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As if there are not enough challenges.............


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Leaving tomorrow for a July 4th event in a town over in Nevada. Nice event with a number of bluegrass bands followed by a local symphony. Weather report for the next EIGHT days is thunder storms 40%-60% chance of rain..................yes it's outside. I think I actually have more tarps and plastic bags than XLR's on this one.

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My second phase of load-ins is tomorrow (not a 4th of July event) and it's raining down here too. Fortunately these 3 systems are inside a building where I can drive right in! Speakers are already flown, cable is run, my control areas were built up today ready for the racks.

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Outdoor town fireworks / concert band July 4th sound production gig for me in SE Massachusetts. At this time the forecast is for 20% chance of showers during the day with a 60% chance of showers in the early evening (for a short time). The local forecasters are optimistic that the showers will miss the area completely.

One difference between indoor winter gigs and outdoor summer outdoor gigs is making room for the tarps!

 

Mike M

 

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Is there a better plan for small-time providers operating in rain other than:

- Put high-quality garbage bags over powered speakers and tie shut around poles

- Set up poles with maximum leg spread if on grass (and tear down if it gets windy)

- Put subs on skids (if on grass) and wrap them in a tarp

- Mixer and band under tent, let the snake get wet

- GCFI

 

?

 

 

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You can use a bag on your snake head also. If you are expecting rain then plan ahead and use extra slack in the xlr's to route them all the same direction as the multi-core for the first foot or so. Then it is easy to slip a bag over the end opposite the multi-core entrance and provide good protection.

 

Windscreens add a little protection for mic capsules but need to be changed after an extended drizzle for fresh ones. If a quick cloudburst temporarily shuts things down, sandwich bags are handy.

 

At FOH you need a newish canopy that does not leak. Lowering the roof height, especially on the windward side can keep things drier. Side walls are even more effective but can create a pretty big sail if you have wind gusts. Putting the side walls down 1/2 way can achieve the desired protection without quite so much wind loading. A second hood directly over the mixer adds another layer of protection.

 

Outdoors you will typically be running off a power supply that has GFCI protected outlets. Take a moment to test these at the beginning of the day to ensure they actually trip when the test button is pushed. If you are doing a backyard gig or for some reason are not plugging into a GFCI, then provide you own GFCI pigtails for all power leads. If you can elevate any AC junctions so water drains away from the junction and then cover it, that can extend your operating range.

 

I think a lot of your ability to cope with rain has to do with planning ahead, informing your crew of the plan, having the bags easily accessible, elevating and covering AC junctions ahead of time, having the canopy sidewalls already attached and rolled up, and then being able to quickly implement.

 

On an overcast day with light drizzle or mixed light rain and sun, there is no reason you should not be able to keep the show running. That is as long as you have an enthusiastic crowd hearty enough to keep listening! But sometimes when the rain is coming in sideways or you get standing water on the stage, you just have to shut down and unplug from the power sources. If it is just a quick cloudburst and things have been well protected, then there is a good chance you can safely resume operations after an appropriate inspection.

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Is there a better plan for small-time providers operating in rain other than:

 

- Put high-quality garbage bags over powered speakers and tie shut around poles

 

- Set up poles with maximum leg spread if on grass (and tear down if it gets windy)

 

- Put subs on skids (if on grass) and wrap them in a tarp

 

- Mixer and band under tent, let the snake get wet

 

- GCFI

 

 

 

?

 

 

 

 

 

 

- A good Gortex parka?

 

-----------------

 

 

 

I'm outside tomorrow night as well. The band and X32 Rack will be setup under a shed roof off the back of the restaurant but the stacks will be just outside of that. Audience and I exposed on the deck and lawn. Forecast looks ok but I will be prepared. Note to self, mute the mics before the fireworks start!

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Weather.com's hourly forecast said 0% rain yesterday - Ha frown.gif!

This is what it looked like for part of the opening act - Acoustic guy, with me on Cajon and our lead guy backing him up. It never got too hard and wind stayed at zero, the video camera just had an empty potato chip bag folded over it not fastened down smile.png. Note the deluxe canopy ballasts wink.png :

 

fetch?id=31528388

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No rain where we were, but we did hit around 100+ around the time we finished setting up. Then right as the band finished setting up, the transformer feeding the stage blew. Three hours from showtime and four hours until the power company could be onsite. A lot of large gauge extension cords to various large load outlets and some creative, minimalist lighting consisting of four 1k 64s and we were able to pull off the show. It sure made for made for a long afternoon.

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Thanks for the tips, guys! The forecast for next weekend is looking better -- but I like to be prepared. It's the boy scout in me. :)

 

I'll be keeping an eye out for a FOH canopy with roll-up, zippy sides. I'd never thought about that detail. The one I am using next weekend has no sides. But it will be an X32 gig, so FOH-land can go back in the briefcase. :) I also need to get to the point where I can provide my own GFCI pigtails. I am a big fan of not accidentally killing people.

 

Trevcda, sounds like that was a fun gig. A friend showed up at a "power provided" gig for Canada Day last week. The nearest outlet was 150' away. He ran his PA with no lights off a bunch of lawnmower cords. Then he got rained on with no cover. *urk* ... I tend to carry enough to get me 50' if there is supposed to be power on site. One 14awg cord (currently AWOL, grr) and one 10awg cord. That covers my rig and the band easily. If there is no power on site, I will pass on the gig if my role is more than musician-plebe (and I still pass on generator gigs if I'm planning Hammond...for now). I also pass on all gigs where the musicians are not under cover. Learned that lesson the relatively easy way. It takes a lot of rain to kill a Hammond.

