How pro bassists actually prepare for gigs

Technique
1
2 Likes
2

Number ONE!!
Sound check-Negotiate exactly what volume level each Muso get on a gig.

Number Two
Make sure thereā€™s no bribing going on with Front of the House. Just because the Guitarist bought you a Frapp and some Kronut, he doesnā€™t get to be the loudest in the mix.

Number Three
This is the most important one. Any, I mean ANY disagreement that escalates to fist fight No hitting the face and below the belt.

:rofl: :rofl:

5 Likes
3
4 Likes
4

RE: #1 ā€¦ sound check isnā€™t just for the musiciansā€¦ itā€™s for the crowd later too :slight_smile: Our tech would walk the bar room to find dead spots he had to fillā€¦ ( change angle of P/A from stage to fill the WHOLE room :slight_smile: )

If yer in a bandā€¦ and your sound guy is walking around during sound checkā€¦ that is a GOOD THING! :slight_smile:

As for #3 ā€¦ some things are just unavoidableā€¦ been there seen it done it. LOL!!

4 Likes
5

Well we usually do that the first time we are at a new place, looking for bass traps.

I find that being a little combative is very healthy, sadly nowadays everyone is so Dang nice and accommodating :joy: that said never trust a Muso who thinks you have a great tone going. I once filled in for a friend, we had a rehearsal ā€œsound checkā€ 3 guys kept saying my tone was awesome. , sure it was, for them because I was at half performing volume. I dialed it up when we went live. :rofl:

3 Likes
6

Everyone will think youā€™re joking but I have seen it get ugly :rofl:

We were lucky, we were already all best friends so all our fights were about girls and would have happened anyway.

3 Likes
7

Our band broke up on the road after an ā€˜Oasis-likeā€™ event on stageā€¦ luckily our roadie was my best friendā€¦ got a lift home with him ā€¦ LOL!!

1 Like
8

I guess what i was more sayin was if yer doing sound-checkā€¦ and the tech just sits there at the mixerā€¦ he hasnā€™t set up the room right. :stuck_out_tongue:

1 Like
9

But shouldnā€™t the soundcheck be done at the same volume that you use live?

2 Likes
10

Yes absolutely but I never give 100 volume I always have reserve plus I used to carry a clean booster on my pedalboard. Plus I gave the FOH a little heads-up nod heā€™s cool.

2 Likes
11

Soundcheck at 5 and dime it to 11 by the third song to compete with the guitarist. Standard gig, no?

Sound check

IMG_3787
IMG_37874032Ɨ3024 3.06 MB

Gig

IMG_3788
IMG_37884032Ɨ3024 3.06 MB

2 Likes
12

Did that back when I was the soprano in an acapella group and ended up barely being audible during the gig :angry:

2 Likes
13

Being the de-facto sound guy AND being onstage with the band playing at the same time is nearly all disadvantage, but one advantage was that no one was louder than me :rofl:

4 Likes
14

Way back in high school, I was one of 13 members of an acapella madrigals group. We had: 2 first sopranos, 2 second sopranos, 2 first altos, 2 second altos, 1 tenor (me), 2 baritones and 2 basses. We never used amplification, so no soundcheck. We used a single riser for the tenor, baritones and basses, with the sopranos and altos in front at stage level. The higher the frequency, the more the sound rises, so the lower frequency voices need to be placed above, so the vocals are more balanced to the audience.

Madrigals were a blast to sing. 7-part harmony, with no one to get your line from if you got lost. Lots and lots of practice. I could read sheet music better than any of the others, and I was a classically trained pianist, so it was my job to go to the piano and play a 7 note arpeggio so each part could get their starting pitch. And then? Good luck! :grin:

1 Like
15

ā€¦

Quite the racket you got goin on thereā€¦ ( you may be busted now tho :stuck_out_tongue: ) LMAO

1 Like
16

Well yeah, us musicians have massive ego and equally massive insecurities :rofl:

3 Likes
17

Now, why do i have this video on my mind? :sweat_smile:

3 Likes
18

HAHAHAHAH!!! This is EXACTLY what being in a road band is like!!

Bookmarking this one!! rofl :rofl:

2 Likes
19

Same! I need to check out their discography. That was a good song!

One thing not shown in the video, but probably happened more than onceā€¦

Our gigmobile back in the late '60s had 4/60 a/c (4 open windows at 60 mph). The worst seat in the car was the back seat on the passenger side. More than once, the front seat passenger would lean out of the window and blow chow, which would then blow in the back open window all over the poor SOB sitting there. That poor SOB was our rhythm guitarist. I not only canā€™t remember his name now; I couldnā€™t remember it then, either. :rofl:

2 Likes
20

We ā€œLITERALLYā€ did the Econoline Crush ā€¦ our gigmobile was a Ford Econoline van ā€¦ 5 guys / Drum kit / 2 guitars / 2 marshalls / my bass / my fender stack / + luggage

got TOO cozy in there. LMAO

2 Likes