Hip-Hop Show Sound Quality is ehhh....

GnatGnat 1,183 Posts
edited March 2006 in Strut Central
Is it me or do most hip-hop shows not have proper EQing going on???The scenario: went to Slum Village last night, was impressed with show but left with that not-so-fresh feeling as far as the sound balance was concerned. That detraced from all the performances SIGNIFICANTLY Highs were too high and the mids were non-existant. I have found this to be a common theme amongst the hip-hop shows that I've gone to. Is it just me or do others share this experience??

  Comments


  • Is it me or do most hip-hop shows not have proper EQing going on???

    The scenario: went to Slum Village last night, was impressed with show but left with that not-so-fresh feeling as far as the sound balance was concerned. That detraced from all the performances SIGNIFICANTLY Highs were too high and the mids were non-existant.

    I have found this to be a common theme amongst the hip-hop shows that I've gone to. Is it just me or do others share this experience??

    nothing is worse than bad sound at shows. I saw Outkast once and didnt hear a word they said the whole night.

  • JazzsuckaJazzsucka 720 Posts
    Hiphop live shows suck these days. I havn't seen one in a long time that I would have been glad to pay for. Now, if that doesn't get better, the mixing doesn't really matter.

  • waxjunkywaxjunky 1,849 Posts
    Most hip hop shows I've seen have had terrible sound.

  • GnatGnat 1,183 Posts
    Most hip hop shows I've seen have had terrible sound.
    Okay, so if it's not just me, what the fuck is up??? Poor pre-show planning? Incompetence? Too much time in the studio and not enough stage time? It seems to me that this problem can be remedied given the amount of technology and live-performance knowledge there is out there...WTF?!

  • JazzsuckaJazzsucka 720 Posts
    Too much time in the studio and not enough stage time

    IMO, most hiphop artists have lost the routine and skill of entertaining the crowd that is at the heart of a good live performance. After seeing Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings work out for an hour and a half with the whole place jumping and doing call/response most of the time, sweating, telling stories and acting, I never want to see another half hearted hiphop gig.

  • BaptBapt 2,503 Posts

    Nat, yesterday I had to explain what kbps means to a collectro we all know.
    Dude seemed to not understand why I thanked another dude for his 320 kbps upload.
    And dude is supposed to have ears, nahmsayin? He's a collectro...dunno.

    Am I off-topic...?


  • Having been involved i putting on numerous shows here, its not the artists fault, its always the lame arse rock oriented dudes on the desk. And usually the gigs are at venues that predominately have rock acts, so when they have a hip hop/funk/reggae act they eq the shit badly.
    It's not always possible to have your own sound engineeer at the venue so one has to rely on what is provided. Its a constant run over to the desk, to say...'where's the bass up', 'we can't hear the dj scratching', 'turn the mics up', 'the mids are too powerful', etc...

    They obviously don't know how to deal with hip hop properly & it happens again & again. For some reason bass is always turned down & mids are too high.

    If the beats are mixed down well & they usually are if its an established artist, its up to the sound dude to come correct. And hoepfully the artist has had a sound check.

    It sucks when it goes pear shaped.

  • el_sparkoel_sparko 884 Posts
    I saw Slum Village at the Jazz Cafe last tuesday and the sound was perfect, as it usually is at that venue... as menhtioned before, it seems to be down to the soundman, the rock orientated ones often fuck it up but at a venue that specialises in hip hop etc... it's been great in my experience...
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