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 Post subject: Amplifying vocalsPosted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 8:42 pm 
Hey I don't know anything about sound systems for practice at home and stuff and I've been looking online for information on amplifying vocals but i'm having some trouble. I guess when you play at a venue you can just hook it up to the PA system, but what about for like band practice at home or in a garage or whatever. Plugging a mic into a crappy guitar amp doesn't really do enough anymore. Does anyone know what kind of sound system Eisley uses when they jam together at home? i'm assuming they probably have a PA system or something of that nature. if they do, it'd be nice to know what brand/model. If you're in a band or know about this stuff please tell me. right now i'm having trouble hearing vocals over drums and guitar and a PA system is a bit out of my budget. If purchasing a PA system is the only way to go I guess I'll have to do that eventually but besides telling everyone to play softer, is there a way to be able to amplify and hear vocals possibly for 300 dollars or less? |
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Joined: 29 Oct 2007 | Posts: 22 | Location: austin/houston, texas
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Post subject: Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 9:31 pm
Ideally, you would want to go by a pure acoustical mix. If you are PRACTICING so loud that you need a special amp just to mic the vocals up to where you can hear them, you are probably going to damage your ears before too loud. I'd recommend having your drummer play with pads on the drums and turn down the guitar and bass amps until everything mixes properly. It's to have your ears for a lifetime than crank it up during band practice. _________________ EisleyForever wrote: you're A-list in my heart! MAKECOLDPLAYHISTORY |
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Joined: 20 Feb 2005 | Posts: 8868 | Location: Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age
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Post subject: Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 10:04 pm
what if we're wearing ear plugs/isolating headphones, we do this anyways because it is quite loud and our ears will ring if we don't. Do most bands who practice at home practice with their drummer use pads then? I'm not sure how much I like the idea of not being able to hit the drums normally. |
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Joined: 29 Oct 2007 | Posts: 22 | Location: austin/houston, texas
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Post subject: Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 10:19 pm
Well, I'm sure most bands probably amp everything up (if they are in a space that allows for such a thing), but muffle pads are going to be a lot cheaper than buying a PA system and microphone to practice with. Any decent drummer would be fine with using a dampening system. They change the dynamic and timbre, but the feel would stay pretty similar. _________________ EisleyForever wrote: you're A-list in my heart! MAKECOLDPLAYHISTORY |
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Joined: 20 Feb 2005 | Posts: 8868 | Location: Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age
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Post subject: Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 10:22 pm
so I guess what you're saying is, to not have to play softer, and have to dampen the drums, I'll need to get a PA system in order for vocals to compete? |
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Joined: 29 Oct 2007 | Posts: 22 | Location: austin/houston, texas
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Post subject: Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 10:25 pm
If you want your voice to be physically as loud as a loud rock drummer, you would probably need a mic and some cheap PA system. You could probably hook a mic into a guitar or bass amp as well, but I'm not sure if there would be adverse consequences to the amp because of that. _________________ EisleyForever wrote: you're A-list in my heart! MAKECOLDPLAYHISTORY |
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Joined: 20 Feb 2005 | Posts: 8868 | Location: Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age
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Post subject: Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 8:49 am
I can't imagine a rock band practicing quietly enough for the vocalist to sing without amplification. It would be so different from playing live somewhere. Muffling the drums up a bit is a good idea though, like taping socks or something to the edges to deaden them up. The drummer should be able to adjust their playing to the setting too, some drummers are always %100 pounding away though. You're going to need a PA to play somewhere anyway, not every place has a PA to use. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Phonic-Powerpod-410-S710-PA-Pac kage?sku=630485 I'm not recommending this one, just one that came up, I didn't really look at it. But there's cheap PA's out there. It all depends on how much power you need, how many inputs, if you're going to try and mic everything or not, If you want a built in mixer, effects you want. If you're just going to use it for vocals at practice I'm sure there's cheaper things out there. I got a really good deal on this one a few years ago from American Musical Supply: http://www.kellyindustries.com/mixers/behringer_pmx2000.html Here's Boyd doing a live mix with a portable PA, probably a Yamaha: 
Maybe they use that for practice? _________________ 
we're really not alone, we have each other |
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Joined: 13 Jan 2007 | Posts: 2600 | Location: sitting in his nowhere land, TX
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Post subject: Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 9:18 am
