SY's live sound

sonicl · 09.05.2007, 10:32 AM

There seems to be a recurrent comment in people's reviews of the European live shows that the sound has been poor. My experience has been that in Paris the vocals were (initially) too quiet, and at the third London date the drums were too loud.

Has anyone been to one of the recent shows and thought the sound was really good?

nicfit · 09.05.2007, 10:35 AM

Ferrara. To be REALLY picky, maybe kim's voice was a bit low in the mix, but a really minor problem.

jico. · 09.05.2007, 10:42 AM

it happened the same to me. lee mic was too low. it ruined hey joni.
but it was not just sonic youth, though. there were problems during the entire festival.

Bal · 09.05.2007, 10:53 AM

i think paris was ok - the sound was really clear, altho sometimes the vocals were low a bit (and once lees guitar seemed to be low for him so he attacked the soundengineer with a drumstick haha) T's vocals are always loud enough somehow, but Kims seem to be low sometimes..
rome was really crap tho. it sounded reeeeaaal shit were i sat. i was really dissapointed as i was expecting it to be mindblowing but it was just one big mess...

Rob Instigator · 09.05.2007, 11:03 AM

blame the house engineer.

sonic youth has nothing to do with the house P.A. system at these events.

sonicl · 09.05.2007, 11:12 AM

I know that if a venue has bad sound then there's nothing you can do about it (except not play there, obviously), but there's plenty of time to iron out things like vocal levels in the soundcheck. And the sound guy was the same at Paris and London (I think - unless the guy I'm thinking of wasn't actually doing sound but was just a roadie), so he wasn't in-house. I didn't recognise the guy that I'm thinking of as Aaron Mullen though, and I thought he was the sound supremo.

Bal · 09.05.2007, 11:53 AM

yeah is it not aaron that used to do the soundengineering for sonic youth when theyre on tour?
im sure he was not with them this year.

Everyneurotic · 09.05.2007, 12:08 PM

when they played here earlier this year, most people thought they weren't all that, but i was watching fairly close to the stage and the speakers and thought they were better than last time i saw them (word was that it was the other way around).

the place where it was held used to be a warehouse and i've been to many shows there that have sucked ass (slayer is my other favorite live band i've ever seen and when i saw them in the same place last year they weren't all that, i was a bit disappointed), one of the last shows i went there (i think it was bad religion), i stayed fairly close to the stage mostly and it sounded great, but everytime i would go to the back, the sound was shit.

fuck bad acoustics, you'd think a live venue that's making millions would invest a bit in soundproofing it.

Toilet & Bowels · 09.05.2007, 12:39 PM

i thought the bottom end was a bit murky at the roundhouse, particularly on rain king when the drums drowned out a lot of the other sounds

jon boy · 09.05.2007, 01:36 PM

i liked the sound at the roundhouse, thought it was quite a good mix and there where no major things wrong that bugged me. i could hear the guitars well enough and when both kim and mark played bass it sounded like two basses as opposed to a total racket. but then again when your getting dry humped by a bunch of kids dancing next to you its hard to concentrate.

Washing Machine · 09.05.2007, 01:55 PM

i thought the sound was quite good when I saw them in the roundhouse on saturday, but then i was right up front.

Danny Himself · 09.05.2007, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bal

yeah is it not aaron that used to do the soundengineering for sonic youth when theyre on tour?
im sure he was not with them this year.

He was, I met him pre-show in the roundhouse and he had a few complaints..

Danny Himself · 09.05.2007, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jon boy

when your getting dry humped by a bunch of kids dancing next to you its hard to concentrate.

Sorry.

