Opeth's Live Sound

TheLordofGuitars

TheLordofGuitars

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Jun 14, 2003
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This is an observation I have had and I want to know if anyone else has noticed this too. I've been to three Opeth concerts over the past 4 years and everytime I see them at the marquee theater in Tempe, AZ the live sound mix is terrible.

Now the band is tight (from what I can hear), good energy but the kick drums and the bass guitar overpower pretty much everything. It's like you have to strain your ears and use your eyes to hear what the guitar and vocals are doing. I always wear high quality ear plugs so the dB volume is attenuated, not the frequencies.

Anyone know if they have a live sound engineer on the road with them or do they just use the house engineer for each venue? I love seeing Opeth I just wish I could hear a clean, loud mix where everything is audible. It kind of ruins the experience when the sound sucks. I have seen plenty of other bands at this venue and the mix has sounded amazing, so it's not the venue. If they don't have a live sound engineer on the road, maybe its time Road Runner invested some money into that.
 
No idea about the sound engineer, however when I saw them recently in Mass, the sound was phenomenal where I was sitting on the balcony. Everyone sounded tight as a witches cleft!
 
Yeah - I must say that I found mikes vocals a little too quiet when I saw them in April on DOF in Glasgow - But not bad enough to make it any less amazing - but it can't be a constant lack of a good live sound since Lamentations and Roundhouse Tapes sound flawless :kickass:
 
Many guys are using bad hearing-protection, the kind of plugs that will take a way all the top and high-mid and awash everything in bass. When I've seen opeth I think at least8 out of 14 times have had amazing sound. I tend to skip the plugs if I can and just stand a bit further away from the stage. Otherwise those Doc Pro Plugs could be a good idea, they're almost even frequensywise and cut volume a little less than cheapo pluggs, basicly, they just prevent hearing damage without doing anything else.
 
I saw them in Melbourne (at the Palace) and his voice was definitely too quiet. When he was talking between songs you could not hear it at all, and during the music it kept getting buried beneath the kick drum and bass.

Definitely not the best mix i've heard. Porcupine Tree at the same venue 3 months before on the other hand was absolutely incredible.
 
JemGaarenstroom said:
I saw them in Melbourne (at the Palace) and his voice was definitely too quiet. When he was talking between songs you could not hear it at all, and during the music it kept getting buried beneath the kick drum and bass.

Definitely not the best mix i've heard. Porcupine Tree at the same venue 3 months before on the other hand was absolutely incredible.
Click to expand...

Pretty much the same problem at the Marquee Theater. But when he talked you could hear him pretty well.
 
at the show I saw last month, I started off in the stand right behind the sound desk (usually the best sounding spot) and the sound was good but seemed a bit low in the volume. Once I moved closer to the stage it sounded perfect. Usually sound issues have as much to do with the venue and positioning as the sound guy from past experience. Also on the Adelaide show Mikael asked everyone to turn around and celebrate the sound guys birthday with a resounding "Fuck Off!"
 
First time I saw them was in Richmond, for the Progressive Nation tour, and their sound was terrible. Just like you said, too much drums, too much base, though vocals came through okay.

This last time, in Milwaukee, they adjusted the sound after the first song, and it was perfect. Not overwhelmingly loud, and very balanced; actually the best sound I've had at any concert. So I guess it just depends on the venue and the night.
 
JemGaarenstroom said:
I saw them in Melbourne (at the Palace) and his voice was definitely too quiet. When he was talking between songs you could not hear it at all, and during the music it kept getting buried beneath the kick drum and bass.

Definitely not the best mix i've heard. Porcupine Tree at the same venue 3 months before on the other hand was absolutely incredible.
Click to expand...
?I heard it fine, the sound wasn't as good as at The Forum and I will agree the sound at PT was better, but "could not hear it at all" :erk:. Though he barely talked between songs so you didn't miss much ;). Then again you were up on the balcony and I was pretty much standing next to him haha. And yeah Coty (with a T, I thought it was Cody but after seeing him in Mike's myspace friends it's Coty) is the guitar tech.
 
I am a live sound engineer based in the Tempe, AZ and I've seen Opeth perform live at the Dodge Theater. I have to say it was one of the best live mixes I have ever heard. Everything was so clear and present. Those PRS Guitars sounded amazing and not too harsh and screechy like most heavy metal concerts. They also opened for Megadeth that night which I've seen the twice in the Phoenix area and I have to say it was a frustrating night because I could hardly hear Dave Mustaine's vocals both times.

Back to Opeth, I'm sure they do have their own sound engineer on the road. I couldn't tell you if it's the same engineer for every tour. Probably not because it seems the sound quality is not consistent from tour to tour. Sound engineers are usually chosen through friendships or long lasting relationships. I've heard unknown, small club sound engineers mix way better than long time, big name sound engineers. It's a strange industry. :headbang:
 
The last two times they have played here in Sydney, they played at the Luna Park Big Top and both times they sounded great from the balcony (admittedly right above the front-of-house) and that surprised me because pretty much every other (loud) band that I have seen there have sounded like shite.
 
opeth @ the thebbie in Adelaide = fantastical-tasticness.

I seen them on their 08 tour and was blown away.
Although it was my first time seeing them live,
so it could have been a complete washout, and i wouldnt have noticed over the excitement.
 
@topic same thing in India too.....the mids seemed a bit lower, and the bass and the kick drum was kinda overpowering everything, although it became a bit better when i moved closer to the soundboard, but overall the keys wasnt loud enough, the guitars weren't defined perfectly and the vocals were ok ok.
 
I assume people are keeping in mind where they are standing. Obviously a mix should sound better closer to the front-of-house (i.e. mixing desk position). Also if they are playing outdoors, that would probably affect the sound dramatically as well (the concerts in Inida were outdoor right?).
 
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