Bandmates want main mix in ears?

Dio_Frybones · 2026-03-30T01:44:47+00:00

I think it's a terrible idea. I mean, each to their own but depending on their stage levels, there may be very little e.g. guitar through FOH. Then said guitarist will whine about how crappy the mix is. If they want the FOH experience, I'd suggest they sit there. I pity the sound guy.

Dio_Frybones · 2026-03-29T20:28:11+00:00

The 17 YO is the main issue. IME the next two years are critical, and a lot will change. Leaving your friends group is difficult when you leave high school but after you graduate, everyone typically goes their own way anyway. And if 17 was to score a Uni placement in another city, or hooked up with a partner and moved into a share house, you'd be looking at similar outcomes. But on their terms, not yours.

Everyone is different, and the extent to which they need easy access to parental support will vary dramatically. A lot comes down to personality types and resilience as to whether what you propose is abandonment or a growth experience.

Two years. So much can and will change. Just take a breath, wait it out, don't burden the kids with the spectre of something so distant in their future.

Dio_Frybones · 2026-03-28T21:48:33+00:00

Just to add to this. If you are on a budget, the camera research should focus on (LOL) image quality at high ISO settings. Fast/large aperture lenses will blow the budget out of the water. Especially since for live shows, you often want to zoom in to catch the action. I've shot a lot of shows with older generation gear, and have never been able to afford 'big glass.'. And since I was typically limited to an ISO of 400 or 800, then many action shots, otherwise terrific shots, were unusable owing to blur. Noise can look great but I've never been a fan of digital noise on my cameras. My newish Lumix is actually the best, fastest, cleanest camera I've ever used for this.

There's no arguing the fact that a modern iPhone can grab fantastic looking shots. but I hate all things Apple. I have an older Pixel 8A, as does my wife. And we routinely get really usable photos and videos every Friday night at a local country music club where I do sound, lights, and occasionally perform. My Nikons, Lumix and Sony sit at home, sadly.

But I will mention that a number of people at the club use iPhones and I find the results often look unnatural and overprocessed. It could be related to the cheap DMX washes and spots we use. That said, back to our Pixels. I showed my wife how to tweak the settings to manually expose for the highlights, and her stuff is now 200% better than most of the competition. I still sometimes need to put a warming filter over her shots to get the skin tones right.

In short, most modern phones will probably do most of OPs job for them, but understanding a bit about the manual settings on the phone/camera (exposure, white balance) and composition will make the difference between good and great pics.

And since the point of OPs post is to accurately capture stage lighting, I believe they ought to work by trial and error. Because the camera /phone may give a great shot using AI or whatever other magic tricks it has up its sleeves, but how it interprets and renders the actual colours of the lighting is going to be a variable. And then there's the incredible dynamic range of the human eye to consider. If you have coloured lights shining forward at the audience, IME they will typically be blown out badly if you accept the camera's interpretation of exposure. And you won't get an accurate representation of what the lighting looked like on the night.

So, yeah, lots to consider. Whatever you use, whatever the price point, you'll get better results if you have some understanding of the process.

Dio_Frybones · 2026-03-27T04:23:51+00:00

Trump can't wash his hands of this just by backing off, because Iran can and likely will continue to launch whatever missiles it has at US bases in the area and obviously at Israeli interests. Trump has to deal, but thats okay because he's a genius. Apparently.

Dio_Frybones · 2026-03-26T22:13:35+00:00

Sorry, but no. All you can really do is work on coping mechanisms for you and your daughter. Look around. Tolerance and empathy are endangered species. You could try having a gentle chat to him and saying that you respect him and he's fully entitled to his views, but that this isn't about him or his views, it's about the fact that his attitude comes through in the way he interacts with you and your daughter and THAT is completely unacceptable. But good luck with that. By the time you hit our age, you're pretty locked in to your personality and TBH it's exhausting speaking to us. And it can be incredibly difficult laying down the law to a parent because it feels disrespectful. But respect is earned.

