anyone else sick of hauling their gear around to gigs?

[zuul777]

man, after every gig my band has that we use our PA, we're frickin beat. actually even before the gig, since we loaded and unloaded already.

our mains are 100lbs a piece and sub around 170lbs. couple wedges around 30-45, power amp rack at 150lbs, plus bass and guitar amps, drum set, 88key synth, mixer (either small 16ch or full mx9000 depending).

 

at the end of the night, it makes me want to sell all my stuff and get out of music. any other time im always wanting to add more.

 

what are some ways you have coped with similar issues?

[Craig Vecchione]

Roadies.

[Zeromus-X]

renting sound

[Craig Vecchione]

I think this covers it.

[B. Adams]

Casters. Nice big ones. On everything that needs it. And everything that doesn't have casters rides on top of something that does. Seems like your problem is that you're actually having to carry things, when all you should ever have to do is lift a little bit.

Have an easy way to transport the stuff. It sucks getting things in and out of a van, or a car, or five cars. Get something that all your cases can just roll into. The less lifting and stuff you can do the better.

Also, give yourself enough time to set up, so you're not running your ass off trying to start on time.

And get people to help you. If you don't have a sound guy, you should, and if you pay him OK, he'll be happy to set up the stuff. Especially if you've streamlined the operation to make it as easy as possible.

[tlbonehead]

Originally posted by zuul777 man, after every gig my band has that we use our PA, we're frickin beat. actually even before the gig, since we loaded and unloaded already. our mains are 100lbs a piece and sub around 170lbs. couple wedges around 30-45, power amp rack at 150lbs, plus bass and guitar amps, drum set, 88key synth, mixer (either small 16ch or full mx9000 depending). at the end of the night, it makes me want to sell all my stuff and get out of music. any other time im always wanting to add more. what are some ways you have coped with similar issues?

Its all part of the deal. If ya wanna gig,you do what you need to do. I use,four subs about 160lbs each,four mid/high cabs about 80lbs each,two racks about 100lbs each,two monitors(two members bring their own)and then my amps,cable tubs,etc. Each member takes care of their own personal gear.

[agedhorse]

House Gig for the older guys!

[abzurd]

I just look at it this way

I play for FREE. I'm payed to haul - set up - tear down. Somehow it seems better that way.

We have a sound company and usually don't assist in much set up. Tear down is another story. Light trusses, V-drums, synths, - pretty much "the works" as far as what strip mall venues can handle.

[RickJ]

Originally posted by agedhorse House Gig for the older guys!

 

 

Amen!

 

... and (to Zuul): You're there to work, not to party. If at the end of the night you hate to pack 'n' load, join the club. Everyone else is deciding where to go for breakfast while you wrap cables and load gear for an hour. If you're not getting paid to miss those breakfasts, then you have to convince yourself that you're doing it for love.

 

Or pay a couple of guys $20 each out of your pocket and have a ham & cheese omelet and coffee with the new-found after-hours partiers while you worry about your gear.

 

It's nothing new, bro'.

[Guest Anonymous]

Originally posted by tlbonehead Its all part of the deal. If ya wanna gig,you do what you need to do. I use,four subs about 160lbs each,four mid/high cabs about 80lbs each,two racks about 100lbs each,two monitors(two members bring their own)and then my amps,cable tubs,etc. Each member takes care of their own personal gear.

 

Indeed: "Many hands make light work." It's amazing how fast (and painless) it goes when lots of (knowledgable) folks pitch in.

 

Q: What do you call a guitar player between girlfriends?

A: Homeless.

 

Q: What do you call a soundcompany owner without friends?

A: A one man show.

 

I've found that "official all area passes" are like $100 bills when it comes to ready, willing, and able spot labor.

 

One key to long term success is: working smarter, not harder... which requires some woodshed time in the shop... and a truck with a good liftgate, and good castors, and lots of multipin connections, and a good system of staying organized.

