Poor Club PA Systems

[Mike Caldwell]

AMEN!!!
But I still think there is a need for good limiters on individual vocal mic channels, as well as equalizers that can tailor the singer's sound better than the typical 'bass + treble' controls found on many club mixers.
And I also believe that bi-amping the speakers will help immensely to alleviate clipping.

Insert channel compressors/limiters on analog or digital mixers are always after the mic pre-amp. If the mic pre is being overloaded anything after that point will not fix it.
And lets not forget the crap wireless mics that some singers want to use.

 

[Mike Caldwell]

Okay. Stand in front of a guitar amp. Directly in front of the speaker. While the guitarist plays, take three steps to the side. Note how the volume (particularly the upper tones) has decreased.

Guitar amps particularly are bad for this - they are incredibly directional. A loud 1x12" will carve a laserbeam of destruction into the crowd, while leaving the rest of the audience wondering why they can't hear the guitar.
Good PA speakers sound the same over the coverage angle, which is a much better way of getting sound into the audience.


Chris

I also feel this is why some players guitar tone tears your head off, the guitarist stands over the top of their combo amp while making tone and volume adjustments and never actually listens to what is coming directly out of the speaker. They make adjustments, turn around and play with the amp pointing into the back of their legs.


As for room acoustics, when someone tells me a how great the acoustics are in a room until proven different I take that to mean it's going to have a 40sec RT60 with some flutter echo thrown in for good measure.

In your smaller venues the loudest thing on the stage is what determines the mix.
Even on larger stages at large venues indoors or outside loud stage volume has a negative effect on the over all mix caused from bleed into the various mics.
Loud stage monitors can be just as bad as loud guitar amps.