Boy oh boy ! Whatever happened to the good ol' days when I used to go
and watch bands like Uriah Heep playing in Johnny Walker's local just
up the road from me ? Makes you wonder how a heavy rock band like that
was able to set up in a pub concert hall, and just play, without all of
this nonsense of having to mic up the drums and then put the drummer in
a plastic tub. Damn, the musicians and roadies must have been good back
then ...
Basically a roller coaster.
I started in this 'game' while still at school in the '60s. Working part
time at the local dance hall as a spot boy. Which had its own in house big
band. And a rudimentary PA system - Reslo ribbon mics, all three of them,
one vocal, one used by the lead sax on a solo and one on the piano. A 50
watt GEC valve 100 volt line mixer/amp driving a couple of line source
columns either side of the stage. The string bass had his own amp and
speaker.
Now this was Scotland and no dancing allowed on Sunday as it was the
devil's work ;-) so they had a 'concert' instead. Near always with a
visiting band, group or solo artist on tour doing a set as well as the
house band. I well remember The Beatles before they had a hit record.
And most of these bands on tour just used the house PA - they didn't
bring their own. One I remember which did and stood out for a great sound
in the hall was Emile Ford and the Checkmates.
But most pop vocalists rely on being able to hear both themselves and the
band for pitch and timing. Anyone who has ever 'done' Karaoke knows this
only too well. ;-) True musicians may be able to work around this but the
scene was moving away from those.
So we add rhythm foldback to keep them in time. Then they can't hear the
hall PA. So we add in vocal foldback. And it's all got louder. Kilowatts
of PA rather than 10s. Now the drummer can't hear himself...
