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What's the order you guys setup your shows? Lights and pa then drums and gear? Does everyone have a specific task? How long does it take?

 

Our setup and sound check took over 4 hours today an was so inefficient

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 Depends on the gig. If we are doing our big rig it takes about 2 hours depending on how easy the load in is. This would be 4or 6 subs and and 4 top speakers and 16 lights. If we have back lighting I like to do this first so drums and amps are not in the way. I usually wire up the PA while someone else deals with the lights.

We do a weekly guest ranch gig in the summer and usually by about the 3 week we can be set up in about 20-30 minutes. PA is 2 tops, 2 subs, mixer and IEM monitor rack and small guitar and bass amps amps. We can leave our gear in a closet about 20 ft from where we setup so that helps with the speed.

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We each have some specific tasks. My cousin handles hooking up the brains of the PA system (mixer, effects, power amps), while I will often hook up the speaker cables and sometimes position the speakers as needed. I usually handle lights, but sometimes we'll split up the tasks there, with me handling the LEDs, while he handles the Par 56 front lights. This weekend, it was vice-versa and it worked out even better, so we'll probably keep it that way from now on. I usually set up my personal equipment last after the PA and lights are all ready to go.

The drummer will set up his stuff first, then we'll work around him (pass cables behind the kit, set up the back lighting). Some people prefer to set up the PA before the drummer is there, but I like to know where he is going to set up his kit so he is comfortable and we don't have to keep moving stuff around.

We were pretty efficient Friday night. It took us almost exactly an hour from the time we brought the first piece of equipment through the door until we had everything plugged in and ready to go. Tear downs are even better. I'd say we average 35 minutes on those, 30 if we're really in the mood to get the heck out of there (out of town gigs especially). The most we've taken is about 2 hours to set up, just taking our time and for teardown, probably more like 50 minutes. Four hours sounds like a nightmare to me!

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Basic setup with PA & lights in about an hour.

I set up my drums and other guys place their gear and PA cabs. I set up mixer/amps, guys run speaker & mic cables. Make sure PA works, then we all do lights. Quick line check, monitor levels and FOH check. Grab a beer and pre-game shot of Fireball and we're off!

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I'd say closer to 3 hours for everything.

 

Load in.

Get 2 guys working on the lights while I position everything.

One person behind the power amps to plug things in as I hand each cable to them.

Drummer starts getting his gear set up and mic'd

Then I wire up the mics, get the mixer and comp up.

Then we get personal stuff set up.

 

Sometimes I shoo everyone away for an hour so I can wire everything up without people noodling around on their personal stuff that took 10 minutes to set up.

 

:)

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I usually set my stuff up before most of the band gets there. (Keyboards, mixer, monitors and sometimes the entire PA.) The drummer comes in while I'm working on it. I can do it in 90 minutes, but then the cables become publicly seeable piles of spaghetti. I give myself 3 hours to do a nicer looking job and have plenty of time to fix anything that fails. (Fortunately the equipment is pretty solid.) Tear down takes about an hour with everyone helping. I'm the last one putting stuff into bags and cases and into my van. Cables are mostly rolled up by my bandmates. Because I also do sound jobs, they really have to be put into the correct bags. Otherwise I can't find what I need when I need it.

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We always ask for 3 hours for set up. But we can usually do it in under 90 min. The extra time is because we usually don't know what the load in itself will look like; it might take 20 min just to find the right door, etc.

 

Beyond that it's fairly simple. The girls set up the lights and run power cables. The guys set up the risers and then set up personal gear. The drummer and myself (keys) have the most of that, so the other guys then start running mic cables and whatever misc stuff is left.

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stangconv wrote:

 

What's the order you guys setup your shows? Lights and pa then drums and gear? Does everyone have a specific task? How long does it take?

 

 

 

Our setup and sound check took over 4 hours today an was so inefficient

 

we allot about 2 1/2 hours for most gigs just in case there are any issues. We are usually set up in a little under 2 hours and then 15-20 minutes for a quick soundcheck.

