AudioBanter.com - View Single Post - How often do you do a show with no soundcheck? Exception or rule?

On 28 Aug 2004 12:16:37 -0700, (Shawn)
wrote:

Did a show last night at a very swanky club in Denver.
They had the house music cranked insanely loud with that nasty
techno-dance crap and they wouldn't turn it off for us to do a
sound-check.
snip)...
This is really a no-brainer to me, but then I'm coming from the
professional musician's viewpoint not the professional (or
un-professional as the case may be) club owner perspective.
Will this kind of approach/limitation/demand limit the clubs we can
play in?
Is this that common?

Thanks to all,
Shawn

This is a not uncommon practice. and it has been pointed out that
there are some ways around it. When I was tied to a band (long club
tour, etc) and we did not get a sound check, the band would open with
a basic instrumental .. starting with the rhythm section, (Usually
opening with the drummer laying it down for the rest of the band.)
with the horns coming in say at about the mid way point .. that would
buy me enough to get a basic instrumental mix down .. then the second
song was to be with JUST the lead vocalist and the band starting off,
with the back ups not joining in until the second chorus. THAT would
work .. not as well as I would like, but it would work.
Have the person you are using to mix, sit in on some rehearsals and
tweak the rehearsal pa. That should help to get a basic on the
monitors if they have to be mixed from out front (shudder!).