The term backline is used in popular music and the context of sound reinforcement systems to refer to electronic audio amplification equipment and speaker enclosures placed behind bands or rhythm parts on stage, including amplifiers and speaker cabinets for guitars, bass guitars and keyboard. In the US and Canada, the term has been expanded to include many musical instruments played by rhythm musicians, including pianos, Hammond organs, drum kits and various percussion instruments such as congas and bongos.
Video Backline (stage)
Jenis
The type of backline equipment varies according to the style of music played in the venue or show space. Heavy metal music clubs usually have heaps of big, powerful Marshall guitars. In contrast, blues or country music bars usually have a Fender Bassman or a traditional "tweed" guitar amplifier. A jazz club usually has a grand piano for a jazz pianist. For bass players, small jazz clubs may have medium-sized "combo" amplifiers, which include power amplifiers and one or more speakers in a wood cabinet; rock nightclubs may have a hefty "bass pile", which pair power boosters with one or two large speaker cabinets. Some places have large stage pianos with MIDI input; the instrument has a standalone sound for piano and electric piano and with MIDI input, can be used as a MIDI controller and is used to trigger the sound of the synth module or clonewheel organ sound. Backline equipment may also include accessories, such as drum throttle, keyboard bench, bench for upright bass player and keyboard booth for keyboard player.
The term is used in contracts signed by the band with music festivals and venues. Top bands may have very specific backline requirements, which not only include the list of amplifiers and required instruments, but also include the brand name and model number. Newly emerging groups on their first small club tour will usually not have the influence of negotiations to request brands and special models of back-line equipment. Thus, the band's "technical specification" requirements of the band's backline that emerged as part of its contract may only ask the place manager for a generic, generic type of equipment (eg, bass combo amplifier with at least 200 watts, two medium-sized combo guitars with at least 50 watts, and amp keyboard with at least 100 watts of power). A top touring band rider can specify, for example, Ampeg SVT Pro amplifier amplifier and 8x10 "Ampeg cabinet for Bassist speaker head and Fender Bandmaster head and Fender 4x10" for electric guitarist. This term is often used in this sense to speak generally about equipment available or required by musicians. (eg "What's the back line at a music festival? The band wants to know if they need to bring their own drum or amp.")
Maps Backline (stage)
History
In the early days of rock music in the early 1960s, PA systems were not too hard or strong. As a result, 1960 rock bands usually use PA systems only for vocals, even if they play in large venues. As a result, rhythmic musicians who play electric guitars, electric basses and keyboards are expected to produce enough volume to fill the venue using their own instrument amplifiers. To achieve a charging sound with their instruments, bands from the 1960s typically use large, powerful "piles" of guitars and large speaker enclosures. A standard cabinet used by guitarists and bassists during this era was a heavy 8x10 cabinet, containing eight ten-inch speakers.Some players even "daisy-chained" multiple amplifiers together to create louder sounds, especially with groups from heavy metal music.
During the 1960s, PA speakers for vocals and band amplification were all arranged in lines, which conceptually grouped PA and amplification instruments together. This changed during the 1970s and 1980s, because the PA system became strong enough to amplify all band instruments and vocals. During this era, the rear gear was mounted behind the PA speakers to create a modern audio stage setting. Modern monitoring techniques, in which the monitor speakers point to players placed on stage, as well as the concept of front and rear lines, developed during this era.
Rationale
Backline equipment can be rented for concert tours or the use of a recording studio. Many traveling musicians choose not to transport their own backpacks across borders and continents for fear of customary damage or hassles, which makes renting backline equipment on tour is an attractive option. Many music festivals and venues provide backline equipment. In some countries, all electronic and electrical equipment require documentation and certification by an electrician before they can be taken to the country. Another problem is that some bands can travel to a country or continent that uses different types of AC power and different shapes.
Festivals and venues provide backline gear for speeding up the process of changing bands on stage, in cases where multiple bands perform on the same day or night, because drums, bass amps, keyboards, etc., do not have to be moved and out of the stage and then heard again. Variety TV shows featuring performances by several bands will use the backline to accelerate the transition between bands. If guitarists, bassists, keyboards, and drummers all use the same equipment, then there are few settings and sound checks to be done for each new band. Another reason is that when a festival uses young bands that appear as an opening artist, having a professional backstroke means that sound engineers do not have to deal with simple-quality amps, which may have ground loops, humming or noise, or cheap amplifiers produces undesired clippings when amp is pushed to its maximum volume.
Large recording studios usually have a grand piano for players to use. They may also have Hammond organs and a selection of popular guitar amplifiers and guitar speaker cabinets. This makes the recording process more convenient for the players, as they do not have to move these heavy equipment and musical equipment into the studio. Just like a music venue, when a studio has backline equipment, they can set it up and ready to record. For example, a grand piano studio usually has multiple microphones installed in the stands to capture the sound of the piano.
Instruments and equipment not included
Even when there is a back line, musicians are usually expected to carry their own equipment and equipment, with the exception of a keyboardist who plays a Hammond or grand piano organ, which may only be able to come into place without instruments or equipment. Guitarists usually carry their own electric guitars, acoustic guitars, effects units (eg, reverb and pedal distortion) and picks; bassists usually carry their own electric bass, upright bass, and any effect unit (eg, audio compressor or bass preamplifier) ââthey normally use; drummers still have to bring their own snare drum, drum sticks and, in some cases, cymbals and bass drum pedals.
Although the musicians still have to bring their own equipment and equipment, having a backline still speeds up the setup and soundchecking process. For example, with a bassist, the bass stack (amp and speaker cabinet) will be set onstage, plugged into AC power, connected by XLR cable through DI box output to the mixing console, and the microphone will be mounted in front of the speakers on the mic stand catch the bass tone). With the drummer, even if they have to carry their snare and cymbals, all the drums and big tribunes are set up and a microphone is mounted in the stands around the drum kit. All they have to do is to install their snare and cymbals in the stands. Thus the rear gear speeds the transition between bands.
Roles
Backline guitar technician, audio technician and stage crew organize and get rid of backline equipment. The heavy backline gear used will require routine maintenance to ensure that the device provides reliable performance and high quality sound. For example, pianos need to be tuned and maintained with new hooks, tube amplifiers need to be serviced or new tubes, speaker cabinets may need to install new speakers, and drums will require new drumheads. Moving drum kits, such as hi-hat stam cymbals, may need adjustment. Guitar techs usually deal with maintaining guitar amps and effects.
In places where the back line is left unlimited (for example, in the main nightclub or a variety TV show studio), the gear may be turned off when not in use, and the fabric can be placed on top of the equipment to keep it from being dusty. In music festivals with outdoor temporary platforms, backline equipment may have to be transported to climate controlled locked storage areas at the end of each day, to protect them from theft, vandalism, or bad weather. Backline technicians who travel with a tour action may also be called roadies, although the role of the road crew is usually limited to the transport and positioning of instruments and equipment. The treatment and repair of instruments and teeth is a special task that is handled by guitar, keyboard, and drum technicians.
Source of the article : Wikipedia