Band Too Loud
Band Too Loud
I am once again frustrated working with a band that is loud.
I'm looking for stories about techniques for getting bands to turn down,
& when the volume went down did the music get better, or worse?
I'm looking for stories about techniques for getting bands to turn down,
& when the volume went down did the music get better, or worse?
- Waltz Mastering
- steve albini likes it
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Waltz Mastering wrote:"LOUD" is a direct by-product of rock and roll...More sound proofing...Isolation..close miking or not.etc.
Are you concerned about bleed, hearing damage or neighbors?
This is 2 keys, 2 guitars, bass, & drums. I'm concerned with everyone hearing everyone else, playing together, bringing out dynamics in a room without headphones and I'm convinced they could achieve this with less volume, so I was looking for techniques to get people to turn down and stories about lower volume working or not working.
- Snarl 12/8
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I was gonna suggest something like that.kslight wrote:Just make the suggestion once and if they don't comply then proceed as normal. When it's time to mix and there is tons of bleed on every track then explain how you pointed it out in the beginning...
Seems like most people have problems successfully making instantaneous, last-minute changes to their modus operandi though.
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- ass engineer
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In my limited experience, the band's-too-loud thing is usually because one person is too loud, and everyone else follows suit to compete. If you can find that one person and work with him or her, it might then lead to everyone else settling in.
It's funny...my current band has the opposite problem. I can't get them loud enough at times.
It's funny...my current band has the opposite problem. I can't get them loud enough at times.
- suppositron
- suffering 'studio suck'
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- Nick Sevilla
- on a wing and a prayer
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YES!!!suppositron wrote:Is the band loud because everyone needs to hear themselves louder than everyone else? You can try reposition them to point their amps away from each other. Put amps up on chairs and get them pointed right at the players' heads.
Point their amps right at their heads, and then cover the floor with plastic sheets for the ensuing bloody mess that will happen. Then tell them to turn it up MORE and MORE until noses start bleeding. Don't stop telling them it needs to be LOUDER.
When they finally become deaf, you can turn it down to your taste.
I pretty much let bands do whatever they like, so long as they allow me to engineer however I like. If the two are in conflict, I change my method, rather than change them.
Cheers
Howling at the neighbors. Hoping they have more mic cables.
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- re-cappin' neve
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As a one-time member of a "band too loud" I have to say that getting everyone to be more quiet is a hard hard hard thing to accomplish. They need to start playing less loudly way in advance of coming to the studio to record (or the club to play for that matter).
I also think that tendency for this to be driven by one member of the band is relatively common. It takes just one player with compromised hearing to start throwing things way out of whack.
I also think that tendency for this to be driven by one member of the band is relatively common. It takes just one player with compromised hearing to start throwing things way out of whack.
- @?,*???&?
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Unless it's jazz, there's really no point.
The band will always be up against the loudest thing in the room. That is 90% of the time, the drumkit. Balancing guitar volumes against drums, is the key to any rehearsal situation.
Is this a recording or a rehearsal situation?
Rehearsal and pre-production is a time to sort out arrangement. If it's too loud, did you bring hearing protection? I always do when I'm in pre-production.
From a recording standpoint, if they are too loud and the goal is capture everything in the same room, you've got to balance them and mind your polar patterns when mic'ing. If it's not the goal to record them all at once in the same room, find isolation.
The band will always be up against the loudest thing in the room. That is 90% of the time, the drumkit. Balancing guitar volumes against drums, is the key to any rehearsal situation.
Is this a recording or a rehearsal situation?
Rehearsal and pre-production is a time to sort out arrangement. If it's too loud, did you bring hearing protection? I always do when I'm in pre-production.
From a recording standpoint, if they are too loud and the goal is capture everything in the same room, you've got to balance them and mind your polar patterns when mic'ing. If it's not the goal to record them all at once in the same room, find isolation.
- @?,*???&?
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Re: Band Too Loud
Please clarify 'working with a band'.Palmer wrote:I am once again frustrated working with a band that is loud.
I'm looking for stories about techniques for getting bands to turn down,
& when the volume went down did the music get better, or worse?
In what capacity are you working?
- Jay Reynolds
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- george martin
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Thank you all for your advice
Thanks everyone for your advice. I've been looking at other forums as well and the answers are all familiar. I'm gonna leave it alone, do my best and research "polar patterns when mic'ing."
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