When things go wrong, they do :(

[fullcontact68]

Hi All,

Had a 25 wedding anniversary to do last night. (70's 80's theme requested)

Visited the venue prior, I was told that I can turn up after 3PM to set up.

Great I thought, Got there for 15:45, to find out that the room was in use and I could not get accesses until 16:30....

So, since I had a car full a gear, and my daughter who walked (local venue), I left some of the kit in their office so I could drive her home..

So, at 16:45, I decided to go back to the venue to set up (without the daughter this time, she had to go out).

Onto the next problem, the car would not start... Not even turning over. FFS, getting a bit annoyed now, with a gig to set up.

So, managed to get a neighbour to take me and the rest of my kit to the venue, whilst the wife waited for recovery.


Get to the venue, built the booth, wired everything up for a test. The ADJ mega tripars were not working with my obey 4!!!! Weird they were working last night when I did an equipment test.

Ended up having to put then onto Ch03, instead of Ch04, which they were working on last night!

Anyway, time really running out now, music and lights now working, but I'm still i'm my jeans and sweating like a pig.

Had to jog home, get changed quickly, then (luckily the car was back on the road) drive back to the venue and make a start. (Well knackered by this time)

Event started, sound and lights working well. Time to use the mic (Did not have time to do a mic test before), major feedback issue. No idea what is causing it?
Running the mic flat, turned the music down / off and still getting feedback. The speakers are located either side of a stage on tripods, approx. 15ft away from my booth and a few feet forward of the booth.

Lady comes onto the stage wanting to give a little speech, Obviously I'm a little worried about the mic being used at this stage, so I turn then levels on the mic down even further, still got feedback (not at much now), so asked her to step back a little, and this seemed to help (Still had to use low levels on the master / mic etc.

Speech over. Thank god...

Time for me to use the mic again to call last orders, (the mic was still setup the same), huge feedback, stopped everyone on the dance floor. Quickly killed the mic, and had to shout last orders :(

One last thing, who has priority over requests?
Later in the evening, I was playing the classic cheese, cha cha slide, etc, which the dance floor was loving, then the oldies where wanting more 70's / motown one, so I played some more, then the younger guests were wanting more up to date music on. Help, how to you please everyone????

The problem here is that the event was for the 'older' generation, i.e. 25th wedding, so 70's/motown when requested by them was played, however, the event was put on and paid for by their children who were asking for modern music. What a juggling act.


Why is it when something goes wrong, it really does?

And how do I sort out my mic issues? (Sennheiser Freeport)

I've a kids football presentation to do at the same venue soon, and they are wanting to use the mic quiet a bit, so I really need to get this sorted asap.

Knackered, (Setting up, running, and packing up by yourself is hard work)
Edward.

[yourdj]

Sounds fun.

I never understand why DJ's have to call last orders? Is this a legal thing or just some crap from yesteryear as i never have to do it at hotels, pubs and halls? Although they did make me do it in the restaurant I am playing tonight.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

I never understand why DJ's have to call last orders? .

And yet you profess to be an MC, ushering people into rooms and making general announcements...:rolleyes:

[Excalibur]

One last thing, who has priority over requests?
Later in the evening, I was playing the classic cheese, cha cha slide, etc, which the dance floor was loving, then the oldies where wanting more 70's / motown one, so I played some more, then the younger guests were wanting more up to date music on. Help, how to you please everyone????
The problem here is that the event was for the 'older' generation, i.e. 25th wedding, so 70's/motown when requested by them was played, however, the event was put on and paid for by their children who were asking for modern music. What a juggling act.

.

Sorry to hear of your trials, everything does seem to come at once. I've not forgotten you're due a reply on another matter, either, sorry for the delay.
Re juggling, I have no helpful advice, except to say that don't do what I once did. Having been driven way past breaking point by two age groups of punters asking for their music in turn at each :Censored: new song, I turrned the music off altogether, and pointed out over the mic the impossibility of pleasing two totally disparate factions simultaneously. Funnily enough, it didn't go down too well. :(

[fullcontact68]

and pointed out over the mic.

