Production Company/ Live Sound Hacks

[Craig Vecchione]

I guess levels vary according to the room/size of the stage that we are playing on. We do save IEM mixes' date=' but there is always tweaking that needs to be done and it always takes time[/quote']

 

Room size shouldn't matter at all for IEM's, and setting their levels from zero shouldn't take more than 10 minutes...one song played, with each member in turn giving an "ok" or an 'up' or 'down' while pointing at what needs to be changed.

[Craig Vecchione]

I say this in every one of these threads...fresh socks, a good pillow, and whatever wipes and toilet paper you like (kept in a gallon Zip-Loc bag) go a long way to making any travel situation more bearable.

[Craig Vecchione]

Our crew is normally around 9 people: 6 band members' date=' FOH, and then two other guys that come from the college that we run. I also believe that setup and soundcheck is a bit long, so more ideas/hacks are welcome! [/quote']

 

Assign each person a job, that they then own, until finished, and then another job if needed. This should be choreographed like a dance number. Know where people are. Assign one person to assist in unloading the truck and STAYING PUT to guard the gear. Make sure he has a cell phone if he needs help...he must never leave his post! If you can spare another to help, do so, but one person needs to be clear that HE stays with the truck until it's closed and locked.

 

The truck needs to be packed correctly. You'll figure this out, it takes practice.

 

Have a policy that everything removed from the truck makes ONE trip to where it is needed. No staging gear halfway or just near the stage. If anything lands elsewhere, you don't have things sorted yet. Moving anything multiple times wastes time and energy, and often that gear gets in the way.

 

If permitted and for the first few trials, start out by marking locations on the floor with gaffer tape. Write on it if needed, "bass amp", "lead mic stand", etc.

 

If you have access sidestage or from the stage front, use the following order. If space is narrow and access is backstage and only from one side, work from the far side and fill the stage toward access. The idea is to not have stuff in the way as you load in. Especially cables. No cables out until all boxes are in place and crates are moved aside.

 

Get speaker stands and lighting trusses out and set up.

 

Get the backline out and set up. The drummer better not be late. If space permits, have him keep bags and crates behind him as he sets up, not in front where other musicians need room too.

 

Get FOH stacks and power racks set up. Get any sidefills (you have IEMS, but just in case) and floor foldback in place.

 

Get FOH mixing and monitor world in place. Mix staff should set up on their own.

 

Run snakes.

 

Run power cabling.

 

Run signal/subsnakes.

 

Run mic cables, DI lines, etc.

 

Have ONE person on stage and one at FOH do a line check. FOH should be labeling or confirming existing scribble-strips.

 

If they're trainable, have band members check their instruments one at a time. If they're like herding cats, try to arrange for lunch or dinner to arrive now, and then call one member at a time up to do sound check.

 

Full band check now. One song that requires everything, if possible. Check IEM levels, and set your FOH baseline levels.

 

Leave one person to guard the stage, and enjoy the next 4 hours until the downbeat!

 

[Dweez Burczak]

Thanks for the replies guys, they are giving me some really cool ideas to get this thing down! Maybe some of you can agree with me here... I think the next thing that I need to add to the inventory of the rig is subsnakes/Malts. They save time and make the stage a lot neater. If not subsnakes, maybe the next thing on the priority list is a distro? What do you guys think?

[Craig Vecchione]

Both depend upon your needs. How many channels is your mixer? How many of them are used? How large is the largest stage you expect to use? How much power do you typically use, and how well equipped for power are the typical venues? How many of them have a readily available high-current power outlet, or do you have an electrician in your group who can tie in safely to a power panel?

[Dweez Burczak]

The venues we play at normally have three-phase, which will make distros a possibility. We could always phone ahead and make sure that the venue has a three-phase socked for us to tie into, pretty excited for this as we have never been very serious about our power setup. In terms of the malts, we either use a A&H stage block with 26 channels for smaller venues (of which all channels are used), and then we use the 48 channel Midas stage block for bigger venues (Normally using around 36 physical channels). As for the size of venues, they vary... I mean we played at a venue 2 weeks ago where the stage was 40' wide!

[agedhorse]

First of all, it's "mults" (for multicore, or multi-cable) not "malts".