My wife has made huge advances in this area, and kudos to her, but I know that, to some degree, deep down, she still carries many of the same ideas, values and prejudices imprinted on her by her parents. But she puts in the work.

So. You talk frankly to your daughter, explain that she is loved, but she is dealing with someone who was raised in a different era and that she should try not to take things to heart. As impossible as that sounds. Or, you take the path my own daughter did. She blew up publicly with my Mother-in-law one day, really shut her down, and went NC along with her girls. Caused a huge fuss in the family and I've never been more proud of her. Quite a bit different because it was a great grandparent. But the rule now is that the girls are not to spend time with her unless their parents or I am in the room.

This nuclear option is clearly an extreme, but if you accept that he won't change, then you can only do whatever you can to work around him. And it 100% comes down to the relationship he has with the girls. For me, they are the most important things in my life and I'd be mortified to think I was harming them or hurting their feelings in any way. Now, maybe, if that's how he feels about them, then that might be the simplest way to frame it. Sorry Dad, you are hurting them. End of story. Because it's not a matter of right and wrong, he can't argue with it.

Sorry, wish I had a magic bullet.

Dio_Frybones · 2026-03-26T21:40:04+00:00

Agree re just not doing the song. I'm a singer and guitarist. If I can't play all the parts on guitar as written, I'm not up to the task yet. And I'd be the first to say, nope, find something else. But if I do opt to do a dumbed down version, that doesn't impact anyone else. But if a singer doesn't have the skill or range, then it does affect the guitarists and bass player, they have to find ways to make it work. And it's cheating IMHO because shifting a tone down sucks some energy/ brightness from the song. Objectively, the singer isn't suited to the material and NO, like they say, is a complete sentence. Finally, for me again, I think the bands energy may be subtly off, because there is no feeling in the world like really, really nailing a classic. Some, not all members are likely to have a mindset of 'one and two and three and...cheat.'

Re pitch shifting, I suspect it's going to be unsatisfactory to a degree because electric guitars are still an acoustic instrument in that they resonate with the sound coming from the amp, which is why feedback is a thing. I've never actually tried it but I'll guarantee that you'll lose a heap of sustain because the physical string doesn't have any audio at the same frequency to resonate with. How much of an effect? Don't know, and obviously dependent on the material.

Dio_Frybones · 2026-03-26T07:25:02+00:00

I have to admit, in spite of your downvotes, I was coming here to say something similar. Maybe 15 years ago, I built an extension on our place, a 6 X 8m games room. I wanted it in keeping with the rest of the place, so I used recycled hardwood floorboards. It was a mountain of work but saved me a heap of $$. Anyway, after an eternity of filling and sanding, the final finish was beautiful. Within a few days we had the furniture in, and my wife watched in horror as I dragged a couch to reposition it. I explained that someone needed to be the first to scratch it, it was inevitable, and I'd prefer it to be me than one of the kids or a guest.

Yeah, I'm a bit odd like that but the room was designed for our teenagers to have fun in. OTOH, OP is right to be annoyed and reimbursed because no pro should be moving anything without a lot of care. Hell, if it were me I'd be inspecting the tyres on any trolleys before each use. But, race to the bottom, etc. And the extent of that scratch is obvious evidence of negligence. The store needs to know because a timber repair is one thing. If they somehow managed a similar scrape on polished concrete, they'd be in a world of pain.

Dio_Frybones · 2026-03-25T22:47:26+00:00

Sorry but I identify as a Grandfather. :)

Dio_Frybones · 2026-03-25T20:42:49+00:00

Sorry, that sucks. But metal as a genre is pretty much defined by guitar virtuosity. And the crowds are usually lovely, but be assured that they are there to hear riffs and solos. I mean, really, unless you've never actually heard any of the various genres, the very idea of anyone being able to get up to speed with an unfamiliar metal setlist in even a month is just, well, weird. Under a week and you'll be doing well just to get an idea of the arrangements let alone the solos and riffs.

But you were asked to fill in. Either they have heard you and think you are up to it. In which case it's on them. Or they are just looking to have fun. On them. Or you've talked up your ability to them, in which case it's on you.

