[Dixielandjazz] A sound-man sounds-off

[Lowell Busching]

Larry said

> Too often the only qualification that the sound guy has is that he owns 
> the equipment.

It works both ways. At one festival one channel developed a bad buzz. 
The owner of the equipment, that had loaned it to the festival, tried to 
fix it. The volunteer assigned to that site tried to send him away. It 
was her job. She was not fixing it nor noticed the buzz. Too busy 
socializing with one of the musicians, loudly, near the stage.

Rule 5B for a festival. Don't let someone who knows something about the 
equipment operate it. Give it to a reliable, but inexperience and 
incompetent volunteer. Sound people have a reputation to keep up.
>
> What everyone said about sound reinforcement vs. just plain loud is 
> right on.

Must have been before I got back on DJML again. I try to do 
reinforcement, but it is hard when many musicians, some of them big 
names, do not want to be miked in any way as I have said before.
Kenny Davern lives.

Thus it is impossible to get a balanced mix out of a speaker at most 
OKOM festivals. Clarinet and piano only maybe. Sit in front if you want 
to hear the full band naturally or way in back or a mix of acoustic and 
speaker sound.

   It seems like a lot of these guys don't seem to know the
> difference.

Nor the musicians who play too loud.

Monitors are over rated in some venues or with some types of bands. A 
festival I was at this year set up a venue for a special event utilizing 
"All Star" OKOM players. The "sound crew" put up monitors, but did not 
plan to man the system once they started playing. The band told them to 
shut off the monitors. The sound people felt hurt. I ran the system for 
the band, and it worked fine. Situated at stage right.

This was with the old, large, rock style speakers sitting on the edge of 
the stage, blocking some views. The mixer/amp system was one of the 
oldest I had seen, but serviceable. Probably came from someone's garage 
band set up. This was the main ballroom. Class act all the way.

  It is not always the equipment, but how you use it and what the band 
wants. Again. Communication between the bands and the sound people is 
needed. It is usually missing.

Sound reinforcement mainly. Other bands did use the monitors and we set 
them up before the sets. This also worked.  This would not have happened 
with the regular sound crew. All or nothing at all. No baby sitters.

In the other venues the bands used their own musician/soundman, but it 
took a half day before they realized they would receive no help unless a 
total meltdown of the sound system occurred.  Then they were right 
there. In my case to tell the band I would take care of it. :-)  Fun.

I don't think I will be invited back or would go if I was.

Mad Dog