Rude soundman

ICBM

Winny_Pooh said:

And his choice was an sm58 LOL, made to survive, not thrive.

Probably the only mic he knows how to EQ for. Arrogance is often a cover for incompetence.

Hoof said:

A common issue our bass player comes across is engineers who insist in putting their own DI box in front of his amp, therefore feeding the direct sound from his pedals straight to the desk and relegating his amp to being a mere stage monitor. This is despite his amp being a Darkglass Alpha Omega which has a great cab sim output. Even when this is pointed out it's quickly dismissed with "they're always too hot" or "we don't do that here". This then puts our bassist in a poor mindset for the gig because he knows he's going to sound shit out front.

I've had that a lot too, even when pointing out that I use a rather savage fuzz pedal so it will likely sound shit out front. I've learned to fix the problem without arguing about it by taking my own preamp pedal, which goes after the fuzz pedal - and thus in front of the DI box, of course. Oddly, they never seem to have a problem with that.

DefaultM

Sound guy at ours started going mad that the vocalist was using a TC Helicon Harmony pedal. I’m pretty sure he whacked her volume up full so it would squeal and then he said it was the pedals fault. When she said it wasn’t even turned on he said it didn’t matter and it’s cos they have shit compression circuits in them, you can’t have her vocal loud enough to hear if she keeps it in the chain.
 She gigs with it every single week and never had an issue until this guy rocks up.

Axe_meister

Especially in today's post COVID climate, I would have thought that many vocalists would prefer to use their own microphone.
I know I would prefer singing into something that has been gobbed into by the previous singer.

relic245

Axe_meister said:

Especially in today's post COVID climate, I would have thought that many vocalists would prefer to use their own microphone.
I know I would prefer singing into something that has been gobbed into by the previous singer.

That is partially why she does it. She's always taken her own mic even when it was a wired one.

Yesterday she had a bit of a cold so the unfortunate person after her would have been in close contact with her germs.

Bod

GoFish said:

I think he may have experience working in a guitar shop in the good ol' days.

Or in IT.  I work in IT and have experienced many people like this...

Lestratcaster

Didn't happen to me directly but a mate's band was playing a local venue and the soundguy had the right hump cos he moved the DI box off the top of the bass amp onto the floor. Something about kicking it or something (which he didn't). Always seemed to be the better ones are the guys who act like dickheads the most. 

Luckily I've been alright with most of them, the only issues they've had are telling me to turn my 6505+ 120 watt amp head down as its way too loud haha. Other than that I do learn their name instead of calling them "mate", "mr soundguy" or another title. Also I've been fortunate enough to know who they are from another show or they're a contact of the band etc.

Hoof

Teyeplayer said:

Hoof said:

I had one recently looking fruitlessly around the back of my amp for a DI output. Then swore when he had to go and find a mic and stand to mic the cab

Had this a few times over the years, including soundmen who were really miffed or totally perplexed that they couldn’t DI a valve amp -genuinely wondered how they got the job, particularly as valve amps have been around longer than soundmen.

We were actually the only band on the bill (a metal night) not going direct.  The Helix/Quad Cortex contingent were out in force that night. The times are-a changing indeed and everyone else had MIDI running the show and click tracks in their ears. It made me somewhat distrustful about how much of their sets were actually being played. I definitely had my suspicions during one of their solos.

ICBM

Axe_meister said:

Especially in today's post COVID climate, I would have thought that many vocalists would prefer to use their own microphone.
I know I would prefer singing into something that has been gobbed into by the previous singer.

Indeed - I can’t understand anyone wanting to put their mouth up against a house mic - especially when you consider the state of ones in rehearsal rooms. As my band’s usual gear fixer, I’ve always got the singers to have their own mics for that reason alone - I’ve bought them for them, if necessary - if they have no preference of their own I’ve always got them SM58s, on the simple grounds that they’re unbreakable and any useless sound engineer in the world should at least be able to get a tolerable sound with one.

Philly_Q

Bod said:

GoFish said:

I think he may have experience working in a guitar shop in the good ol' days.

Or in IT.  I work in IT and have experienced many people like this...

They all look so young!

shugz

Sorry to hear that. 

As many have said, dicks gotta dick. But it's not cool - performers should be put at ease and all that. Other side of coin is many a performer, many a challenge too. Everyone can have a bad day. But like plumbers, politicians, police etc etc it takes just the one t.w.a.t to ruin things.

My experience of late has largely been helpful, positive and folks that know what they are doing. My only slight gripe is I like volume. Stage and overall gig volume. I get it, the frequencies need to match or its a disaster for many an engineer. That said, there's a time and place for a jukebox. I don't mind an edgy sound if it's carrying over and folk are actually listening rather than the band being mixed like venue backing music. We are a 3 piece plus singer. I don't want it to be all guitar - if I could afford a string section, keys/ samples/ a choir etc then I would. Unfortunately to fill out the sound I need volume and loads of reverbs/ echos.