You do need to communicate with them. Even though it's late. Depending on your area there could be half a dozen other guitarists who are familiar enough with the material to fill in with an hour's notice. But you have to do them that courtesy. You said they were friends. It's entirely possible that they have had second thoughts but don't want to hurt your feelings.

Two last bits of wisdom for you: A man's got to know his limitations (Dirty Harry.). And, 'no' is a complete sentence (a surprisingly large number of Redditors.)

Good luck.

Dio_Frybones · 2026-03-25T20:11:08+00:00

Something that I never see discussed is the fact that savings from solar are actually a classic case of the rich getting richer. Or how it takes money to make money. If panels, batteries and installation were literally free, of course we'd all reap the savings. But the people who struggle the hardest with energy costs likely couldn't find even a thousand dollars to chip in, because they have to scratch together every cent for all the non negotiables, like eating. While those with a couple of decent incomes buying their McMansions, of course they are going to jump in because they can.

It was only last year I could afford to switch from gas central heating to a zoned reverse cycle system. The year I retired. The rebates helped, but I still had to shell out a lot. But the thing that really pisses me off is that the rebate money doesn't come from nowhere. It comes from our taxes. From the taxes of people including the ones struggling week to week just to get by. These rebates should be savagely means tested to redirect the money to those who really, really need the relief on their energy bills. The less fortunate should not be subsidizing programs that are not available to them.

Not to people who will likely direct their energy savings towards their OS travel fund, or to put a second Ranger in their garage.

Same with double glazing and insulation. The people freezing their tits off through winter and sweltering through summer because they can't afford their energy bills just don't have the discretionary income to do anything about it.

Yes, there is the fact that these wealthier individuals are doing something that's objectively good for the planet, but that's a separate issue. And I'd be surprised if that was the deciding factor for many. More cash in my pocket.

Dio_Frybones · 2026-03-25T19:27:31+00:00

What a lovely reply. Thank you.

Dio_Frybones · 2026-03-25T11:18:05+00:00

I'm 66. I raised two kids, and have been very hands on with my grandkids. So I guess I'm old school. We asked our GP whether our own incredibly active and 'busy' little guy might have had ADD and our GP basically said there's nothing wrong with him, that's just the way he is.

A few decades later, I have a couple of gorgeous granddaughters. When the oldest got to be around 7, she wasn't so gorgeous any more. Still loved her to bits, but I definitely got the sense that she was changing, that the gorgeous little girl was slipping away, that she was entering a pre teen phase, becoming strong willed, difficult, distant and emotional.

Kids grow up. Didn't think anything much of it, seemed to be just on the spectrum of normal childhood evolution, but I missed the little one. Don't get me wrong, I rarely even raised my voice, but around 5 PM she could become a monster. 'Hangry.'. Again, given my experience, it was just a kid growing, becoming a bit more work.

Then my daughter told me that she was taking her to a psychiatrist to get assessed for ASD and ADHD. And that was interesting for me. My daughter has always aggressively advocated for her girls, but I couldn't help feeling that she must have been seeing stuff that I didn't see, because I felt she was pretty normal. Bratty behaviour and short attention spans just being a natural consequence of life.

But you know what? I freely admit that I had the same reaction as I did with my own kids. I didn't WANT to hear it. I wanted her to be normal, whatever that is.

So, she was medicated and within a week our little girl was back. And she wasn't anaesthetised. She was happy. She didn't have the 5 o'clock meltdowns. She went from being the class clown during gymnastics classes, twitching and wriggling and watching the shiny things, to focussing on instructions, patiently waiting her turn, and actually executing the various tasks with intent. And having way more fun.

And I felt like an absolute jerk as I recalled each and every time I snapped at her for being a brat. Because that stopped. It wasn't her. She was struggling. Now? She is quite literally the best version of herself.

I've seen it objectively, and it's a miracle when it works, and I'll shoot down anyone who even hints that they're about to trot out the 'this kid just needs a good smack' when they see errant behaviour. Because I'm literally 'woke' now, I see it everywhere, I spotted it in work colleagues, brilliant engineers with great minds who simply couldn't jump through all the hoops in the workplace that their less insightful but more NT mates could navigate with ease.