 

Wes

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We always have a covered stage thanks to the town purchasing a Wenger Showmobile. I have the FOH & Monitors positioned so I can pull them back in the event of rain.

 

 

 

668796B5-CD7E-48B6-A4E4-D18C816F67EC-7376-000005360D6DDA9F_zps15b1075e.jpg

 

A274C560-4026-4B35-B638-4717C2451EB1-1741-000001BBE8799A4B.jpg

 

I set up FOH in my trailer and mic via ipad. If we get a downpour, and it does, then I just make do mixing from my trailer until it passes. It works out. Bag over the snake, everything on stage out of the way.

 

9aa058e1.jpg

 

023b8c3e.jpg

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That being said, I was providing for a wedding at our local festival grounds. SOS with a wireless for the officiant, beautiful day out. I had my main rig set up on main stage. The plan was to have an open mic after the ceremony before supper. Then there was a band slated for the rest of the night and a DJ in the food tent. (Subbed out the DJ to a buddy who is a great DJ, the go to guy in town)

 

it stated to sprinkle after the ceremony, but I was able to get all the gear put away. We started into the open mic and then the skies opened up and just started pissing. Moved the gear back, but one the lightning started, I called it and pulled the plug until it was over. The wedding party rushed the stage and we sat it out. A couple musicians were there so we made the best of it and had a great time.

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I'm outside tomorrow night as well. The band and X32 Rack will be setup under a shed roof off the back of the restaurant but the stacks will be just outside of that. Audience and I exposed on the deck and lawn. Forecast looks ok but I will be prepared. Note to self, mute the mics before the fireworks start!

So it turns out we were not under the shed roof as expected but out totally in the open on the deck. Weather was very sunny, dead calm, and a hot 93 degrees during setup and most of the show (which went fantastic BTW). The forecast was for a high of 66 degrees the next day so everyone sort of expected a radical shift in weather at some point but not quite as quick as it came. So there's just enough time for two more songs before midnight and the wind picks up just slightly and we all look at each other and say OK, let's hurry, so the guitar player deftly makes it through the first two measures of the intro to Already Gone by the Eagles and then with perfect timing calmly reaches up to catch the light stand toppling his way. "Well good night folks. Thanks for coming out!" were the next words out of his mouth as everyone scrambled. We immediately laid the lights down and had the absolute quickest load up we've ever had. It never rained but the wind held a steady 15-20 knots making things "interesting".

 

We were lucky in comparison, however, to all the folks out on the lake in boats listening and watching the fireworks. It turns out those in ski-type craft were able to crab into the wind and generally make it back to shore where they wanted but the party (pontoon) boats all got blown down the reservoir and had to get shuttles back to their cars. Never a dull moment huh?

 

Side note: The show went extremely well and was the first time I mixed this band without any acoustic boundaries except the floor -- what a treat! No boomy room nodes to deal with and only a little tweaking to the kick required. First show with my brand new X32 Rack as well -- very impressive demonstration to just unbox the unit, set the IP, make the connections, load the latest "scene" from a thumb drive, and proceed without even a sound check. When the wind kicked up at the end I seriously think it took me less than 60 seconds to disconnect everything and pop both covers on the rack -- done!

 

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Weather can change amazingly fast. This is why we see these accidents with stage structures that are not properly braced for wind. The attitude is that there's no wind now, how fast could it possible change? The answer is fast, damn fast.

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Well since I started this thread, I guess I should provide current news. To be delicate, it was not a good day. The weather was exceedingly harsh and I made the decision to halt operations about the 4th song of the first band. IMO the safety margin had been exceeded and good judgement called for a stoppage. The threatening weather made me further decide that the halt was permanent and we packed up our exposed gear and made the best of it. This decision was met with some resistance but everyone went home safe so I have no regrets. It was not a good day and some application of diplomacy might prove its worth in the near future. The required skills of the soundman ............................

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We always have a covered stage thanks to the town purchasing a Wenger Showmobile. I have the FOH & Monitors positioned so I can pull them back in the event of rain.

 

 

 

668796B5-CD7E-48B6-A4E4-D18C816F67EC-7376-000005360D6DDA9F_zps15b1075e.jpg

 

A274C560-4026-4B35-B638-4717C2451EB1-1741-000001BBE8799A4B.jpg

 

I set up FOH in my trailer and mic via ipad. If we get a downpour, and it does, then I just make do mixing from my trailer until it passes. It works out. Bag over the snake, everything on stage out of the way.

 

9aa058e1.jpg

 

023b8c3e.jpg

 

Nice looking rig. Looks like LS801's and Unity tops. Not sure about the monitors. YX15's?

Remember all your photos are up for the public to see. http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/robare99/media/fe724361.jpg.html

 

Dookietwo

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Nice looking rig. Looks like LS801's and Unity tops. Not sure about the monitors. YX15's?

 

Remember all your photos are up for the public to see. http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/robare99/media/fe724361.jpg.html

 

 

 

Dookietwo

 

 

 

Thats pretty much it. U15's over LS800p's, YX12's and YX15's for monitors. Yeah I should go into photobucket and change the privacy settings. Nothing too sensitive on there.

 

 

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Now it's getting just silly....................Since June 7th, I've NOW had three consecutive events with significant rain issues. Last night was at a small festival in a local town and again had to temporarily shut down. The area of CA I live in is known for it's dry-desert climate, rain is a rarity. For the past month I swear I'm living in Seattle.

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