Good 'Sound guy' experiences

Big John · July 19th, 2008, 04:41 AM

So, after the thread about 'bad' sound guys what about the good ones ?

My one or two bad experiences have all been in the UK and usually because the club owner/promoter thinks he knows more about sound than the soundman or the band.
All the times i have played in Europe i have had nothing but great times with their sound crews, i know several of the posters here travel over there too and i'm sure their experiences must be the same.
The best ?, well they have all been good but one that sticks in the brain is a festival at Bad Ischl in Austria, the crew noted all our amp settings and duct taped the positions of amps and stands and once we were happy with our on-stage mix comitted all the levels to digital desks so when we came to play everything was 'as per' the sound check, the monitor man hit the 'recall' button and off we went.
He spent most of our set practising his juggling skills.

Not steaming in like prima donna's demanding this and that works wonders and a 'thank you' afterwards is appreciated.

So, anyone care to add ?

woodman · July 19th, 2008, 10:56 AM

most of my experiences with *pro* sound guys have been positive. the problem is usually in bars, where the owner's buddy knows how to set up a PA and gets the "sound guy" job whether he can mix or not.

the best experience i've ever had with sound guys was at Billy Bob's in Fort Worth, Texas (mid-'80s). the sound out front even satisfied our extremely picky manager, and the monitor mix was like listening to the band on a good stereo. we were local (Dallas) and had a regular weeknight gig for a short while there, as well as opening for several headliners. the sound was always *perfect*.

Cowboyfjt · July 19th, 2008, 11:04 AM

Like car mechanics, cops, and girlfriends, some are good,some not so good. Remember rule #7: Owning equipment does not necessarily mean that you have the slightest idea of what to DO with it....

Had the best experience possible, last week. The soundguy, Mike Kahrs, actually came to a gig BEFORE we played his stage, so he could "get" our sound, and find out when to boost solos and b/g vocals.

If you ever play Genghis Cohen in Hollywood, when the sound guy Randy is there, you'll get the best mix that money can buy. Amazing, too; all kinds of different of music parade across his stage, and I've never seen him give a "bar mix" to a single one.

Cheers,
Cowboy

MandyMarie · July 19th, 2008, 07:28 PM

I think I said it in the "bad" thread too but most of our sound guy experiences have been positive

Del Pickup · July 19th, 2008, 07:41 PM

I've just started learning how to set up and run the PA at the local blues club. It's not the biggest set up in the world but with 16 channels and all the usual bells and whistles it's not a set and forget set up either. It's a case of watching and listening to the band at all times and continually tweaking settings to get the best sound at all times.

As a musician on stage, it's very easy to downplay the role the soundman plays in making your band sound at its best.

And the number of musos who are downright rude and act like prima donnas is amazing. They forget that what goes around comes around and a bit of respect and courtesy for the sound guy goes a long way towards him trying to do his best for you while you're playing.

A three hour stint at the desk is every bit as tiring as actually playing that set as part of the band - and don't forget that the sound guys are usually the ones who are there to set up the gear and are breaking it all down while the musos head home. As Jackson Browne said 'they're the first to come and the last to leave, working for that minimum wage".

I think it would be a worthwhile exercise for every musician to have some time at the desk so that they could learn just how difficult it can be and then perhaps they'd have a bit more time for the soundman when he tells them the amps are too loud on stage!!

Telarkaster · July 20th, 2008, 10:20 AM

The sound guy for my last two shows (same guy) asked me which one of us played more guitar solos, and what kind of music we played. He nodded when I answered, thought about it and miked our amps accordingly. From the booth he told me to lower my treble (the sight of my Telecaster spooked him), and told the other guitarist to turn down even though his amp wasn't even miked. You know what? He was right.

The sound through the monitors was great. Complements from the crowd afterwards, and when I heard the other band I was astonished at how nice it sounded, and how un-loud it was. Perfect volume.

I offered him a drink afterwards in gratitude and he politely refused. He still had to work.

Want a good sound guy experience? Show up on time. This gives him the time to do his job properly. Talk to him. Let him know what kind of band you are. Do what he says. Afterwards talk to him and thank him. He will remember you the next time.

