Worship Pastor wants no amps on platform

[bigmuff113]

Rent a plexi, dime it, leave it outside

[marc13]

Originally Posted by bigmuff113

Rent a plexi, dime it, leave it outside

Haha best answer yet,... :P

[Vince a]

Shure 535 IEMs . . . an Eden WTDI . . . and as a bassist, I need to hear and feel the bass. If the Pastor or WL won't let me use an amp on stage . . . they can find another bassist . . . sorry, it's not a God thing, it's a matter of "if you want me to play, I pick the equipment I need to get the job done." Once playing, then it becomes a God thing!

[bossking7]

Originally Posted by bigmuff113

Rent a plexi, dime it, leave it outside

+1

[T Prior]

I did 7 years in a full pentecostal PW group, 4 services/week, countless outreach and choir events.. If you are using a small amp, you are not the problem,unless you are not telling the truth and are playing real loud. If the singers can't hear because of you then the platform is not set up correctly for the large group and/or the sound guy is not doing his job. PERIOD.

You may want to consider placing your amp on the floor facing you, like a monitor, tilted back, if you are not already doing this. It will be no louder than a monitor...

Worship platforms with multiple singers is very difficult and if the monitors/monitor mix is not correct it will fail.

I actually suspect something else is going on...if you can barely hear your guitar then I doubt anyone else can either...what do your PW band mates say, you are too loud or no big deal because that's the pudding right there...If they say you are too loud then you are, if they say you are not..then you are not.

Also consider that the WL may not want to see an amp brand name on the platform..just a thought , although a GDEC 30 is pretty small and conservative.

There is more politics on a PW team than there is in DC.

Also consider that some sound folks, especially in Church,feel they are the cream of the crop and perhaps told the WL that you don't need an amp. Once a sound guy gets full control of the platform it's very difficult to take any back.

This is going to sound really really awful, some, not all, some folks involved in Church have zero experience outside Church so when they are on the platform it's almost like filling a long life dream...they are finally in a band, or finally running a board..etc...they are on stage performing...couple that with being in charge ..well....

good luck....I didn't survive the politics....it just took years for me to come to my senses...but I did learn a ton of music and had a great time with a few of the other team members.

[Thighbanez]

If his church is anything like mine, I'm sure the guitar isn't the source of the problem. Most places don't even turn the guitar up enough to be heard let alone be louder than anyone else.



I would point the suspicious finger at the keyboard or whatever instrument his church considers an actual "Instrument"....because 90% of the time, it's not the guitar that is considered the main instrument at ANY given church.

[Snowwizard]

You guys can come play in my band any time :)

[Two Steps]

Originally Posted by Thighbanez

I would point the suspicious finger at the keyboard or whatever instrument his church considers an actual "Instrument"....because 90% of the time, it's not the guitar that is considered the main instrument at ANY given church.

This ^^^

At the church I attend and play at, we have the amps in a room right behind the stage mic'd. So we have em'' cranked and on stage you can't hear em'! We run avion's it whatever those are called. I use shure 425s. A lot of the others have Westone's.

The bass runs direct through any given sound programs for the tone. The bassist does have a choice - not solely up to the sound guy. The bass also has a Butt Kicker attached to his chair so he can feel without the half stack.

I had a problem with true tone until I went to the shures. What I heard wasn't what was actually going into the house. That changed once I got the duals.

Sent from my iPhone using TDPRI

[Jazzerstang]

This can be extremely frustrating. I have a hunch we are headed for this unfortunate area as well.

[Jazzerstang]

Originally Posted by Rich_S

I would give the WL what he asked for, take my amp off the stage, put it in my car, and not come back. The entire idea of "no sound" being generated on stage is stupid from the get-go. Music IS sound. You can't make music if you don't make sound. "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord".

If all you want is digital algorithms and electrons moving through wires, right up until the point it hits the mains speakers, just play recordings.

Perfect.

[WireLine]

Another perspective:

If you are a hired gun, you do what the people signing the checks say until you can get a better gig. If you are doing this because of your love for the Lord, then you do have the option to offer praise in a manner more suited to your (anyone's) personal choices. If there are unacceptable conditions to the manner of your employment/volunteer status, then simply don't do it.

Life is too short for hard feelings while in the midst of leading worship (which anyone on the stage is doing, whether you think you are or not!) Without a clear head and a clear heart, you just can't do that with the focus required of the position. When it becomes a burden... people in the congregation can see it, or worse - feel it.

Go where you are needed, go where you are wanted, serve how you best can fill a need. If that means adjusting, then so be it. I've yet to encounter any religion that teaches the messengers are more important than the message.