 

Second, where you are located, and where you are traveling to, and what types of 3 phase is typically available will become a pretty big challenge IMO. This affects the types of connectors and possible the size of the feeder that would be required for the distro. Then there are the local codes that come into play.

[Craig Vecchione]

Andy's post reminds me that you mentioned traveling to the US. Note that US AC power is 120/240v 60Hz. Much of your gear may not work, and you really need to look closely at what can use a walwart adapter, what might be either switchable or has a universal power supply, and what you can't use at all.

[Dweez Burczak]

Good observation, we run 240v here, I have been told that a lot of the adapters in the US run off 110v? Switchable power supplies could do the trick. I know that step up converters could also be a possible way of getting past that problem... luckily Europe runs off 240v, although they have different plugs to South Africa. Thanks for the help guys, keep it coming if you think of anything

[Pro Sound Guy]

So your telling me you tote this system all over the world?

 

 

[Tomm Williams]

Yeah......shipping would be a huge pita, I believe the OP made some mention of out-sourcing system pieces as needed.

[agedhorse]

So your telling me you tote this system all over the world?

 

 

I would outsource PA as a turn key system, not messing with mixing and matching. Nothing worse than troubleshooting in multiple languages.

 

I handled PA for a variety of international acts here in the states for about 25 years, the worst gigs were those where the act was trying to provide some of the PA, and the first date of the tour. These were first class gigs too, I can imagine that the farther down the food chain, the more miserable it gets.

[Audiopile]

 

Have a policy that everything removed from the truck makes ONE trip to where it is needed. No staging gear halfway or just near the stage. If anything lands elsewhere, you don't have things sorted yet. Moving anything multiple times wastes time and energy, and often that gear gets in the way.

 

While I agree with "move it one time", we (the vanity band I play in) have recently implemented a different drum set-up system that's working well for the group. In the past our drummer, and basically most, virtually all drummers I've worked with:

 

1) Load in their drums and generally pile them in the middle of the stage.

 

2) Their drum carpet generally gets loaded in "last".

 

3) The drummer then lays down the drum carpet... oftentimes the back edge of the carpet is at the back of the stage... typically up against a wall. Typically some portion of the drum pile needs moved to lay the carpet.

 

4) Then the drummer moves his/her drum throne into position on the drum carpet... generally the drum throne is positioned an inch or two out from the back wall.

 

5) Then the drummer uncases his/her kick drum, leaving the empty case in the middle of the stage, positions the kick drum on the carpet... wanders off and gets a beverage, goes to the bathroom, socializes, etc... returns after 10 - 20 minutes, plops down on the drum throne and fusses with aspects having to do with the kick drum, tinker with the kick drum pedal, socialize with friends grouped around and/or text message or surf on his/her smartphone, etc... while comfortably seated on his/her drum throne.

 

6) Repeat step 5 multiple times for the toms, hat, cymbals, etc... Start to finish the set-up involves an hour or so, maybe more. Most of the time is spent with the drummer on his throne fussing with stuff, or gone somewhere... with the sum total of his/her drums and drum cases fairly well consuming most of the prime space on stage... and generally making it a real pita to fish cables back behind the drummer.

 

7) The procedure is basically reversed for tear-down... the second to the last thing leaving the stage is the drummer's throne, and then the drum carpet... I think... I usually don't know for sure since everything else is generally struck, packed-up and loaded out, and I'm cooling my heels in the band van waiting for the drummer to load-out the last of his stuff by then.

 

Here's our new system:

 

1) The drummer loads in his/her drum stuff and piles it somewhere out on the dance floor.

 

2) The drummer rolls out the drum carpet on stage and positions it.

 

3) The drummer unpacks and fairly well assembles the drum kit out on the dance floor.

 

4) By the time the drummer has his/her drum kit assembled as much as possible before moving the kit on stage and his/her drum cases packed up and stowed, all aspects of setting up the sound system, monitors, lights, vocal & instrument mics, and backline gear is generally complete. At this point the band helps the drummer move the "stage ready assembled drums" on-stage... the drummer positions the drums on the drum carpet.

 

5) The drummer final assembles his/her kit, and we set the drum mics in position. This generally takes 5 minutes or so.

 

Tear-down and load-out is reverse. Basically one of the last things put on stage is the drum kit, and one of the first things leaving the stage is the drum kit.

