Performing outside...

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thebreezethebreeze Frets: 2797
I'm pretty inexperienced playing live - it's once in a blue moon.  Anyway, it does happen occasionally and me and "the band" have been asked to play at a friend's 50th birthday party in a few weeks time.  Great!...

In all likelihood we will be playing outside (they're doing a weekend camping thing and trying to create a Festy atmosphere).  I've never performed outside before.  Is there anything to look out for? (snakes obviously).  

My main concern at the moment is my amp situation.  I've been using a 5w Rift amp in rehearsals - it's small in a small room - but seems loud enough? (particularly if boosted by a pedal).  Will this change if we're outside?  I've never been to their place unfortunately but I don't think it's Woodstock or anything, I think we'll be playing just in front of the house to a garden, maybe a field??  I think there will be a PA of sorts for vocals but I don't think we'll be getting anything elaborate.  I have a Blues Deluxe which might be fun to crank up a bit but I've been preferring the tones from the Rift and have got used to it.  Can I just go with the Rift and not worry or would it be better to start to rehearse/get the sound right with the Blues Deluxe?

The songs/set are from a '70's rock direction - Clapton, Creedance, The Band, JJ Cale etc. so a mix of clean and driven....

Many thanks...
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Comments

  • not_the_djnot_the_dj Frets: 7306
    edited June 2017
    Everything will sound a lot quieter outside...and you'd loose a lot of bottom end.

    I've done gigs in car parks and fields/gardens, and if you can mic up so it's all going through the PA I would. I'm sure that amp will get lost on it's own.

    Sometimes people put bands on in this sort of situation where you're expected to play on grass with an extension lead coming from a kitchen window...and of course in the UK there's always a chance of rain!

    I'd make sure you know fully what the situation is going to be upfront. 

    If you use a pedal board you'd struggle to see LEDs in the daytime, and if there isn't a solid surface to play on might be worth using some wooden boards or such like to stick amps/pedal boards etc onto.

    Could be fun of course, but plenty to check out upfront if you can.


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  • not_the_djnot_the_dj Frets: 7306
    ...also if you have any crib notes or set list papers they will blow away just as you're getting to that tricky part you can't quite remember ;-)
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71953
    I've played outdoors with an original '58 Fender Princeton (5W, with a 10" speaker fitted) and it was loud enough! But we were playing in a little area to about twenty people and a dog…

    If it's for a garden party the Rift will probably do it, but if it's anything bigger I wouldn't rely on it unless you can definitely go through the PA, especially if you want a clean sound.

    The main thing to watch out for is rain, or damp ground - if you're using an extension cable which is connected back to a wall socket and a modern distribution box in the house there's no real risk, but make sure anything that can get rained on can be covered or wrapped in plastic (a roll of bin-bags is ideal for emergencies) if you get an unexpected shower.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • thebreezethebreeze Frets: 2797
    Thanks chaps - useful stuff.  The rain factor should only be an issue if it starts raining during the set.  If it's already raining I've been told we will be playing inside somewhere.  (One of the best gigs I ever went to was seeing Neil Young and Crazy Horse going for it big time with the rain absolutely tipping down the whole gig).  

    The wind blowing things away is something I hadn't thought about but I will now!
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  • vizviz Frets: 10644
    edited June 2017
    I'd use a 4x12 or mic up to a PA with two subwoofers (or both) if possible otherwise you'll lose all your fat bottom end. 
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • thebreezethebreeze Frets: 2797
    Everything will sound a lot quieter outside...and you'd loose a lot of bottom end.

    viz said:
    I'd use a 4x12 or mic up to a PA with two subwoofers (or both) if possible otherwise you'll lose all your fat bottom end. 
    Okay so you've both mentioned this....  I'm not brilliantly informed on these kind of terms/technicalities (i.e. I kind of think I know what they must mean, but may not).  Do you mean all the bass side of things will be lost and the tone will sound quite shrill or trebley?  Are subwoofers the PA speakers or the monitors?  Presumably if I go through the PA then the other guitarist should too?  The bassist?  (Sorry, I told you I was inexperienced).

    I guessing just turning the treble down and the bass up at the amp may not be enough?
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71953
    thebreeze said:

    Do you mean all the bass side of things will be lost and the tone will sound quite shrill or trebley?
    Yes, although more just that the bass will be lost rather than the mids, so it won't really sound shrill or more trebly usually.

    thebreeze said:

    Are subwoofers the PA speakers or the monitors?
    PA speakers. Usually you will have the normal pair of 'tops' (1x12" + horn, typically) but for more bottom end there may be a pair (or just one) sub, usually a 1x15" or 1x18" which only handles very low frequencies, usually from the bass guitar and kick drum - they shouldn't really be needed for guitars.

    thebreeze said:

    Presumably if I go through the PA then the other guitarist should too?
    Ideally yes, or the sound may be a bit unbalanced unless he has a much bigger amp that can hold its own.

    thebreeze said:

    The bassist?
    If the PA is big enough and preferably has sub(s), yes. If not, no since trying to use the PA to reproduce too much bass will take available power away from the vocals and guitars and make the whole thing muddy and confused-sounding. A more powerful bass amp can often be the better solution.

    thebreeze said:

    I guessing just turning the treble down and the bass up at the amp may not be enough?
    No - in fact that may make things worse for a similar reason… trying to make the amp produce more bass when the output section is at its limit will actually reduce headroom and volume, and make the sound become squashed or farty and lose definition.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • thebreezethebreeze Frets: 2797
    Brilliant @ICBM - thank you, that's all the kind of things i need to know!
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  • slackerslacker Frets: 2215
    Take both amp, work out what you need when you are there. Obligatory silly answer also take a gazebo and some wellies.
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  • TimmyOTimmyO Frets: 7349
    Also the display on your tuner will wash out and you won't be able to see it. Unless you have a TU-3 and you have put it in bright mode. 

    Also also the sound will seem flat - nothing coming back off the 'walls' so any comfort reverb you use might need to go up a bit 
    Red ones are better. 
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  • RockerRocker Frets: 4942
    Ideally the band needs a stage of some kind.  Even a few wooden pallets with a sheet or two of chipboard is better than standing on grass......
    Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. [Albert Einstein]

    Nil Satis Nisi Optimum

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  • ESBlondeESBlonde Frets: 3576
    Use your biggest amp you can always turn down. Have a solid platform for the drumist else he and kit will sink or rock about in the wrong sense. What time of the day? Do you need lights. What about packing up in the dark. Can you get vehicles near? Are you using a generator if so is it really adequate? Clothes pegs on a music stand or rape down lists. Make sure your guitar stands don't sink uneven in the grass. 
    Oh, and have fun.
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