Basement rehearsal space

Before you buy anything listen to the room. If everyone is going to crank their volume and overplay the room then buying traps, diffusers and plexi shields will definitely make a big difference.

If everyone can control their volume then you can get away with much less. Learning not to overplay a room (even a small one) is a very good skill to have if you plan to go out and play gigs in different spaces.

In our trio's rehearsal space we get away with some bass traps in the corners and a pillow in the kick drum. Done! We even record in there sometimes and it sounds good. But again this is a jazz trio with an awesome light touch drummer. If it was a metal band with a drummer that beats the you know what out of their kit - then that is a much different sitchy.
 
I'd set up personal monitor mixers for everyone to use headphones / in-ears and a "silent stage". Here's what I use in the studio:

16-channels of input go here and are converted to "ultranet" digital audio over a single ethernet cable:
https://www.behringer.com/behringer/product?modelCode=P0420

that signal goes to a distribution hub/router that supports up to 8 personal mixers:
https://www.behringer.com/behringer/product?modelCode=P0944

Then you get one of these for each player:
https://www.behringer.com/behringer/product?modelCode=P0421

I pick what appears on the 16-channels for each session and each player gets to make their own mix. If you have more than 8 players, you can daisy-chain the personal mixers.

I never have to deal with "more me" requests :)

EDIT: I didn't remember that the P16-I has 6 personal mixer outs, so you may not need the P16-D.
 
Musikron said:
IEM would work the best in that situation. Outside that I'd just get a handful of poweredwedges and forego the columns.
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So when you go out and play a gig with no FOH do you give the audience IEMs too?

Unless you are going to play venues that ALL have FOH support then do your self a favor get some columns, learn how to dial in a decent live sound and how not to overplay a room. I played in a cover band that did a large variety of gigs from clubs with FOH, to outdoor festivals with FOH, to backyard wedding receptions, to corporate parties in a variety of rooms. If we coudn't do our own FOH then 2/3's of our gigs would not have been possible.

IEMs are not a panacea for any of that.
 
TG3K said:
A freight elevator. 😉
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Ha ha … I was thinking loading dock

plan GIF
 
∞Fractals said:
Ha ha … I was thinking loading dock

plan GIF
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I laughed so hard!

I imagine the recent fall over the handlebars on my bike looked very similar to that from a third person perspective. It didn't look like he was able to break his fall any more than I did. Still laughing though - now at how I imagine I must have looked too. Epic face plant for sure!
 
Practicality wins - the "more pro" your rehearsals, IMO, the more you can get away with an IEM rig. But, you probably want it relatively similar to how you're going to perform. That's the entire point of rehearsals.

If you're talking about a jam space to have fun in (which is also a worthwhile endeavor), then it's a lot more about whatever makes you (and everyone else) happy. Personally...that still means IEMs, but I just can't stand the guitar amps I like turned up to where I think they sound good. Especially not in a basement.

I like IEMs at home a lot for a variety of reasons. Among them are that I don't bother anyone else, and I hear the "same thing" whether the room is silent or not. There's not much danger of me playing for real people, but if I did...it would also sound basically the same...because I specifically like IEMs.

Rex Rox said:
So when you go out and play a gig with no FOH do you give the audience IEMs too?

Unless you are going to play venues that ALL have FOH support then do your self a favor get some columns, learn how to dial in a decent live sound and how not to overplay a room. I played in a cover band that did a large variety of gigs from clubs with FOH, to outdoor festivals with FOH, to backyard wedding receptions, to corporate parties in a variety of rooms. If we coudn't do our own FOH then 2/3's of our gigs would not have been possible.

IEMs are not a panacea for any of that.
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No, but they absolutely can be part of it. If you're hearing what you're used to you can scale up/down the FOH without really changing what you're used to hearing.

Xrocker said:
Mini fridge, fans, incense.
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Also don't forget the lava lamp.

ETA: I'm also a huge fan of room treatments if there are going to be speakers or instruments that actually make room sound. FWIW, bass traps do not make less bass. They even out the bass over the room. They are also not a panacea...if the room is small, you physically cannot fit enough bass trapping in it to completely even out the bottom few octaves. Also, unless the room is quite large, diffusion doesn't actually do enough to be worth spending actual money on. Pretty much anything that breaks up flat/parallel surfaces works as well as the fancy stuff until you're talking about very large purpose-built rooms.
 
JasonB5232 said:
Wondering if anyone has advice/resources on turning a finished basement into a rehearsal space.

Mixer
Monitors
Acoustics
Microphones

What am I not thinking about sort of thing?

Thanks
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Unless you're dead set on a live room with amps and acoustic drums just get a digital mixer with enough sends for each member, a headphone amp for each member and you can rehearse silently.
 