JimiBryant · July 20th, 2008, 10:32 AM

we played some barn in Green Bay WI and the soundman gave us a hand
loading in then breezed us through a 15 minute soundcheck, offering a
suggestion for a diner just around the corner where we could get some
good food, cheap.

well breakfast anytime is my friend, so I was happy and so were the
rest of the guys - after the food we want back to the club, had us
a rest in the dressing room and when we played our sound was great
onstage and I'm told we sounded fantastic in that room on that night.

all this from a fellow we didn't know from Adam.. I wish that I could
remember the guy's name but truth is, I can't even recall the name
of the club!

fungusyoung · July 20th, 2008, 10:34 AM

Gotta give the sound guy last night at Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem, PA major props. Band playing was Frog Holler, which included: drummer w/brushes also on backing vox; bassist; lead acoustic guitarist; rhythm acoustic/main vocalist; some sort of custom banjo player also played some percussion at times + lots of backing vox; plus a guy that moved from lap steel, to mandolin & Les Paul (through an older Deluxe Reverb)... and he also sang a bit of background vox.

I could hear every instrument the entire time. The acoustic lead player was only using a GE-7 pedal to give a little boost for runs or solos, but I could hear him very well even when the guy to the far right was playing the Les Paul. The club is very small and it typically sounds pretty good, but just fitting all of these guys on the stage was a challenge... how great the sound was just shocked me.

Major kudos.

studio1087 · July 20th, 2008, 10:53 AM

Have you heard of Bob Rock or Paul Hyde (Vancouver)?

They were in popular 80's band called the Payolas.

These guys......

Their sound guy helped mix my college cover band in a big bar in central Wisconsin (1984?) and we were just humbled at how good the PA sounded.

We had an OK tri-amped PA for a bar band...

Sonic Double 15 scoops; each powered by one Peavey CS800
Sonic 4460 cubes (1-15); each powered by one side of a CS800
JBL horns; each powered by one side of a CS800
Biamp 24 channel board and a 200' snake

We were a cover band and this local club would pay us $300 for the use of the PA and to do a warm up set if a better band came in.

This was 1981-1984

We did a warm up set for the Paylolas. The night before we were drinking beer at our bass players house and the video above came up on MTV. We were very excited.

The members of the band were great guys but their sound man actually yelled at our drummer during sound check "Do you ever tune your drums?" The guy jumped on the stage and helped Marc (our drummer) reposition his drum mics. The guy didn't ask if this was OK, he just did it. At first we were offended.

Next he pushed our board man out of the way and took over. We were kind of freaking out.

I had never heard our PA sound so good and so loud as the night that this guy took over. It never sounded that good again. The guy that owned the club kept saying...."Do you see what happens when someone truly experienced gets hold of a sound system".

Our sound guy went from being PO'd to becoming the Payola's sound man's best friend for the evening.

You think you know a lot until you watch someone who truly does know a lot.

I'll never forget that guy.

John

NEPATelecaster · July 20th, 2008, 11:38 AM

as long as they don't turn the SUCK knob...

beep.click · July 20th, 2008, 09:36 PM

I've had a few notably good experiences.

Best was at a place in North Hollywood, long gone, called the Iguana Cafe. You sounded perfect, period.

Another time, a friend of my band set up our P.A., and he took the time to program a digital reverb. I still have that setting stored; he called it "Club Verb." Somehow, it was just right.

Once, at an open mic, some guy came in and just started fussing with the board. I heard him say something about doing this stuff for a living. Now, that little place always sounded good, but that night, it sounded GREAT.

July 19th, 2008, 04:41 AM	#1 (permalink)
Big John Friend of Leo's Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Suffolk UK Posts: 4,004 34 Photos	Good 'Sound guy' experiences So, after the thread about 'bad' sound guys what about the good ones ? My one or two bad experiences have all been in the UK and usually because the club owner/promoter thinks he knows more about sound than the soundman or the band. All the times i have played in Europe i have had nothing but great times with their sound crews, i know several of the posters here travel over there too and i'm sure their experiences must be the same. The best ?, well they have all been good but one that sticks in the brain is a festival at Bad Ischl in Austria, the crew noted all our amp settings and duct taped the positions of amps and stands and once we were happy with our on-stage mix comitted all the levels to digital desks so when we came to play everything was 'as per' the sound check, the monitor man hit the 'recall' button and off we went. He spent most of our set practising his juggling skills. Not steaming in like prima donna's demanding this and that works wonders and a 'thank you' afterwards is appreciated. So, anyone care to add ? __________________ If you are going to be a bear, be a grizzly !!

