Do you ever feel like the volume of the band on stage is louder than the house? On my first tour 8+ years ago,  we were in a very shallow room, and before I had even the first mic turned on, the band was already jammin’ on stage. I quickly got all in a huff, pulled out my dB meter, and started lecturing them as the meter was passing 105dB and I started wondering how I was ever going to get the sound system above this. I wasn’t prepared for the reaction I got, and it taught me quickly some important aspects of stage volume.

I remember the band, stopping, looking at each other, then start chuckling. The problem was that I was working for them, and I was going to have to learn how to deal with it. I wasn’t hired to boss them around. That was a wake up call. Before this, I had spent a few years running sound for local bands at college and had grown accustomed to just telling them to turn down and they did it.

There was 1 big difference that my ears had not quite figured out yet either though. The professional band used vintage gear, with tubes, and the drummer knew how to tune his drums really well. That loud stage volume needed very little intervention from me.

Recreational bands (which probably includes your Sunday warriors) tend to turn their attention towards the toys- FX pedals, cowbells, china cymbals, and quickly lose focus on just playing well and contributing a quality audio source. That audio does need some surgery, however I prefer to treat the source and not the symptoms.

So, what can you do? Unfortunately, there is no perfect answer. I’m not a fan of plexi-glass cages for the drums, PODs for all the guitars, and everything else going direct in. Some stage noise can be the glue that keeps the musicians playing as a band, instead of as individuals.

One suggestion I would have is that of leadership. Instead of you as the audio engineer arguing with everyone in the band, I would direct everything to your music leader. The band, in turn needs to listen to, and trust this leader.  I will say this though, musicians hate being told to turn the volume down, so think outside the box and approach the problem a different way.

If you want less volume because the guitar tone is too fuzzy, too piercing, or too metally, then address those characteristics instead of the volume… or both. “If the guitar was a bit warmer and softer it would really add a lot to the set this morning” will get you much further than just saying, “That’s way too loud!” As soon as you say ‘too loud,’ the walls go up immediately. If you realize this, then you can find a more successful approach.

One church I was at this summer found a way to get the guitar amps off stage. The Fender amps were turned up enough to saturate the tubes, and they sounded great for a worship band. I was very impressed. Everyone was on in-ears as well, but they had a basic mix through wedges on stage too, to help everyone feel the music, not just hear it. A balance can be met, but it may take time and patience.