Outboard VU meter for leveling out kits?

[TK]

We have a novice audio guy come in and record our band practice once a week. Lately he's been complaining that my drum levels are all over the place....mostly on a kit to kit basis (meaning one entire kit is louder/softer than another) but sometime he'll mention that a tom or cymbal is too loud in relation to the other. I have a good ear for this kind of stuff, and through my Sony DJ headphones is all sounds fairly well balanced, but I guess he's being extremely critical...My question: Does anyone know of an inline/outboard VU meter that can give me an accurate visual representation of my kits overall and internal instrument output levels? Thanks!

[Boingo]

Re: Outboard VU meter for leveling out kits?

Originally posted by TK
We have a novice audio guy come in and record our band practice once a week. Lately he's been complaining that my drum levels are all over the place....mostly on a kit to kit basis (meaning one entire kit is louder/softer than another) but sometime he'll mention that a tom or cymbal is too loud in relation to the other. I have a good ear for this kind of stuff, and through my Sony DJ headphones is all sounds fairly well balanced, but I guess he's being extremely critical...My question: Does anyone know of an inline/outboard VU meter that can give me an accurate visual representation of my kits overall and internal instrument output levels? Thanks!

Do not know much about the VU meters, but chances are he is not being overly critical. Different headphones as well as different amplification systems will react differently. It seems to me you will get changes when you adjust your signal strength too i.e., suddenly a cymbal or kick seems to be louder. I have adjusted in my basement according to my Sony V6 headphones and get differences when I play through my Peavey amp. I copy my stuff to the mem card and transfer it to the TD-10 at my Church. Again, different responses with different equipment. I adjust to whatever the soundman wants. Afterall, I'm supposed to be playing for the house and not me or the stage.

If your levels within the kit are balanced, then it should be a simple mater of adjusting the group volume level (Control Room - Volume - Grpvol - Drums).

[Stixx777]

I stopped switching kit for the most part for that reason. It was to much work to make all the kits level from kit to kit. Know I use only a couple of kits with the most that changes is the snare sound and some of the extra sounds. I think some kits where just louder, or EQ'ed different and sounded strange in some venues. So I stop switching so I could get a great sound all the time.