Don't you love it when the sound guys starts tuning your drum kit.

I-P said:
Shook my head when this happened on my kit at a recent gig. Was slightly peeved.

Sound guy tells me he know better. He probably does as it's his workplace and knows it well. Still made me grrrrrr.
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I’m a sound guy - and I never touch somebody’s’ instrument unless I’m invited to help in some way. You must’ve run into one of those a-hole sound guys. Professionals never do stuff like that. He should know his role, which is basically to amplify whatever band shows up, with whatever gear they show up with. Afterall, I don’t want them to tell me how to do my job - I make more money than they do 😉
 
It happend once, after the show, not as a dick move however.

We were discussing drum sounds in general. My snare was getting buried in my kicks. He had made a board recording so I could hear it. It was mud.

I went and got my snare and key and brought it to the booth and let him have at it. He cranked that sucker up, told me to finish tuning it. Then told me to go play for a minute.

He recorded that minute, let me listen back, and I've been tuning the snare high ever since. The recording didnt lie.
 
Interesting story CDR.

With this current drum kit; it was the first time I used a "standard" tune-bot setting on the kit.

All previous gigs I pitch-shift up the tuning and had sound guys comment on how it sounded great in the mix.

Back to recent gig....The sound guy cranked it higher...
Now I know what is better.
 
Never had that happen. Any decent sound guy would ask first or as @C. Dave Run said make a suggestion and show them the difference. Just messing with someone else's gear is a full on dick move. Especially with the arrogant comment that he knows best.

He'd get politely reminded that fingers break quite easily and it would be a terrible shame if a beer got spilt on the desk.

Just don't play that venue again
 
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In the few situations where ive been in the studio, I've always really appreciated the engineer's input.....even if that means them just taking over the whole process.

I think generally they strive hard to make you sound your best, their name is going to be on the album, so they have the best sound in mind.
 
I’ve thankfully never had that pleasure! That’s properly rude unless you’re both having that conversation because it’s not sounding right and you’ve requested their input… :unsure:
 
I don't think a sound guy would have dared touch my stuff over the years. It probably wouldn't have ended well for him.

That being said, it is 100% within reason and normal conversation for them to (politely) let me know if they are getting excessive ring from something etc. It is a collaboration. I wouldn't walk up to his board and start pushing faders and twisting knobs as I would fully expect them to react poorly. I believe every sound guy was under a similar approach when it came to my gear or the bands gear. Collaborate, touch something only if invited to do so. Mutual respect.

Studio settings are a different vibe and different animal altogether IMHO
 
I-P said:
Shook my head when this happened on my kit at a recent gig. Was slightly peeved.

Sound guy tells me he know better. He probably does as it's his workplace and knows it well. Still made me grrrrrr.
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Yup, there's a local sound guy who ALWAYS tunes the drummer's rack tom. He did it to me and I smacked his hand.
 
Bo Eder said:
I’m a sound guy - and I never touch somebody’s’ instrument unless I’m invited to help in some way. You must’ve run into one of those a-hole sound guys. Professionals never do stuff like that. He should know his role, which is basically to amplify whatever band shows up, with whatever gear they show up with. Afterall, I don’t want them to tell me how to do my job - I make more money than they do 😉
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I couldn't agree more.

Professionals, band members and friends do not touch each others' gear without asking first. It's just common courtesy. For someone to actually start TUNING your drums is a step beyond just "touching". Although I would be open to and tuning suggestions by a sound engineer, I would not be pleased if he began doing this without my knowledge or permission. Clearly; this is rude behavior.

There are some exceptions. I'm in a 2-drummer band. The other drummer and I will occasionally reach over and crash the other guy's cymbal at practice in the middle of a song. :) Also; he's perfectly OK to sit on my kit whenever he wants, and vice versa. Other than these long-term friendship situations, you don't touch someone else's gear.
 
Has never happened to me. I don't work with a lot of them but none have made any suggestions like that.
 
Utter :poop:!

Is he now blind in one eye? Missing a toe? Did you at least shag his lady?
 
Bo Eder said:
I’m a sound guy - and I never touch somebody’s’ instrument unless I’m invited to help in some way. You must’ve run into one of those a-hole sound guys. Professionals never do stuff like that. He should know his role, which is basically to amplify whatever band shows up, with whatever gear they show up with. Afterall, I don’t want them to tell me how to do my job - I make more money than they do 😉
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Agree, if they don't ask and just start tuning they are liable to get a stick to the hand (akin to grandma hitting you when you try to eat the dough). You just don't touch other people's instruments unless allowed/asked to.
 
C. Dave Run said:
It happend once, after the show, not as a dick move however.

We were discussing drum sounds in general. My snare was getting buried in my kicks. He had made a board recording so I could hear it. It was mud.

I went and got my snare and key and brought it to the booth and let him have at it. He cranked that sucker up, told me to finish tuning it. Then told me to go play for a minute.

He recorded that minute, let me listen back, and I've been tuning the snare high ever since. The recording didnt lie.
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See, now that is different, he came and show you why your tuning was a problem, then proceeded to show you how his approach worked (better in this case) and with irrefutable evidence (the recording). Can't argue with that.
 
Tune without even asking? Yeah, that's a BIG no. Why does that guy even have a drum key?

I once had a sound tech ask if he could add more muffling to my bass drum, and I agreed. He added a towel, he was happy, and I thought the drum sounded great in the mix.

At my last gig the tech clipped a couple tom mics in a spot I was pretty sure I was going to hit a mic, and he was also having a bit of a time finding room for the snare mic. I mentioned to him my worry and hoped we could adjust where the tom mics were and we got them out of harm's way. Knowing he was having trouble micing the snare I found a way to fit it in by clipping the mic to a nearby tom. Teamwork makes the dream work!

Even though I was worried about hitting his mics I would have never touched them without talking to him first. Just like I'm sure he wished he could have just moved a drum or two to make squeezing the mics in easier, but knew that isn't how things should be done.
 
Ridiculous. If he'd tried to do that to a guitarist's rig, I'm sure hands would have been thrown, but hey, it's fine to do that to a drummer's kit?

Suggestions, comments, feedback, sure. Just barging in there and helping yourself? Never okay.
 
John Bonham had the right approach; He always threatened physical injury if someone messed with his Luddys. No one ever messed with my sets.
 
Around 1980, I once had a soundman say, "I'm going to make your drums sound better than they ever did," so I let him tape the snare and toms up with tons of tape. I had never done this before, so it was new to me. We started playing the first set, and I hated the way the drums sounded, so I systematically started removing the tape from all the drums between songs, until it was all off. The soundman came rushing up to me on break, irate that I had altered what he had done. I just said, "The drums sounded like shit to me, totally dead, and that's not my sound, so I took the tape off."

He said, "Then, you're not going to have good drum sounds."

I said, "Learn how to mic' drums right and you won't have to tape them up so they sound like cardboard boxes." He didn't like that and sulked away angry.

He probably shut the mics off on my set after that for all I know. I never encountered him again.
 
I once had a sound guy mess with my bass drum without asking. I was flabbergasted but it was my first time playing a particular venue that was hard to break in to so I went along with it. Not cool though, for sure.

As far as tuning higher, I agree with others on this point. Higher is generally better and is particularly crucial if playing unmic'd. In my limited experience, flabby, low tuned drums are the hallmark of beginners, even if they play well. They do have the advantage of being able to be pounded without generating too much volume so that is probably a contributing factor.
 
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