[TelecasterSam]

I like the idea of pointing the amp up at you, like a monitor. I also think amps on the platform look cool and the people in the congregation like seeing the equipment...or maybe it's just me! In Ear Monitors are a hassle, especially if you don't have a full time and dedicated sound man, and you have to setup earlier to get everything adjusted. We just plug into our amps, have (finally) monitors for the 5 singers, a sound man who just does adjustments on the vocals and lead guitar....and we let it rip. It's a fairly quick setup. Also use electronic drums that sound unbelievably good through the drum amp! It helps that the drummer is excellent.

[rokdog49]

I feel for people who have these kinds of conflicts. Last practice our lead guitar player told me in a nice way that my guitar (rhythm) was too loud and he couldn't hear his soloing.
So, I turned it way down and then he said he couldn't hear me at all now. I just smiled and said that it was probably better that way. Everyone laughed and I turned my amp back up to a "reasonable' level.

[Snowwizard]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

I feel for people who have these kinds of conflicts. Last practice our lead guitar player told me in a nice way that my guitar (rhythm) was too loud and he couldn't hear his soloing.
So, I turned it way down and then he said he couldn't hear me at all now. I just smiled and said that it was probably better that way. Everyone laughed and I turned my amp back up to a "reasonable' level.

Your thing sounds like a frequency issue

[GoldieLocks]

I wonder if this is a perception issue?

For years churches had 1 piano, or 1 organ and a congregation full of singers.

Now churches Assume they need a FULL BAND to go with their congregation full of singers - except they assume everything should be the same volume as the last 100 years.

They should have adds that say:
"Come see our BIG AWESOME rockbands of God - that don't rock."

[JohnSS]

Originally Posted by T Prior

I did 7 years in a full pentecostal PW group, 4 services/week, countless outreach and choir events.. If you are using a small amp, you are not the problem,unless you are not telling the truth and are playing real loud. If the singers can't hear because of you then the platform is not set up correctly for the large group and/or the sound guy is not doing his job. PERIOD.

You may want to consider placing your amp on the floor facing you, like a monitor, tilted back, if you are not already doing this. It will be no louder than a monitor...

Worship platforms with multiple singers is very difficult and if the monitors/monitor mix is not correct it will fail.

I actually suspect something else is going on...if you can barely hear your guitar then I doubt anyone else can either...what do your PW band mates say, you are too loud or no big deal because that's the pudding right there...If they say you are too loud then you are, if they say you are not..then you are not.

Also consider that the WL may not want to see an amp brand name on the platform..just a thought , although a GDEC 30 is pretty small and conservative.

There is more politics on a PW team than there is in DC.

Also consider that some sound folks, especially in Church,feel they are the cream of the crop and perhaps told the WL that you don't need an amp. Once a sound guy gets full control of the platform it's very difficult to take any back.

This is going to sound really really awful, some, not all, some folks involved in Church have zero experience outside Church so when they are on the platform it's almost like filling a long life dream...they are finally in a band, or finally running a board..etc...they are on stage performing...couple that with being in charge ..well....

good luck....I didn't survive the politics....it just took years for me to come to my senses...but I did learn a ton of music and had a great time with a few of the other team members.

This is a very accurate analysis, having seen and experienced it myself at other churches, especially where a lot of the worship team members are younger. There's so much limited experience with genuine live venue Sound Reinforcement with the majority being with digital sound on computers in bedrooms or small studios. I use little Peavey transtube Rage or Blazer 158 amps cranked halfway at my church, but we have experienced live sound people on our team. Maybe a Roland Micro Cube or something comparable to serve almost like a hotspot? Highly unlikely it would bother any singers, especially if it's aimed right at you only.

Not worth risking your hearing just because WL wants a certain "look" without providing proper monitoring. Had my own share of those kinds of foolish decisions and the Lord guided me to my current church, which is wonnderful.

[GoldieLocks]

I wonder how LOUD the music is going to be in Heaven?

"I think i'm gonna need a bigger AMP!"

[Snowwizard]

Originally Posted by GoldieLocks

I wonder if this is a perception issue?

For years churches had 1 piano, or 1 organ and a congregation full of singers.

Now churches Assume they need a FULL BAND to go with their congregation full of singers - except they assume everything should be the same volume as the last 100 years.

They should have adds that say:
"Come see our BIG AWESOME rockbands of God - that don't rock."

Perception is defiantly part of it. I lead with an electric instead of an acoustic last week and that was hard for some people who have an idea of "church music"

[nrand]

Thirty people on the platform, all trying to hear themselves amplified and each other . . no wonder no one is having any fun. Just put everyone behind a big plexi and play acoustically - think of it as a modern take on an orchestra pit Seriously, if it gets this hard I have to wonder where the joy in worship could be.

[GeetarPlayer]

Why do worship pastors say "no amps on stage" when the real goal is stage volume? Shouldn't they say something like "nothing more than 80db hitting the front row"?