Members Notes_Norton Posted October 7, 2015 Members Share Posted October 7, 2015 New rack system posted in the "Rack Systems Live And Studio" forum http://www.harmonycentral.com/forum/forum/LivePerformanceCategory/acapella-35/31607615-road-rack-reduction-less-gear-to-schlep-and-when-you-do-one-nighers-that-s-a-good-thing Check it out if interested. Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members msmooth Posted October 7, 2015 Members Share Posted October 7, 2015 NICE RACK! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted October 7, 2015 Moderators Share Posted October 7, 2015 Notes, yes, having it all into the single unit like that is worth it. Having to carry two extra extension cords seems a small price to pay. What did you do with the power amp? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bob Dey Posted October 8, 2015 Members Share Posted October 8, 2015 Still too much stuff IMHO. It's about time you got on board with powered speakers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Notes_Norton Posted October 8, 2015 Author Members Share Posted October 8, 2015 Daddymack, I still have the rack with the power amp and the passive speakers. The passive speakers are hooked up to my stereo set and the amp is still in the small rack. If one of the active speakers fail, I can take the amp and the passives to the gig until I either replace or repair the active failure. Bob Dey, yes, it's still to much to carry. I go to the gig and I carry 1 tenor sax, 1 guitar, 2 wind synths, 1 flute, 1 desktop synth for myself, 1 guitar and Buchla Tactile Midi Controller for my partner. 2 mics, 4 synth modules, 2 amp sim/direct boxes, 2 mics and 3 computers for both of us. When setting up, what do I leave home? Should I leave the sax? Guitar? synth? No---- too much fun. I want to bring the bass and keyboard too. They are like toys, and when I'm playing, I want a bigger toy box, but when I'm schlepping sometimes I think I have too many (especially if it's raining and there is no cover to keep everything dry from the car to the gig). Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted October 9, 2015 Moderators Share Posted October 9, 2015 decisions, decisions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Notes_Norton Posted October 10, 2015 Author Members Share Posted October 10, 2015 decisions' date=' decisions... [/quote'] And often, should I play sax, guitar or wind synth on this song? They each have their own personality and their own way of playing me Insights and incites by Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bob Dey Posted October 11, 2015 Members Share Posted October 11, 2015 I quit bringing my keyboard to gigs (one nighters) nearly 10 years ago. I played it on several songs and enjoyed playing it, but I decided to lighten the load and concentrate on my first instrument (guitar). Now that I'm mostly doing retirement homes I use even less equipment (no rack and only one speaker). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pogo97 Posted October 11, 2015 Members Share Posted October 11, 2015 I play both guitar and keyboard. If I could play both at once, I'd bring both. But I can't. So I take the keyboard for solo and duos of old pop and take the guitar for the trio (originals and alt country). If anyone says "It would be cool if you'd bring along [another instrument]" (and they do), I just say no. Yesterday I played at a bakery/cafe. Piano and vocal. I didn't bother with a PA because I can sing plenty loud enough for that small but noisy space. Apparently, a customer complained to the staff that the music was a bit loud -- could they turn it down. They just laughed and told her to take it to me -- she didn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Shaster Posted October 15, 2015 Members Share Posted October 15, 2015 Nice rack but the PA snob in me questions the right angled curly cables. Truth be told though, I've got some some colour coded TRS straight cables that I use in my racks - so far so good. Re: amount of gear. On many of my solo/duo jobs, I only have 20 to 30 minutes max, to set up - they usually have tables set up until that point. Some hotel gigs have people playing before or after me, so that gives you a five to ten minute changeover (sometimes it's a house PA sometimes not). Christmas gigs are the worst because they just expect you to open your guitar case and then start. I don't even use my adapter for my pedals, as time is so tight. Just last week, I was playing from 6 - 10 pm, and there was someone coming after me for another four hour slot (special party). Luckily it was a lady I knew, so she wasn't in a panic to start right away. Even with my minimal mic stand, tablet, mixer, powered speaker, guitar and pedals set-up, I was still wrapping cables as she started. My set-up takes ten to fifteen minutes, hers takes under five. She doesn't have a mixer, tablet or pedals, so it's very fast - and she gets lots of bookings. Granted I just can't rock a dress the way she does - very beautiful woman. Speaking of saxes, oddly enough, at this same hotel there there was a sax player that brought most of his arsenal to the gig. However, that meant that he only had direct control of one of his horns. When some toddlers started to play in and around his other saxes, he chastised the parents, who subsequently complained to the management, who then stopped booking the duo. Yep, it's a picky, picky world. Actually I heard a bunch of "why I got fired stories" from a fellow muso, just the other day. Might make a good thread... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted October 16, 2015 Moderators Share Posted October 16, 2015 So, Shaster aside from the fact that, as hard as it is to believe, she is hotter than you...what is her set-up?This is als owhy I am still toying with a small arced pedal board for my mini rig that I can use with either the Fishstick a powered speaker on a stick, the full 2 stick PA/mixer, monitor...and yeah, it is all about how quickly and neatly I can set up and tear down.I am working on a design that would combine a 3 conductor AC cord and a speaker cable in a single jacket. This would be a huge boon for setting up the powered speakers from a single power source.I'm thinking the length for the first go around only needs to be about 12 feet [4 meters for you furrinerz] for each side, which would give me the elevation and separation I typically need. I just need to find an inexpensive [>$1/foot] 14GA 5 conductor cable... