i didn't know band's still did that

[SpellboundByMetal]

Amplified shit would be cool.

[Drum-Wolf]

There's a reason why pro-touring bands don't run Beheringer gear.

I may come off as a gear snob, but I've played on shit gear. I believe that if one really cares about his or her craft, she will make it a point to upgrade to pro level equipment.

No, I'm not in a "pro-touring" band but I love my Behringer condenser mic that I use as an overhead. Sound techs have said how "hot" it is. This mic picks up everything down to & including the bass drum. Although my bass drum has a separate mic of course. This particular mic is well & above good enough for a "pro-touring" band. Also, the band I'm in uses a Behringer PA & it delivers pro sound that is practical for the rooms performed in. The band receives compliments ALL the time for sounding good. You get what you pay for is the general rule. Behringer is pretty good shit for the money.

[bassist_25]

I agree that Beheringer does put out some decent outboard rack gear. I've never been into any of their cabinets though. I've heard good things about their power amps. I've gone through the PA subs before. They're not my first choice, but they get the job done. I suppose that I just have VERY discriminating tastes. I can hear a tonal difference between my QSCs and my Crown, and solid state power amps are suppose to be transparent. Like I said, I can be a gear snob. LOL

Of course, I think that everyone should play what makes them happy. I don't know about others, but for about the first 8 years that I played, I really didn't put much effort into learning about equipment. I've always been a tone-freak (started playing fretless when I was 15, and really spent a lot of time trying to get that perfect fretless "mwah" sound), but I didn't know one amp from another. Then I sort of went on a tone quest. I think that most cats do that after a while. It's really cool to define your sound. It's something that goes along with your technique. Jeff Clapper probably has the most recogizable bass sound around here. I've heard Jeff play through many different backline setups, and he still always sounds like Jeff. But I think that he still sounds his best when he's going through his Eden equipment. It's that one variable - out of other things, such as his musicianship and musical heart - that makes Jeff, Jeff.

[bassist4life2004]

We run 2 Behringer EP 2500's as our primary power amps, they sound pretty damn good as far as amps go. They can get pretty loud and not sound like shit. Our bass pounds pretty well through them and our highs always seem to cut through pretty nicely. I think i would definitly recommend those amps to a band who's starting out and wants a great sound for a reasonable price.

[chokingfaith]

This is Dan (soundman) at Aldo's. First off, I run sound for every band the same way, it doesn't matter if I am friends with them or anything like that. Anytime Choking Faith plays at Aldo's I run sound for all the other bands because it is my job and then I will EQ my band as well, however then when I am onstage playing, I will usually have Matt(or someone else who knows what they are doing) back there running the board. Nothing is done different from any other band. There are so many reasons that a band could sound good or bad, or extremely loud or not. People take up sound, so if there is hardly any people there when a band is playing, that band will seem louder, eventhough they aren't up any louder. I have heard bands who were great musicians sound like shit because of shitty equipment that they used and I have heard bands that couldn't play very good but still sound good because of having good equipment. (Hence the saying "you can't polish a turd") Sometimes you have problems with equipment, thats part of the job, and you have to deal with it. As far as saying that bands don't get proper soundchecks, well actually you are kinda right in a sense. Each band gets EQ'd the same way(mic by mic), but the first band gets a bit of a song to get the kinks out before they actually start there set(both for them and for me). All the other bands for the nite get there kinks out on there first song, that's pretty much the only way to do it when you are dealing with a time limit. Most places won't even let bands bring 2, 3, or even 4 bands with them. We at aldo's do. So when there are 3(or more) bands playing in a nite then yes, you might notice some differences, but there are so many reasons as why that could be. To defend myself, I just want to say that every band is ran equal and the same way regardless. I know that I am not the best soundman there is, but I respect every band and the members in the band that comes in to Aldo's and I always do my best no matter who or what. Thanks for all your input.

[ugtvstreetteam]

luv ya dan

[WitchChic]

luv ya dan

Yup yup, BUT Dan your our (me and the underground street team) favorite

Luv ya too Dan *MWAH*

[Banned]

Hell up to Dan for doing guitar-heavy mixes, by the way. The world would be a better place if all soundmen were guitarists. (Okay, so maybe that's a somewhat biased opinion on my part. )

As far as the statement that better equipment doesn't make you play better, I'd say that's not always the case. Better equipment gives you more clarity, detail, and nuance, so every little flaw in your technique will jump right out at you. It's why teachers encourage you to practice clean and loud with minimal effects . . . you don't want to hide your suckiness, you want to expose it and eliminate it.

By the way, thanks to peer pressure (gear pressure?) from guys like bassist_25, daxman, and floydroseuser, I'm in the market for a Mesa/Boogie. Or a Moogie. Every time I see a band and the guitar player sounds good, they seem to have a Mesa. Gotta be something to that.

