Sound Problems on Gig

Almost all of my venues are small to medium size rooms with carpet, drapes, the usually things found in a normal room. I have to venues I play that are a real challange soundwise. The floors are wood - all the room surfaces are hard and the rooms are "very noisy". The problem is I can't hear what I am playing without turning up the volumn which creates an uncomfortable listening level for the audience.

I need to figure out how to resolve the problem. I thought about using headphones but then I would not be able to monitor the sound going out to the audience. Any suggestions are welcome.

Hammer

Sorry, forgot to add - my setup is very simple - two powered speakers connected directly to my PSR3000.

Hammer

Tell us more about your set up...

How large are your speakers?
Where are your speakers positioned?
How are your speakers positioned? (Straight ahead or criss-crossed?)
Where do you set up in the room? (In a corner, against a wall?)

Thanks-


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Bill in Dayton

where is your speaker placement?

try putting them parallel to your ears about 5 feet to each side of you.

If volume is an issue, I think he could put them behind him and then aim them in an "X" fashion to increase the length of the "throw" into the room space.

I use that as my normal set up configuration and never have any trouble.

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Bill in Dayton

Do several rooms like the ones you're talking about.

1. If the powered speaker(s) will take an extension, I use a non-powered Hot Spot on a mike stand. An ohm dial lets you adjust the volume to your needs. Carvin has a nice near field non-powered small monitor for around $75.00 or $35.00 or so less than the Hot Spot. Good quality, but no ohm dial...less flexible-volume-wise.

2. If there is no way to power a Hot Spot, I use a little Roland CM-30 powered monitor. It fits on a mike stand and is the ideal small powered monitor when you need one. Lots of adjustments for sound. Better, in that regard than a Hot Spot.

That's the way I handle situations like this.


R.



[This message has been edited by captain Russ (edited 07-29-2008).]

Thanks to all who have chipped in here. I use two M-Audio BX5a speakers placed usually on the floor right under my keyboard stand - nothing fancy here. For the type venues I play they provide plenty of sound even when turned up only 75%. Only a few times have I been in a really noisy place and it is very hard for me to hear what I am playing in those venues. I guess the least cumbersome approach is to put the speakers behind me and see how that helps.

Hammer

How about facing one of the speakers toward you as a monitor?
t.

Why not try a set of earbuds (good quality) on a longer lead connected to the headphone socket of either your mixer or the keyboard.

They will give you a great personal mix, no matter what level the FOH is.

Having your FOH behind you can introduce feedback issues into your setup...Even if you always play quietly, the potential is always there.

Dennis

The thing that works out best for me is to place my speakers slightly behind me, facing slightly towards me about arms reach away and tipped back. This works perfectly for 99% of what I do.

Hammer,

Place the speakers a few feet behind you and about 3 to 5 feet to each side of where you are sitting. And, whenever possible, using a conventional sound system, even in smaller venues, place the speakers on stands. It makes a huge difference, both from a monitoring standpoint and in what the audience hears. If I recall, you are using a Samson Q7 mic, so feedback should not be a problem.

Good Luck,

Gary

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Travlin' Easy