Dear Dude,

I’m 19 and still pretty much a virgin to the music industry. I play in a punk rock band that I started a couple of months ago. Recently I insisted we start practicing with a metronome every time we jammed. Now we are starting to gig out and I am wondering if you think it is better to use a metronome live? How many professional touring bands have you seen play live to a metronome? And how would you go about it if you did decided to use a metronome live?

Thanks,
Tempo Tyrant

Dear Temp Tyrant,

Using a metronome (or click as I hear it more often referred to) should definitely be reserved for those ready to attend Advance Concert 501. And while it is both tricky and much harder to do then jamming without it, running a click live can give you some distinct advantages.

First, here is my two cents. I have never played in a band that used a click live. Yes, I have experimented with it but almost every time decided that it wasn’t right. The reason I don’t like the click live is for one main thing, control. See ideally the rhythm and tempo of a song should be controlled by the drummer, not a computer or click track. I mean the idea that a song shouldn’t shift tempo here and there is stupid. A lot of modern recordings are done to a click because it just easier all around, not because it necessarily sounds better. Regardless of my opinions, the click is really a useful tool and a lot of amazing drummers use it.

So, here’s the full story. The main reason why almost every professional touring band (I have observed) uses a click is to allow for the addition of samples and backing tracks. Using a click or metronome live is the only way to go if you’re going to be using keyboards, samples, loops, or backing tracks and using a click live will defiantly give your live performance a feel that is closer to your record (that is if you used a click on the record). The click is nice for keeping everyone from speeding up. It’s a common tendency amongst most metal bands to speed up in the middle of their songs so a click can keep everyone under control. This in turn allows the guitar players, bass player, and singer to perform their parts at the appropriate speed. This will hopefully make the overall sound of your band cleaner, and more produced sounding.

Here are some ways to run a click live:

iPOD IT: This is the easiest because it just involves your drummer needing only an iPOD. Your going to need to make an MP3 of the click tracks for every song. You can do that with just about any computer recording program (garage band, Pro Tools, Cake Walk, etc.). Make a playlist on the ipod in the order of the set, if you need to have tempo changes in a song make sure to map it out a head of time and give yourself count in clicks so you will always know where to start. The iPOD technique although cheap and easy is really only good for curing your drummers crazy tempo problems or just keeping the overall tempo of the band under control. If your going to use loops, backing tracks, and samples I suggest the next option.

DIGGI 002 it: On our last European tour the good dudes in As I lay Dying used a Dig Designs (DIGI 002) to run an entire Pro-tools session live during their show. The click is built into the session so along with the drummer being able to hear the click he or she is also given the ability to not only hear but see when the backing tracks and samples are going to happen. This technique also allows for the soundman to have a one designated signal for all these loops and tracks. Using a Pro Tools session like this gives you the piece of mind that the loops and backing tracks will always happen at the same time, same place, and the same way every time. This also allows for the drummer to not have to think about when and where samples will come in (as he or she would have to do if you used some kind of sample machine or other prerecorded sampler). This is not easy and takes time to perfect so if your going to go this rout you might want to make sure you try it out a few times before you try it live.

So what’s my advice for you Tempo Tyrant? Well you mentioned your band is, Punk Rock and now a days that can mean anything. I am going to have to say that unless your playing supper intricate fast punk (IE Propagahndi, Bad Religion etc) you will probably be better off performing live with out a click. Chances are your not going to be using backing tracks and loops, so running the click live will probably be more of a hassle then anything else. As a punk band your probably going to want to have the freedom to change the set list up on a dime and running the whole show to a click will definitely change how the overall set flows. Although I do not suggest you use it live, I do suggest you shred it out in the practice space to the click as much as you can. Running a click with band practice is an amazing way to get everyone in the band to feel the right tempos of the song. By practicing to the click your drummer (and band) will develop better overall natural timing and this will improve the overall sound of the band without making your drummer slave to the click!

The Dude

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Dear Dude,

I’m playing my first live show at the end of August. The one thing I’m worried about is live tone, mainly the low end. Now, I’ve come to learn first hand the size and material a room is made out of can affect your tone. I’m planning to take written diagrams of all my equipment’s settings to dial it all in once at the venue. So due to the dramatic space increase will the house PA help level the playing field or do I have to reset everything to compensate for a larger area?

Thanks,
Live Wire

Dear Live Wire,

Live sound can be a trip, especially dialing in that perfect guitar tone. I have been on a 15-year continuous trip to find that perfect live guitar sound and to be honest I’m real close. Over that course of time I have spent a lot of money on expensive gear, blown up a few amps, and of course embarrassed myself many times. What’s come of all these years of searching? Some funny stories and a little bit of knowledge.