That setup belonged to Good Records (site of the in-store that picture is from), if I am not mistaken. I am guessing that because Of Montreal used that PA, too. ha ha. _________________ My photography:www.jamiemphoto.com You can't spell awesome without emo...backwards! -Julie definingawesome (11:44:11 PM): Eisley shivers our timbers |
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Joined: 15 Aug 2003 | Posts: 25185 | Location: East Texas
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Post subject: Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 10:45 am
i don't remember seeing that picture before. maybe Kappa962 will show up and tell us. (he's their sound guy) though i don't know if he set up their home practice space. i'm sure he's spent plenty of time there especially before going on tour though. _________________ I am Torgo. I take care of the place while the Master is away. |
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Joined: 05 Nov 2002 | Posts: 6830 | Location: Gilmer, Tejas
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Post subject: Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 3:36 am
DRMS_7888 wrote: Well, I'm sure most bands probably amp everything up (if they are in a space that allows for such a thing), but muffle pads are going to be a lot cheaper than buying a PA system and microphone to practice with. Any decent drummer would be fine with using a dampening system. They change the dynamic and timbre, but the feel would stay pretty similar. I actually disagree. I'm a drummer and dampening systems really change the feel very noticeably, since the dampening system (a pad essentially) doesn't offer the same bounce back that a drumhead would, amongst other things. Plus it's a good idea to hear your drums well, to get good at tuning and just sounding good as a band. I'm in a band that practices in a small room. We have a Crate PA system (nothing fancy) I bought several years ago for $250. It has four inputs which we use for one microphone and two keyboards and then that goes out to two speakers. We're a fairly loud band, but not bashing either. Some of us do wear earplugs, but for us, it's important to practice how we would play live - the same volume, etc...We try to play a loud, full volume, but again, not bash everything. I mean, unless if that's your type of music (ours is very similar to Eisley). That PA that Nowhere Man linked to, looks fairly similar to ours. Unless if you're doing acoustic stuff, I think it's completely impossible to practice with a band without a PA or some sort of amplication. To really get better, you need to hear yourself well and your band needs to learn to balance each other out in the mix. Some bands compete with each other for volume and obviously that's not good. _________________ Myspace - www.myspace.com/principalskinner My band - http://www.myspace.com/anotherholiday |
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Joined: 08 Feb 2005 | Posts: 52 |
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Post subject: Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 4:13 am
jamie, where are the rest of the Good REcords/eisley photos? i couldn't find them on your flickr. _________________ I am Torgo. I take care of the place while the Master is away. |
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Joined: 05 Nov 2002 | Posts: 6830 | Location: Gilmer, Tejas
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Post subject: Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 4:35 am
PicturesOfShorelines wrote: DRMS_7888 wrote: Well, I'm sure most bands probably amp everything up (if they are in a space that allows for such a thing), but muffle pads are going to be a lot cheaper than buying a PA system and microphone to practice with. Any decent drummer would be fine with using a dampening system. They change the dynamic and timbre, but the feel would stay pretty similar. I actually disagree. I'm a drummer and dampening systems really change the feel very noticeably, since the dampening system (a pad essentially) doesn't offer the same bounce back that a drumhead would, amongst other things. Plus it's a good idea to hear your drums well, to get good at tuning and just sounding good as a band. I'm in a band that practices in a small room. We have a Crate PA system (nothing fancy) I bought several years ago for $250. It has four inputs which we use for one microphone and two keyboards and then that goes out to two speakers. We're a fairly loud band, but not bashing either. Some of us do wear earplugs, but for us, it's important to practice how we would play live - the same volume, etc...We try to play a loud, full volume, but again, not bash everything. I mean, unless if that's your type of music (ours is very similar to Eisley). That PA that Nowhere Man linked to, looks fairly similar to ours. Unless if you're doing acoustic stuff, I think it's completely impossible to practice with a band without a PA or some sort of amplication. To really get better, you need to hear yourself well and your band needs to learn to balance each other out in the mix. Some bands compete with each other for volume and obviously that's not good. I guess it depends on the pads you use. My school has a pretty nice set of dampening pads (not that I really ever have to use them too much), but we have big rehearsal rooms and drumset players for jazz know not to pound of the $#@! of the drums. I can definitely see it your way, and I would definitely recommend ear protection to anyone who practices in a small room like that. The main problem with ear protection is that if you don't have custom fitted plugs, you change the timbre of the sounds you are hearing, which makes it difficult to fine tune the tone on your guitar or a vocalist's intonation. It's a trade off either way. _________________ EisleyForever wrote: you're A-list in my heart! MAKECOLDPLAYHISTORY |
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Joined: 20 Feb 2005 | Posts: 8868 | Location: Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age
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