[Mogwix]

So if you could help me by sharing anything that you do to make life easier for you as a production guy.

1. Always watch out for yourself and for others. Safety is paramount. Don't take anything for granted; anything that can happen WILL happen.

 

2. Be polite and be patient. Touring is stressful and a lot of people are going to be cranky and high strung. There will be times when you're going to have to be firm with people to get what you need to do your job, but always conduct yourself in a tactful and respectful manner. Nobody wants to be "that guy."

 

3. Don't {censored} on the bus.

 

Everything else comes down to experience. Touring sound is a "trial by fire" sort of deal. Learn from your experiences and apply that knowledge to every situation as they come up. You'll get better at it as time goes on.

 

[Dweez Burczak]

Just to clarify, we arent going to be flying with a PA. I understand that is silly and expensive, but I am still concerned about power differences between here in the US when it comes to backline that needs to come on tour: Pedal boards, Synth controllers, interfaces etc etc.

 

That's really cool Audiopile, luckily we have a drummer and a band that work together without wondering off too much, they get the job done because they are really excited to start jamming! We have a slight problem with our guitarist: when he has set up his gear he goes and chills somewhere, which can be pretty annoying, but other than that everyone is a team player!

 

Is the availability of PA and backline as good as I hear it is in the US? It can be pretty tricky to find specific stuff here in South Africa... The day we send a tech rider ahead of the tour and the EXACT gear that we asked for is there when we get there will be amazing!!

[Pro Sound Guy]

Only 6 tops and 6 subs per side is not real far up the food chain.

Simply rent sound and adjust your entertainment price to cover it.

[Craig Vecchione]

I wouldn't count on PA or backline being available *exactly* as you request, in every area of the US. You're more likely to have this in large cities than out in the sticks, but it's also possible for rentals to be "sold out" of what you need, or to not have it.

 

Anything that uses a "wall wart" power adapter can be used anywhere as long as you can get a power adapter that takes the source voltage and frequency. They're fairly inexpensive and take little room, so are worth buying.

 

Look at the back plate of gear that has an internal power supply, and see what the input voltage/Hz range is. Some gear has a "universal" power supply that can accept 100-250 volts and either 50 or 60Hz. This gear only needs you to replace the IEC power cord with one that matches the receptacles in the country you'll be visiting.

 

You should discuss these issues with the band. Get everyone to slim down their gear to only what is absolutely needed for the songs you're playing. That'll reduce the travel gear both for your domestic as well as foreign shows. It also makes the rigs more reliable. Less is more.

[Audiopile]

luckily we have a drummer and a band that work together without wondering off too much' date=' they get the job done because they are really excited to start jamming![/quote']

 

My point is identifying time vampires and ways to reduce or eliminate them. It's common that the performers are "really excited to start jamming"... that's what they're there for... commonly to the point of being somewhat oblivious to the big picture. As the gear person who's job is to make sure all the minutia details of the big picture are taken care of, 30 seconds "here and there" repeatedly working around performers that are in their zone and oblivious of their sphere of influence... that bucket full of 30 seconds adds up. A guitarist standing on stage, guitar in-hand, staring down at their pedal board, fussing with stuff, and basically oblivious to little if anything else consumes an approx. 30 sq. ft. sphere of influence on stage. If you gotta work around that, stringing cables and such, you'll likely find yourself cooling your heels, cable in-hand, waiting for an opportunity to enter that sphere of influence to do your job. Orchestrating the performers activities in the stage area during set-up and tear-down so you've got clear work ways to do what you need to do when you need to do it can significantly streamline the process. I liken the "performers orchestration process" during set-up and tear-down to sporting teams working up plays for the playbook during practice. Seemingly rarely do bands practice "load-in & set-up" and "tear-down & load-out"... much less massage/evolve the plays... but they generally have a disdain for "load-in & load-out" cause it's "so much work" and takes "so much time"... and it can be "a lot of work" that takes "a lot of time" if everybody's in everybody else's way and there's not a planned and rehearsed system to getting the job done efficiently and effectively.

 

 

[agedhorse]

It's almost certain that you won't get exactly what you ask for, there are just too many limitations that a vendor has to deal with, including the cost of stocking inventory that might not be used very much. With quality companies, you will get something acceptably close. With bottom feeder companies, you will probably get much less.

