hey Brian, I hear you, I think, I go back in time a little ****her than you, only thing that went into PA was singers mics, we never even had monitors, the pickers were on their own, as the nite went on one guy would turn up a little, next guy would do the same thing, get 3 or 4 guys doing this and by the end of the nite drummer is using biggest sticks he has and beating as hard as he can.

now when I'm blessed with a sound guy he looks at my bass drum and says you need a port hole, I tell him its worked this way for years, but if guitar player lets you cut a hole in the front of his amp, I might cut a hole in my drum.

Hi Brian!

You're not getting old! Unfortunately, I'm no longer in a band...and really miss it! However, I was in a rock band for almost 16 years and we were pretty good! We started out with only basic PA equipment, but as the years went on, we were able to invest in some good amplifiers, speakers and monitors, and a nice 8 channel mixing board. I custom-made an 8-channel snake to allow for all our inputs and outputs. I was also the "sound engineer"! LoLoLoLoband3 Honestly, though, I was able to get a pretty good vocal mix for our group and everyone was happy! Never took 3 hours, though! If it's taking this person that amount of time, my gut tells me he's not that good...or maybe he's just too much of a perfectionist! Still, once everything is setup, a good engineer should be able to get a good sound in a fraction of the time. Best of luck and let us know how it all turns out!

-Mark

Speaking as an old fahrt myself I agree with you and Burgundy and idrum. It's gotten crazy. Back in the 60's I used to play gigs with a bass, snare, hi-hats and one 18" ride/crash. Now-a-days it's full-kit, overheads, snare mics, bass drum mics, mixing boards, wires everywhere and no substantive improvement in quality other than the increase in volume. Makes set-up and breakdown a pain in the a$$.

I'm with you... KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid! All these guys today trying to 'capture the sound of the 60's'... use vintage instruments, lose all the superfluous crap and there it is! We didn't have -any- of that $hit back then. In fact, even the mics were dangerous! Back in the day before shielding was mandatory in electric guitars if a singer didn't watch his a$$ while he was playing guitar and his nose accidentally touched the mic, he'd complete an electrical circuit and he'd get fried on the spot! It's how Relf from the Yardbirds died! No, I'm not a big fan of -more- electrical equipment.

Thank you very much for responding, my friends! I sure hear ya! Last night was a sell out audience. Standing room only. We raised a lot of cash for the charity (Homeless People) and I guess that is what really counts. The crowd was very appreciative and we received several compliments and a standing ovation at the end! I guess it doesn't get any better! Or does it? Sure I enjoy writing and performing and sure I appreciate the attention just as much as all of us do BUT, The Girl Scout Jamboree I played when I was about seventeen was a hell of a lot more fun!!! A couple of amps, a mic or two and some old Stewart drums hauled in a pickup and we were ready to go! All cover stuff. We tried but, it wasn't great. It didn't matter! I was like a kid in a candy store!!! Screaming girls who had no idea that we were not really that good. I loved it! Yesterday, I liked it. I guess that's the difference.

Brian