[SpellboundByMetal]

great gear doesnt write great songs!!!!!!!!!

[MeYatch]

great gear doesnt write great songs!!!!!!!!!

neither does shitty gear....

[SpellboundByMetal]

True, apparently i only use shitty gear.

[MeYatch]

your gear is gay.

[SpellboundByMetal]

I know , I know.....and so is the bass player for End of The Sun....shhhh!

[MeYatch]

not my gear though. My gear is straight.

[SpellboundByMetal]

HAHAHAHAHAHA. yeah, it sure is!
The gear I actually OWN have little pockets of KY and vibrating functions. Great for lonely nights of writing music that on one will hear.

[MeYatch]

a guitar player I used to play with played a semi hollobody guitar, and insisted on calling the "F Holes" "Fuck Holes" every chance he got.

[SpellboundByMetal]

HAHAHA damn. Fuck holes has nice ring to it.

[mjb]

jimi hatt,
terry at guitars and stuff has/had a couple boogies in his shop 1x12 combo and something else. FYI

[Killjingle]

Jimi,

I thought Dax had seriously great tone that evening. I know from my standpoint when we were performing I was trying to work the sweetspot in, but its hard when there is so much going on and the show must get started and or go on, plus having the commitment of singing. My brother and I have been talking about Kranks and Diezels perhaps, but we think the Boogies do just fine with the oversized vintage 30 loaded Marshall cabs.

If I never improve upon the Mesa I dont think it will be the end of the world... I just would like to personally step up to a 100 watt head (not that I will ever need it)

Aldos can be a tuff room to dial sound in, especially when u play there as often as I do (once every 2 yrs)

[Killjingle]

Keith, I been reading your post and it brought something to mind

great gear doesnt write great songs

I wont mention a band or name, but I remember a really good band who wrote some pretty cool music, but the complete disregard of having listenable guitar tone FUCKING SUCKED!!! We played with these cats prob 10 times, and their singer was amazing (RIP). The guitarist's gear though was junk, guitar went out of tune constantly, had a 5 dollar distortion box, and an old tube 100 watt combo. His guitar tone was brittle and made ppl almost laugh cuz how bad it was.

He played thru my brother Jason's 5150 one night at CL thru a 4x10 cab and u would have thought the guys were ready to go on tour. For once the focus was back on what the guys could sound like, and how talented they were.

Of course like u, I seen guys who have the best and cant even tune the damn thing.

If I have my choice however, I prefer to listen to a guitar heavy mix with GOOD guitar tone.

[MeYatch]

why do guitar players want to hear a guitar heavy mix?

I hate hearing a bass heavy mix. I just like a nice even mix where everyone can be heard and no one is overpowered...

[Killjingle]

dude thats a fair question...

I dont prefer to hear the vox on top of the mix. I never did. Cant even recite the lyrics to some of my fav songs. But I could tell u if the guitar did a squeal, run, hammer on, slide, vibrato, or something to that effect.

It prob is just what u like.

I know a lot of ppl prefer to hear the vox on top of the mix, I simply dont. and if u dont think this is the case, why does every drunk motherfucker and his gal come up and say "cant hear the singer" or "turn up the vocals"? Some ppl just wanna sing a long to their date I guess.

[RobTheDrummer]

The trick is to make your best musician the point of focus and bury the rest.

[Killjingle]

The trick is to make your best musician the point of focus and bury the rest

u know thats not that far off in some circumstances...

Hendrix led with his guitar not his vox, and he on record saying that. He BEGGED for his voice to be buried cause he was so unconfident with his own singing. I remember reading that when I first started playing, I think it was in Guitar for the practicing musician?

[bassist_25]

Chad, I know that old sKool tried out one of his friend's Diezel cabinets. He said that it sounded amazing. Of course, they aren't cheap. I am quite partial to Boogie stuff, as is probably evidenced by many of my replies. I don't think that Boogie is the only relevant guitar amp out there. I just think that many guys try to play heavy music, and do it with amps that aren't really meant to for the job. I see a lot of cats walk in with Marshalls, which are very mid-voiced amps, and try and do the tight bottom/high gain thing with them. They over compensate the less gain with poor EQing, and the result is a crappy tone. I'm not saying that you can't play metal with a Marshall; I'm saying that you have to understand how a Marshall is voiced and what it's suppose to do. Though for the record, Rich Ward of Stuck Mojo played Marshalls and had a very Boogie-like tone...but I'd suspect that his head was probably hot-rodded. For vintage tone, I really really like Fender's tube stuff, and even Vox. I saw a live performance by Wilco the other night, and the lead singer was using a Vox rig. He had great sound.

I've always liked Jason's tone. I think he's one of the players around here who has a recognizable tone. When I hear him play, I know that it's him. Dax also has great tone too. I tell him that everytime I see him.