[Unalaska]

You know your right about the shop time and I'm thinking multipin as well. I've been looking at the things that take the most time when setting up. One thing I have to do is change my mic cable setup. Now it's on orange reels but I could shave a few seconds each by going to and over-under wrap and velcro.

When I use my A rig board and FOH rack, I have 4 snakes involved: main 24x8 trunk which 24 go to the board and the 8 to another small 8 channel snake to FOH, a 16 channel TRS and 12 channel insert bewteen board. Lemme see here... 24+8+8+16+12=68 connections must be made. Granted 12 are inserts which need to be able to be moved to any channel at any time.

Most connections are going into the mixer with 8 being between the 8 channels of return and a small 8 channel 10' from the FOH rack. Problem is that the returns on the snake aren't long enough on their own or mayube they are and I haven't figured it out yet.

Multi-pin multi-pin multi-pin multi-pin... Hmmm I'm gonna think on this one.

[agedhorse]

Originally posted by Audiopile One key to long term success is: working smarter, not harder... which requires some woodshed time in the shop... and a truck with a good liftgate, and good castors, and lots of multipin connections, and a good system of staying organized.

 

Otherwise, you will become yet another shriveled up, "ridden hard - put away wet" road dog. It ain't pretty.

[slystewart]

We use Martin Audio stuff weighs a ton......get a truck with a tail lift on it and castors on everthing .......problem sorted...

[Guest Anonymous]

Originally posted by Unalaska Lemme see here... 24+8+8+16+12=68 connections must be made.

 

I remember a number of years ago I had a call for full sound and lights for Sigon Kick at a youth center. There was a hitch in the provisional permit and I didn't have access to the venue till 4:00 pm (after sitting in the parking lot (freezing my ass off) from the origional load-in time of 7:00 am). Soundchecks were suspose to be at 4:00pm. I'd just gotten the mains and front and back truss up by about 4:30pm... and the LIC arrived on the scean... wanted to know when I'd be ready (tapping her foot and looking at her clipboard)? I quickly added it up for her:

 

1) 32 inputs on the FOH console.

2) 32 inputs on the monitor console.

3) 'bout 16fx units on the FOH console (min of 2 connections apiece)

4) 8 monitor EQ's to insert (3 connections ea.)

5) 8 monitor power and speakers (4 connections ea.)

6) 16 FOH speakers (2 connections ea.)

7) Power to 6 amp racks

8) 80 par cans (two connections ea.)

9) 'bout 28 mics, di's etc... (two connections ea.)

10) Power distro stuff and dimmer pack power (another 1/2 dozen connections

11) 4 quad boxes

12) Lighting snake and FOH power (another 10 connections or so).

13) Fog machine (another 3 connections).

14) Probably some other stuff... talk back mic, clear com, etc...

 

"Anyway... lady... right now I have about 450 "things" to "plug-in"... and every single one has to be plugged in absolutely correctly... and then I can get to gelling and aiming the par cans and wringing out the monitors. When's doors open? 8:00? If I can keep plugging in about 150 items an hour (about one every 20 seconds), I'll be ready to go by showtime. Any other questions?"

[drummer_jay]

Originally posted by Audiopile If I can keep plugging in about 150 items an hour (about one every 20 seconds), I'll be ready to go by showtime. Any other questions?"

 

 

How big of a crew did you have helping? OR was it just you?? OUCH!!

 

I'm on a MUCH smaller scale then you. But this past weekend I went to load up my gear for a "DJ" gig. I realized there were NO lights. WELL, the band had a gig the previous saturday. We were all busting our ass's trying to get tore down and out of there. We finally got all loaded up and just had lights. They were all on the clubs truss about 15 feet up. I went to get the ladder and our guitar player, who lives within walking distance said he'd come back monday and get them. I told him 3 times to do this monday because I had a DJ gig friday. This place is over an hour from where I live...

