One of the absolute joys of bluegrass is its organic nature – just people, wires and wood to make that beautiful music! How pure! How real! How authentic! We can all gather on the front porch or in the parlor and knock ‘em dead all afternoon. It’s one of the principal things that attracted me to this music in the first place.
But there’s an odd price for that simplicity – play it long enough, and well enough, and sooner or later someone’s going to ask you to play for a room full of people. A roomful of people simply breathing will drown out a fully acoustic bluegrass band. Guitars and mandolins, especially seem to disappear. So, now we need to get less organic – we need sound reinforcement.
This is not a new issue – bluegrass burst out of the barns and porches via radio back in the old days, so players had to learn how to master the choreography to deliver a bluegrass band’s sound into to a single ribbon microphone – singin’ into the can, to quote “O Brother Where Art Thou”.
Most of us buy a PA system somewhere along the line and struggle to get a consistent sound in varying rooms with a variety of microphones. I actually posed the question at a PA workshop at Wintergrass one year: “How can we achieve a consistent sound in a variety of rooms with cheap gear and 6 different microphones?”
The answer: “You can’t”.
If you work hard, you might move onto nightclubs or play festivals that have their own sound system. However, if they’re accustomed to acts that plug everything in, they will be stumped and annoyed at bluegrass acts who want a microphone for every instrument. Expect howling feedback.
Some sound people have egos like test pilots – I have been told (loudly) that it’s flat out impossible to amplify an all acoustic band without runaway feedback. Those of us who have been to Grass Valley, or any festival where Paul Knight does sound, knows differently.
Musicians can help – they can learn good mic technique so they can sing up close and learn how to use the distance from the mic to bring their instruments up or back in the mix. Also, play closer together so you can perform with less reliance on floor wedges.
I hate to see musicians battle with sound people – either side can make things worse by being jerks. Musicians, show some respect for the sound crew, and come prepared to define what your band needs to deliver a consistent sound. If you’re indifferent to the mics onstage, the sound person will try and “ride the faders” and that often leads to feedback. Sometimes it’s the musicians’ fault – sometimes, it’s the sound crews’ fault. Either way, nobody looks or sounds good when they don’t work together.
Sound crews, keep in mind that most people buy a ticket to hear an act, not hear a sound crew in action. It’s no fair, but that’s how it is. Have some patience and provide gentle guidance for acts that need it, and maybe you’ll have energy to deal with acts that arrive with a vendetta against all sound crews.
Finally, everyone needs to remember their jobs – their common goal is a show that will be enjoyable to the audience. Even when circumstances seem to pulling one side or the other away from that goal, it’s still the goal. When everyone works together, everyone sounds and looks good. We know it can be done, because CBA have seen it done – time and time again!
