ninehertz

1. • slack mammoth
   • At what point is it acceptable to tell a soundman to fuck off messing with your setup?
     
     Soundmen, where do you get off telling bands who know how their gear should sound that they're doing it wrong?
   • [17:00 on 25/03/10]
2. • Podge
   • tell them as soon as they get anywhere close. a good sound man is a difficult to find thing these days
   • [17:38 on 25/03/10]
3. • slack mammoth
   • The danger is, of course, that if you tell them that that's how it's meant to sound, they'll get a grump on and do you a shit sound.
     
     I prefer playing with no PA.
   • [17:42 on 25/03/10]
4. • Hopkins
   • is this where to talk about the hawk
     
     "guitarist, give me your loudest sound"
     
     *strums chord*
     
     "ok! bass?"
   • [18:34 on 25/03/10]
5. • slack mammoth
   • Now there was a good soundman! He didn't fuck with your stuff, or "know better", he just gave great sound every time.
   • [19:14 on 25/03/10]
6. • Hopkins
   • i didn't mind hearing it from the soundmen who were sound and knew their onions
   • [19:21 on 25/03/10]
7. • Mazz
   • There was no onions in my fridge earlier.
   • [19:45 on 25/03/10]
8. • Big Si
   • The Hawk is a complete mentalist, but a very good soundman.
     
     I can't think I've wanted to tell a soundman to fuck off, guess I've been lucky. Often wanted to tell them to get a move on, mind.
   • [19:52 on 25/03/10]
9. • Podge
   • I cant for the life of me remember who it was but I saw one soundguy get up on stage mid set and start messing with the controls on the guitar amp while the band were playing
   • [20:11 on 25/03/10]
10. • Tim Holehouse
    • The hawk was great... knew his stuff. I like the guy who did my sound at the old angel last time proper good sound man.
      Worst some Italian guy at catch 22 a few years ago... he forgot to turn the amp up in sound check then when it came to show time turned it up so everything fedback... twat. I've been a sound man and I will argue bands can be equally as much a pain in the arse. Guitar players turning up the guitars to max so they drown everything out. Stroppy singer and the classic bands that turn up 3 minutes before the gig is due to start and want a sound check.
      Although my all time favourite was a band turned up with a lights and sound speck (they'd be on T4 or something we where told). We made paper aeroplanes out the specks and gave them exactly what everybody else had. the clueless "manager" came up after and said thanks for following our specks my band insist they have the right sound.
      I think if you are a really particular and have a friend how is a soundman and knows your sound its worth it in the long run.
    • [21:02 on 25/03/10]
11. • Mazz
    • The new sound
      
    • [10:18 on 26/03/10]
12. • WickedWesticle
    • Unless your setup sounds damn awful they shouldn't go anywhere near your amp settings.
      
      Guitar volume is often a problem though.
      
      The best soundman we had was some guy called Steve who worked at the Horn in St Albans sometimes. The first time we played he wrote down our names, what we played and what moniter setup we liked. Next time we played a few months later he knew exactly who we were and what sound we wanted. the dude is a legend.
    • [10:40 on 26/03/10]
13. • bad admiral
    • best sound guy i've encountered is the fella at the 100 club, he was boss.
      
      basically, i don't really know what i'm doing so i just say "i don't really know what i'm doing. just don't make me sound like a pussy. if you touch the amp, i'll fucking deck you. the midrange IS meant to be that low. no my distortion pedal doesn't have any lower settings, it'll be alright on the night. just fucking chill alright? no! fucking turn me up you cunt, i sound like a pussy. i don't want to hear anyone else." it's amazing how often that one line is 100% applicable 95% of the time.
      
      mr dickenson should be expecting a spec for loud howls very soon...to be followed TO THE FUCKING LETTER.
    • [11:31 on 26/03/10]
14. • Podge
    • I remember once a soundguy being shocked when I said no drums in my monitors. I'm beating the crap out of it, why would I need to hear it?
      
      And if I wanted my bass drum to sound dead and lifeless id have stuffed it full of blankets myself. One guy even said he couldn't mic it up cos it didn't have a hole in it... hello... they managed it fine in the 60s & 70s
    • [12:49 on 26/03/10]
15. • WickedWesticle
    • Podge says:

      I remember once a soundguy being shocked when I said no drums in my monitors. I'm beating the crap out of it, why would I need to hear it?
      
      
      Yep, I'm with you there.
    • [13:00 on 26/03/10]
16. • MORRELL
    • WickedWesticle says:

      Podge says:

      I remember once a soundguy being shocked when I said no drums in my monitors. I'm beating the crap out of it, why would I need to hear it?

      
      
      Yep, I'm with you there.
      
      
      Me too. Just give me bass and guitars. We ain't playing folk music.
    • [13:20 on 26/03/10]
17. • Donny
    • Oh soundmen, you utter knobends.
      
      Had some great ones, the one at the Grosvenor with ATM who insisted telling out drummer that he needed to change the sound of his snare. We told him to fuck off and he started putting comedy vocal effects on Tims voice and fucking with the sound. Prick.
      
      The guy at that Sheffield gig with Lesbian and Pombagira, who couldn't turn the vocals up without adding masses of reverb to them, making everything feedback everytime we went near a microphone.
      
      Recent one with Crumbling Ghost at the Bloomsbury bowling alley. Soundman kept asking us to turn down over and over again as the PA kept feeding back. We ended up with the amps on 1. THEY WERE 50w COMBO AMPS! Turns out he'd put everything on the PA up to 10. We couldn't hear anything on stage, but apparantly the crowd (and it was an almost sold out crowd as it was supporting Shonen Knife) were treated to a wall of deafening white noise. Turned out this was the 'soundmans' second gig and the proper soundman was stuck in traffic.
    • [13:21 on 26/03/10]
18. • slack mammoth
    • WickedWesticle says:

      Unless your setup sounds damn awful they shouldn't go anywhere near your amp settings.
      
      
      
      Or your pedals. Only happened once, but it really pissed me off. My guitar sounded like The Hives or something, not good for doom.
      
      Again, I'll say that Hawk was brilliant. He'd yell at you and treat you as though the only reason you came was to break his stuff, but he'd make any band sound brilliant without fucking with their stuff.
      
      When Mfkzt played at Reading University the soundman was brilliant. He was a total geek who'd never done sound for a metal band before, but he had a great time. It was a brand new PA, so I think he was enjoying playing with it and seeing how loud it could go.
    • [13:42 on 26/03/10]
19. • Rob Himself
    • I'm glad I never have any sound trouble anymore, other than "not getting much signal from your guitar mate", "this is as loud as it goes, turn it up your end", "it'll feed back", "well don't get a massively overblown PA system for a tiny room in a pub then, dick".
      
      Never had the balls to say that last bit, mind.
    • [13:54 on 26/03/10]
20. • Donny
    • There are some good ones though.
      
      That girl that worked at the Angel in Nottingham. She was shit hot.
      
      Always nice to play the underworld too. Shame that doesn't happen often.
      
      Was always fun in Pombagira watching the soundmans faces as pete rolled in 4 cabs and 4 heads, then me with a bass rig (or occasionally 2).
      
      'You're not going to turn that down are you?'
      
      'No'
    • [13:56 on 26/03/10]

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