Submitted by jdb888 t3_10netzs in washingtondc
So a show at the Anthem and was appalled at the poor acoustics or sound engineering. The bass was so distorted that it sounded like there were shorts in speakers. The mixing on the vocals were too high. Is this normal for The Anthem or was this the band's inhouse engineer not knowing how to mix indoors vs outdoors.
Several times the band members were signaling hand gestures to their sound guy.
Anthem sound is great. The band had a bad sound guy.
I’ve seen several shows there and have always been blown away by how good things sound. I think it’s an isolated problem at your show.
That sounds like an individual show problem, unless the anthem had something goin wrong. Who was the band? I’ve been to maybe 20 shows there and have been impressed by a number of shows’ sound from a few different genres.
Greensky Bluegrass. Perhaps other commentators are right and their sound guy doesnt know the difference between a smallish inside venue and an outside festival.
It was quite distracting. Bass sounded like a teen blasting car stereo to the point of distortion.
I would say it’s a Greensky problem. I’ve seen Billy Strings at the Anthem and sound quality was great, so it’s not like they can’t handle the instruments/genre broadly.
I went to see Trixie and Katya at the Anthem and the sound was fine.
My first show there was Fleet Foxes in 2018 and I actually walked out because of how bad it sounded. Everything else I’ve seen there sounded really good (Except for A Place to Bury Strangers opening for Future Islands. Insane sonic assault and I had ears ringing for weeks, morons)
I've gone to maybe a dozen shows at The Anthem and I've always been disappointed by the sound (and non-sloped floor, stage height, entry process). I keep saying I'll never go back but increasingly more and more bands I want to see are skipping 9:30 (which I adore) for The Anthem. I've moved all around the venue and tried each level, but I always find the sound muddy and the vocals too low in the mix for my taste
Gus, and the rest of production team at the Anthem/930, are the best in the industry. Highly doubt that the problem came from Anthem staff.
I saw Tycho there and the sound was badly balanced as well. But I was also wearing earplugs, so maybe that had something to do with it.
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I dunno the sound there has always been good to me.
I am hard of hearing, so take that with a grain of salt.
We’re you on the second level? I find the narrow head room of the second level cuts off frequencies bad and that the floor and third level don’t suffer the same effect.
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If your local benchmark is the 9:30 Club then The Anthem is a disappointment, also in this aspect.
ZonaPunk t1_j68c6j9 wrote
that's the bands sound guy not knowing what he is doing...