August 12, 2007

  • Rant: Concert Sound Engineers

    Louder is not better. Yes its the headliner on stage, but making them louder than the house and opening bands does not mean a thing when everything becomes distorted. I'm sure their music can stand on its own, since um, they ARE the headliner for a reason.


    Maybe I'm getting older and ever more critical for a perfect concert experience or maybe its just that I know after 100+ concerts in my lifetime what sounds good (plus 8 years of playing in an orchestra/ensemble/marching band does cause one to be picky).


    So Engineer Person, here's a refresher course:



    • Balance

    • um... Balance

    • yes... Balance, as much as I love blistering guitar riffs penetrating my ear lobes, the whole idea that I can't hear a single lyric from the front man is well utterly disappointing.

    • Remember what venue you are in. I swear sometimes some small venue shows I've been to is loud enough to power an arena concert.

    It may not be the sound engineers fault. It could be the band asking for it to be louder. Whatever the reason, the point is that its too loud and unbalanced. When the drums sound distorted, that's a problem. This is sometimes why a band will be referred to as a "studio band." Good only in the studio (CD) than live.