Hello ALL.....
My question: Our lead singer you can never hear. There may be two or three bands playing in one night and when its our turn somehow nobody can hear him. How can we fix this?? It is annoying. Is there any equipment he can purchase just for HIM. Some have said he has an "odd" tone" that is hard to locate (that does not make sense to me, but I am not a soundman/woman.) Should we just hang it up!! if nobody can hear...LOL
Thanks...any help would be appreciated.
Sounds like a technique problem (his overall volume). I used to mix for two bands that had the same problem. That has to be fixed on the singers end. A compressor could be inserted for now in the channel but its going to add all kind of noize and crap u dont want. Could even reexamine the eq u are using on that channel. Also make sure you are comparing apples to apples and that its not a wireless mic problem or something else that could be problematic. Thats my .02
Everyone wants to go to heaven but noone wants to die
Does the problem follow between mains and monitors? What mic is he using? I second Killjingle, it's an issue with the vocalist. He may want to try a more sensitive condenser mic vs. a standard 58.
I actually was going to post what Lonewolf and Sunsetbass discussed as well. There is a lot of variables that could be the problem. When u play have u ever had a guest vocalist and can u hear him sing vs your own guy? Once you can pinpoint the problem then you can attack it.
Everyone wants to go to heaven but noone wants to die
Thanks for the information. The music is punk/alternative. I will be printing all of these replys and giving them to the band. I have no knowledge of the type of mics, output, wattage... but all of this information should be valuable to them. Thanks ALOT
Who is running sound? Is there a sound guy out front?
Sound Guy techniques
- Turn everything else completely off except the lead vocalist. Start there and add stuff as needed.
- Boost 2k-3k on the vocalist. It puts some honk in the tone but it really makes it cut through.
-If you are a light singer, the pre gain will need turned up too.
Equipment techniques
-Use super cardiod mics. It picks up less surrounding stuff.
Vocal Techniques
-Swallow the mic
Band techniques
-Play softer. You are gonnna get this from the band:
Drummer - "I can't play any softer"
Guitar player - "I can't get that tone unless I turn up"
Bass player - "I can't hear myself."
You say - "Tough shit. Play softer"
I believe the vocals are the most important part of the band. It is where general audiences focus their listening. If you can't hear the singer then you may as well not play.
Here's the technical way to test stage volume:
-Have singer sing by himself. Measure the spl.
Turn PA off - Have the the band play wth no singer. Measure the spl.
The singer's spl should be at least 3db louder than the rest of the band.
A couple of other things to consider in addition to floodcitybrass' excellent points.
Don't put extra mics on stage if you are not gonna use them. For example, if you have a drummer, guitarist, or bassist that insist on having a vocal mic, but don't sing much, or they just get one as a "courtesy" mute it if they don't use it.
Reason? If there is no waterbag (i.e. human head) in front of the mic, it will pick up what ever is behind it. Maybe it's cymbals, a guitar amp, or someone playing cowbell - no matter, it will pick up that sound. Then of course, that sound is sent to the mixer and amplified by the amplifier and speakers. Unused open mics are a no-no with a loud band and/or small stage.
Another thing to think about with the relative volume of the vocals compared to the band... Once you are familiar with the lyrics of a song, it can be easy to think the singer is loud enough. It's a trap many a sound guy (including myself) can fall victim too.
The loudness of the vocals is a whole different concept of the intelligibility of the vocals. FCB suggested boosting 2-3 kHz on the vocals, and this can help intelligibility, but other EQ techniques can help too. Use EQ as a tool for this, and be careful how much reverb and delay that you add to your mix. Effects can sometimes hurt intelligibility.
Not sure if anyone else mentioned it... a drum shield can help a lot too... or electronic drums.
Hello ALL.....
