Glastonbury

[Marineboy63]

Spent the weekend at Glastonbury and was very disappointed by the generally poor quality of the sound.

 

Massive, distorted bass that can be heard from 4 miles away, but mid range almost completely missing and incomprehensible vocals even when fairly close to the stage. This was true of both the oudoor stages and tents like the John Peel Stage and even the acoustic tent.

 

It's like listening to music underwater. Why does the bass and kick drum need to be so overpowering?

[Simon Lewis]

Perhaps Dr Dre knows the answer?!

[pete10uk]

For a number of years I have done some work back stage in a hospitality marquee at a large outdoor festival. We normally have been given a live feed from the main stage, one thing that has always surprised me is that the mix and clarity of this feed is great ( when the powers that be say we can have it) but if you wonder out in to the crowd the clarity vanishes. I have watched many big acts in the corner of a hospitality rent with my headphones on and my own personal 32" stage feed. I find it the best way.

 

I don't remember it being this way 10 years ago, I went to a number of large festivals in my teens but if I go outdoors now I always have something to say about poor sound.

 

Maybe I just know bad sound when I hear it now or perhaps it's a H&S thing or could be a licence condition.

 

I did go to a bonjovi concert in the late 90's in Germany, I do remember the sound being poor for the first half of the gig but then some one found the cable which had been tripped over then all was good, the next day the local paper's front page was bonjovi das sound ist das flop ( or similar) it proves that back then it was a big deal.

[S&L]

difficult to comment on one person's view point if we weren't there (I wasn't) - messages back and forward on a facebook page in the last day comment on how good the martin rig on the pyramid stage sounded to engineers on site, one working on another stage particularly singled out the john peel stage to ask who was running the rig and what it was because it sounded so good - apparently l-acoustics V-DOSC, with dV fills and SB28 subs by an essex PA co. (no idea if all this is accurate and above my pay grade so would hardly know l-acoustics if I fell over one).

the tv feeds sounded really decent I thought both online and on my modest tv.

 

 

I guess my points are:

1. it's impossible to comment in detail - opinions vary Unless we were there we don't have a point of reference.

2. I'm not thus far hearing complaints elsewhere about sound on the ground.

3. the guys on the ground apparently thought all was well - which may say as much about what the modern ear, professional and amateur, expects. that isn't necessarily a good thing.

4. the OB engineers earned their money this year.

5. I like my sofa, I don't like mud or standing around and unless I'm engineering, the sofa is the best place to watch a festival for me.

[Alec]

the tv feeds sounded really decent I thought both online and on my modest tv.

 

Haven't sat through much footage yet, but Dolly's show (albeit fab and rammed) had some pretty patchy sound - not to mention that I couldn't believe she wasn't miming for a large chunk of the show.

[BigYinUK]

not to mention that I couldn't believe she wasn't miming for a large chunk of the show.[/Quote]

 

Interesting you bringing that up as that's exactly what I thought, although I've been flamed elsewhere for suggesting it.

 

Her headworn mic sounded awful, the vocals were weedy and indistinct. The gold plated handheld (sorry not a mic gearhead really) sounded much better.

 

Was she actually playing that Alto sax? (I think not, personally).

 

Regards all

[paulears]

It was a soprano, and what we heard a tenor - so absolutely no. She also put it down on the pad side, where the mechanism is - nobody who plays a sax does this. It was a prop, that's all. She does play guitar and banjo, even though her nails are crazily bent. I thought she was miming at first, but I think it was actually a delay, and more obvious on the handheld. The headset mic sounded pretty typical I thought. She sings many songs in a syncopated style making miming amazingly difficult - especially as she often talks between lines. I was pretty happy with it in general - and it sounded a lot better than the ones I'd never heard of. I sat and watched Blondie and Brian Ferry with my son and D in L, and they slowly looked at me and said "are these people for real?"

[dosxuk]

Blondie certainly sounded a lot better in person on Sunday night than what I saw on the TV from Friday. But overall, the TV coverage sounded OK to me, especially compared to some of the disasters the BBC have put out in the past.

[S&L]

same facebook page had someone purporting to have it from someone on the pyramid stage that she mimed half and sang half. at the time I read that, I did some googling and apparently her last tour had the same criticisms.

I'm not sure whether it all sounded better to me because my ears are off or because I was listen via a cheap tv and a pair of pc speakers and iplayer. but to me the OB sounded better than some OB's we were talking here last year (or was it year before?).

 

incidentally the dolly mic thing - her headsets are apparently countryman isomax and I thought sounded remarkably 'even' and rich for a headset mic. a musician asked me why the two mics and unless she was using the handheld to trigger a recorded phrase then I'm at a loss for an explanation.

[andy_s]

the only thing I paid any attention to this year was Robert Plant's show. I thought it sounded quite good on my 15 yr-old CRT TV set - not exactly hi-fi, but I could hear everything, vocals, guitar, weird African fiddle thing, etc. no hint of "missing centre speaker syndrome" which has afflicted other OBs in the recent past.

 

just wondering whether there are any tix left for the Roundhouse - a much better venue than a muddy field.

[Alec]

I thought she was miming at first, but I think it was actually a delay, and more obvious on the handheld. The headset mic sounded pretty typical I thought. She sings many songs in a syncopated style making miming amazingly difficult - especially as she often talks between lines.

Listen again to her delivery on I Will Always Love You - sounds far too studio to be live, surely? I still loved the set, mind!

 

the only thing I paid any attention to this year was Robert Plant's show. I thought it sounded quite good on my 15 yr-old CRT TV set - not exactly hi-fi, but I could hear everything, vocals, guitar, weird African fiddle thing, etc. no hint of "missing centre speaker syndrome" which has afflicted other OBs in the recent past.

 

just wondering whether there are any tix left for the Roundhouse - a much better venue than a muddy field.

 

Indeed, Plant's set made me sit up and listen with a smile on my face too! Had the same thought as you, but the Roundhouse show is sadly sold out.

 

As is their show for Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott, one of the other stars of the weekend. Thankfully, having dithered for a while, I picked up one of the last tickets just in time on Saturday.

[kerry davies]

Plant and Adams together is a mighty sound live and I thought the Glasto TV not bad but nothing like the real thing. I have been very lucky in that I have heard Robert sing in back rooms and pubs and school halls and when he is with Justin it goes up a notch.

 

The best I have heard him since Bath in 1969, and one memorable "Stormy Monday" in a pub, was with the Mighty Rearranger band at Warwick SU when I blagged an invite and if you guys can manage to see Robert with Justin, then move heaven and earth.

[waster]

I was there on Sunday with a Band on Monitors. After our show our FOH and I went for a wander round the site for a few hours. Listened to bands on the Pyramid Stage, Other Stage and West Holts Stage all of which sounded good to us. Also was impressed by the amount of Kara that was surrounding some alien like structure with a DJ in it and the amount of V-DOSC that had been put in for one of the dance stages that a friend of mine was with an act on. Everywhere seemed to be running at a good volume so they must have off site levels under control well.

 

Anyways hats off to anyone working it.

[top-cat]

Also was impressed by the amount of Kara that was surrounding some alien like structure with a DJ in it a

 

 

Arcadia?

 

 

 

Kara now? They always used to be pretty loyal to Funktion One in the past, used to have heaps of it in little piles all around the outside, pointing in; plus fills on the structure.

[azlan]

According to the guys over on speaker plans it was kara and arcs this year, with cardiod arrays of sb18's. The conjecture is that it was because they have basically outgrown the arena, and needed a new solution to increase sound levels in the arena whilst keeping the spill manageable for environmental health.