by Peter Berryman
Bandware
We just played a local gig yesterday so it's fresh in my mind.
Since things don't stay fresh in my mind very long these days,
I thought maybe this would be a good time to describe our PA setup
procedure, in case anyone would be interested in how an arbitrarily
selected acoustic duo (us) projects itself electronically to the
throngs, such as they are. This arrangement is probably too rudimentary
for many acoustic groups, and possibly too complex for others,
but after years of goofing around with thousands of various cobbled
together combinations, we have arrived at what we feel is adequate
for our tonnage. Here's how you'd do it if you were us:
Carry two fat yellow WalMart toolboxes of cords, lights, and related
jewelry, to car and put in trunk. Carry one small green hardshell
suitcase, $2 at Vinny's, holding Soundcraft mixer, two microphones,
Behringer Feedback Destroyer, and more cords, to car. Carry two
JBL EON powered speakers (speakers with built-in amplifiers) to
car, put in back seat, and strap each one in using seat belts
so in case of crash they don't squish so-called musicians in front
seat.
Carry two speaker stands to car and put on floor in back, nestled amongst coffee cups, Dorito bags, and Onion newspapers. Carry two microphone stands to car and put on top of speaker stands. Carry one Tupperware box of miscellaneous extra emergency cords to car and put in trunk. Carry one two-piece music stand with extra duct tape wrapped on legs for emergencies, and one small black wheeled suitcase of CDs, tapes, songbooks, credit card paraphernalia, and mailing list sign up sheets to car, and put in trunk. Carry one guitar and one accordion, each in gig bag (soft cloth case), to car and put in trunk.
Drive four blocks to venue (church basement, tavern, auditorium, laundromat, hay wagon). Park temporarily by fire hydrant. Everything that was carried to car in first paragraphs, carry from car, into venue, and onto stage (riser, pool table, door on beer cases, pergola bench, pagoda veranda). Move car to semi-legal parking spot.
Set up speaker stands. Lift each speaker onto stand. Open yellow
toolboxes and little green suitcase. Take Mixer (size of medium
pizza carton) out of suitcase and put on chair. Take Feedback
Destroyer (size of two boxes of Kleenex) out of suitcase. Take
all cords and microphones out of suitcase; pile on floor. Put
suitcase under chair and Feedback Destroyer on suitcase.
Run special XLR-1/4" cord from 1/4" Mix Output Left
Channel of mixer to XLR Input of Feedback destroyer. Plug in heavy
duty extension cord, and plug power strip into that. Into power
strip, plug mixer using AC adapter. Plug Feedback Destroyer into
power strip using special power cord. Run XLR mic (microphone)
cord from Feedback Destroyer Output to XLR input of one powered
JBL Eon speaker. Run another XLR mic cord from outlet of that
speaker, across stage, and into input of other powered speaker.
Plug speakers into power strip, using special power cords and
regular extension cords.
Take homemade lighting supports out of one toolbox. These are
arrangements of rubber bungie cords, PVC pipe, lengths of 1/2
pine plank and bent aluminum yardstick strips, bolts, wing nuts
and eventually, five dollar clamp lamps with 100 watt Menards
floodlight bulbs. Assemble these unintentionally kinetic sculptures
on top of speakers. Plug into speaker power outlet sockets using
special home made power cords. Perch yourself on rickety folding
chair and aim lights.
Take out Shure Beta 58 mic pouches and remove mics. Clip mics
into mic stand clips. Run mic cord from each into one channel
of mixer. Take guitar out of case. Take guitar cord out of case
pocket and run it from guitar to line input on mixer. Take accordion
out of case. Run cord from accordion-mounted microphone volume
box to 1/4" to XLR adapter and from that to mic cord, which
goes into mic channel number three of mixer. Put music book on
music stand. Turn on podium light. Remove 9 volt battery from
guitar and check with Radio Shack battery tester kept in home-sewn
marsupium on gig bag. Tune guitar, if absolutely necessary, using
Sabine tuner stuck to pick guard with double sided foam tape.
Turn main volume down on mixer. Turn on power strip. Turn powered
speakers on. Mixer has no on/off switch so is on automatically.
Turn on Feedback Destroyer. Set volume levels of vocals, guitar,
and accordion to approximately where they will end up. Put accordion
and guitar on stage near where they will be for show. Make sure
volume controls on speakers are turned up. Accordion-mounted bass
and treble volume controls should be set at about 50% for starters.
Gradually turn up main volume control on mixer. Keep eye on LEDs
of Feedback Destroyer. As main volume control is turned up, feedback
will begin at various frequencies. One by one, Feedback Destroyer
will do its job and eliminate feedbacks, which can be seen by
blinking or steady states of LEDs.
After this procedure, PA should be ready for sound check. For
sound check, one person plays and sings while other person listens.
Tone adjustments are made using high and low knobs on mixer. Individual
channel volume knobs on mixer are used for most volume adjustments.
Guitar pickup has no volume control, but accordion volume controls
can be used for fine tuning, and to balance high and low sides
of accordion.
Unpack CDs, tapes, songbooks, price signs, sign up sheets, and credit card equipment from small black suitcase. Set up display of sorts.
Play music.
Undo everything, unswitch everything, unplug everything, pack everything that hasn't been sold, move car back to fire hydrant (unless car has been sold), put everything back in car, drive four blocks, take everything out of car and put back in storage.
Watch TV.