Comte de St Germain
February 2nd, 2007, 10:30 PM
Imagine you are taking your 12 year old daughter and her friend to a sold out (theater) gig by a MAJOR FOTM pop band and a slightly experimental opener. The show sold out in 30 minutes and you luckily score some "industry tix" so you can go and not be the evil dumbass dad.
I mix in this room (1100 seat theater) several times a year for nationals (openers) or for internationals during the music festival. It's a tough room but nothing too crazy for the second timer. The house system is adequate, usually the LCR is out of whack a bit and some jackleg has jacked the digital eqs to oblivion but it's workable. New breed Soundcraft console and a surround system which sucks donkey sausage.
3pm- I head down to the theater to pick up my comp tix and head into the big room during soundcheck, say hi to the house guy, the production company rep and the FOH guy for the headliner. The FOH guy is a total ass. I sit back, shoot the shit with my buds and watch him as he walks the room with his tablet tweaking HIS SYSTEM that he brought in. As the white noise makes its way around the boxes i notice something in the stage left array. I tactfully mention it to the house guy and he asks the dude to back up to that side. The guy gives him the finger basically. It sounded as though sub frequencies were being fed through all off the boxes and i was smelling a thermal interuption in the making.
I decide it's prolly a good time to leave, say good bye to the gang and jokingly wish the FOH guy good luck with 250 and 1.6k. He says something rude and I go on my way.
I've done this room, I know the problems with it, the hint was given directly and in the form of a good natured joke. The Ohio State fan shoulda caught on. At least that's what we'd hope. FYI the room usually shoots out (Smaart, SIM or whatever) with a very lively 240-250 region with corresponding octaves joining in. If the SIM system says drop 2db during the analysis and you hit the eq with it you're only part of the way there. Once people enter in, all hell breaks loose, the stage is so resonant lows are creeping up mic stands and are everywhere then there is the curtain. Did i mention they dropped a digital yamaha on top of the Soundcraft? Nevermind...
The stage was rung out with the curtain down. Guess what? The lighting guy wanted the "awesome brick wall" as part of the deal so the curtain was raised and the invitation was sent.
Showtime.
Opening act plays, rocks the house with great tunes, presence, antics and noisy improv sections. the art students eat it up, the 13 year old girls enjoy it but stay seated. System works flawlessly although the stage left side seems muddy and undefined. This is the kind of band that invites chaos, yet their dude holds down the fort without a squeel...
Flavor of the month hits the stage, piano is grating and thumps from stage left immediately, the first word of the vocal instantly turns into a 250hz accapella tune. 1.6k gets the invitation from the brick wall and starts competing with 250hz for airtime. Several songs later the IEMs are pulled from ears, band members all look lost, puzzled, disoriented and are just looking at one another aghast and attempting to laugh it off.
This goes on throughout the entire set all of the way through the encore, I can't help but wonder what the fuck this guy was on, but it wasn't "point." Did i mention that the stage left array shut down completely 10 times during the 90 minute set?
The daughter and her friend loved it.
The show, not the difficulty.
On the way out, the production company guy and the house guy came up to me and snidely asked what I thought of the show and i said: "it was a wild ride." The door was opened and all three of us shared our thoughts on how the FOH guy was too cool to take the advice of folks who knew the room.
I imagine he is looking for a new gig.
#1 worst sound of 2007 is gonna be tough to beat.
Then again I'll be mixing there again in March.
I mix in this room (1100 seat theater) several times a year for nationals (openers) or for internationals during the music festival. It's a tough room but nothing too crazy for the second timer. The house system is adequate, usually the LCR is out of whack a bit and some jackleg has jacked the digital eqs to oblivion but it's workable. New breed Soundcraft console and a surround system which sucks donkey sausage.
3pm- I head down to the theater to pick up my comp tix and head into the big room during soundcheck, say hi to the house guy, the production company rep and the FOH guy for the headliner. The FOH guy is a total ass. I sit back, shoot the shit with my buds and watch him as he walks the room with his tablet tweaking HIS SYSTEM that he brought in. As the white noise makes its way around the boxes i notice something in the stage left array. I tactfully mention it to the house guy and he asks the dude to back up to that side. The guy gives him the finger basically. It sounded as though sub frequencies were being fed through all off the boxes and i was smelling a thermal interuption in the making.
I decide it's prolly a good time to leave, say good bye to the gang and jokingly wish the FOH guy good luck with 250 and 1.6k. He says something rude and I go on my way.
I've done this room, I know the problems with it, the hint was given directly and in the form of a good natured joke. The Ohio State fan shoulda caught on. At least that's what we'd hope. FYI the room usually shoots out (Smaart, SIM or whatever) with a very lively 240-250 region with corresponding octaves joining in. If the SIM system says drop 2db during the analysis and you hit the eq with it you're only part of the way there. Once people enter in, all hell breaks loose, the stage is so resonant lows are creeping up mic stands and are everywhere then there is the curtain. Did i mention they dropped a digital yamaha on top of the Soundcraft? Nevermind...
The stage was rung out with the curtain down. Guess what? The lighting guy wanted the "awesome brick wall" as part of the deal so the curtain was raised and the invitation was sent.
Showtime.
Opening act plays, rocks the house with great tunes, presence, antics and noisy improv sections. the art students eat it up, the 13 year old girls enjoy it but stay seated. System works flawlessly although the stage left side seems muddy and undefined. This is the kind of band that invites chaos, yet their dude holds down the fort without a squeel...
Flavor of the month hits the stage, piano is grating and thumps from stage left immediately, the first word of the vocal instantly turns into a 250hz accapella tune. 1.6k gets the invitation from the brick wall and starts competing with 250hz for airtime. Several songs later the IEMs are pulled from ears, band members all look lost, puzzled, disoriented and are just looking at one another aghast and attempting to laugh it off.
This goes on throughout the entire set all of the way through the encore, I can't help but wonder what the fuck this guy was on, but it wasn't "point." Did i mention that the stage left array shut down completely 10 times during the 90 minute set?
The daughter and her friend loved it.
The show, not the difficulty.
On the way out, the production company guy and the house guy came up to me and snidely asked what I thought of the show and i said: "it was a wild ride." The door was opened and all three of us shared our thoughts on how the FOH guy was too cool to take the advice of folks who knew the room.
I imagine he is looking for a new gig.
#1 worst sound of 2007 is gonna be tough to beat.
Then again I'll be mixing there again in March.