After reading this month’s excellent “Sound Sanctuary” column about reducing stage levels, I was reminded of that meme showing guitarists’ amp volume settings, beginning with “4” during the sound check, “8” at the first song and “10” (or “11”) for the last song. And while funny, it’s too often true. Of course, this is frequently the case if you’re mixing amateur nights, and far less so when you’re dealing with pro players.
This phenomenon mainly happens with guitar players, although it can be contagious, where once one player turns it up, the others compensate and the volume war breaks out. Unfortunately, the FOH engineer gets stuck with this mess, where the only way to create a balanced mix is to crank everyone else up. Years ago, I recall going to a party at an AES show where the band level was blisteringly loud. I went to talk to the FOH engineer and noticed the only fader turned up on the 32-channel desk was the lead vocal!
This situation is less problematic at large festivals or stadium shows, but is devastating in small venues, where, the “I have to crank it to get tone” excuse doesn’t cut it anymore. The other problem is the floor-behind-the-guitarist amp placement, so players often punch the volume and highs to compensate for the off-axis tone they’re hearing. Anyway, sorry about the rant. There are great players that are willing to play as an ensemble, but I can do without those few that don’t get it.
Got a comment? Send George an email to george@fohonline.com