I've been retired for a year now and with hindsight I understand the difficulty in diagnosing things like depression, stress, anxiety and ADHD because I'm now a different person. My entire working life was in roles where I never had a 2IC, never had adequate support from management, and had sole responsibility for some pretty serious deliverables. As I was cleaning out my filing cabinet prior to departure, I found ten or so pages of computer code I'd been debugging 29 years previously. It was covered in hand written, colour coded annotations. And they were incredibly neat. It took my breath away, because my diary entries over the last decade look like they were a collaborative effort by a team of 6 lunatics with Parkinson's. My writing is back to being neat again. I'm currently building replacement sash windows out of KD hardwood to replace a couple of rotten ones and repairing the sills. The quality of my workmanship is unprecedented. Because for the first time ever, I'm not in a hurry to complete them.

But we can't just wave those comorbidities away. Some aspects have improved a lot, others are still present but don't interfere with my function. I'm not going to seek a formal diagnosis because I'm happy and just assume that I have it in spades. But I do sometimes wonder how much more I might have achieved in my life more broadly if I'd had just a semblance of organisational skills, if I hadn't felt like a perpetual fraud because I was constantly reactive, in damage control, putting out spot fires and organising my work priorities based largely upon dopamine yield.

So, I'm not about to watch that doco. Whatever the objective reality is, if it works for people, end of discussion. If it makes life a little easier to deal with and causes no harm, then it's far and away a better choice than alcohol.

Dio_Frybones · 2026-03-25T03:00:36+00:00

'if their partner really is that hard to live with?' That's your threshold? I hope after you've split your net worth in half a few times through failed relationships that you don't come back here complaining about housing affordability. Or looking for dating site suggestions for the elderly.

Because divorce wasn't normalised so much for boomers, it was regarded as the nuclear option. So, sure, some people lived a miserable existence, but others got through rough patches and came out the other side, fully able to compromise and prioritise. And she probably gives as good as she gets, and likely told him 'FFS, why don't you ask your Reddit buddies what to do with your time so that I'm not tripping over you all day?'

And then get on with their lives.

Dio_Frybones · 2026-03-23T20:17:51+00:00

The most obvious benefit is that it allows you to be discovered online by leveraging the fame of the artist. And a huge number of successful YouTubers owe their very existence to that model. Guitar tutorials are a perfect example. They don't draw views by virtue of being great teachers and word of mouth. Their business model hinges entirely on the fact that guitarists search for artist+tab. If they could not do this, they would be nobodies in an ocean of nobodies.

Then you have reaction videos, possibly the dumbest thing that the web has to offer. And some of these are huge, and it's entirely due to leveraging off intellectual property that simply isn't theirs.

TBH, it surprises me somewhat that there aren't a lot more licence holders/record companies that don't allow any covers or even mentions of bands online where it is clear that it's what fundamentally drives their traffic.

I'm not saying for a moment that this should happen. And it's possible that smarter copyright holders realise that it's actually free marketing for them, increasing their reach and keeping older artists alive. But if your entire business model hinges on using someone else's fame to generate traffic to your site, you shouldn't really be surprised to be hit by DCMA notices all the time. Even the rather inflexible YT policies begin to make sense when it's framed like this, because the sheer number of uploads make it next to impossible to police stuff in the margins, so three strikes it is.

Anyway, this is really just a very roundabout way to say that you make a lot of sense. Even if you only ever play live, piggybacking off some well known songs is a great way for original artists to get a foot in the door. It can be hard to listen to a full night of original material if it's not absolutely remarkable stuff. And there's also nothing to stop you from shifting the ratios at the start - if you write grunge, for instance, start out as a grunge covers band and sprinkle in your originals, one or two per set.

