I love playing at Galactic Panther. The walls are always changing with new art, so the room has a really cool, inspiring atmosphere.
The biggest thing to understand about the room is that it is basically a giant concrete box, so there is a lot of natural reverb. That affects just about everything you do with the sound.
My Recommendations
- Learn the Behringer X32 before the show if you can. That is the board they have in the room, and knowing your way around it will make your life much easier.
- Bring your own stage monitors. There were no monitors available for us to use.
- Drummers should bring their own rug. There is a small rug available, but I would not count on it being large enough for your setup.
- Consider smaller or quieter cymbals. Cymbals and snare can easily overpower this room. A larger audience will absorb some of the sound, but stage volume still matters.
- Keep guitar amp volume and reverb under control. The room already has a lot of natural reverb, and a loud or reverberant guitar amp can quickly overwhelm the vocals.
- Run as many signals through the PA as practical. Giving the person mixing control over the guitar and other instruments makes it much easier to carve out space for the vocals.
- Be prepared to handle your own sound. The staff will help you get the board turned on, but performers are expected to handle the equipment from there.
What They Have
They had all the XLR cables and mic stands I needed, along with music stands and guitar stands. They also had at least three microphones available, although I used my own because I had already practiced with my setup.
They have a few power strips available and a small rug. Drummers should still plan on bringing their own rug.
They also have two lights available to light the stage, so there is some basic stage lighting already there.
My Setup
I have not spent enough quality time with their Behringer X32 yet, so I brought my Behringer XR12 because I already knew my settings and could get everything running quickly.
I would actually be interested in volunteering for an open mic there, or organizing a show where I am not performing, just so I could spend more time learning their X32.
A Sound Problem I Watched Happen
During one set, a guitar amp was competing with the singer. The singer responded by moving closer to the microphone to compensate. That increased the proximity effect and made the whole mix muddy.
I tried cutting the lows from the vocal and boosting some highs, but the guitar and vocal were still fighting for the same midrange space.
There was only so much I could do because the guitar amp was not running through the board. If I had control of that signal, I could have helped carve out separate spaces for the guitar and vocal.
That experience reinforced one of my biggest recommendations for this room: run as much through the PA as you reasonably can and keep your stage volume under control.
Overall
Galactic Panther is a very cool and inspiring place to play. You just have to respect the acoustics of the room. The natural reverb can sound great, but it also means stage volume, frequency management, and a little advance preparation matter a lot.