Not once have I ever got great monitor mixes due to turning down. I'd say if those were looked after more at sound check then it'd be easier to compromise a bit. And like one poster said, you turn down and then get told after it no one could hear you.

Long winded ramble, apologies. Loads of good folks out there both performers and engineers and when they work together it usually ends up just fine. But only takes one melt to ruin it.

Next gig's the best one anyways,

H

skullfunkerry

When I was gigging a lot there was one guy in Derby who came across as pretty brash, but if you took the time to get to know him he was a top bloke and a great sound man, just didn't take any shit.

Another guy though one night started telling me that I needed to take the treble down on my amp. I walked over to it, touched the treble knob without moving it, played a chord and asked "How's that?"

"MUCH better" came the reply, "you were nearly taking my head off before!"  

thecolourbox

It wasn't a live scenario, but I remember when I was bought a studio day voucher thing at a studio in Brum by the old PMT, and I asked if I could use my own amp please. My amp was a Supro amp, admittedly small but still sounded good and would have been a doddle to mic up. There were even line outs for amp and reverb etc that they could have used as well. They told me they don't tend to allow it as it's probably not a proper amp and anyway we have an amp you can use instead which will sound much better. When I got there, I found the better amp was in fact a Line 6 Spider. Oh how I laughed.

Only I didn't laugh, as a) that's snobby and b) it wasn't the only unwelcoming patronising know it all attitude I received on what was supposed to be a nice experience in a studio. It took me a long time before I went to another studio (and that one was much better in terms of personnel and kit)

Bod

skullfunkerry said:

When I was gigging a lot there was one guy in Derby who came across as pretty brash, but if you took the time to get to know him he was a top bloke and a great sound man, just didn't take any shit.

Another guy though one night started telling me that I needed to take the treble down on my amp. I walked over to it, touched the treble knob without moving it, played a chord and asked "How's that?"

"MUCH better" came the reply, "you were nearly taking my head off before!"  

The good ol' DFA knob.  I couldn't be without it.

rsvmark

My last gig was my first bad experience of a sound guy being a dick. Prior to the gig we were offered house amps or your own. I opted for my own please and ps I run a stereo set up so can we make sure there are 2 mics on stage?

On arrival the stage times were running 30mins late and we were the 2nd band on. That should have been a warning but the next was ‘oh, do you really need to use your own, it’s a proper amp’…. Er yes I do as I run a stereo rig using two rock and matchless. And we informed you in advance. I didn’t bite.

Next was he refused to mic up the matchless despite running it in stereo. ‘What’s the point mate? I have a mono pa.’

At that point I nearly let rip, but didn’t. The final straw was him refusing to have anything in my monitor- ‘sorry mate, with ‘that lot behind you, you can hear yourself and I’ll give you some vocals in the monitor. I don’t have time to do that for you.’

Since re starting gigging, all sound guys I have come across have been good, some really helpful but this guy was a huge bell end. So I hope I got all the bad luck for the year rolled up into one obnoxious twat and all the gigs for the rest of the year will have an excellent crew! 

hollywoodrox

Omg what awful excuses for human beings are out there 
  No need for it at all

lustycourtier

Sadly, for every rude sound guy, theres been 1000 rude singers who have dropped his mic, broke a stand, split a beer into his monitor or turned up an hour late to soundcheck and not apologised. Then the bassists, guitarists and drummers.  

Barquentine

They're all just resentful gits who couldn't learn to play anything. When you and your mates started out someone said 'I want to play guitar', I want to play bass' or I'm going to be a drummer'. Who said 'I want to be a sound guy' ?

springhead

Barquentine said:

They're all just resentful gits who couldn't learn to play anything. When you and your mates started out someone said 'I want to play guitar', I want to play bass' or I'm going to be a drummer'. Who said 'I want to be a sound guy' ?

In my experience plenty of sound engineers want to do that as a job and also play in bands. 

Danny1969

springhead said:

Barquentine said:

They're all just resentful gits who couldn't learn to play anything. When you and your mates started out someone said 'I want to play guitar', I want to play bass' or I'm going to be a drummer'. Who said 'I want to be a sound guy' ?

In my experience plenty of sound engineers want to do that as a job and also play in bands. 

There's certainly a few of us on here who gig on guitar  / bass / drums and do live sound. I always had an interest in live sound, then ran a studio for 5 years then went back to live sound. 
Quite often I do both on the same day. My company is supplying the PA and doing sound for  a small 4 band festival on Sat but I'm also playing in the headlining band. 
I find the work quite hard at times, certainly the 10 hour shifts but it's also rewarding and I've met some great people. 

Supportact

A bad sound engineer can ruin a gig, and I've certainly had a moan about various ones over the years. But when I play a gig and the engineer is a good one (or even just average but making an effort) then I will absolutely know it and treat them llike gods. Or at least you know, offer to buy them a drink or something.