[Dixielandjazz] Does Keyboard & Amp Sound Dissappoint Anyone Else?

Ministry of Jazz jazzmin at actcom.net.il
Sat Nov 7 10:46:08 PST 2009


Shalom Dan,

Yes, I complain about amplified music all of the time. My group rarely uses
a keyboard player. We count on the banjo and tuba for rhythm and chords.
However, for some gigs we have brought along a keyboard player, and I
occasionally play with other bands that use keyboards. Though I am pushing
60 years old, I don't think there is any problem with my hearing. But I find
when I play in an amplified situation, I cannot accurately hear the piano
sound coming from the keyboard and amp setup. I have a hard time playing in
tune, telling what key they're in, and so on. This is on top of the fact
that I do not enjoy synthesized sound anyway. When playing acoustic, I don't
have the same hearing problem from the other instruments.

Another issue is that trying to balance the sound when the keyboard, and
possibly some but not all other instruments are amplified, is nearly
impossible. It mixes like oil and water.

We play a recurring gig in old Jerusalem in an outdoor setting surrounded by
stone walls and pavement. The first shows there we did unplugged, except for
a vocal mike set for natural volume level. When the venue got a new sound
system and insisted we use it, they miked everything. I had separate mikes
for trumpet, bone and vocals, all of which I do, often switching in the same
song. Confusing, to say the least. And if I didn't aim the trumpet or bone
directly into the mike, people said they couldn't hear me. But this
precludes my panning to play to the audience. I was stuck with one narrow
angle to work with.

Well, all in all, I hate PA sytems anyway. They are nearly always
problematic, in my experience. I've also had the experience more than once
of losing electricity during a show, and we've been able to keep playing.
The audience often says they liked it better without the PA.

Elazar
Doctor Jazz Dixieland Band
Jerusalem, Israel
www.doctorjazz.co.il
+972-2-679-2537


-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Spink [mailto:danspink at dceo.rutgers.edu]
Sent: Saturday, November 07, 2009 3:50 PM
To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Does Keyboard & Amp Sound Dissappoint Anyone
Else?


For years I have dragged my keyboard and amps to performances trying to
capture an acoustic-like piano sound as best I could. Then it struct me. Am
I the only piano man who hates the sound of keyboard and amp? Even when I
use monitors for speakers the sound is never really "good". Am I the only
keyboard complainer?

Dan (backup piano man) Spink





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