i truly believe that we've lost a good gig spot due to playing too loud. (indoor gig). when asked to turn down, we didn't. mistake number one. when you see folks walking outside holding their ears, you might want to turn it down. i keep my amp at the lowest possible level i can. when the guys say they can't hear me, i ask them to turn down or just play without hearing me. we have a great PA and plenty of moniters. to me it's a simple solution. just turn down.
any advice would help me out. i shoot guns often without earplugs and my ears seldom ring like they do after a gig. that alone should tell you something. loud does not equal good.

A sound man can either be your best friend or your worst enemy. If they ask you to turn down and you don't, they'll become the latter in a hurry lol

I understand about amps sounding good at a certain volume though. Unfortunately for me, that's 3 on a 100w Marshall which is really loud, especially for a small club. What kind of music are you guys playing?

The only advice I can think of is to try to keep hammering the point you made home; an audience doesn't do much good when they're outside covering their ears.

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Personally, I have no problem with loud, but if you are playing some place that ask you to turn down and you don't, you could find yourself w/o a gig there in the future. We used to play a softer "dinner set" in some places that served food, then we kicked it up a notch on the next three sets.

Also, if there are people headed out of the place holding their ears, it's not a real good sign.

Our band used to play the Canyon Grill in Laguna Beach. A waitress came up to us and said we were the loudest band she ever heard. We loved that.

Also; I hope you are just shooting a .22 or you might want to consider some ear plugs.

We usually start off at a decent volume, but then volume creep gets to us... I'm usually the one who gets droned out too which is bad when the improv comes around (unless I just bomb the solo )

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(former user jimbo612)

After years of gigging and jamming at high volumes in relatively small spaces my ears have become accostomed to high decibels however I've been to venues where the band has been unecessarily loud to the point of pain threshold.There is no need in making peoples ears bleed,the point of playing is to entertain the audience if they run from the club covering their ears you haven't done your job and any band that continues that practice won't be in business for long.

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The simple fact is that you, to hear each other onstage, you have to set to the drums. Or have some very good in-ear monitors/stage monitors-on a big stage.

You've got to hear each other, end of story.


Now you may need to calm your drummer down. After that you need to look at the guitarists. Guitar these days, unlike the 80's, is a tactile stage instrument. Guitarists want to feel what they play as much as hear it.

All you can do is lead by example. If the band won't listen t you outside of live performance. Play at what you think is a good stage level. When asked by others to turn up, tell em why you wont. That it's running away with you.

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No no and no

Start with the drummer. Those dudes get excited and volume goes crazy. I put a drummer in his own closed room once with a big monitor aimed at him. He had a little window in the wall to see the rest of the band. The drummer can really control dynamics, even from the other room.

I'd caution you to use ear protection whenever you're at a range where firearms are in use. Once lost, hearing can never be replaced.

As to losing your losing a venue because your band played to loudly, professional musicians are always cognizant of who's paying the freight -- and they present their act accordingly.

HTH

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

in ear monitors do appear to becoming quite common place - the more I see live performances I notice those secret service wires.
I've seen barrier panels in front of drums too. The drummer needs to learn to control his intensity. If he cannot, then something needs to be done about it.

Funny thing, I was just talkin' to a jazz guy today about this very subject - he says the drummer plays too loud and that it actually affects his heart.
He said the drummer bass player lacking tact are the problem.
He was specific about a Peter Frampton concert and said he had to get out of there. No fun when it gets too loud like that.

If you want to play loud, find another Gig, The house rules.(if you want to get your beer and pay anyway) When I was playing Drums I had a Monitor right beside me on each side. One for Bass The guitar in the other. Very Loud, I never was able to wear hearing protection, It messed up my timing. My ears would ring for about 48 hours afterward. Fortunately, the band never did back to back shows, maybe three a month. but Guns, that intense quickness of a gunshots decibel and sharpness, I can see that doing more damage to your hearing than gigging loud. I would wear hearing protection when engaging in that activity.

jeebus, you told us the story very well. I think if you tell your band the same way they will get it. When at a gig small enough to use your own PA try playing loud enough for you and the rest of your band to hear then the manager will ask you to turn up, that is usually a good sign.

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

This why I gig with an SCXD. The volume is usually on 3 for indoor shows and maybe 4 for outdoor. We keep things quiet on stage and let the PA do the work. If you can hear each other on stage you will work better together and that equals sounding better. And yes we also use in-ear-monitors.

We do also play a lot of weddings where volume is an issue. And our drummer uses electronic drums and he is the only one with a wedge monitor. Just so you know we have also played stadiums and outdoor shows to 75,000 people.

If you think you have "gotten used to" loud volume, that means you have already suffered hearing loss.

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it's not the drummer. it's the other guitarist. we talked about it on the way home. we'll see what happens at next practice. it's the only complaint we ever get. too loud.
as far as shooting guns. i won't wear earplugs while walking around the woods. too many wild hogs in the area. really don't have time to put in plugs every time you get the chance to shoot something. at the range or just target shooting, we always wears protection.
thanx ya'll

Jeebus, next time he's too loud, kick his speaker in.

Tough love mate. Works every time.

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No no and no

Hearing damage is cumulative, permanent and can take years to show up after the damage was done.

Damage can start at around 85Db and a tipical rock concert can run in the 110-120 db range
At those levels permanent damage occues after only a few minutes of unprotected exposure.

http://www.dangerousdecibels.org/hearingloss.cfm

The doctors say most of my hearing damage occured in my teen's and twenties, it did not show up on tests until I was in my mid 40's and has gotten steadily worse since.

I am one that hears the permanent howl of tintus and have lost a good portion of my normal hearing range. All due to exposure to high volume levels, I now always wear plugs to prevent further damage but it is too late for me.

Upside is wife can yell at me for hours now and I don't notice a thing!

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