Rex Rox said:
Unless you are going to play venues that ALL have FOH support then do your self a favor get some columns, learn how to dial in a decent live sound and how not to overplay a room.
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This is great advice. Most of our band's gigs are small venues or private/corporate parties where we do our own sound (we have a "sound guy", but I wouldn't call that FOH). One of the best learning experiences that a home/basement rehearsal situation provides is adjusting to the room.

Your drum choice is critical. If you use acoustic drums as opposed to electric, you'll find out pretty quickly that your drummer's dynamics drive everything. If he or she is loud, the rest of the band will just get louder and you'll end up with a sonic mess. But if you use the space to train playing to the room as noted above, you'll be able to adjust to any situation.

Even on a huge festival stage, FOH engineers love a band that doesn't overplay... guitar amps bleeding into mics, kick drum rattling subs, bass amp that overpowers the PA, etc. They very much appreciate not having to tell anyone to turn down.
 
marsonic said:
I just can't stand the guitar amps I like turned up to where I think they sound good.
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Then use a load box/attenuator.
marsonic said:
I like IEMs at home a lot for a variety of reasons. Among them are that I don't bother anyone else, and I hear the "same thing" whether the room is silent or not.
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The OP said he wasn't concerned about bothering his neighbors or anyone else. He is playing in a band not in isolation by himself. Also IEMs will not solve anything for a drummer that plays loud (except to protect your hearing). That would require an electronic kit. Unless your drummer is going to use an e-kit on stage and in rehearsals then you have already broken the guidance about using in rehearsals what you will use live.
 
Rex Rox said:
Then use a load box/attenuator.
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You're on a fractal forum....fractal sounds better than any load I've tried. By far.

Rex Rox said:
The OP said he wasn't concerned about bothering his neighbors or anyone else. He is playing in a band not in isolation by himself. Also IEMs will not solve anything for a drummer that plays loud (except to protect your hearing). That would require an electronic kit. Unless your drummer is going to use an e-kit on stage and in rehearsals then you have already broken the guidance about using in rehearsals what you will use live.
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Okay. I said those were among the reasons I like IEMs, not the only reason. I also think they sound more consistent and can easily sound better. If I were doing what the OP was talking about doing, I'm pretty sure the first thing I'd buy would be a digital console to run IEMs and speakers.

In a live venue, yeah...I like for the snare to smack me in the chest and the bass to rumble my nether regions. But, I also never want sound loud enough to do that to hit my eardrums again...and I think IEMs are a better solution than earplugs.
 
marsonic said:
You're on a fractal forum....fractal sounds better than any load I've tried. By far.
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Thanks captain obvious. So why did you bring up amps in the first place? BTW the OP said not everyone is going to use a modeler - a couple will be using amps. Did you even read the whole thread?
marsonic said:
If I were doing what the OP was talking about doing, I'm pretty sure the first thing I'd buy would be a digital console to run IEMs and speakers.
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As I already suggested. The OP also said the IEMs would be a tough sell to a couple of people in the band. What is your next advice? Replace those people with only those who will agree to use IEMs? :cool:

I was in a cover band where I offered to buy everyone IEMs. 2 of the members were not interested - even if I bought them.
 
IEMs are a big investment; it’s not just the cost of the systems… you have to consider mic’ing everything. Unless you are expecting everyone and everything (kick, snare, H/H, OH, toms, amps, etc) to be FOH mic-ready, or everyone has electronic/modeler equipment, or you are actually recording everything (studio style), then IEMs will be tough.

I’d spend that IEM money on a good digital mixer you can grow into. We use a Behringer X32 and it’s the one I see most out in the wild… but the price on those has doubled in the last 3-4 years. Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of the IPad docking style mixers that seem pretty versatile and more budget-friendly. Tons of good choices nowadays.

Then I’d just get some decent wedges for vocal monitors, SM 58s for anyone singing and see how it goes. With that base, you can start adding pieces to suit your needs.
 
Sevenmodes said:
IEMs are a big investment; it’s not just the cost of the systems… you have to consider mic’ing everything. Unless you are expecting everyone and everything (kick, snare, H/H, OH, toms, amps, etc) to be FOH mic-ready, or everyone has electronic/modeler equipment, or you are actually recording everything (studio style), then IEMs will be tough.

I’d spend that IEM money on a good digital mixer you can grow into. We use a Behringer X32 and it’s the one I see most out in the wild… but the price on those has doubled in the last 3-4 years. Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of the IPad docking style mixers that seem pretty versatile and more budget-friendly. Tons of good choices nowadays.

Then I’d just get some decent wedges for vocal monitors, SM 58s for anyone singing and see how it goes. With that base, you can start adding pieces to suit your needs.
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Excellent advice!

The experience I mentioned with the cover band I was in went beyond cost since I was going to foot the bill. It was a paradigm shift that a couple of members did not want to make. They wanted to hear the audience, converse freely without taking out an ear piece, etc.

It is never a solitary decision or at least it shouldn't be in any band. We all use them on stage in our jazz trio but everyone was on board with using them. As I said we still don't use them in rehearsals.
 
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