above. Another one that is quite cheap to implement is to try putting a think blanket (or old duvet;sleeping bags etc.) on the wall behind the singer. This will absorb some of the sound and stop some of the reflections coming back into the mic and may allow a little more volume before feedback. If the volume in this small room is particularly loud, then you should all consider wearing ear plugs to prevent any long term hearing damage. As has been said before, ear plugs can help with clarity too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle psychosis Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 (Decent) Ear Plugs. I hear *everything* better when I wear mine to practice. Elacin ER-20. They're only about a tenner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 IME what generally happens is that the drummer gets carried away and starts playing louder. That prompts the guitarist to compensate and the drummer plays harder still and the loop continues whilst gathering up other musicians. My band used to fall into that loop when I first joined them and I found a very easy way to rein it in. Instead of joining in with that ever increasing loop, as soon as I couldn't hear what I was doing - I stopped playing. Just stood there with my hands behind my back and watched everything disintegrate. Four years or so down the line, we hardly ever have that problem in rehearsals any more. The band have grown to be musicians rather than players. Ego, temperament and sulks are things that are exclusively exercised outside of music and any volume problems are generally fixed with a casual 'we're getting bit loud guys' comment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razze06 Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 I put some of your recomendations into practice last night, and it was quite a success! Cutting the lows and boosting the mids on the vocals makes a huge difference, to the mix, and we were able to keep the volume higher on them. Also, bass and guitar volumes was strictly monitored, and the drummer used plastic tipped sticks, which also make a difference. All in all, better clarity in the mix, and the singer could hear herself in the quieter and lower bits. Thanks folks, saved us throwing money at the problem! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepurpleblob Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I started out as a classical percussionist. You can play drums *very* quietly..... if you want to. Drummers love to say that they can't play quietly. A lot of 'rock' musicians (for want of a better word) have never heard of dynamics. It sorts the men from the boys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandomProddy Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 [quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1329514914' post='1543860'] Reverb? Interesting idea ... I'd have thought that would make things muddier and even harder to hear clearly, but I've never tried it so that's a pretty uninformed guess on my part. [/quote] The reasoning goes something like this - if you use foldback on your voice with no colouration you hear it at the exact same time when you're singing and the moment you stop singing, the foldback mutes. With a slight reverb you can more easily discern the difference in your voice rather than just what you're singing at that precise moment. Could be wrong though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjohn Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 We've just got a behringer feedback destroyer in the studio. It works a treat - MUCH louder vocals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.