Interesting experience with bluegrass band

  • Thread starter Thread starter gecko zzed
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gecko zzed

gecko zzed

Grumpy Mod
I do a fair bit of live mixing, particularly for folk festivals.

At one recent event, one of the acts was bluegrass band "The Company", from Queensland.

They had very specific stage requirements: DI on bass, mike on a guitar, and they supplied their own mike for the rest, i.e. they gather round it, and it serves for vocals, mandolin, fiddle and banjo.

Their mike of choice was a Rode NT1. Somewhat apprehensively, because I had not used that Rode for live work before, I plugged it into the system, did a quick sound check and off they went.

They were tight, they knew how to work the mike, and it sounded amazing, specially in that context. I was able to get a damn good level from it, and a very even sound. It was a pleasure to use and to listen to.

I've done a few of these round-the-mike acts before, and I am not keen on the concept. Furthermore, they usually bring their own mikes, and I've always had to nurse them carefully. The Rode proved to be quite stable and required much less nursing. I was pleasantly surprised.
 
I've encountered this sort of "round the mic" technique before and it always seems to be the bluegrass acts that get it right. The amount of control they often have over their dynamics and balance is truly amazing.

I've never seen the Rode NT1 used (it's often something from the AT range) but, done well it can sound great.
 
Am in the same boat as Bob on this on ... They (bluegrass bands) always bring an AT with them.

Good to know that the RODE NT1 will work in this situation too.

Thanks gecko zzed

And as mentioned if they don't know how to work the microphone there will be a gig for the books :mad:
 
Thanks,well written post,great info :D

Great to read reviews from those out in the field actually doing it :)
 
"The Company" gathered around a Rode.

Note the rubber band on the suspension mount. They'd been carrying this thing around for so long that the original suspension elastic was frayed and brittle. It snapped as soon as it was put on the stand, and was too brittle to be knotted. It kept breaking. First aid with rubber bands was called for very quickly.

the-company.webp
 
The same festival, different venue: The New Holland Honey Eaters gather round a Lawson that they brought along. The "WYOY" sign on the mike is one they made as a prop for their workshop on the influence of radio on early American music.

nhhe.webp
 
I watched a doco on Bill Monroe some years ago, as it was late at night I had the headphones on, the sound quality of some of the live shows with just one mic out front was stunning. Some of this was from the 40's.

alan.
 
If you think about it, single miking makes perfect sense. Multiple mics means things like comb filtering as each open mic picks up stuff from other voices/instruments. It's also great for gain before feedback--every time you double the number of mics open you get 3dB closer to feedback.

Unfortunately, for a single mic to work takes a specific set of circumstances. The musicians have to be clever and aware enough to handle their own "mix" by leaning towards and away from the mic as required. Also, sound levels can't be too high. Finally, it only works on certain genres--bluegrass being the main one. You're not going to get gut-thumping drum sounds from a single mic surrounded by the other musicians!

However, when it works, it reminds you how sound should actually sound!
 
Bobbsy;3993581The musicians have to be clever and aware enough to handle their own "mix" by leaning towards and away from the mic as required. Also said:
Drum kit on wheels with the roadies pushing it in and out between solos? :laughings:
Click to expand...
 
LOL! Wheels and hydraulics so they can change the balance between kick, snare, OH etc.!
 
cobain86 said:
a whole band with just 1 mic??
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Absolutely!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! goes back to the early days of folk and bluegrass when many venues didn't have the sophisticated sound systems of today. The one mic dance is wonderful with players who know how to do it. I carry a pair of AT 3035's for just such things. One mic can go a long way.....................
 
Tomm Williams said:
Absolutely!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! goes back to the early days of folk and bluegrass when many venues didn't have the sophisticated sound systems of today. The one mic dance is wonderful with players who know how to do it. I carry a pair of AT 3035's for just such things. One mic can go a long way.....................
Click to expand...

The AT3035 seems to be the weapon of choice that I see many Bluegrass bands showing up with to perform shows with.
 
God bless the band that plays together and the musicians in it that listen to each other. You have to feel sorry for the muscicians that cue off of one other player (for good or bad reasons) but you really have to feel sorry for everyone else that has to deal with the musicians that only listen to themselves.

Paj
8^)
 
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