NWB - Community Blog

No I think the only mic used is the singers as he s the best!! Drummers need to turn down period (ST).

Everything at all venues. Only way to get powerful FOH that projects and keeps onstage levels nice so you can hear yourself sing. For a metal-alt-rock band we are quiet on stage!

Jon (Delirium/AOS)

Yeh we tend to have our 'rig' that gets set up regardless of venue, then just adjust on the desk as necessary! Hope this helps... ;)

John

Defo mic it up i thought it was an awesome sound just make sure to turn Stone cold Steve Austin down ;)

Yes if the rig is good enough.

Bass and Snare indivual toms and overhead.

Or Bass & snare if a small gaff..

Yep. Everywhere. FOH spread is important to us no matter where we are. It's a different quality of sound.

We mic everything at every gig - use separate drum mixer micing toms bass and snare - dont use overheads for most gigs. Am definately a bit anal about the need to mic drums - do notice the lack of full sound when drummers dont mic up. Baz

In pubs we tend to use a kick mic and take an output from the backup of the bass amp, just for a bit of added balls.
Our drummer's vocal mic is a cardoid pattern so it picks up most of the kit anyway, for a little presence boost.

Our guitar amps are little 15W/18W combos so we tend to just crank em up for a bit of pwoer section drive, but when we do mic them it's more to get that big '3D' front of house sound, rather than added volume.

We don't mic the drums unless its a big place. usually mic up both guitars and put a bit through the PA for a better mix, and also to keep the backline vol down a bit. Too loud on me old ears.

Mark

I mic the bass and snare for the sound - not volume. Adding a bit of reverb to the snare does the trick - nothing else is mic'd

Rick.

we pretty much NEVER mic anything up. unless its a big venue like coolers or marigolds where we'll put snare and kick through (and even then its only a touch)
we never ever mic instruments dont really think theres any need for it. we are a pretty quiet band and the majority of the time we are mainly playing the smaller venues but i honestly dont think theres any need for micing up everywhere.

I say mike everything....not for volume but for balance and sound quality.

We close mike the drums for sound quality and balance. Other than that, we have 4 vocal mikes.

Rob

We mic up everything all the time and each have a monitor regardless of venue size. That way you control the backline at a volume where we can all hear each other. A must for harmony vocals.

@ Guns or Roses
Spot on agree with you there. I was sceptical about it at first but it does improve the overall sound quality, no question about that.Providing you have the right crossovers, subs etc.
Like you say, not for volume. We mic every gig regardless of size and are never critisised for being too loud. On stage volume is low, so no more ringing ears!
Also monitors have less to fight against so better for vocals.Our'Hughsey' is the one we have to thank for sorting it out. as I come from Barcelona! (Fawlty Towers reference there for the younger viewers.)

Innuendo

indeed always good for that 3D sound, always worth that extra bit of time

The Fix: "we are a pretty quiet band"

you don't stand in front of my bass rig very often tho do u? :)

we've never put the bass through the PA.. would rather have all the bass for the room coming out from behind me so I can feel it.. even at Marigolds

We too put every thing through FOH for quality and balance reasons,not volume. Keeping back line to a minimum especially in smaller venues.
You can`t expect the sound engineer to do his job properly unless he has control over the levels.

I who love to rant about this, I think anyone who is not just using a back line are sad to put it very mildly. OK I will concede that a bass drum and sometimes, the odd occasion, a snare being miked up is just about passable, but I saw a band who will remain nameless, you will know who you are, miked a full drum kit in the Man & Scythe!!!!

There claim was they where the loudest band, DUUUUUHHH! what the F**** does that prove, apart from that they have small D**ks.

Most pubs are no bigger than your front room and the people in the back want to talk, not be deafened by a set of clots who can only just play.

Playing quiet is a real skill where you can hear all the instruments and not be overcome by the wall of noise, and buzz saw guitars with an over produced sound.

I will have to stop because I am sure I could right a book about this pet hate, anybody got any beta-blockers.

2 words. Sound. Quality.

Drum mics are also used so you dont have to hit the S$%t out of them all the time. Toms and Bass are usually the first sounds to dissapear when you get a couple of people in near the front or in a narrow venue.
At one time I used to play without mics and was constantly told no one could hear me. Guitars over power the sound (As usual). So I bought some mics - end of problem.
Well start of another problem - you can now hear my mistakes.

Sat at the back we never hear what the complete sound is like out front and we have to trust the other members.

so anybody wants a mixer to mic EVERYTHING up....this is in the For Sale section