Yes, you will have to adjust everything to compensate for that larger area. You may have it dialed in to sound sick in your basement but taking your rig to the stage is a whole new monster. Your guitar amp is going to have to be turned up (way louder then you proabaly normally play in your house) and when that volume gets loud the whole amps sound shifts.

There are several factors that are just out of your control when rocking a live concert. You already commented that the size, and material a room is made out off, will affect the sound. This is true, however the number of people in the room, the material and size of the stage your playing on, and the quality of the house PA will have have an equally heavy impact on your overall live sound. I like to call them the wicked seven: stage size, stage build, room size, room build, PA build, and PA set up. Have I missed anything, is there one more factor? Yes, there is. Is it something you can control? Well maybe, but you just have to watch how much Jack Daniels it has access to. What could I be talking about? A soundman.

Having a trained and competent soundman is must for any serious band. I see so many touring and nationally recognized bands who miss this detail. They just go on tour with their million dollar rigs and think, “fuck it, it has to sound good.” A soundman is the single best investment you can make in your band’s overall live sound. And a bad soundman can make your show a disaster no mater how stoked the crowd is or how great your band is playing. So, get a soundman. The best way to find one is to talk to the house soundman whenever you play a show that sounds good. Most of the touring soundmen I know started out by doing house sound for national bands and having that one band say, “dude, that shit was sick want to come on tour?” Maybe you can’t afford one now but dude, the minute you find that soundman who can make your band sound good, hire him or her! It will be like buying a million amps that never seem to get paid off, but it will sound better and that is worth the money.

Ok, so your band isn’t Metallica and you can’t afford a soundman (although come on if you can’t afford one either you’re too cheap or you just haven’t looked hard enough). So here are two stepts you might want to follow to get the best out of your live situation:

First, make an input list and introduce yourself to the house soundman. This is going to seem hard but dude just draw or write on a piece of paper what is going to be on the stage (its called a stage plot in the pro world) but you don’t have to do anything fancy. Take this info as well as the info about what exact monitor mix tweaks you will want (For me I always say: “Stage right guitar needs, kick, snare, vocals, and both guitars at equal volume.”) and give it to the house guy. Be nice and be friendly because this soundman holds your whole show in his measly little underpaid hands.

Try to be clear and friendly, if it was Darkest Hour and we were playing a local show without a soundman I would say:

“Hi, my name is Mike and I play guitar with the band Darkest Hour. I just want to let you know what we have on the stage tonight to make it easy on you. We have two guitars one on the left one on the right. Bass is placed stage left and has a DI and Amp signal. Our drummer has a kick, snare, rack tom, and floor tom. And lastly, our singer needs a straight stand and only one mic in the center of the stage.”

Make sure you end by saying thank you, again take it from a man with experience, don’t get into an argument with the house soundman before you play, its like pissing all over a judges robe before getting sentenced!

Second, keep your bands stage sound under control. After you have introduced yourself to the soundman I would just make sure the band all plays at a level and even volume (in other words don’t try to have a volume war with your band or the PA) you have to keep your sound and the entire band’s sound even and simple because the house soundman who doesn’t know your band or music is running the show. Make sure everyone’s tones are clear and that there is no buzz or noise coming from any of the gear.

A good place to start for that live tone is that sick tone you’ve already dialed in. The tone I start with live is always the same and its the tone that I can jam with at home. So start by using those settings you talked about but don’t worry about charting it out. Instead use your ears and hear what it needs. You may have to do this on the fly but the more you practice the better you will get. Just remember you probably only need to adjust your tone knobs a few degrees either way.

Live sound is tricky and it’s an art. It takes a lot of hard work, time, and most of all experience to really get those tones dialed in the way you’re used to hearing them at home. But don’t be discouraged I have played millions of live shows with soundmen I didn’t know and they were fine (were they as good as when I had engineers I have known run sound, no, but did we survive and have a good time, yes). In the end live sound or really playing guitar live is about the audience. So make sure you put on a good show and have a good time regardless. In the end its not really about whether your sound was as killer as the one time I saw Van Halen. It’s about whether or not you and the audience had a good time, so dial that guitar sound in, buy that soundman a shot, and have a good time because your first live show only leads to your next!

Thanks

The Dude

Dear Dude,

I always hear people saying that a cranked tube tone is the best. I’ve been to plenty of live shows but the amps were usually miked into the house PA, never needing them to ever be turned past 3 (not saying they weren’t). I’ve always had solid state or hybrid amps, but nothing as loud as the 6505 I just purchased. When I’m at home I play at around level 3, so I could totally see myself blowing a speaker or losing sound quality around 6 or 7. I’m wondering if I’m putting my cabinet, or even head, in harm’s way by really letting the thing crank? My current setup is an ESP viper, 6505 head, and a Basson 4×12 cabinet.

Thanks,
Crank it to 11?