Unfortunately, until I sort out the feedback issue, that won't be happening anyway.

[deltic]

Simple answer re the feedback on the Freeport....there are 2 controls on the back of the receiver one is a gain control which you need to turn right down as the Freeport puts out a really hot signal, and the second control is a squelch control not too important mid way will be fine

[fullcontact68]

Simple answer re the feedback on the Freeport....there are 2 controls on the back of the receiver one is a gain control which you need to turn right down as the Freeport puts out a really hot signal, and the second control is a squelch control not too important mid way will be fine

Interesting, I did notice those knobs, but left them at the settings which the previous owner had used (Unless they had slipped in transit?)

The gain was on max. I've now reduced this, but not been able to test yet. Hopefully this will be the solution.

I did notice that when trying the mic last night, that I needed very little mic volume, only just above min.

I guess these things happen, especially when everything else seems to go ":Censored::Censored::Censored::Censored: up", and you don't have enough time to do a proper test.

Anything else to consider if I've still got a feedback issue? (Other than speaker placement, these are out of the way and pointing slightly away from centre stage)

Cheers
Edward.

[ckpr2]

I did a gig at Annan (southern Scotland) football club a few years back.
It was long lift in which was a pain as it was red hot too.
I eventually got set up with lights working.
I put on a CD only to find even with amp and mixer turned right up I could barely hear anything.
I started to panic a bit as I only had the one set of gear with me.
I had a good look around and unplugged all the mains and plugged it back in, still the same.
I then looked at the leads going into my mixer and one lead wasn't quite in.
I pushed it in and everything burst into life.
It was a jack plug that I hadn't pushed in hard enough.
Big sigh of relief and it then turned out to be a great night with the dance floor full all night and a great crowd singing along to the music.

[Excalibur]

Re mic problems, I can't stress enough the importance of having a second mic. Even one of the cheap Behringer, JTS or similar on a cable can be a lifesaver, especially when you have problems with a radio mic.

[fullcontact68]

Re mic problems, I can't stress enough the importance of having a second mic. Even one of the cheap Behringer, JTS or similar on a cable can be a lifesaver, especially when you have problems with a radio mic.
I do have a spare cabled mic. Did not think about trying that instead :(

Lesson learned. If everything goes to plan, and you have testing time, make sure radio and wired mics are working. Either that or never use a mic lol

[Excalibur]

I do have a spare cabled mic. Did not think about trying that instead :(


Default setting, plug 'em both in. That's why ( decent ) mixers have two mic channels.


Lesson learned. If everything goes to plan, and you have testing time, make sure radio and wired mics are working. Either that or never use a mic lol

Heresy!!!!!! :eek: Wash your mouth out with soap! :D:D

[fullcontact68]

Default setting, plug 'em both in. That's why ( decent ) mixers have two mic channels.


Heresy!!!!!! :eek: Wash your mouth out with soap! :D:D

Hmm. Plug both mics in? Thought there was only one accessible socket on the setup I'm using. Cannot remember who I bought it off now lol.

[Excalibur]

Hmm. Plug both mics in? Thought there was only one accessible socket on the setup I'm using. .
Two things.
1) I used to own it. Given my predilection for using the mic, what do you think are the chances of me using a mixer with only one mic input? :confused::D:D
2) Here's a hint. Have a look round the back. Both channels have their own mute button, which at times can be invaluable.

[fullcontact68]

Two things.
1) I used to own it. Given my predilection for using the mic, what do you think are the chances of me using a mixer with only one mic input? :confused::D:D
2) Here's a hint. Have a look round the back. Both channels have their own mute button, which at times can be invaluable.

Silly me. I'll take a look later :)

[fullcontact68]

Silly me. I'll take a look later :)


Yup, there it is, on the back on the case. What a prat I am.

