Splendid isolation, or Three Musketeers?

[SC Events]

I once worked alongside a musician who just turned up with a mixer and his Keyboard, Guitar, Mic...but no PA.

I knew what was coming and as soon as he set up he said "Here are mate, plug this in for us."

I said "Why can't you plug it in your own PA system? I don't let anyone plug in to my system unless I know them and have agreed it in advance" and he was like "Well, I assumed it would be ok, everyone else lets me."

You could tell it had wound him up, but his attitude from the moment he walked through the venue door just screamed 'hole'

He tried to kick up a fuss, to which I said "Look, i'm the one with the PA system and you're the one who's going to be up the creek without a paddle once the bride and groom find out, so I suggest you get off your high horse!"

In the end I let him plug in to my PA, but I told him that I will control the levels and if it's not as loud as he usually has it 'tough', he should've brought his own PA system!

[Daryll]

Behind my front cloth is a tangle mass of wires and cables , there is only one person in the world that knows where every thing goes , and that`s me........ , so that area is totally out of bounds , I do have a few spare inputs on the back of the denon mixer , If someone asked nicely , and supplied a whatever lead to phono , and I had total control over the gain and volume , then I am OK with that ,but..........and this backs up some comments , if I was hired to provide a disco with sound and lighting , then that is exactly what I will provide , and expect other entertainers to do the same , after all in my day job , if I turned up to paint a house , and asked the owner if I could borrow his/hers brushes , I can guess what the conversation would go like.....


Daryll

[djtrev]

I remember many years ago when I did a regular social club night that on occasions a young lad with Downs Syndrome would come in and plonk himself on a chair at the side of me and talk to me most of the night.It was quite difficult at times because I was too busy to give him any attention or I just didn't understand or hear what he said.
Anyway,one night he comes in and wants to sing his favourite song using my radio mic.Well,whether you accept it or not these sadly affected people seem to get their own way(sorry but I am trying to be diplomatic here but hopefully you know what I mean) so I reluctantly agreed for him to sing his song.
We spent the next 20 mins trying to get him to give the mic back.
Somehow I don't think I would have been flavour of the month if I had refused in the first place even though I wanted to.

[DeckstarDeluxe]

I don't let anyone hook not my gear, as you well know , but it's definitely not an Up yours pal, I'm fireproof attitude I have. Whilst working I'm the consummate professional and try to be the most helpful guy I can be to my clients, and I think my clients would agree with that. What I do take great exception to is other entertainers presuming it's ok to hook in to my gear. I've had an instance or two over the years that prompted me to change the way I work. So it's just policy now that I will not allow anyone to use my gear.

Fair play to those of you that do, but I really don't think those that don't are being unreasonable in declining to offer that service.

100% agree and its got nothing to being the right or wrong side of 50 either.

[Jonathan Ford]

I once worked alongside a musician who just turned up with a mixer and his Keyboard, Guitar, Mic...but no PA.

I knew what was coming and as soon as he set up he said "Here are mate, plug this in for us."

I said "Why can't you plug it in your own PA system? I don't let anyone plug in to my system unless I know them and have agreed it in advance" and he was like "Well, I assumed it would be ok, everyone else lets me."

You could tell it had wound him up, but his attitude from the moment he walked through the venue door just screamed 'hole'

He tried to kick up a fuss, to which I said "Look, i'm the one with the PA system and you're the one who's going to be up the creek without a paddle once the bride and groom find out, so I suggest you get off your high horse!"

In the end I let him plug in to my PA, but I told him that I will control the levels and if it's not as loud as he usually has it 'tough', he should've brought his own PA system!

That's very generous of you. The temptation to leave this guy standing there with his John Thomas in the wind looking the fool he clearly is would've been too much for me to resist I'm afraid, and I would've had to tell him to jog on regardless of the consequences for the rest of the evening.

[[email protected]]

I quite often let acts run through my PA (although, on quite a few occasions in the past I have booked said act and know them).

But on occasions where they have been a surprise or space is an issue, I'll get a L/R feed from their desk and patch it into my PA.

The systems protected with overload protection thingies in the signal procession gubbins in the speakers and also utilise a limiter as well, (not because I have cause for concern when patching other acts into through the PA system, but, to give that little bit of a safety net, should I leave the DJ area and some idiot comes behind and decides to push everything up to 11 on the mixer).

I'm always around to keep an eye on levels should they be a bit keen with the gain and I've found working with a pro act, there's no additional risk to the gear than doing karaoke with unpredictable muppets coming up and singing / screaming / shouting into the mics.

In terms of the extra effort involved, often I've lugged all my gear in anyway and if it makes the overall look of the performance area less cluttered and means less disruption to the event after they have finished, I'm not too bothered.

[Corabar Steve]

I feel we may have to add a third category, the folk of a certain age like Corabar Steve who have ready made patch panels on the back, and will allow conditional access to kit. ( One of the conditions apparently being that they don't come within twenty yards of the gear, and keep their hands in their pockets at all times.

It's on the top actually, & it's there for if I need to plug anything additional in (CD players for example). I have on occasion let other entertainers plug in (by prior arrangement), but only under the understanding that they control what they do from their end & don't touch my stuff (I'm not their sound engineer). Also that I Can & will monitor what is happening & will (& indeed have) turn it down or off if they push it too hard & it distorts or overdrives in any way. If somebody just turned up & assumed that thay could plug in..... Hmmmmm....

You could tell it had wound him up, but his attitude from the moment he walked through the venue door just screamed 'hole'

You're allowed to say arsehole

[Excalibur]

About 10 years ago I let someone sing on the mic. At the end of the song they thought it would be amusing to try make a great finale by throwing my mic about 15 feet in the air, extending their arms in a 'look at me, I'm a superstar fashion' and proceeding to let my shure radio mic freefall back onto the ground with an almighty thud.

Aaaaaaargh! Round here, that's a capital offence.

To be serious though, I reckon that punters aren't normally part of the gig, and I too am often not at all keen to let the drunken idiots handle any of my kit. At least fellow performers are usually sober, and more likely to respect your kit.

I know I can come across as being a bit anal and stand-offish to some on here about not letting others use my gear. I haven't always been like this

You may be surprised to know that some of my day job kit is only used by me, or trusted seasoned professionals, who would afford me the same priveleges. In that respect, I'm with you 100%.

I completely disagree, and in my opinion my perspective is correct. If another entertainer shows up without the tools to do their job IT IS THEM that is 'regarding the performance in isolation rather than as part of the whole evening'. .

Point missed, I feel. What I'm saying is that in the examples I gave, the whole function would run more smoothly as a whole if I offered them the use of some of my kit, rather than them causing chaos dragging their gear in and out. Every case is viewed on its merits.

Perhaps I'm not as diametrically opposed to you as it may appear at first glance to the casual observer.

[Shaun]

Point missed, I feel. What I'm saying is that in the examples I gave, the whole function would run more smoothly as a whole if I offered them the use of some of my kit, rather than them causing chaos dragging their gear in and out. Every case is viewed on its merits.

<tongue in cheek>
And why should there be chaos by bringing their gear in? I manage to bring my gear in without causing chaos. If the band are having more trouble organising that part of the service than me, then it's even more reason for them to look at and change the service they provide, rather than me having to change the way I work.
</tongue in cheek>

I do see what you're trying to say Peter, and I'm really not missing your point, but you're way of working just isn't for me. Different strokes for different folks.

[DeckstarDeluxe]

Out of interest and I'm not meaning this to come across in a "I'm right your wrong" way but the folks that do allow others to patch into your gear...... Have you ever had someone that was just plain awful? No idea what they were doing.........