[Shaster]

I agree with not always getting the backline that you want...

 

Last April I did a gig in Palm Springs. Flew down with my guitar and found that the local GC only had one amp to rent! It was a Fender Deluxe and it was in such bad shape that it sounded like I had fuzztone on every song. Now this is a city that hosts several large music and arts events - and there was no gear there. I guess they cart all the stuff in from LA.

 

Equipment with wall warts is an easy transition. I've still got several decades old wall warts from Europe and Asia that I used on my pedal boards. It made for a seamless cross over.

 

You might even consider using backline that is available in other parts of the world (assuming it's available in your area) so that you increase your chances of getting what you're used to.

 

Besides some other amps, I've got a Fender Blues Jr and a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. I'm familiar with both amps, and I'll often see them as backline in small clubs, or in larger festivals like this one http://www.burnabybluesfestival.com/ There were two of them on the stage that I played. BTW the mixer on our stage was a Behr digital, which brings up the PA familiarity aspect.

 

 

[wesg]

To help reinforce Mark's point about rehearsing load in/out - I decided 3 years ago that if I was going to gig the organ rig I have been playing, that I would need to be able to load it by myself, and do so efficiently.

 

The first night, it took me about 2 and a half hours to get it in and out of the van. I can do that same operation (tear down, into van, back out, set up) now in about 12 minutes, and with a lot less effort. It took me a week of rehearsal to figure out exactly to do it, and how to not hurt myself. If can get < 1 minute of help at each end, that 12 minutes becomes 5 minutes. Of course, I also spent some money that week, once I figured out where I was wasting time. I needed a different dolly and better straps.

 

Wes

[Craig Vecchione]

To help reinforce Mark's point about rehearsing load in/out - I decided 3 years ago that if I was going to gig the organ rig I have been playing, that I would need to be able to load it by myself, and do so efficiently.

 

The first night, it took me about 2 and a half hours to get it in and out of the van. I can do that same operation (tear down, into van, back out, set up) now in about 12 minutes, and with a lot less effort. It took me a week of rehearsal to figure out exactly to do it, and how to not hurt myself. If can get

 

Wes

 

OP, this is an excellent example of determining where your system lacks, and how to fix the problems.

 

In the home remodeling business, it is often recommended that one fix the worst part of the house, and make it the best part. Each time you take this single step, you get closer to having a great house. The same applies to this issue. Find the biggest time-waster in your load in/out, and figure out a way to make it the fastest aspect. You may not succeed in making it the fastest, but fastER is still better.

 

Another thought: don't be afraid to trim down your "help" staff. Nine people can be tough to manage, especially if some aren't "on board" with what you need to do. Two dedicated people beats 9 iffy members any day of the week.

[agedhorse]

Large groups of people touring through different countries bring with them all kinds of unexpected passport and visa issues that can only be described as frustrating.

[Shaster]

Large groups of people touring through different countries bring with them all kinds of unexpected passport and visa issues that can only be described as frustrating.

Yes indeed.

 

The last time I played in the US in April 2015, I had a B1 visa (showcase) because it was for friends and no money exchanged hands. At that point P2 visas were getting backed up, and I understand now that P2 visas are severely backlogged

 

Even though my visa was a B1 versus a P2, it was still a real hassle. Multiply that, and one can see why a trimmed down crew and/or band is a good idea.

 

One other way to smooth out travel is to ensure that there is a NO drug policy. I still recall going to Frankfurt with a band, pre 9/11. As we are taxiing down the runway to debark at the gate, one of the guys rushes to the can. He saw all the guards with machine guns, and he thought he better ingest the drugs he had brought with him. He was a mess the whole drive to our destination.

 

And Asia - forget about it. Last time I was in Singapore they handed out cards on the plane that said in big letters (and red ink if I recall) drug trafficking is punishable by death. And they meant it!

 

In different countries drugs can mean different things. In Iran, alcohol is a drug (well it is anyway).

 

 

[agedhorse]

I have a friend that had a "simple marijuana misunderstanding" crossing the boarder into Canada. The dogs and the boarder guards appear to have used his little problem as an all out training exercise, pulled him out of his bunk where he was sound asleep until the exercise... all for a few grams of mj. That ended his international touring career pretty much cold turkey.