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Soft Singers
The problem is, it isn’t against any local ordinances.
You cannot successfully prosecute someone in a court of law
for misdemeanor Not Staying On The Mic. I know. Believe me,
I’ve tried!
Hi! This is Mark.
HOWDY, THIS IS THE OSM!
I am a sound tech at my church. When the music is soft
from the band, it's OK, but when the band gets going on a
fast song, things sound all clustered.
MARK, FORGIVE THE INTERRUPTION HERE, YOUR PROBLEM IS NOTED,
I ASSURE YOU, AND WE ARE GOING TO COME BACK AND ADDRESS IT
IN JUST A MOMENT HERE, HONEST.
BUT I WANT TO HAVE A WORD WITH OUR VIEWERS AT HOME. THIS PERTAINS
TO THE LARGE NUMBER OF LETTERS THAT ARE SENT IN, WHICH ASK
ME TO GIVE MY OPINION OF CERTAIN MANUFACTURERS’ PRODUCTS.
I CAN’T DO THAT!
NOW, I’VE MENTIONED THIS BEFORE, BUT FOR YOU NEWBIES
WHO JUST DECIDED LAST WEEK YOU WANTED TO BE SOUNDMEN AND SOUNDWOMEN,
FIGURE IT OUT! I CANNOT BE SAYING SUCH AND SUCH AMP OR CONSOLE
IS NO GOOD, OR GREAT. THIS PROGRAM YOU ARE WATCHING IS MEANT
TO DISCUSS GENERIC AUDIO PRINCIPLES, AND GUT-WRENCHING EMOTIONAL
ISSUES.
YOU WANT TO HEAR SOME PEOPLE RAG ON SPECIFIC PIECES OF GEAR,
GO OVER AND CHECK OUT MY NEIGHBORS HERE ON PROSOUNDWEB.COM,
THE PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE ARMCHAIR PHILOSOPHERS ON THE LIVE
AUDIO BOARD! THEY SPEND ALL THEIR VACATION TIME (AND HALF
THEIR WORK HOURS) EITHER CAPPING ON OR PROMOTING THIS, THAT,
AND THE OTHER.
WHAT I AM LEADING UP TO IS THAT I HAVE DELETED A WHOLE BUNCH
OF SPECS THAT YOUNG MARK DESCRIBED IN HIS LETTER. BECAUSE
BRAND NAMES ARE NOT HIS PROBLEM!
METERS AND OUTPUT VOLTAGE ARE NOT HIS PROBLEM!
I AM HIS PROBLEM! MORE PRECISELY, I AM THE THORN IN THE SIDE
OF THE CREEPS WHO ARE RUINING HIS LIFE BY NOT GIVING HIM ANYTHING
AT THE MIC. MARK IS A NICE GUY, A RELIGIOUS GUY, HE WOULD
NEVER CALL THEM CREEPS LIKE I CAN. THEY ARE CREATING THEIR
OWN PROBLEM, BUT THEY ARE TRYING TO GUILT-TRIP POOR YOUNG
MARK!
HE IS DEALING WITH A PRETTY TYPICAL AMERICAN BAND FRONT LINE,
AND IS AMPLIFYING CONGAS, BUT NOT THE DRUM KIT.
I THINK THE SIMPLEST AND MOST HELPFUL SUGGESTION (ASSUMING
THAT THE PEOPLE HE WORKS FOR ARE NOT GOING TO BUY HIM MORE
SYSTEM) IS THAT WHEN “THINGS SOUND ALL CLUSTERED,”
YOU MUST MAKE SOME TOUGH DECISIONS, AND ASK YOURSELF: WHAT
ARE THE THINGS THAT TRULY NEED TO BE AMPLIFIED?
IN ONE WORD - PRIORITIZE.
YOU MIGHT WANT TO LISTEN TO THE BAND PLAY WITH THE HOUSE OFF
AND JUST THE MONITORS ON, AND THEN ASK YOURSELF WHAT CAN YOU
HEAR, ALREADY, AND WHAT DO YOU TRULY NEED TO BRING UP IN YOUR
MIX.
IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A HI-PASS FILTER, YOU CAN EXPERIMENT WITH
LESSENING THE LOW FREQUENCY ON THE PROBLEM CHANNELS, IF THE
“CLUSTERED” SOUND IS IN THE LOW END. YOU CAN SCOOP
OUT A LOT OF LOWS ON CONGAS, FOR EXAMPLE. GIVE ME A BREAK,
YOU PURISTS - I KNOW THAT CONGAS HAVE LOW-END INFORMATION,
I AM TALKING ABOUT A VERY LIMITED SYSTEM HERE, THE POOR GUY
IS NOT MIXING GLORIA ESTEFAN!
ALSO, IF THE BAND’S KEYBOARDIST DOES NOT USE AN AMPLIFIER,
YOU MIGHT ENCOURAGE THEM TO DO SO. IN SMALLER SYSTEMS, KEYBOARDISTS
ARE OFTEN THE CULPRIT, WHEN THEY ARE TRYING TO SOLELY MONITOR
FROM A WEDGE THAT ALSO CARRIES VOCALS. THE GUITARIST AND BASS
PLAYER MUST CARRY AMPS, WHY DOES THE KEYBOARDIST GET A FREE
PASS? THE ACOUSTIC GUITARISTS COULD ALSO HELP OUT, IF THEY
GOT THE NEW ACOUSTIC AMPS THAT MANY MANUFACTURERS ARE MAKING.
BUT THEY PROBABLY WON’T.
YOU NEED TO EXPLAIN TO THESE PEOPLE THAT ONE CANNOT PUT TWELVE
POUNDS OF FERTILIZER IN A SIX-POUND BAG. THEY NEED TO EITHER
WORK WITH YOU ON THE BASIS OF THE CURRENT SIX POUND BAG, OR
ENABLE YOU TO PURCHASE A TWELVE-POUNDER.
IT IS BAD WHEN YOU SAY THE VOCALISTS DON’T SING THAT
LOUD. THAT IS REALLY TOUGH - BELIEVE ME, I KNOW! ALL YOU CAN
DO IS EXPLAIN TO THEM THAT THEY MUST STAY RIGHT ON THE MIC.
BUT THEY WON’T.
BEST OF LUCK TO YOU, MARK!
GIVE ‘EM HECK, BUDDY!
LUV
- THE OLD SOUNDMAN