Dear Crank it to 11,

Live volume and more directly, stage volume is a battle fought every day in clubs throughout the world. This battle pits would-be guitarist against the ever knowing (or at least ever-claiming to know) house sound man. Now, if you are lucky enough to travel with your own sound guy (like myself, wuz up Johnny!) then you will get the distinct pleasure of battling the same person night after night! So how loud is too loud? Is there such a thing as to loud? And what’s a reasonable stage volume? Can playing too loud damage your gear? These are questions I have asked myself many times, and here is my take on where you should set that dial.

I am very familiar with the 6505. I have had all models of the 5150 line as well as a few different versions of the 5150 II and the 6505. I have mentioned before that it’s my safety amp because if you get them in relatively good condition they all tend to sound relatively the same. Not something you always want in an amp but it does get the job done. On the 6505 (the distorted channel we are talking about here) there are two volumes you need to be aware of, the Pre Amp (PRE) control and the Master Volume control (POST). Your overall volume and tone for this amp is basically the blend of these two knobs.

I have never run a 5150/5150II/6505 live with the POST volume louder then 5 (and 5 is pushing it, I usually have it at around 4) and I usually run the PRE volume at around 4 or 5. I use a tube screamer or Ratt pedal for extra distortion. I don’t like how the preamp gain sounds after it gets past 5 on those amps. If you listen when you crank that up you also get all sorts of extra high and ultra low end that to me just makes it sound too muddy. I see other dudes out there making the grave mistake of cranking up that PRE knob way too loud. Just to be clear, you can’t “cover” up sloppy or inconsistent playing with more gain. Don’t fall into this trap. Metallica, Magedeth, ACDC, Van Halen, Slayer, Anthrax, all the great shredding bands play with minimal gain in order to have each note sing. Even Dimebag who did play with a shitload of gain made sure it was still clean and clear so watch out with that PRE knob on the 6505, its not just a distortion or volume knob.

I would say if you run your head consistently or even a few times with the POST on 7 or higher you may damage that head. I doubt you’ll fuck up a speaker cab but it is possible. The quality of the tone and overall sound on most modern amps tends to deteriorate when you turn them up too loud. See, the idea of cranking up a tube amp comes from the olden days when you had to crank it up to get any distortion. Now amps are made to get those sounds at minimal volume and they don’t really have the same characteristics as their older counterparts, so cranking them up doesn’t add anything to the over all sound quality.

If you have an older amp and want that crazy ass sounding rock distortion, but don’t want all the volume, you can always look into what is called a power break. Marshall makes a really good one. I got into the power break when I had my experimental stage involving Marshall JMP’s. They were loud as fuck (like, I mean, too loud to even play a show with) but it was the only way to get that sound I wanted. The power break worked great for me. It’s designed for the specific purpose to allow you to run those tubes hard and still get overall volume control.

Volume is all about moderation. You want the guitar to sit well with whatever you’re doing. If your just jamming at your house or recording I would say put the PRE volume at 4 to 6, depending on how hot your guitar is, and put the POST volume at like 3 or so to jam or record. If you’re rocking with a band then push that bad boy up to 4 or 5 with the POST volume. A 5150, 5150II, 6505 should be loud as shit when placed on the distorted channel, POST volume at 4, and PRE volume at 5. If yours isn’t then maybe it needs new power tubes or there is something else with your set up that might need tweaking. I frequently change the power tubes on my heads. It’s expensive but it absolutely affects the overall sound.

It’s good to know that most pro musicians don’t run their actual amps that loud. You might see them on stage with a wall of amps behind them but most of the time only one head and cab is turned on. Shit, I have seen some big, big, big metal bands play with walls of amps but have their actual live sound coming from small combo amps or even pods. Many musicians prefer to run their amps quiet I think most notable, Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine. I have read more then a few times that he prefers his stage volume very quiet and I think few can argue with the power that is Rage live. Keep all this in mind when you enter the battlefield of volume and live music. You want to find a good combination of your tone, your volume in relevance with the other instruments, and of course your overall sound in the front of house (or live room).

The Dude

Dear Dude,

My band has played about 20 shows in the last year, performing with groups ranging from Lennon (soloist with only a keyboard and microphone) to Swedish melodic death metal. Winning over crowds usually is never a problem, especially since we have an energetic live show. The exception is at the extreme metal shows. Our most challenging gigs have been as openers for Katatonia and Arsis. Their collective musical ability is almost limitless and their fans know that. We do all the things that a good metal band does (double bass, harmonized riffs, solos, etc), but we’re nowhere near the most technical group out there and do not have the tens of thousands of dollars to buy mind-blowing gear like those bands. What do you recommend we do to not only improve our song writing and musicianship in the long term but also win over the more elitist crowds in the short term?