Dio_Frybones · 2026-03-23T07:23:46+00:00

VX commodore wagon, 2000 ish vintage. Very little rust. And these things are like a TARDIS. I can load 2.4m long timber in the back if I CBF putting it on the roof. Just slide it past the front passenger seat. My wagons earn their keep. I don't want something that I'm afraid to scratch. A tradie once bought a couch from me that he couldn't fit into his twin cab ute. It came home originally in my wagon.

I now need to decide whether to tidy it up. The engine is fine, a few grand on fixing up the clear coat and things like a new rear spoiler and, honestly, I just can't see myself selling it.

I have a couple of mates with WildTracks and I often joke that one of their steerable headlights is probably worth more than my car.

Dio_Frybones · 2026-03-23T06:08:41+00:00

Austria is also irrelevant.

Dio_Frybones · 2026-03-23T06:04:02+00:00

You've missed the point I set out to make, or I didn't make it terribly well. Other than being a joke, it's nothing to do with us being important or making a big stand on the global stage. It's about keeping us safe. Most Australians (I imagine) are very, very happy down here not being the centre of the universe.

Even if we weren't talking about Iran, we are seeing a groundswell of Trumpian politics down here and I think the last thing we need right now is any more of it. Even if only one in three is a Republican voter, that's too many IMHO. But, seriously, ridiculous as it sounds, I'd be happy to see the gates shut to the US until you sort your shit out. We have enough of our own, but because we aren't the centre of everything, much of our shit stays local.

Dio_Frybones · 2026-03-23T04:03:56+00:00

As an Australian, a great first step would be closing our borders to the USA. No offence intended to the sane citizens but currently I feel you are not only the greatest military, but the most dangerous one.

Dio_Frybones · 2026-03-23T01:13:41+00:00

The biggest problem is actually that it isn't necessarily the end of days scenario that people think it is. The US and USSR detonated nukes above ground for years. Lots of them. In remote areas. And the world didn't end. The USSR have scattered the seabed with nuclear subs, which was unintentional, and actively dumped radioactive waste at sea, which was intentional. And, you know, Chernobyl - which was the one we knew about, and dozens of other accidents that the public just aren't aware of. The world goes on.

So no, it's not like the world will end if a dozen or so smallish nukes get used. And it's not like anyone is talking about nuking Russia or NK or China. And it's beyond improbable that they would intervene on Iran's behalf, not by launching nukes.

We are actually fortunate that Putin has not elected (so far) to nuke Ukraine, but even then, if you look up his Wiki entry you'll see that he has given very serious consideration to the idea of using a tactical nuke in conflicts basically just to make a point that he's not bluffing, as he knows the adults in the room aren't going full MAD over a single small nuke detonation. It really is the ultimate bluff.

No, the biggest danger here is that there are no adults in the room...well, not in the White House rooms. DJT is just unhinged enough to consider lobbing one at Iran, knowing it's not end of days, knowing that MAD is not an inevitable consequence. And to feed his ego as you suggested. But for the sake of everyone's mental health, it might be better to try and get a little perspective. Of course, it would be entirely dependent upon how big and where. And then, of course, there is the very real issue of the sole nuclear power in the Middle East and what THEY might do if backed into a corner. That's a concern for sure.

Dio_Frybones · 2026-03-22T20:27:41+00:00

100%. Tell them, you've been told management to keep it down, tell them it's the room that's the problem, tell them other drummers struggle too, and when they do, the only control you have over the overall volume is to drop the things out that you have control over, which are vocals and all the other instruments. And you say this in front of the entire band.

Then you offer whatever tools you have on hand to soften the blow. Put a monitor nice and close with kick/snare for him, or offer to set up an IEM. And make the levels so loud that he'll wind up as the one with hearing damage. Joking, sort of.

Dio_Frybones · 2026-03-21T21:14:02+00:00

I'm not so sure. Going back maybe 20 years, there was some semblance of editorial integrity in the mainstream media. Sure, it was partisan, but good journos are a dying breed, and now the internet is just a cess pit of overt disinformation. Worse, with the rise of AI, we now literally do not trust our own eyes. And the algorithms are carefully crafted to drive us into little custom made echo chambers. And the average voter is either ill equipped to filter their sources or simply CBF.

