So I just got back from playing my 2nd show ever. It was quite an experience and in many ways much more enjoyable than the 1st.
When setting up I felt like I was holding the rest of the band back as while I was still setting up my pedals, the soundman was up on stage immedately with mics, and I was the last one to dial in my sound. I've never cared to be rushed on things, but "okay, lets get this set up quickly so we can rock out" is much nicer than "Okay, I'm up here, my gears up here, everything on my end is done, where the heck is the sound guy?"
I could actually hear myself in the monitors this time, almost too well. At first the monitor mix was painfully bright and cutting, and felt like it had no low end at all, but then halfway through one song, the monitor all of a sudden became much darker sounding. I thought "Oh ****, did my amp just die on me? Oh--no time for that now, here comes the next riff." And so I just kept going with each song, despite the weird monitor gremlins on stage or the various flubs I made when playing each song. I suspect being able to keep rolling despite whatever mishaps will be a good skill to have.
At a slow point in our set where the other guitarist/singer is the only one up on stage singing, I ran down to the bar to grab a glass of water, as I'd been getting dehydrated (those stage lights are freaking hot!). Someone else at the bar said something along the lines of "You really rocked that! nice job!" After the show, talking to the various members of the bands that were on stage before and after us, I got a lot of similar compliments on my performance. Not intending to to sound like my head is swelling up and my ego is getting unduly huge, but I'll say, getting compliments on your performance does wonders for confidence. 2nd time up on stage ever, I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing besides playing the songs, so I just tried to kinda flow with the energy of the music. But if I'm getting compliments after the show, I'm doing something right, which is good to know.
I talked with the soundman after the show, trying to get some advice on EQ and levels, and in general trying to find out what a soundman needs a guitarist like myself to do in order to make his job easier so we can have a better sounding show. When setting up, I initially fired up my amp at the same level that we rehearse at, but it sounded way too loud so I turned way down. I had to bring it down to about the level I used run in my bedroom (master at 9o'clock), before it sounded right, but I was a bit disappointed as the amp sounds best when the master volume is running near noon and the power tubes start to cook. Turns out, that was just right and the soundman didn't have any trouble fitting me into the mix. Also turns out our other guitarist level was too hot, despite running his attenuator at -16dB. The sound man said that the other guitar wasn't in the PA at all and he had to mix around it. All this reinforces the lesson learned at the previous gig. Keep the levels low and let the PA do the hard work. I'm thinking about trying to convince the other guitarist that we should purchase a couple 1x12s or 2x12s to run and use the 4x12s as props. The soundman said that a 2x12 is plenty for small bar gigs like the venue we were at tonight.
Finally an amusing side, when tearing down, the other bands help us unload our gear from the stage. When I was handing the amp head down, some of the other guys started admiring it. "Wow! Nice amp man!" "What is that?" "Dude! It's a Boogie!" The Nomad is probably the least popular amp Mesa/Boogie has ever made. I know it is supposed to be the music and not the gear that matters, but that still put a smile on my face.
We have another show in two weeks. I'm feeling stoked.
When setting up I felt like I was holding the rest of the band back as while I was still setting up my pedals, the soundman was up on stage immedately with mics, and I was the last one to dial in my sound. I've never cared to be rushed on things, but "okay, lets get this set up quickly so we can rock out" is much nicer than "Okay, I'm up here, my gears up here, everything on my end is done, where the heck is the sound guy?"
I could actually hear myself in the monitors this time, almost too well. At first the monitor mix was painfully bright and cutting, and felt like it had no low end at all, but then halfway through one song, the monitor all of a sudden became much darker sounding. I thought "Oh ****, did my amp just die on me? Oh--no time for that now, here comes the next riff." And so I just kept going with each song, despite the weird monitor gremlins on stage or the various flubs I made when playing each song. I suspect being able to keep rolling despite whatever mishaps will be a good skill to have.
At a slow point in our set where the other guitarist/singer is the only one up on stage singing, I ran down to the bar to grab a glass of water, as I'd been getting dehydrated (those stage lights are freaking hot!). Someone else at the bar said something along the lines of "You really rocked that! nice job!" After the show, talking to the various members of the bands that were on stage before and after us, I got a lot of similar compliments on my performance. Not intending to to sound like my head is swelling up and my ego is getting unduly huge, but I'll say, getting compliments on your performance does wonders for confidence. 2nd time up on stage ever, I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing besides playing the songs, so I just tried to kinda flow with the energy of the music. But if I'm getting compliments after the show, I'm doing something right, which is good to know.
I talked with the soundman after the show, trying to get some advice on EQ and levels, and in general trying to find out what a soundman needs a guitarist like myself to do in order to make his job easier so we can have a better sounding show. When setting up, I initially fired up my amp at the same level that we rehearse at, but it sounded way too loud so I turned way down. I had to bring it down to about the level I used run in my bedroom (master at 9o'clock), before it sounded right, but I was a bit disappointed as the amp sounds best when the master volume is running near noon and the power tubes start to cook. Turns out, that was just right and the soundman didn't have any trouble fitting me into the mix. Also turns out our other guitarist level was too hot, despite running his attenuator at -16dB. The sound man said that the other guitar wasn't in the PA at all and he had to mix around it. All this reinforces the lesson learned at the previous gig. Keep the levels low and let the PA do the hard work. I'm thinking about trying to convince the other guitarist that we should purchase a couple 1x12s or 2x12s to run and use the 4x12s as props. The soundman said that a 2x12 is plenty for small bar gigs like the venue we were at tonight.
Finally an amusing side, when tearing down, the other bands help us unload our gear from the stage. When I was handing the amp head down, some of the other guys started admiring it. "Wow! Nice amp man!" "What is that?" "Dude! It's a Boogie!" The Nomad is probably the least popular amp Mesa/Boogie has ever made. I know it is supposed to be the music and not the gear that matters, but that still put a smile on my face.
We have another show in two weeks. I'm feeling stoked.
)