Thanks,
Tough Crowd

Tough Crowd,

I have played in front of some hostile crowds, and a lot of times the way a band acts can be like blood to sharks. If you antagonize the crowd and give them a reason to turn on you they probably will. I once saw Phil Anselmo turn an entire arena against him in Pittsburgh PA on the 2004 Ozzfest. He came out and the first thing he said was “PANTERA’s DEAD!” No one wanted to hear that and their set was definitely ruined by that vibe. As a Pantera fan I was bummed and put off by it too. If it can happen to one of the best front men in metal then it can happen to your band. There is just no way to totally control how a crowd is going to react but there are definitely ways that you can control the room and hopefully put your band in a position to get the best reaction you can.

First things first: Don’t antagonize the crowd. If there is one dipshit in the front yelling and the rest of the crowd are into the show, then ignore him or her. This is hard advice to follow and I myself am guilty of diving into a crowd with a Les Paul and middle finger in air, but let me tell you from experience, this rarely makes new fans. Now I am all for fucking shit up and not giving a fuck but when you cross the line into antagonizing or aggression you may end up on the angry end of a crowd and crowds can turn into mobs. So be nice and remember you are there to make fans. If someone totally disrespects you you’re going to have to react, but remember no one wants to watch you and a few boners in the audience argue the whole set so keep it positive and you will win people over.

With a metal ass crowd it’s important to be organized and deliberate with everything you do. If you’re playing with some sick ass bands then you better be tight, and you better practice. It doesn’t mean you have to out-shred every band you play, but it just means pay attention to your shit. The number one way to get heckled is to suck, so make sure you are all playing the songs good and tight. Practice is how you will absolutely improve your bands overall song writing and musicianship.

In addition to having the right attitude and putting on a well thought out, interesting show, it’s important to adjust to your surroundings and be able to rock no matter what. If you’re in a punk ass VFW hall with a few bands and 100 kids all having a great time don’t carry yourself like a rock star. VFW halls, punk shows, DIY venues, these are not places to act like a dick rock star (in fact there is never a reason to do that). It will just get you a bad reputation. On the same note if your playing a packed rock club with tons of kids you got to remember you need to reach the kids in the back. So get out there and demand their attention, demand their respect, and most of all demand that they have a good time with you. My band has morphed from DIY shows all the way to OZZFEST and it’s not easy to do. But you can do it with dignity and pride if you are for real and honest.

Bottom line, music shouldn’t be a competition. It shouldn’t be like sporting events where everyone walks away and says so and so band blew everyone away. Unfortunately, some idiots think the opposite, so don’t worry about how other bands sets go or who gets what response. Just focus on putting on a sick show and making friends. Notice I didn’t say, “making fans.” On stage there is a big difference between seeing that crowd in front of you as friends rather than fans. If you can rock with that mindset you will be ready for any audience.

The Dude

Dear Dude,

I love your music and have followed you for a long time. My question is related to performing: Any tips on overcoming stage fright?

Thanks,
Man Vs. Stage

Dear Man Vs. Stage,

I get asked about stage fright all the time. It’s not that uncommon, doing anything in front of a lot of people is hard. Now some of us are natural at it and others need to work through it. History has proven that there have been plenty rockers of both types. Of course, I don’t hold the magic cure for stage fright but, I can give you a few good tips based on my many embarrassing experiences.

The biggest step in stage fright prevention, for me, is practice. Before every tour I play along to my own CD to be prepared. I also rehearse with a band (that helps builds collective confidence which is very important). Not to mention you’re going to be jamming live so you want to be tight and all on the same page. But what really helps me, personally, is that alone time before. To know I have spent the time to make sure I know what I am playing and how to play it on stage, is a big confidence builder. It’s through practice that the confidence to know you are able and ready to rock is born.

My second tip is simple, don’t self medicate. A tip, which is as unpopular as it is true. Drinking a beer, taking a shot, smoking a joint… it all sounds like something you might do if you want to calm your nerves but, the truth is rocking is hard, and when your wasted its not any easier. So heed this advice, don’t get wasted to try and keep yourself from not getting nervous. Sure, I know tons of dudes who jam wasted, and to each their own. Everyone is entitled to his or her own thing, but if nerves are your problem error on the side of caution and don’t mix drugs or alcohol with them. Save the party for after the concert.

Lastly, don’t be your own worst enemy. Being on stage in front of people is hard and puts yourself up for both praise and criticism. Be aware of this. Watch videos; listen to recordings of yourself live and face it head on. It’s by really watching what you’re doing or how you appear that you can see how your art is seen and presented to others. Take that fear and learn from it. Use it to grow as an artist and a person. If you soldier on it won’t be long till you feel comfortable up there and you will have the confidence to know you pushed yourself in a way that only a true artist can.

The Dude