NerfLad
Silver Member
My band frequents a cute little seafood restaurant here in Jacksonville Beach at which we play in their outdoor bar area. Being Florida, it's usually blue skies and insanely hot at the beginning of the gig (we play 5pm - 9pm). With the tropical storm blowing in Southwest of us, it turned out to be overcast yesterday evening (of course it was still hot!).
I found that this had a considerable effect on the acoustics. Normally I don't like playing outside because the low frequencies escape so quickly and you just typically get stuck with the kind of harsh (amateur) "live" sound that I'm not really a fan of (we never play mic'd). However the cloud cover seemed to reign in the dissipation of the sound ever so slightly, not only thickening everything up, but somehow also making it easier to be aware of our balance and dynamics!
It may just be that my ears are getting better (for instance, at full volume, about 90-ish dB, I heard my singer's little bottle of throat-spray fall off of his amp and onto the ground) or even a placebo effect because the gig went well, but for some reason I noticed a considerable difference between when we've played there on a clear night and on a cloudy one. Perhaps the cloud cover effectively turns the outside space into a giant room, and we happen to find the acoustic result pleasing?
Any input or similar/dissenting experiences?
-Eric
I found that this had a considerable effect on the acoustics. Normally I don't like playing outside because the low frequencies escape so quickly and you just typically get stuck with the kind of harsh (amateur) "live" sound that I'm not really a fan of (we never play mic'd). However the cloud cover seemed to reign in the dissipation of the sound ever so slightly, not only thickening everything up, but somehow also making it easier to be aware of our balance and dynamics!
It may just be that my ears are getting better (for instance, at full volume, about 90-ish dB, I heard my singer's little bottle of throat-spray fall off of his amp and onto the ground) or even a placebo effect because the gig went well, but for some reason I noticed a considerable difference between when we've played there on a clear night and on a cloudy one. Perhaps the cloud cover effectively turns the outside space into a giant room, and we happen to find the acoustic result pleasing?
Any input or similar/dissenting experiences?
-Eric
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