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Thread: Playing live through a pa

  1. #1

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    Default Playing live through a pa

    Hi
    A bit of advise is need here please, My bands recently got a mixer and PA, when you play live what do you mic up? One of the guitarist thinks we need to mic everything, Vocals, drums, 2 guitar amps and bass, i thought the only thing that went through the PA was vocals and Drums with Guitars amd bass just through there own Amps, Am i wrong??? we'll only be playing pubs not big clubs.
    Cheers Mark
    Have you got you're ticket for the rock train? You gotta earn that Ticket!!

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  2. #2

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    Default Re: Playing live through a pa

    Some things to consider.
    How big is the pub? How big is your PA? Will your music be so loud, so the people will not want to stay?

    Most places my band plays are somewhat small. We only run vocals, keyboards, and sometimes a kick(if needed). If you decide to play on 10 in a small place, not only will the patrons will want to get to a quieter place, but the bartender will be upset and the owner may not want to rehire your band.
    Check out the venue that is showing a band, hopefully one that plays there regularly. See how they are set up.
    I do like to play loud, but if the venue doesn't require it, I turn down. I like to make money. Most places we play that have live music, usually have a house PA and sound engineer.
    Playing out not only includes playing music, but playing music everyone will enjoy.

  3. #3

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    That's great advice that BLD gave you. I would just say that seeing what other bands are doing is important as you begin. One of the mistakes that I made as I started bringing amplified music into the church where I serve, is that I set all the levels the day before, and then when the church was full of people, the acoustics changed dramatically. If there is another band that has worked things out, find out what they did.
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  4. #4

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    Default Re: Playing live through a pa

    Just like BLDs said. It depends on the venue. Most of the time the guitars and bass run through their own amps...but we still mic them and push them through the PA just a little, it will give your sound a more rounded feel around the room. And that also goes for the drums. If the club is small I will always mic the kick, but I may push the snare just a tad through the mix too.

    And if it's a big venue, EVERYTHING!!!!! HAHAHA!!!
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  5. #5

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    Our band mics everything. The drums(all drums) and guitars are mic'd and the bass runs a direct line from his amp to the board. One advantage of running everything through the PA is that it lets the PA do the work (volume) and it helps keep the stage volume down which makes it easier on ears.
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  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by geostott View Post
    Our band mics everything. The drums(all drums) and guitars are mic'd and the bass runs a direct line from his amp to the board. One advantage of running everything through the PA is that it lets the PA do the work (volume) and it helps keep the stage volume down which makes it easier on ears.
    Very true!!

  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by bassist learning drums View Post
    Very true!!
    Eh, what did you say? My ears are still ringing from the last gig!
    George

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  8. #8

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    Default Re: Playing live through a pa

    Excellent advice from BLD, there. I would just add that good sound is almost never mixed by the band itself. It's mixed by a sound guy that knows what he's doing. Check out the bands in your area and see who's got the best live sound. Latch on to those guys and find out what their set up is.

  9. #9

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    Good advice all around!

  10. #10

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    Default Re: Playing live through a pa

    Quote Originally Posted by geostott View Post
    Our band mics everything. The drums(all drums) and guitars are mic'd and the bass runs a direct line from his amp to the board. One advantage of running everything through the PA is that it lets the PA do the work (volume) and it helps keep the stage volume down which makes it easier on ears.
    That makes a lot of sense Geostott, and this also gives you the option of using IEMs and saving your ears when you play in a larger venue.
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  11. #11

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    Default Re: Playing live through a pa

    If it's a pub, it's unlikely that you would need to mic anything but vocals. I'd be careful mic'ing up your drums in a small place. In my experience mic'ing drums in a bar is overkill. I would also be careful about just mic'ing vocals and drums on the same PA, as you don't want the drums affecting the sound of the vocals. When we mic drums, it's on a separate PA and cabinets from the vocals.

    Slightly larger venues, what I usually call clubs, will have their own PA, and then it makes sense to mic all the instruments and vocals and let the sound guy do their thing.

    The style of music would also help us help you.

  12. #12

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    mostly playing rock and classic rock.
    Have you got you're ticket for the rock train? You gotta earn that Ticket!!

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  13. #13

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    What pa system does the band currently have? If you dont have 15",s then I wouldnt put anything but vocals thru them.



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  14. #14

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    That's a really good point too! You need some fairly heavy duty cabinets (to get something like ours you have to spend like $500 per) to take drums at any real volume. PA speakers, especially most recent one's, aren't equipped to handle it.

    Considering you are playing regular rock I think mic'ing is probably unnecessary. You should be able to be heard no problem. If not, turn the guitars and bass down, they are always too loud anyway!

    Mic'd drums playing rock in a bar will drowned out the rest of the band, or force the band to be louder and make it sound bad.

    Last time we mic'd was playing at a theater at the school where I teach for 300+ kids. There it was necessary. Never mic'd in a bar, only in "clubs" with their own PA's or at outdoor gigs.

    That's my 2 cents.
    Last edited by kaosotis; 12-18-2008 at 08:39 PM.

  15. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by kaosotis View Post
    Considering you are playing regular rock I think mic'ing is probably unnecessary. You should be able to be heard no problem. If not, turn the guitars and bass down, they are always too loud anyway!
    As a guitarist, I'm tempted to be silly and say something like, "yeah, it goes to 11!". But if you can get your bandmates to understand that low stage volume is key to overall good sound, you'll be way ahead of 99% of the bands out there.

  16. #16

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    Well we're old now (40) so it's not as bad. As young punks, I learned to play very loud to compete with two guitar Marshall stacks and one bass stack. I actually loved playing mic'd because I didn't have to hit so hard!

    Nowadays it's not so bad.

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