playing at clubs.. bad sound
- Thread starter mrtaran
- Start date
filtersweep
New member
I don't know much about that Yamaha- but if it is playing "raw" midi output- it's going to sound pretty bad no matter what. I've done several live PA shows and learned in a hurry to compress the hell out of the mix and to really roll off the lows- most PAs completely jack the bass and are set up for spinning vinyl- which has a very limited dynamic range compared to digital equipment- another thing is to run a mix that is almost mono- there really isn't much stereo imaging that takes place between PA speakers 80 ft apart- and the systems are usually "tuned" by cigarette smoking monkeys to simply be loud and boomy. You probably have concrete floors and walls to contend with....
M
ModularJack
Guest
ahh the eternal dilemma
Compression, EQing, and still more compression and EQing! If you don't already have a hardware compressor you're gonna need one soon if you keep playing out. Also, a graphic EQ with 12-32 bands is essential. Do you set up before the party? If not, you should start. Tell the promoters you need at least half an hour to plug in and do a sound check. Then set up your most bass-heavy tune and start it looping, walk out onto the dancefloor and listen to how it sounds. You'll generally need to turn down the low frequencies. Check this song a few times to make sure the rest of your stuff doesn't get buried.
Then put on a tune with lots of highend and filtered madness. Go out and listen to it. Odds are, there will be bits where the resonance hits ear bleeding levels you never experienced when playing at home, and you'll want to remember how far you can safely tweak when playing it on a large sound system. You can also turn down some of the highs to cut it down, but also watch the mids as these frequencies are the ones that the human ear hears as loudest and most prevalent.
Lastly, play one of your busier tunes that's got a tonne of **** going on.. snare rolls, acid lines, bassline, mad percussion. Make sure you can hear everything that's important clearly. Adjust levels as neccessary.. You may even need to save some of your patterns in the groovebox with different mix levels for individual parts, so do it up now while it's fresh in your mind.
The main thing to keep in mind with compression is that when compressing a main mix you want a very small amount of compression (ie: low ratio, threshold set just before the signal would clip) and the main volume from your synth or whatever should actually be low. If you crank it up before it feeds into the compressor, you'll get a lot of nasty sucking and pumping. Listen for that as well.. When your bassdrums slam down, do you hear the synth bits or other percussion instruments sort of pulling away? Once the sound is compressed subtly, then turn up the output level (or make-up gain, or whatever your compressor calls it) before feeding it to the main board.
It takes a lot of attention to detail to get good at this, but every time you play out you'll get a better ear for it and instinctively know how to deal with different room sizes, wall and floor construction (wood reflects sound a lot differently than concrete). If you're playing gigs, you should really put the money you're making back into the music and a simple stereo compressor and graphic EQ can make a massive difference in your sound. There are all kinds of other cool sound enhancing toys to look at too-- Behringer makes some really affordable kit for all kinds of applications.
Anyways, best of luck. Feel free to ask more questions if this was a bit too rambling for you.
-mj-
Compression, EQing, and still more compression and EQing! If you don't already have a hardware compressor you're gonna need one soon if you keep playing out. Also, a graphic EQ with 12-32 bands is essential. Do you set up before the party? If not, you should start. Tell the promoters you need at least half an hour to plug in and do a sound check. Then set up your most bass-heavy tune and start it looping, walk out onto the dancefloor and listen to how it sounds. You'll generally need to turn down the low frequencies. Check this song a few times to make sure the rest of your stuff doesn't get buried.
Then put on a tune with lots of highend and filtered madness. Go out and listen to it. Odds are, there will be bits where the resonance hits ear bleeding levels you never experienced when playing at home, and you'll want to remember how far you can safely tweak when playing it on a large sound system. You can also turn down some of the highs to cut it down, but also watch the mids as these frequencies are the ones that the human ear hears as loudest and most prevalent.
Lastly, play one of your busier tunes that's got a tonne of **** going on.. snare rolls, acid lines, bassline, mad percussion. Make sure you can hear everything that's important clearly. Adjust levels as neccessary.. You may even need to save some of your patterns in the groovebox with different mix levels for individual parts, so do it up now while it's fresh in your mind.
The main thing to keep in mind with compression is that when compressing a main mix you want a very small amount of compression (ie: low ratio, threshold set just before the signal would clip) and the main volume from your synth or whatever should actually be low. If you crank it up before it feeds into the compressor, you'll get a lot of nasty sucking and pumping. Listen for that as well.. When your bassdrums slam down, do you hear the synth bits or other percussion instruments sort of pulling away? Once the sound is compressed subtly, then turn up the output level (or make-up gain, or whatever your compressor calls it) before feeding it to the main board.
It takes a lot of attention to detail to get good at this, but every time you play out you'll get a better ear for it and instinctively know how to deal with different room sizes, wall and floor construction (wood reflects sound a lot differently than concrete). If you're playing gigs, you should really put the money you're making back into the music and a simple stereo compressor and graphic EQ can make a massive difference in your sound. There are all kinds of other cool sound enhancing toys to look at too-- Behringer makes some really affordable kit for all kinds of applications.
Anyways, best of luck. Feel free to ask more questions if this was a bit too rambling for you.
-mj-
filtersweep
New member
good advice, no doubt about it, BUT - a *sound check* at a PA show?!
HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!
HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!
M
ModularJack
Guest
Yes, a sound check at a PA show. Ask any live PA who plays out-- it's a right, not a privilege. 
-mj-
-mj-
S
STASIS
Guest
I'm no newbie, but one thing I've always wondered is what the **** does PA stand for??!! As in doing a live PA. I'd appreciate any response that can clarify this. -stASis
filtersweep
New member
"Public Address"