Hear the Bass, Feel the Bass

[Ole Man Blues]

I adjust my Bongo and amp so I have good tone, then turn up till I can just feel it in the stage beneath my feet. My tone has always been bottom heavy.......

Is both aspects working together that important, or is just about the Tone?

What's your opinion????? Ole Man (Bongo) Blues

 

[adouglas]

I assume you're talking about volume here.

IMHO it's all about tone.

A lot of live music is just too flippin' loud IMHO.

Ask yourself this:

When you listen to music at home, do you turn it up so loud that you have to wear earplugs?

Of course not. Yet this happens routinely at live events.

That's insane.

I went to see the Dixie Dregs at the famous Toad's Place in New Haven, CT a few years ago. I swear my shirt was fluttering in the breeze, it was so loud. It was so loud that you couldn't tell which tune they were playing half the time. It was NOT a good show because of the volume.

One man's pleasing thump is another man's nightmare. Nothing makes me want to go postal more than driving along the highway, windows up, radio on, and STILL being able to hear the subwoofers in the Escalade two lanes over. I take solace in the thought that the twit driving that vehicle is going to go deaf before I do.

 

[AnthonyD]

It's BOTH...

Live music is meant to heard AND felt...

And we provide the feeling...

 

[mammoth]

ah man adoug you would hate to hear me practicing. hehehehe

i think its not one or the other, but you have to sit right in the mix, if your tone is heavenly and the drummer a beast, crank up the volume and tame him!!!

 

[mynan]

IMHO, the better the tone, the louder you can crank it up without the sound becoming obnoxious...

 

[KennethB]

I agree with ad about the volume thing. Also a lot of drummers pound the skins way to hard IMO. What's the point in playing so loud that it's uncomfortable? Hearing is everything. "Feeling" for me is being able to hear accurately so I can consentrate and play good and tight. If it's too loud my focus slip, I get annoyed and I play badly.

 

[Ole Man Blues]

Our drummer is a Pro Jazz drummer from the 60's. He can play hard and loud but prefers the soft quick strokes and plays with precision. He's a joy to follow and is not an issue here.

Our keyboard player has a heavy left hand and is a pain in the rump for me most times. She has played most her life solo which is why I have problems with her. She wants to do my job.... Since getting the Bongo I can be more versatile in tonal ranges and can overcome most of her left hand pounding . Plus the Bongo has a stage presence that can be dominating, if you catch my drift.

I don't want the whole mix to become too loud and obnoxious, but balanced......

I believe the perfect mix is to sit out front and being able to pick out each individual instrument with your ears, only then will you have a great overall tone.

 

[AnthonyD]

...I don't want the whole mix to become too loud and obnoxious, but balanced......

I believe the perfect mix is to sit out front and being able to pick out each individual instrument with your ears, only then will you have a great overall tone.

Agreed!

To further clarify, I am of the camp that likes a bit of "pressure" to be created in a live environment. There is an excitement created when the music moves you in a literal sense.

Not talking about loud for the sake of loud, but if there's not a beat you can feel in a live-environment, then you might as well just play the radio for your music needs...

This is always a balancing act for my band in that we get a fair amount of "anything is too loud" types at our events... I need a new audience!