Rob Instigator · 09.05.2007, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jon boy

i liked the sound at the roundhouse, thought it was quite a good mix and there where no major things wrong that bugged me. i could hear the guitars well enough and when both kim and mark played bass it sounded like two basses as opposed to a total racket. but then again when your getting dry humped by a bunch of kids dancing next to you its hard to concentrate.

you so lucky

09.05.2007, 10:32 AM	#1
sonicl invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 9,527	There seems to be a recurrent comment in people's reviews of the European live shows that the sound has been poor. My experience has been that in Paris the vocals were (initially) too quiet, and at the third London date the drums were too loud. Has anyone been to one of the recent shows and thought the sound was really good?
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09.05.2007, 10:35 AM	#2
nicfit invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: banana boat Posts: 15,570	Ferrara. To be REALLY picky, maybe kim's voice was a bit low in the mix, but a really minor problem. __________________ 11:11 11-11-11 I Ascended.
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09.05.2007, 10:42 AM	#3
jico. expwy. to yr skull Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 1,417	it happened the same to me. lee mic was too low. it ruined hey joni. but it was not just sonic youth, though. there were problems during the entire festival.
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09.05.2007, 10:53 AM	#4
Bal the end of the ugly Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Budapest city Posts: 1,011	i think paris was ok - the sound was really clear, altho sometimes the vocals were low a bit (and once lees guitar seemed to be low for him so he attacked the soundengineer with a drumstick haha) T's vocals are always loud enough somehow, but Kims seem to be low sometimes.. rome was really crap tho. it sounded reeeeaaal shit were i sat. i was really dissapointed as i was expecting it to be mindblowing but it was just one big mess... __________________
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09.05.2007, 11:03 AM	#5
Rob Instigator invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: In the land of the Instigator Posts: 27,991	blame the house engineer. sonic youth has nothing to do with the house P.A. system at these events. __________________ RXTT's Intellectual Journey - my new blog where I talk about all the books I read.
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09.05.2007, 11:12 AM	#6
sonicl invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 9,527	I know that if a venue has bad sound then there's nothing you can do about it (except not play there, obviously), but there's plenty of time to iron out things like vocal levels in the soundcheck. And the sound guy was the same at Paris and London (I think - unless the guy I'm thinking of wasn't actually doing sound but was just a roadie), so he wasn't in-house. I didn't recognise the guy that I'm thinking of as Aaron Mullen though, and I thought he was the sound supremo.
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09.05.2007, 11:53 AM	#7
Bal the end of the ugly Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Budapest city Posts: 1,011	yeah is it not aaron that used to do the soundengineering for sonic youth when theyre on tour? im sure he was not with them this year. __________________
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09.05.2007, 12:08 PM	#8
Everyneurotic invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mexico Posts: 15,713	when they played here earlier this year, most people thought they weren't all that, but i was watching fairly close to the stage and the speakers and thought they were better than last time i saw them (word was that it was the other way around). the place where it was held used to be a warehouse and i've been to many shows there that have sucked ass (slayer is my other favorite live band i've ever seen and when i saw them in the same place last year they weren't all that, i was a bit disappointed), one of the last shows i went there (i think it was bad religion), i stayed fairly close to the stage mostly and it sounded great, but everytime i would go to the back, the sound was shit. fuck bad acoustics, you'd think a live venue that's making millions would invest a bit in soundproofing it. __________________ Richard Clayderman found alive and still bland! Repo Man has all night! Photographic evidence of Monosodic's existance! New Kiddieriot shit after all! Never too late to share fave rex from the year before! David Keenan is a douchebag! Ron Asheton missed!
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09.05.2007, 12:39 PM	#9
Toilet & Bowels invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Northern Europe Posts: 12,282	i thought the bottom end was a bit murky at the roundhouse, particularly on rain king when the drums drowned out a lot of the other sounds
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09.05.2007, 01:36 PM	#10
jon boy invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: psycho battery Posts: 12,161	i liked the sound at the roundhouse, thought it was quite a good mix and there where no major things wrong that bugged me. i could hear the guitars well enough and when both kim and mark played bass it sounded like two basses as opposed to a total racket. but then again when your getting dry humped by a bunch of kids dancing next to you its hard to concentrate. __________________ Sarcasm[A] is stating the opposite of an intended meaning especially in order to sneeringly, slyly, jest or mock a person, situation or thing \|@ <------- Euphoric brain cell just moments before expiration V _ \ / _ PING <-------- moments later / \ http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljhxq...isruo1_500.gif
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09.05.2007, 01:55 PM	#11
Washing Machine expwy. to yr skull Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Cardiff, Spiderland Posts: 1,465	i thought the sound was quite good when I saw them in the roundhouse on saturday, but then i was right up front. __________________ ....Of Course its some kinda cosmic payback for being too ironic!
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