Flying speakers vs. stands,tripods, etc...

[Tomm Williams]

I have a gig coming up where it would be beneficial to elevate my mains about 8' up, measured from the bottom of the cabs. My speakers are designed to be flown, I don't however have the hardware to attach to the speakers. They are fairly heavy (120 each,two per side) so I don't think a tripod is the answer and I don't think a tripod would give me the height I'm after. The speakers need to be located next to a concrete sidewall.

 

Would an alternative be to construct a column type stand from say,2x6's and anchor it to the sidewall? or contractors scaffolding? or fabricate a hanger and fly the speakers or?????

 

TW

[Zeromus-X]

120 pound speakers? Whatever you do, make sure when someone runs into the support, they don't fall. That'll crush someone from eight feet.

 

Even flying them seems like it'd be rough if there's not a truss system in place that can support it. You're talking about flying 500 pounds plus the weight of whatever truss you use. That'll take a hell of a pair of stands.

[Shaster]

What do you currently do, and why do you think it won't work for the upcoming gig?

 

Are there a lot of people...?

 

In the pursuit of excellence we (techs/musos) often over think things. Unless you're getting a serious bump to the cash (or street cred) you normally get, I'm not sure you should risk life and limb to squeeze a few perceived dB out of your rig - just MHO.

 

Of course if you don't have a suitable system for stacking.... your PA then I suppose it should be solved, I just don't think that a wooden structure is the way to go.

[agedhorse]

What is the structure that is available to attach to and is it certified for the load (including the method of attachment)?

 

Do you have an engineer available to review your work and certify that it meets life safety and building codes?

 

Do you have a (safe) method of elevating the speakers up to the fly points?

 

Do you have available or are you willing to buy the flying hardware including all the necessary attachment components and safety devices?

 

Does your liability insurance allow for flying of hardware over people's heads?

 

You may be better off with square cell scaffolding and aluma-plank deck. Be sure that everything is done safely including safety lines and nothing can fall in the event of an accident. Be especially careful when angling the cabinets downward.

 

I do this stuff all the time and there are a lot of things to watch out for.

[Tomm Williams]

The situation is that the front row of the audience is quite close to the speakers. So close, that I received a couple of complaints about volume level at the last performance. The volume was fine for the rest of the room, the front row was just using the mains as headphones so their perception was different from the rest of the room.

 

I cannot ask for the seating to be changed, so the only answer I see is to move the speakers back what little they can be and elevate them higher than they were. As of now, I have them elevated about 5'. The scaffolding seems like the most obvious answer in terms of a pre-engineered device. It could also be anchored to the sidewall as an additional safety step, or perhaps outriggers on the side.

 

Any other ideas would be most welcome.

 

TW

[W. M. Hellinger]

 

The scaffolding seems like the most obvious answer in terms of a pre-engineered device. It could also be anchored to the sidewall as an additional safety step, or perhaps outriggers on the side. Any other ideas would be most welcome. TW

 

I agree with Andy that rented construction scaffolding is a solution. I believe 7ft. tall scaffold risers are common... and with standard scaffold casters or jacks & pads, I believe the deck would be approx. 8ft. high (I'll measure mine later today when I'm out at the warehouse). Also, generally safety railing is available for around the deck.

 

One complication with using scaffolding might be how to hoist those heavy speakers up to the deck. I suggest forklifting them up would be ideal. If no folklift is available, the next best solution might be to erect double height scaffold towers where you could beam across a top deck to use a chain hoist to hoist the speakers up to the first deck.

 

All-in-all, it might be more cost effective and way less headache to hire the job done by someone who has the appropriate speakers & towers for the job.

[Mobile Music 1]

For inside a room, there's 3 ways that I'd do it.

 

1. Scaffolding.

2. Genie Lift with sling/shackle securing a stick of truss.

3. Lighter speakers with Applied Technologies L-16 and their speaker adapters. You can run 2 per side and angle them down a notch or two.

 

If it was outside, I'd suggest either a scissor lift or man lift (bucket lift) as another alternative.

[Shaster]

Buy some inexpensive earplugs and pass them out. I'm not really joking. If I know I'm playing a mixed crowd (old, young, children) I always try to bring a few pairs for the sensitive.

 

Or, just designate the front area the "rocker zone" and let the party folks sit up front.

 

Actually during set-up, if I see someone sitting near the band that "shouldn't" be there, I will often blast my guitar accidentally on purpose. That usually gets them to move to a more appropriate spot.

 

Anyway, all scaffolding is not created equal, and cabinets can bounce off (or at least move) so there's a lot to consider to make it safe.

[philw44]

Actually during set-up, if I see someone sitting near the band that "shouldn't" be there, I will often blast my guitar accidentally on purpose. That usually gets them to move to a more appropriate spot.

 

I bet they love you for that!!