I'll try the radio mic in there, and the corded one onto the mixer. (Phono on my corded mic)

Cheers

[mattydj50]

Yup, there it is, on the back on the case. What a prat I am.

I'll try the radio mic in there, and the corded one onto the mixer. (Phono on my corded mic)

Cheers


Phono on a corded mic?? That's unusual. You sure its not a 1/4in jack??

[fullcontact68]

Phono on a corded mic?? That's unusual. You sure its not a 1/4in jack??

I'm tired, it's a jack on the mic, not a phono.

I need to read my posts before sending.

[DJ Neil c]

The dj is in charge of this no matter who is paying you. You do what the dancfloor wants.


Hi All,

Had a 25 wedding anniversary to do last night. (70's 80's theme requested)

Visited the venue prior, I was told that I can turn up after 3PM to set up.

Great I thought, Got there for 15:45, to find out that the room was in use and I could not get accesses until 16:30....

So, since I had a car full a gear, and my daughter who walked (local venue), I left some of the kit in their office so I could drive her home..

So, at 16:45, I decided to go back to the venue to set up (without the daughter this time, she had to go out).

Onto the next problem, the car would not start... Not even turning over. FFS, getting a bit annoyed now, with a gig to set up.

So, managed to get a neighbour to take me and the rest of my kit to the venue, whilst the wife waited for recovery.


Get to the venue, built the booth, wired everything up for a test. The ADJ mega tripars were not working with my obey 4!!!! Weird they were working last night when I did an equipment test.

Ended up having to put then onto Ch03, instead of Ch04, which they were working on last night!

Anyway, time really running out now, music and lights now working, but I'm still i'm my jeans and sweating like a pig.

Had to jog home, get changed quickly, then (luckily the car was back on the road) drive back to the venue and make a start. (Well knackered by this time)

Event started, sound and lights working well. Time to use the mic (Did not have time to do a mic test before), major feedback issue. No idea what is causing it?
Running the mic flat, turned the music down / off and still getting feedback. The speakers are located either side of a stage on tripods, approx. 15ft away from my booth and a few feet forward of the booth.

Lady comes onto the stage wanting to give a little speech, Obviously I'm a little worried about the mic being used at this stage, so I turn then levels on the mic down even further, still got feedback (not at much now), so asked her to step back a little, and this seemed to help (Still had to use low levels on the master / mic etc.

Speech over. Thank god...

Time for me to use the mic again to call last orders, (the mic was still setup the same), huge feedback, stopped everyone on the dance floor. Quickly killed the mic, and had to shout last orders :(

One last thing, who has priority over requests?
Later in the evening, I was playing the classic cheese, cha cha slide, etc, which the dance floor was loving, then the oldies where wanting more 70's / motown one, so I played some more, then the younger guests were wanting more up to date music on. Help, how to you please everyone????

The problem here is that the event was for the 'older' generation, i.e. 25th wedding, so 70's/motown when requested by them was played, however, the event was put on and paid for by their children who were asking for modern music. What a juggling act.


Why is it when something goes wrong, it really does?

And how do I sort out my mic issues? (Sennheiser Freeport)

I've a kids football presentation to do at the same venue soon, and they are wanting to use the mic quiet a bit, so I really need to get this sorted asap.

Knackered, (Setting up, running, and packing up by yourself is hard work)
Edward.

[DJ Neil c]

My first post of here so not sure if im doing it correct. Messy site!
The dj is in charge of music full stop. Take some requests before attending but you are in charge. What the dancfloor likes it likes regardless of others. Its the majority not the minority you should play to. It dont matter who is paying you. You wouldn't tell a sparky how to wire a plug. Of course be as flexible as you can but at the end of the day the DJ is in charge.

[Excalibur]

My first post of here so not sure if im doing it correct. Messy site!
.

You are doing it correctly, but your first ten posts have to be approved by mods/admin to ensure that you're not a spammer or similar nee'er do well. That means that sometimes there will be a delay, if none of us are online.
As to the site being messy, I suspect that's a function of the board software used, and I'm in no position to comment on that with any certainty. Some bits of some forums look good, but other bits look poor, guess it's the nature of the beast.

