Major Kick drum problem in live mix at church today. Help me Danny Danzi

craigb


Evidently, not everything in a Church should be holy, ya?

mike_mccue


You gotta luv a drummer that plays thru the set no matter what.

5 stars.

Danny Danzi

Mooch4056

Danny Danzi


You must have been going nuts... 

-Danny

I was. (Going nuts)  I had resigned myself to coming in early Sunday  to figure it out. I was going to ask the drummer to come in early too. 


I told Bob (the drummer) you could have told me about it or said something I was working on the kick drum all night. Then he tells me ... Yeah ... I was wondering why in my head set I kept hearing different things going on with the volume of the kick and wondered about that. I thought something was wrong with my head phone (We have head sets through an aviom monitoring system for the band and regular floor monitor speakers for the singers) 


I was thinking what? Bob is a smart guy ... Heck he's a Sargent on the police force.... I just shook my head again. 




I learned a lesson though .....next time don't assume there can't be a hole in the kick drum and walk around the entire set. 


I didn't do that because the drummer is up againts a wall. The wall acts as a sound enclosure so his back is up againts it. There are clear shields in the front. And then these homemade walls with wheels can be pushed in and out on the sides and then a home made sound proof ceiling. The drummer is literally boxed in a sound box. So I didn't bother opening it up disturbing the rehearsal and walking around in there. 


Now I am blabbering on ..... But that's what happened. Problems like this are good.... I suppose it makes you faster at solving the the next time they happen. 

Hahaha I still can't believe that's what it was. Depending on your board Paul, you *should* be able to have your "house mix" and your own monitor mix. This way, if you ever have to solo something up, the solo only goes through your head phones in case you need to isolate something. It won't kill anything that's coming through the mains. If anyone else is using cans though, it may effect them because then only that instrument is solo'd.
 
The biggest issue for live situations is the stress of trying to remedy problems as fast as possible. We get that adrenaline boost and sometimes miss the obvious. I don't do much live sound anymore, but after a few episodes where you have issues, you start to plan for things better. I used to bring quite a few things with me even when the PA gear was provided for me and I was a "walk on" soundman.
 
Assorted cables, fuses, my midi rig, my favorite effects, headphones, a few extra 57's and 58's, a few 421's, a set of bass strings, a set of guitar strings, picks, drum sticks, extra felts for cymbal stands, moon gels, duct tape, gaffer tape, electrical tape, assorted screws and washers, tool pouch, soldering iron, assorted batteries, flashlights both big and small, walkie talkie for the monitor man, lap top....stuff like that. It al (just about)l fits into this tool box I bring which is in a anvil chest. It weighs about 20 pounds but everything I need fits perfectly into it. I never brought drum heads with me though....a bit too cumbersome as the most important is usually kick and snare.
 
Sounds like your church is pretty hooked up. I think they could probably afford a kick and snare head that you keep in reserve. Toms aren't as important really...but we gotta have kick and snare. :)
 
-Danny

Mooch4056



I texted him back a joke ... "How many drummers does it take to tell the sound guy his kick drum has a tear and a hole in it?" 

craigb


Back in San Diego when I went to church they always played Classical music so a kick drum wouldn't have gotten used anyway.  They used to have the largest pipe organ on the West Coast until a fire damaged most of it.

UbiquitousBubba


I was playing in a worship band once where my beater ripped through the kick drum head during the service.  I had to finish out the set hitting my floor tom as a temporary kick.  That complicated things a bit.