As for actual order, everyone brings their personal gear separately. I bring sound and lights along with my amps guitars, etc. We usually all load in everything. Then the other two members set up their personal gear while I set up PA. Then I do my personal setup while they do the lighting.YMMV

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My last band There & Back Again set up was around 2 hours. It was always chaos.

When we started Ostrich Hat one of the things we said we would do is keep the setup time to a short as possible. From the time we pull up with the van until we are ready to sound check is usually around 25-30 minutes unless the load in is a bitch. At a new place we arrive an hour/hour and a half before start time (just in case) but at a place we have played before  we usually show up 40-45 mintues before start.

I set up the drums and usually lights, the other two deal with the PA. 

Tear down/load out is rarely longer than 15- 20 minutes.

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Tear down: I always roll up the cables over/under. They have to be a specific size that I can eyeball so they fit in the cable box. I get one of the others to stretch the cables out on the floor, or at minimum put them in little seperate piles.

 

My 10' cables are all done up by halving them, halving them again, and then a looseish knot. I'm able to get one of the guys to do them up along with the 10' extension cords.

 

Once everything is boxed up we roll out. I go inside the trailer and call the pack. They roll everything in order that I need. Strap everything down all pretty and we're good to go. Trailer back into the garage where everything is safe & sound for next time.

 

At home I'll pull the truss and stands, as I generally don't do lights when I provide sound.

 

 

Yet.

 

;)

 

 

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StratGuy22 wrote:

 

At home I'll pull the truss and stands, as I generally don't do lights when I provide sound.

 

 

Yet.

 

;)

 


really? So bands and events hire two separate providers for sound and lighting? That's rare around here for smaller events anyway.

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Most of my work is in the bars. I usually just put a Fab5 on top of each speaker. Talking with them more to add the full setup.

 

The bigger non bar gigs, I'll do both sound and lights. They aren't quite as often but it IS getting into that season.

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Also trying to work out a "just lights" kinda deal as well. This one venue went without and really needed them. The last act they had, had a couple of 4-Bars and front lights. Not sure if those were bought by the venue, or provided by the band.

 

Not even looking for a ton of cash. But this is my pricing for lights alone.

 

$100 for front lights (my time being the main issue)

$200 add a 10' truss with 6 Blizzard 3NX's

$250 add 4 Martin Minimac Profiles as well.

 

In a perfect world it would be $500 for the works but I'm in a rinky dink little town of 10,000. The lights are just as much for my band, so using them elsewhere would just be a bonus.

 

 

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Related to my post above... I just returned from trying to set up our lights for tonight's show. When I arrived, I found that a DJ had left his light truss (still standing with the lights on it) and a sub sitting where we need to set up. I notified the venue owner that it needs to go and drove back home. Just received a text that the dj will be there by 7:00 - which is when we are scheduled to get *everything else* set up. Grrrrrrr...

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mstreck wrote:

 

.... When I arrived, I found that a DJ had left....

 

We have this problem at one of the venues we play.  In our case however, it wasn't just part of the DJ's gear - it was his whole rig.  When it happened the second time - we had a conversation with the DJ in the presence of the owner - and explained to the guy that in the future, if we walk in on Saturday at our normal noon setup time and his rig is still there - we're simply going unplug his gear from wall power - and move it to the far edge of the dance floor.   We all agreed that was reasonable - including the owner.  

Of course, the next month we showed up and found his rig right as he left it the night before.  True to our agreement - we moved it.  Damn, was he pissed when he walked in during our sound check - surprised to find his rig had been moved.   He started to make a fuss about it ... until the lead singer, the bass player and I  (who collectively, tip the scales at close to 800 lbs) - had a brief conversation with him out in the parking lot as he loaded out.    We made it clear that he knew this was coming after the last incident - and that he should consider himself lucky that we moved his {censored} carefully.   ...and that if he persisted with his little fit, that next time that might not be the case.

It's been a year now - and there hasn't been a DJ rig in the middle of the stage since.

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