Sound Checks....or lack of!

[TimR]

The drummer has a mic on his bass drum that only goes to his monitor and not FOH? Interesting.

I was thinking the bass drum mic was picking up all the on stage rumble from bass guitar and low frequency guitar. Then that was being amplified out FOH.

Can you hear the drummers monitor? Maybe that's your problem, it's just that monitor you're hearing the booming from.

[TimR]

Also, if the singer was messing about with the desk, he may have altered the monitor/mic settings for the bass drum.

[chris_b]

I've played in some bad rooms but my secret weapon was Bergantino cabs. They control the low frequencies so well that I hardly ever got any mud or boom, even on the worst stages.

Another obvious comment, which seems to be news to so many players; if you think it's too loud it is, but whatever the volume, the band has to have a balance between all the instruments. On functions we always have a get in time and a end of set up time, before the guests arrive. We are always sound checked, off the stage and out of the room by that time.

I played with a great drummer who bought his own mixer and monitor, just for his bass drum. He took a feed off the FOH. I could hear it loud and clear too. My playing tightened up and improved just by hearing a loud bass drum. It's a great Idea if you get it right.

[Dave Vader]

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1458060537' post='3004296']
I can't see how that would set work. You need to hear yourself louder than everything else but for it still to sit well in the FOH mix. Over the years you develop a feeling for just being at the correct volume.

If you weren't standing next to your speaker you'd need it a lot louder. You'd very quickly have no sound at all.
[/quote]

It was just a thought, I'd like a mid control for the bassist in my current band (I'm back on guitar again) he's just got a ripper and a bass balls, and has now got all of the mids. My poor little guitar has vanished..

[HengistPod]

+1 for just adjusting to the drummer's volume, particularly when the band isn't all going through the PA. Seems to have worked out pretty well for us so far in most pubs.

Could be doing without singers who feel they have to be inordinately loud, though, especially as my left ear tends to end up beside the PA speaker.

Having said that, you have to remember that most punters actually listen to (or hear) the singer more than anything else. There may be up to one punter who actively listens to the bass (and his mate will later inform you how he can play a given song better than you, but with scant explanation when faced with the polite query as to why he isn't in that case out gigging himself tonight).

[PaulWarning]

[quote name='HengistPod' timestamp='1458132452' post='3004969']


Having said that, you have to remember that most punters actually listen to (or hear) the singer more than anything else.
[/quote]this is very true, when you know what the lyrics are it's very easy to have the vocals too low, they always need to be on top of the mix

[Lozz196]

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1458114961' post='3004751']
The drummer has a mic on his bass drum that only goes to his monitor and not FOH? Interesting.

I was thinking the bass drum mic was picking up all the on stage rumble from bass guitar and low frequency guitar. Then that was being amplified out FOH.

Can you hear the drummers monitor? Maybe that's your problem, it's just that monitor you're hearing the booming from.
[/quote]

Tim, you played with Nadir for a while didn`t you? Dom used to do this with a Trace combo purely so he could hear his own bass drum as he used to - and still does - rim-shots all the time. Def the loudest drummer I`ve ever played with.

[TimR]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1458158596' post='3005231']


Tim, you played with Nadir for a while didn`t you? Dom used to do this with a Trace combo purely so he could hear his own bass drum as he used to - and still does - rim-shots all the time. Def the loudest drummer I`ve ever played with.
[/quote]

Yes. He'd moved to a Dclass amp and a peavey sub, BUT he also had a really cheap Behringer gate on it and knew how to EQ the amp properly.

Still sounds to me though, in the OPs case the mic is going to the main PA.

[Dad3353]

There's some funny ol' stuff in here; I've obviously not been playing the right gigs, it seems. I've never had drums in my monitor; why would I..? I'm the drummer; I can clearly hear everything I'm playing..! I can understand a spot of bass drum in the [i]other [/i]monitors, but [i]I [/i]certainly don't need to hear any more than the acoustic sound, whatever the stage, room or song. Different strokes, an' all, of course.
And yes, of course, drummes use brushes and rods (and mallets; don't forget mallets...) for the effect, not as a volume control. We had a Noir Désir number in our set (Marlène...) which starts off with a brush swirl, but builds up to a crescendo with a military RATATATAA. Pretty loud, if required; no need for sticks for making a racket here..!

Edited March 16, 2016 by Dad3353

[cheddatom]

I used to want kick drum in the monitor, but then I started playing in small pubs without a PA and this highlighted how quiet my kicking was compared to the rest of my kit. I saw that as my own failing and practised until my bass drum was the loudest part of the kit, which is how it should be IMO