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pogo97 Posted October 16, 2015 Members Share Posted October 16, 2015 I'm playing a bookstore in 20 minutes. Already set up the piano -- just need books, glasses and an extension cord.. Drop my daughter off at the skating rink and head to the gig. No PA -- don't need one. I love these low-maintenance gigs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members senorblues Posted October 16, 2015 Members Share Posted October 16, 2015 Piano in tune? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pogo97 Posted October 17, 2015 Members Share Posted October 17, 2015 It's a digital, but I set it to well temperament, so, no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members senorblues Posted October 17, 2015 Members Share Posted October 17, 2015 All things being equal . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pogo97 Posted October 17, 2015 Members Share Posted October 17, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Voltan Posted October 17, 2015 Members Share Posted October 17, 2015 tomorrow ill hang three gongs from a tree and play at a psychic fair. fifteen to twenty feet carrying distance after driving across the grounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted October 17, 2015 Moderators Share Posted October 17, 2015 A psychic fair? Why? Can't they just sense each other at a distance and commune? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members senorblues Posted October 17, 2015 Members Share Posted October 17, 2015 Recently retired piano technician . . . . Some of my colleagues got into historical temperaments, some out of necessity, others just for fun. Inharmonicity in a piano scale complicates the issue. First piano I ever tuned was in 1971 - a Fender Rhodes. Didn't understand why I couldn't make all the intervals pure . . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Shaster Posted October 19, 2015 Members Share Posted October 19, 2015 daddymack, I take it you're looking for a mic and IEC to Edison cable. I think there are a fair number of folks making those, here's one...https://on-stage.com/products/view/11945/117398 The gal in my previous post, was using a now discontinued Roland product. It's an all in one powered speaker, with mixer - just had a quick look at it and I didn't get the model number. While an all in one system looks good on paper, for me it might not work. Due to the nature of tracks and genres, I find that I need to adjust the bass or add more highs to the drums, or maybe increase decrease reverb and so on. Not having a mixer close at hand would be difficult. If I ran just vocals and guitar though, it would be tempting. I can see why Notes still uses his rack and modules. It's nice to have control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Shaster Posted October 19, 2015 Members Share Posted October 19, 2015 Have fun, but stay away from the quinoa dogs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted October 19, 2015 Moderators Share Posted October 19, 2015 daddymack, I take it you're looking for a mic and IEC to Edison cable. I think there are a fair number of folks making those, here's one... https://on-stage.com/products/view/11945/117398 yeah, but calculate price per foot...OY! the 25' version is $185? I was actually thinking 1/4" jack and AC, with a 12" tail on the speaker end, and a 48" tail on the console end. I could build a12-15 foot set for myself for a lot less than $185, though...but I have to buy 100 feet of cable at about $1.32/foot...anyone interested in a set? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Notes_Norton Posted October 22, 2015 Author Members Share Posted October 22, 2015 OK, I've been gigging with the new setup for a while, and see it as an improvement. Running two cables (signal and power) to the speakers is a minor inconvenience, but to have redundant power amps it's well worth it. I generally shut the power amp off first, but now, sometimes it's inconvenient as I can't readily reach the on/off switch when the speakers are cranked high. The mixer on/off is on the back of the unit, so that isn't an option. I guess I can unplug the AC lines in those situations. I think the new Carvin PM15A's have tighter sounding upper mids and highs than my old LM15 passives, but they are 10 years old, and the new amp is class D (digital often sounds a little edgier to my ears - but not understanding class D, I'm not sure that's the reason). Lugging one rack instead of 3 is convenient, but with the addition of 3 extra sound modules, it's noticeably heavier. Lifting it into the van and on stage is better if we both lift. The minor inconveniences are overshadowed by the main advantage. More redundancy. Now the only thing that can get me down on a show is the mixer. I haven't figured out how to conveniently bring a replacement. But the Samson MPL1204 mixers have given me almost no trouble through the years. I lost the right channel once, a good slap on the side of the rack brought it back. Spare was inserted next day. Another time I lost a channel, fortunately I have one spare channel. But I've been using them on one-nighters for many years. I've got 4 now. I bought a few used on ebay. To repair them costs me $45 just to have them looked at (applies to repair), the reliable shop is about 2 hours drive away so by the time I add the gas, even if no extra charge is done for the repair, it costs close to $100, You can usually pick up a clean used one for around $100-125 and sell the used one for parts on ebay. That saves me 4 hours of drive time. I carry a suitcase full of cables, parts, and so on, but I hate to schlep an entire mixer. BTW, short curly cables don't bother me. In the noisy environments I perform in, I don't think anyone can notice the difference, even if they have golden ears. And yes, I'm still toting too many instruments. And yes, I still want to bring the keyboard and sometimes even the bass (I miss playing bass). I'd also like the real alto sax as well (I love my alto). But guitar, tenor sax, wind synth, flute, and percussion controller are enough toys/tools to tote. Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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