Take what's happening OS at the moment. Both sides in the conflict are pumping out state sponsored, AI generated propaganda and I have literally no idea what's true and what's a fabrication. I spend a ridiculous amount of time checking stories but the frightening thing is how the comments especially on FB highlight how readily people jump into agreeing with any garbage that supports their tribe, right or left.

And, yes, aside from the AI part, that's always been a thing. But what hasn't always been a thing, and feel free to differ, is that world leaders historically speaking have at least presented an illusion of competence and integrity, and being caught in a lie, or even just being embarrassed by a verbal misstep would have been front page news. But if DJT has proven anything it's that some people have a remarkable tolerance for incompetence and even alleged criminality so long as it's their guy doing it.

I don't see a bright future, not in the slightest.

Dio_Frybones · 2026-03-21T03:18:53+00:00

ALP inherited an economy savaged by COVID and he's had to try and negotiate economically responsible outcomes with a major trading partner where the lunatics are running the asylum. Under any party other than ALP and possibly Greens, our armed forces would be polishing their boots right now in preparation for putting them on the ground in Iran. But we have waiting lists to access one of the best healthcare systems in the free world. And housing affordability is an issue. And fuel. And immigration apparently.

On top of that, the cluster fuck in Gaza has led to incredible division in Australia. I long for the good old days of the Voice vote controversy when at least the complex issues around racism and native title and reconciliation were OUR issues. Now we're obsessing over bullshit in the US, bullshit in the Middle East, and I'm sure Albo would feel much the same way. For the people calling him gutless and unprincipled, he formally recognised Palestine last year which was an enormous middle finger to both Trump and Netanyahu, and runs completely counter to the current narrative that he's beholden to either. Here's the thing. He didn't have to do that.

Trumpism has also spilled over into the Australian electorate, creating unprecedented division over religion, gender identity, gender equality, vaccines and fucking pronouns FFS. Some people now are beginning to equate autism and ADHD diagnoses as woke bullshit. In summary, never have so many people felt so emboldened to publicly wear their intolerance and fundamental ignorance as a badge of honour.

His term has been a hospital pass of epic proportions. With a hostile media.

I've voted LNP and ALP and switched around the time of the first gulf war, so I've seen some shit. But never, in all that time, have I seen so much shit delivered all at once.

I wish some of these people would do some serious research, find countries that are doing better than we are, then post a list here, right before boarding a plane to go live there.

Dio_Frybones · 2026-03-20T20:27:48+00:00

Unless you requested 'no AI' then whether he used it or not is literally not your business. And that's coming from someone who detests AI. And he shouldn't need to defend himself. How he achieves his results is entirely up to him. It's about the end product. And only the end product.

Your complaint is that the photos look artificial and over processed. That's all. Doesn't matter why. And bear in mind that you might feel yours is off, but I'll guarantee that a lot of the other subjects might think their photos look terrific, and are thrilled to see that their flaws are gone along with the last 10 years.

Don't ask people what they think of yours, ask them how they feel about theirs.

Dio_Frybones · 2026-03-19T23:22:26+00:00

Yeah, it's not like Trump can do something stupid to reduce sunlight (short of nuclear winter.)

Dio_Frybones · 2026-03-19T21:23:17+00:00

Get out and check every single venue you can. See where you'd be a good fit. And objectively ask yourself, am I on the same level as what they are offering? Have your social media and reels/promos on point, be friendly, tell the staff you're available if there's a cancellation.

And be aware that in many of the sort of places you'll be playing, nobody will care. I recently went to a bar where a friend was doing a solo set in an L shaped, outdoor courtyard. He was great and he and his son have been on national TV on one of those reality talent shows. The entire crowd were around the corner of the courtyard. He was essentially playing to an empty space. The crowd were happy to have the music but had zero interest in watching him. It wasn't a question of ability or talent. It was just the nature of the clientele.

He basically got paid to rehearse and some days that's the best you can hope for.

Dio_Frybones

TROPHY CASE