July 19th, 2008, 10:56 AM	#2 (permalink)
woodman Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Mint Hill, NC Age: 62 Posts: 5,572	most of my experiences with pro sound guys have been positive. the problem is usually in bars, where the owner's buddy knows how to set up a PA and gets the "sound guy" job whether he can mix or not. the best experience i've ever had with sound guys was at Billy Bob's in Fort Worth, Texas (mid-'80s). the sound out front even satisfied our extremely picky manager, and the monitor mix was like listening to the band on a good stereo. we were local (Dallas) and had a regular weeknight gig for a short while there, as well as opening for several headliners. the sound was always perfect. __________________ Truth is stranger than fact ... www.myspace.com/woodymitchellmusic BAND PAGES: www.myspace.com/stragglerswing (Stragglers - Western Swing) www.myspace.com/loafersgloryband (Loafers Glory - '70s country-rock)

July 19th, 2008, 11:04 AM	#3 (permalink)
Cowboyfjt TDPRI Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: SoCal Posts: 78	Like car mechanics, cops, and girlfriends, some are good,some not so good. Remember rule #7: Owning equipment does not necessarily mean that you have the slightest idea of what to DO with it.... Had the best experience possible, last week. The soundguy, Mike Kahrs, actually came to a gig BEFORE we played his stage, so he could "get" our sound, and find out when to boost solos and b/g vocals. If you ever play Genghis Cohen in Hollywood, when the sound guy Randy is there, you'll get the best mix that money can buy. Amazing, too; all kinds of different of music parade across his stage, and I've never seen him give a "bar mix" to a single one. Cheers, Cowboy __________________ http://www.thebigredsky.com www.soundclick.com/bigredsky www.myspace.com/bigredsky

July 19th, 2008, 07:28 PM	#4 (permalink)
MandyMarie Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Indianapolis, IN Age: 28 Posts: 2,374 65 Photos	I think I said it in the "bad" thread too but most of our sound guy experiences have been positive __________________ our wacky little hillbilly band

July 19th, 2008, 07:41 PM	#5 (permalink)
Del Pickup Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: New Zealand Posts: 349 5 Photos	I've just started learning how to set up and run the PA at the local blues club. It's not the biggest set up in the world but with 16 channels and all the usual bells and whistles it's not a set and forget set up either. It's a case of watching and listening to the band at all times and continually tweaking settings to get the best sound at all times. As a musician on stage, it's very easy to downplay the role the soundman plays in making your band sound at its best. And the number of musos who are downright rude and act like prima donnas is amazing. They forget that what goes around comes around and a bit of respect and courtesy for the sound guy goes a long way towards him trying to do his best for you while you're playing. A three hour stint at the desk is every bit as tiring as actually playing that set as part of the band - and don't forget that the sound guys are usually the ones who are there to set up the gear and are breaking it all down while the musos head home. As Jackson Browne said 'they're the first to come and the last to leave, working for that minimum wage". I think it would be a worthwhile exercise for every musician to have some time at the desk so that they could learn just how difficult it can be and then perhaps they'd have a bit more time for the soundman when he tells them the amps are too loud on stage!! __________________ Someone told me that my tone is in my underpants. I'm not sure if that's good or bad......

July 20th, 2008, 10:20 AM	#6 (permalink)
Telarkaster Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Montreal Quebec Canada Posts: 1,423	The sound guy for my last two shows (same guy) asked me which one of us played more guitar solos, and what kind of music we played. He nodded when I answered, thought about it and miked our amps accordingly. From the booth he told me to lower my treble (the sight of my Telecaster spooked him), and told the other guitarist to turn down even though his amp wasn't even miked. You know what? He was right. The sound through the monitors was great. Complements from the crowd afterwards, and when I heard the other band I was astonished at how nice it sounded, and how un-loud it was. Perfect volume. I offered him a drink afterwards in gratitude and he politely refused. He still had to work. Want a good sound guy experience? Show up on time. This gives him the time to do his job properly. Talk to him. Let him know what kind of band you are. Do what he says. Afterwards talk to him and thank him. He will remember you the next time.

