Getting the right volume in the mix when playing live

Tomas Enguidanos · From: California, USA

I have a tendency to want my guitar up too loud in the mix. How do you go about setting your volume relative to your band if there is no sound man? I run the soundboard. I usually have a trusted ear go listen out front, but in listening back to recorded videos the steel is too loud or to soft. Rarely just right.

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

I balance my level to the quietest thing on stage when possible. Getting the right level in battle conditions is a tough one. For a while I would give a set list to the sound guy and have him take notes on my levels. It’s often counterintuitive.
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Ian Rae · From: Redditch, England

This is about no sound man. When we do small gigs we put vocals only through the PA and trust to the onstage balance for everything else. I have a very loud amp so that I can always make myself heard when necessary.
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Dave Hopping · From: Aurora, Colorado

I always put my amp right behind me on a milk crate as pictured.In a non-mic situation, I've found I can play as loud as I like without people complaining. If the instruments are mic-ed I let whoever's running sound handle the FOH.

Ian Rae · From: Redditch, England

If there is a sound man I hand him an XLR from my modeled output. From then on nothing is my fault.
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Jeff Waller · From: marshall Illinois, USA

Hey Dave. I also sit on milk crates lol. I found that 2 milk crates are the right height to play my pedal steel.
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Andrew Goulet · Posted 12 Jul 2022 6:45 pm

A tough question! Sound people are so important.

If you have no sound person, you could ask a friend with ears you trust to listen to a soundcheck song and give you feedback. Then ask that person to give you feedback throughout the show.

Without an in-house reference (sound person, trusted friend, etc...) you're down to asking the audience periodically if everything sounds ok. This might fix a big problem (nobody can hear the steel, for example), but it's a rough way to live.

There's just no good way that I've found that you can accurately gauge your sound as perceived by the audience. I guess years and years of experience will get you part of the way there.
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Fred Treece · From: California, USA

Years and years of experience playing in the same band really helped me get frustrated with every other band I’ve played with since then. When you work with real pros, there is an understanding of what stage volume is supposed to be. Even without a sound guy, there is a way to configure the gear on the stage so every player can get their tone and volume balanced with everything else, and get a decent idea of what the audience is hearing.

It also helps to have a drummer with a sense of dynamics. If you are overpowering the drummer, the tendency is for him or her to start pounding away, and there goes your dynamics - individually, and for the band as a whole. And encourage tasteful use of crash and ride cymbals (as in, leave them at home! 😎)

Band members have to give each other their own sonic space in the frequency range. Oftentimes volume wars begin because someone is hogging the entire spectrum instead of eq’ing their tone for separation.

It just takes time and cooperation.

Andrew Goulet · Posted 13 Jul 2022 7:42 am

Good tip there from Fred about frequencies. That's just as important as volume.
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Samuel Phillippe · From: Douglas Michigan, USA

And then there is always the guy that plays with you on a periodic basis that has to be loudest and screws up the dynamics the group developed. When you ask him to turn down the volume it only last for a portion of the song......thank goodness he only plays with us about 1 a month

Zach Turner · From: Carmel Valley, California, USA

Tomas Enguidanos · From: California, USA

Great advice and comments. I was reminded of a piano player who tends to hog the entire spectrum and play really loud all the way through. He seems to me overly concerned he won’t be heard.

But what I have been trying to do is have band mates to out into the audience and listen to the mix. It takes a lot of communication and mutual respect to get the mix right without a sound engineer. I think the idea of trusted ears in the audience can be really helpful.

Also, I think I’ll try the milk crate or an amp stand to get the speaker near my ears.

Thanks guys,

Tomás

Dennis Detweiler · From: Solon, Iowa, US

If you have a headphone output on your board and a good set of headphones, you can get a close idea of the balance while playing. Or, if your board has led or meters on each channel, just position the board where you can see it while sitting and playing.
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Dave Hopping · From: Aurora, Colorado

Another idea, not necessarily electronics-related, but always helpful onstage: When not soloing, listen to the other players; if you have to hear them, you'll instinctively lock in to what you're hearing,plus you'll keep your volume more in balance.

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