///MK said:
Really how many of us curse the times when we have to lug a 100lb Mesa cab or three up a narrow flight of beer sticky stairs.
Well, I'll just say this....
I recently went to see one of the top local regional touring cover bands (Switch) in my state. (they also command a premium fee)
Switch has 2 electric guitar players, an acoustic guitar playing singer, a bass & drums. (they also take turns at keys)
The band has no amps onstage. The drums are all electronic (except the cymbals) and they all have headsets & are fully wireless. (all in-ear monitors)
This "Pro" setup was copied from other bands and is geared to make the stage uncluttered, freeing up the stage area for all sorts of antics (dancers, jugglers, live sex acts) and making the stage area less treacherous to walk/run/cartwheel on.
How did it sound?
Awful!
The Drums sounded good, powerful. The snare was more like a gunshot, but to each his own. The obvious seperation of drum vs. cymbal sound source (i.e. live cymbals) was a stark contrast and took some getting use to.
The vocals were clear but very midrangy. They had feedback problems, too. (that must really suck w/ear monitors) It sounded like they used the ear monitors to judge the FOH mix (the band ran sound from the stage).
The two electric guitars sounded exactly the same. (One guy had a Digitech PB and the other had a Boss GT-3) The guitars blended together in a mish/mash way that made them indistiguishable from each other.
When one of them played lead, it had no balls. Very thin.
As the night wore on, the mix got a little better, but it may have been me getting use to the sound, too.
Bottom line:
In small/medium sized clubs, it's best if everything (except vocals) has it's own individual sound source. It gives a band that "live" sound that most people expect and are use to hearing. It also adds to the separation, dimension and depth.
Even if you go 100% to the board (w/electric cymbals), it would be impossible to recreate the sound you'll get if 2-3 guitar amps are crankin' with a live set of drums (which produce over 140 db in peaks). The energy it would take (amp/speakers) would be more than just moving a 4x12 cab. *wink wink*
But it still wouldn't have the same sound.
If the gigs you're playing are so large that the sound system completely drowns out your stage rig, then I guess it doesn't matter that much.
But if you're playing shows
that big, you're making
big money and can pay someone to haul your gear and wouldn't need to be asking us
LITTLE GUYS what we think. :lol:
So, how big are these clubs/arenas? I'm use to 150-350 head per night. small-medium sized clubs. Sometimes outdoor events @ 1000+ head.
I've never played anything larger. I don't expect I ever will.
I only mic my cab in the bigger places. Otherwise, I just crank it!
Call me old school.....