The Walkmen. Bad audio. Who is to blame?

[chaz]

Yes...just kidding.  
 
 Oh how I wish I was there to see 5019 ask for a refund.
 
 "I demand a full refund!"
 
 "No refunds."
 
 "Well then I want to complain to The Manager!"
 
 "Post you complaints on The Forum."
 
 5019, I hope your visit with us has been illuminating.
 
 

Originally posted by redsock:
   

Originally posted by mankie:
   

Originally posted by chaz:
  I think 9:30 should implement a $$ back guarantee policy on all ticket purchases.  Don't all venues have something like that?
 
 I want my money back!

No offense but that's stupid.
 
 That's like saying if the band don't play your favorite song you want a refund, or if you go to a sporting event and your favorite team loses you want your money back.
 
 If you don't want the chances of something going wrong at a LIVE PERFORMANCE, then stay home and watch MTV.
 
 It's LIVE that's part of the experience of a live performance. [/b]

I think chaz was kidding. Or at least I hope he was. [/b]

[jakez468]

since you guys are talkin about sound...can someone explain the difference between nation's sound and 930's sound. i like the 930 club alot better of course, ive seen prob 20-30 shows there and around 7 at nation...anyway, the one complaint i always have with 930 is it seems to never be loud enough. and nation, sometimes is too loud, but usually it's just loud enough. maybe it's b/c i play the drums and listen to music loudly, but is there anybody else that thinks 930 needs to turn that shit up a little bit?

[eltee]

Originally posted by jakez468:
  since you guys are talkin about sound...can someone explain the difference between nation's sound and 930's sound. i like the 930 club alot better of course, ive seen prob 20-30 shows there and around 7 at nation...anyway, the one complaint i always have with 930 is it seems to never be loud enough. and nation, sometimes is too loud, but usually it's just loud enough. maybe it's b/c i play the drums and listen to music loudly, but is there anybody else that thinks 930 needs to turn that shit up a little bit?

Nope, not me. (I'm a wuss I know.)

[twangirl]

Guess you've never seen Motorhead here Jake. And there's plenty of other bands that play exceptionally loudly when they're here.
 
 As Sir HC has previously mentioned, 9 times out of 10 the bands have their own sound engineers, and sometimes they bring in their own PA systems too. The volume of a show is largely determined by the band's volume level coming off the stage, and what their engineer does with it. Also, if a show is very crowded, the audience absorbs soundwaves, whereas if a show is sparsely attended, there are more places for the soundwaves to bounce around, so it sounds louder.

[Sir HC]

Originally posted by jakez468:
  since you guys are talkin about sound...can someone explain the difference between nation's sound and 930's sound. i like the 930 club alot better of course, ive seen prob 20-30 shows there and around 7 at nation...anyway, the one complaint i always have with 930 is it seems to never be loud enough. and nation, sometimes is too loud, but usually it's just loud enough. maybe it's b/c i play the drums and listen to music loudly, but is there anybody else that thinks 930 needs to turn that shit up a little bit?

I haven't seen a rock concert at Nation in ages, but know that their sound system is biased for that rave culture and the insane volumes for that.  9:30 as a club venue doesn't go for the deep stadium bass (below 30 Hz) and can get exceedingly loud (come to the Crystal Method show and say it is not loud).  Still I would say that part of the reason that it sounds better is that it isn't as loud.  I find that as you get louder the ears start to compress and distort the sound.  It becomes a wash of noise.  Now as a drummer you might have a bit more damage than most so things would seem a bit quieter than for the rest of us.
 
 Still in general, for clubs when I mix, I watch the crowd and if they are too busy talking I will kick it up a notch, if they are covering their ears or backing away from the front I will turn it down.  If they are really enjoying it, I leave the level where it is.  
 
 Another thing to remember is different engineers have different mixing styles, it is funny to see the same band come around with someone different at the board and their sound changes.
 
 I would also say that Nation might have more power, but then again it is a bigger room.

[jakez468]

Good points...I guess it does vary from show to show. Fatboy slim was adequately loud, and hot hot heat was a bit quite. I will be at the TCM show, love them. Are they gonna be in the center of the crowd, or the stage?

[Sir HC]

Originally posted by jakez468:
  Good points...I guess it does vary from show to show. Fatboy slim was adequately loud, and hot hot heat was a bit quite. I will be at the TCM show, love them. Are they gonna be in the center of the crowd, or the stage?

Both times they have been there before they were on the main stage as they constantly are bringing synths on and off stage.  This is not their DJ gig but their real music show.  Their sound man also works for Hatebreed (at least some tours) and is exceptionally loud.

[J'Mal]

if the vocals and bass can't be heard, the show should be stopped.  that's just common sense.

[bearman🐻]

Some of the loudest shows I've ever seen?
 
 Beastie Boys w/L7 in 1992 @ Aragon Ballroom, Chicago
 Sugar in 1993 @ Aragon
 Oasis in 1993 @ 9:30 (their first tour)
 Filter in 2000 @ 9:30
 
 I missed Dinosaur jr. but heard they often topped out around 130db, much like Sugar. Some shows you can literally feel the music IN you...other times the sound coming out of the PA is like a gentle breeze. Glad I started wearing earplugs after that Beasties show.

[Bombay Chutney]

Originally posted by bunnyman:
 I missed Dinosaur jr. but heard they often topped out around 130db,

I saw Dinosaur at the old club. Definitely the loudest show I've ever seen.  Painful, but awesome show.  The Ramones at the Wax Museum (7/1/84) was probably second loudest.  I seem to recall Gumball at the old club being crazy loud too.  My loudest show at the new 9:30 was probably The Cramps (11/11/97).

[godsshoeshine]

i saw dino twice, once in an outdoor venue, once indoors. so loud. its funny, now mascis tours acoustic most of the time, so he doesn't have to have a van, just his car.
 
 i saw built to spill in a small venue in pittsburgh. the back wall is (was) entirely too close, my ears hurt for like 3 days

[Sir HC]

Loudest shows, what?
 
 Skinny Puppy, Too Dark Park tour, Ritchie Colliseum in College Park.  At the board it was running 125-126 dB continuous.  With ear plugs I had to stand outside for a while to gather my bearings.
 
 Love and Rockets Hot Trip To Heaven tour at the 9:30.  For some songs it was hear the BASS, hear the band between notes.  Insane loud there.

[bearman🐻]

The Jesus and Mary Chain in 1992 was pretty damn loud, too...I heard My Bloody Valentine in 1991 was so loud that people were actually going to the bathroom to stuff their ears with toilet paper. Seemed like for a while there bands were just loud as hell...I saw Helmet, Jawbox, and the Jesus Lizard all in the same week and they were all ear-splitting shows. Ministry too.

[Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer]

How about Iron and Wine? Man, are they loud!

[twangirl]

My Bloody Valentine is the first show that comes to mind as one of the loudest ever at the old club. I remember being really pissed off at them because they were so painfully loud that it was impossible to enjoy what they were playing.
 
 At the new club, Mogwai was definitely one of the loudest so far the first time they played here. Their engineer was seen "mixing", if you can call it that,  while wearing those earmuffs like the airport runway workers wear, and they blew up a bunch of our gear too. Last time they were here wasn't anywhere near as loud.