July 20th, 2008, 10:32 AM	#7 (permalink)
JimiBryant Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Chicago Chicago that toddlin' town Age: 46 Posts: 1,495	we played some barn in Green Bay WI and the soundman gave us a hand loading in then breezed us through a 15 minute soundcheck, offering a suggestion for a diner just around the corner where we could get some good food, cheap. well breakfast anytime is my friend, so I was happy and so were the rest of the guys - after the food we want back to the club, had us a rest in the dressing room and when we played our sound was great onstage and I'm told we sounded fantastic in that room on that night. all this from a fellow we didn't know from Adam.. I wish that I could remember the guy's name but truth is, I can't even recall the name of the club! __________________ I am very proud of the fact that I'm so humble!

July 20th, 2008, 10:34 AM	#8 (permalink)
fungusyoung Tele-Holic Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Eastern PA Posts: 894 22 Photos	Gotta give the sound guy last night at Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem, PA major props. Band playing was Frog Holler, which included: drummer w/brushes also on backing vox; bassist; lead acoustic guitarist; rhythm acoustic/main vocalist; some sort of custom banjo player also played some percussion at times + lots of backing vox; plus a guy that moved from lap steel, to mandolin & Les Paul (through an older Deluxe Reverb)... and he also sang a bit of background vox. I could hear every instrument the entire time. The acoustic lead player was only using a GE-7 pedal to give a little boost for runs or solos, but I could hear him very well even when the guy to the far right was playing the Les Paul. The club is very small and it typically sounds pretty good, but just fitting all of these guys on the stage was a challenge... how great the sound was just shocked me. Major kudos.

July 20th, 2008, 10:53 AM	#9 (permalink)
studio1087 Friend of Leo's Join Date: May 2003 Location: Near Milwaukee Age: 44 Posts: 3,463 36 Photos	Have you heard of Bob Rock or Paul Hyde (Vancouver)? They were in popular 80's band called the Payolas. These guys...... Their sound guy helped mix my college cover band in a big bar in central Wisconsin (1984?) and we were just humbled at how good the PA sounded. We had an OK tri-amped PA for a bar band... Sonic Double 15 scoops; each powered by one Peavey CS800 Sonic 4460 cubes (1-15); each powered by one side of a CS800 JBL horns; each powered by one side of a CS800 Biamp 24 channel board and a 200' snake We were a cover band and this local club would pay us $300 for the use of the PA and to do a warm up set if a better band came in. This was 1981-1984 We did a warm up set for the Paylolas. The night before we were drinking beer at our bass players house and the video above came up on MTV. We were very excited. The members of the band were great guys but their sound man actually yelled at our drummer during sound check "Do you ever tune your drums?" The guy jumped on the stage and helped Marc (our drummer) reposition his drum mics. The guy didn't ask if this was OK, he just did it. At first we were offended. Next he pushed our board man out of the way and took over. We were kind of freaking out. I had never heard our PA sound so good and so loud as the night that this guy took over. It never sounded that good again. The guy that owned the club kept saying...."Do you see what happens when someone truly experienced gets hold of a sound system". Our sound guy went from being PO'd to becoming the Payola's sound man's best friend for the evening. You think you know a lot until you watch someone who truly does know a lot. I'll never forget that guy. John __________________ JLG Carry On

July 20th, 2008, 11:38 AM	#10 (permalink)
NEPATelecaster Tele-Holic Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Scranton PA Age: 34 Posts: 943	as long as they don't turn the SUCK knob...

July 20th, 2008, 09:36 PM	#11 (permalink)
beep.click Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: California Age: 49 Posts: 1,553	I've had a few notably good experiences. Best was at a place in North Hollywood, long gone, called the Iguana Cafe. You sounded perfect, period. Another time, a friend of my band set up our P.A., and he took the time to program a digital reverb. I still have that setting stored; he called it "Club Verb." Somehow, it was just right. Once, at an open mic, some guy came in and just started fussing with the board. I heard him say something about doing this stuff for a living. Now, that little place always sounded good, but that night, it sounded GREAT. __________________ "It looked like a giant green gum drop to me."