 

ANYWAY, when I thought to call him friday and ask whats up with the lights, he said he planned on going saturday morning since we'd need them for our saturday night gig. THAT SOB... I had to get off work at 5. Drive 45 minutes to where I store all the gear... Load up the PA equipment.. Drive 20 minutes to the venue.. set up, get music going... By this time it's 8:00 ... iwas suppose to start at 8:00 . So I tell the owner I'm going to set my system on "auto" while I go get the lights.. I work with her ALOT so it was cool.... I put together a mix of material and left...

 

Hauled ass.. got back within an hour... noticed SILENCE as i walked in... Went up to my computer to realize the left channel of the software was muted! So every other song while I was gone wasn't audible!!!! SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS{censored}

 

Thank god no one showed up untill 10!!

 

Moral of the story.. TRUST NO ONE !!! I should have known better!

[Guest Anonymous]

Originally posted by drummer_jay How big of a crew did you have helping? OR was it just you?? OUCH!!

 

One man show. "Volunteer labor" for the heavy stuff (on load-in)... and both the opener and the headliner had FOH engineers and LD's... so I could handle it. It was a last minute thing... got the phone call the night before. No time to round up my usual helpers... Well... that, and it was snowing like a big dog all day before. Liz was in the middle of finals week at school. Yup... one man show. No heat in the venue either... probably about 20deg IN the building... stiff cables, nub fingers... no lunch (of course) because of the 9 hours sitting the the parking lot waiting for the venue to open up "any minute".

 

All that didn't seem so bad since their check bounced too.

 

And... the headliner got snowed in at the airport and didn't show... and the crowd trashed everything having to do with the stage (food fight erupted).

 

That wasn't all that big of deal since the opening band had already trashed the monitors.

 

All-in-all... a show I'd just as soon forget... if it hadn't been such a good lesson.

 

It did kick my rear in gear to get serious about streamlining set-ups and limiters on every amp (and have an attorney draw up a service contract).

[Retrospex]

I just look at it this way. I play for FREE. I'm payed to haul - set up - tear down. Somehow it seems better that way.

 

Agreed 100%

[drummer_jay]

Originally posted by Audiopile It did kick my rear in gear to get serious about streamlining set-ups and limiters on every amp (and have an attorney draw up a service contract).

 

 

Yeah.. I learned early on that a contract is a MUST!!

 

I was sick of the, "Well here's your money. 350.00 right?" UM, NO.. it was 450.00... "Oh, well I have it wrote down for 350.00.... Then being the nice guy that I am.. I say OK.. thanks...ERRR>

 

So now I have a big long and very very strict contract. It makes me so much more comfortable...

 

OH.. and I hate bad checks... At my day job I get paid my commisions at the end of the billing month. If someone doesn't pay, or writes a bad check.. After 90 days... if still unpaid.. I lose all commision on it and have to pay it back!!!

 

Ahhh. the wonders of Radio!!!

[Old Steve]

Originally posted by Audiopile ...There was a hitch in the provisional permit and I didn't have access to the venue till 4:00 pm ....Soundchecks were suspose to be at 4:00pm.

 

 

So in addition to mulitpins, organized loadin/loadout, built in limiters, and solid contracts, I guess the next step is to get one of those fancy space/time shifters. That way when they open the venue at 4pm, and soundcheck is schedule to begin immediately, you can stop time, load in, set up, and get everything running, and then RESTART time to keep the show on schedule.

 

I think Behringer is coming out with a lower end one this winter.

[Guest Anonymous]

Well... I have learned over the years:

1) If it looks like poo, and:
2) If it smells like poo:

I don't need to be involved clear to my armpits to realize it really is poo. Sometimes you gotta just distance yourself from a situation.

However, there is a niche market out there (I've found) for bands and soundcompanies that can rise to the occassion. If you can load-in, set-up, and be ready to "hit it" in under an hour (and do a GOOD job), sometimes you can command a premium price or have access to markets (venues) that others can't.

And sometimes it's the little things that make a huge difference... like having big enough castors on your equipment that you don't leave tracks in the carpet, or rubber footies on the speakers that don't leave marks on the parquet floor.