May I ask you to pop across to the Newbies section, and introduce yourself, please. It's nice to know something about who we're conversing with, and often helps us to give more accurate advice. Thanks.

[DazzyD]

Hi All,

...
One last thing, who has priority over requests?
Later in the evening, I was playing the classic cheese, cha cha slide, etc, which the dance floor was loving, then the oldies where wanting more 70's / motown one, so I played some more, then the younger guests were wanting more up to date music on. Help, how to you please everyone????

The problem here is that the event was for the 'older' generation, i.e. 25th wedding, so 70's/motown when requested by them was played, however, the event was put on and paid for by their children who were asking for modern music. What a juggling act.

...
Edward.

Try and play some "mini sets" of requests. ie Group your requests in to genres and play 3 or 4 together at a time. This means that your groups of requesters are not up and down after every song and the dancefloor gets to flow a little. Obviously, if you start playing a mini-set and no-one gets up to dance then think about switching genres earlier. It is a juggling act pleasing everyone but it can be done. Don't let people put pressure on you to play their request out of order. Like has been said, you're in control! ;)


I did a gig at Annan (southern Scotland) football club a few years back.
It was long lift in which was a pain as it was red hot too.
I eventually got set up with lights working.
I put on a CD only to find even with amp and mixer turned right up I could barely hear anything.
I started to panic a bit as I only had the one set of gear with me.
I had a good look around and unplugged all the mains and plugged it back in, still the same.
I then looked at the leads going into my mixer and one lead wasn't quite in.
I pushed it in and everything burst into life.
It was a jack plug that I hadn't pushed in hard enough.
Big sigh of relief and it then turned out to be a great night with the dance floor full all night and a great crowd singing along to the music.

If there are sound issues then always check the leads/cables first. Make sure they are all plugged in correctly and fully. I'd say more often than not this is where your problem will lie. And, if so, it's an easy fix!


Sorry to hear of your trials, everything does seem to come at once. I've not forgotten you're due a reply on another matter, either, sorry for the delay.
Re juggling, I have no helpful advice, except to say that don't do what I once did. Having been driven way past breaking point by two age groups of punters asking for their music in turn at each :Censored: new song, I turrned the music off altogether, and pointed out over the mic the impossibility of pleasing two totally disparate factions simultaneously. Funnily enough, it didn't go down too well. :(

:eek:

[Shaun]

Messy site!


Charming! Perhaps you can elaborate as to what you find "messy"?

[Gonzo.pete]

With your obvious time constraints can I ask what you were doing giving lifts to your daughter and faffing around leaving your clothes at home to change into? Surely with a job on, no matter how local, you'd take a change of clothes and leave your daughter/wife to take care of themselves for the duration? Just might have saved you that half an hour or so and given you time to check your mic.

[fullcontact68]

With your obvious time constraints can I ask what you were doing giving lifts to your daughter and faffing around leaving your clothes at home to change into? Surely with a job on, no matter how local, you'd take a change of clothes and leave your daughter/wife to take care of themselves for the duration? Just might have saved you that half an hour or so and given you time to check your mic.

I guess some people cannot / do not read English?

Points for you to note :-

1) My daughter was there to help me set up.
2) We turned up in plenty of time to set up at the venue, with my daughters help.
3) The venue did not let us in due to the fact that the room was still in use. Even though the venue said we could turn up to setup at the time we did.


Do I need to go on?

[Shaun]

I guess some people cannot / do not read English?



When you post on an open forum you'll always get comments and opinions from both sides of the coin. I don't see the need for rudeness.

[fullcontact68]

When you post on an open forum you'll always get comments and opinions from both sides of the coin. I don't see the need for rudeness.


Fair point.

My apologies.

Sometimes frustration kicks in when events are out of your control, and there is not a lot which you can do about it.

[Shaun]

:approve: