Worse than sound limiters

[CRAZY K]

I really have to make a new years resolution which says I will NOT work with sound limiters or even WORSE a sound technician on a mixing desk.

THATS TWO IN A ROW FOR ME IN DECEMBER :eek:

Saturday worked in a fabulous old Barn in essex, however its right next to houses--yes I know the barn WAS there first but now the residents complain about the noise ( I found out)

The place has a sound studio plus inhouse PA of the higest quality--they get some quite big names up there ( as well as me :D ) and the technician does all the mixing at the back of the barn.

Great I thought--until towards the end of the evening instead of being able to up the volume a bit ( as you do) the tecchie started playing with all my sound settings from the over riding house mixer I was plugged in to.

I lost bass end, then mid and then volume.

DONT THEY UNDERSTAND--people like a bit of bass and volume:bang:

The whole thing was really off putting for me trying to concentrate on keeping the whole thing going--the temptation to argue with the tecchie was obviously a waste of time--him being at the other end of the room plus if I upset him he would screw me up even more:(

I got through fine, but was not happy about the sound overall.

Apparently they have to stop dead on 11pm (party poopers) and keep the noise down because of their licence---

I just hope Billy Connolly does a gig there and says what I would like to say---what the is that all about?

CRAZY K

[Shaun]

There's one or two venues locallly that I try to avoid due to sound limiters. I've never come across a situation where I've had to plug into an inhouse PA that was controlled by a technician. Sounds like a crappy situation :(.

[CRAZY K]

No entertainer can bring their own sound equipment ( ie amps and speakers)you have to go through their admittedly superb system at a low level.

I didnt leave my card there despite a very successful evening.

Tonight im phoning a village hall in Essex to check if they have a sound limiter---if they do I will cancel out a very lucrative booking and tell the customer to find another Hall or another entertainer--I dont need this kind of aggro.:D

Im not bothered about my sound equipment going on and off all night--it can take it---its the disruption to my show thats not acceptable to me and ruins the evening for everyone, me and the customer plus friends.

Can you believe its caused by people clapping, shouting and enjoying themselves.

What a joke:bang:

CRAZY K

[Shaun]

Can you believe its caused by people clapping, shouting and enjoying themselves.



I've a venue close by that's exactly the same. Any guest singing along or clapping will shut down the power. To get the power back on you have to physically hunt down the hall-keeper to reset the limiter. There was one time it took almost 15 minutes to find him, it killed the party dead :(. I no longer accept bookings in that venue.

[CRAZY K]

To get the power back on you have to physically hunt down the hall-keeper to reset the limiter. There was one time it took almost 15 minutes to find him, it killed the party dead :(. I no longer accept bookings in that venue.

CRAZY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GET ME OUT OF THERE!

CRAZY K

[Mossy]

Worked with a few in-house sound engineers before, maybe it helps that I am one myself but I usually find them OK.

Try asking them for a dedicated channel that you can pre-set between the two of you, with your volume as high as you would take it (at the loudest part of the evening) make sure that his mixer deck is equalised to give you 'zero' or close to zero reading on your output monitor. Ask for his tops, mids and lows to be centered and then leave it at that as far as he is concerned. That way he doesn't have to do anything for the rest of the night for you, your mixer (I am assuming you have gone to his mixer deck from your mixer deck via a DI box) will be the one that sets the volumes and the controls the frequency adjustments.

Mossy

[CRAZY K]

ok---were all sound engineers of one sort or another--maybe we only have small set ups but we understand how things work.

This venue is very close to houses and I got the impression (much later) that the licence is hanging on sound problems ( which I had no way of knowing about)

Several times the guy went up to make adjustments half way through a dance, we are not talking Disco or Band volume, just nice punchy sound.

Rather than have an argument ( which is what would have happened ) I decided to let it ride as obviously there was an agenda I hadnt been told about. Put the client first ethic etc.

It would have been better if they had been honest from the start and I
would have warned the customer of the possible knock on effect---i.e. just when you want to crank up the gig ( not the volume necessarily) it was difficult because of the low settings, you need to understand that at my gigis people shout, clap,stamp, cheer and make a lot of noise so I have to turn up the mike to be heard.

At no time even at its loudest would I consider my levels to be excessive.

I was bushwacked, but next time---if there is one--I will be asking questions before I touch the booking.

SOUND ENGINEERS I DONT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH, THOSE THAT TAMPER WITH MY SETTINGS TO RESTRICT THE VOLUME--YES I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THEM IF I DONT GET TOLD.

How does the guy know what Barn Dance Music is supposed to sound like anyway :( and yes I am addicted to bass:eek:

CRAZY K

[sparc]

I really cannot understand how some venues can accept bookings and take payments for a party knowing full well that they have a noise issue.

Some sound limited venues are OK, they usually use the FS sentry.

[CRAZY K]

Its called GREED!

Taking your money and hoping no one will notice or complain!

I have just made a compensation claim against my Holiday company for dumping us on a rubbish Airline whist paying 5 star prices for the holiday.

We got some vouchers as compensation---none of these venues want to admit theres a problem otherwise they are out of business.

MY BEST ONE THIS YEAR

Me to very young member of bar Staff---Hello there wheres the sound limiter control then?

Err its been disconnected

Really so no problem then?

Answer--my Gran over there will come and tell you if its too loud

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D


CRAZY K

[Shaun]

Gran-o-meter. I've heard it all now ! :D :D :D

[jaygees]

i did a fucntion just last week with a venue that i new had a sound limiter but the customer also was aware of this and ther did not mind, this was untill the night started.
the customer asked if the music could go up and i told him no becouse i was already peaking on the limiter, he said he didnt know it would be so low that people can talk over it, my reply was (i did advise you on this before booking):bang:

but then to top it all off the venue had made some changes all the doors leading to the patio area were conected to the limiter so open the door and the power goes off:eek:

power went off more than it was on:bang: :bang: :bang:
after this night i needed a:beer1:
dont think ill go to that venue again.
oh well

[CRAZY K]

Hi John ,sorry to hear of this--can you tell us where it was you had the problem?

I worked in the London Road Association Club, Cell Barnes Lane, St Albans in the summer where they have a human one===its left to the discretion of the bar staff=the very nice elderly Lady behind the Bar decides when its too loud!!!!!!

I have mentioned before on this very thread---its all very well you guys saying you will work within limits on these things BUT unless you know the setting then you will get stuffed like I did in Maidenhead---and John just has:eek:

Im recommending now (verbally) that all clients avoid premises with them fitted---mainly on the basis that I cant be playing there:(

Hopefully as bad news spreads fast people will avoid the troublesome venues and not ask us to play there.

I dont disagree with the idea behind them being fitted--I just dont want to play the venues with them fitted:)

It strikes me that a lot of these premises are now probably by 2007 standards of both Health and Safety and the client demand for generally louder Music than say 20 years ago unsuitable for effective music being played by Bands and Discos.

Something like making a man with a red flag walk in front of your car because its dangerous, so thats a way round the problem---NOT!

Are elf and safety to blame?

Do you have this problem in America Prof Jam I wonder?

CRAZY K

[Jiggles]

We live in something called a "nanny" State!!

[Corabar Entertainment]

I worked in the London Road Association Club, Cell Barnes Lane, St Albans in the summer where they have a human one===its left to the discretion of the bar staff=the very nice elderly Lady behind the Bar decides when its too loud!!!!!! A couple of our DJs have played there - never mentioned that though!

As you say Alan, it's not the principle behind them that's the problem....we all understand that there has to be limits to the noise levels especially in residential areas, but the problem is not usually that they ARE fitted, but the WAY (eg placement) they are fitted. Remember, it is the noise levels OUTSIDE the venue that are the problem, not in the hall that you are playing in. Much of the time, the venues use it as a cheap(er) way of getting around the problem: if some other sound-proofing methods were in place, and the dB level was monitored from a sensible position then there wouldn't be a problem in the world!

[CRAZY K]

Absolutely Angela--its always the MONEY isnt it :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

CRAZY K

[symo]

I know in the Mint bar Streatham,in its previous incarnation they installed one of those BBE Maximisers. It got around the problem as it gave a bit more bass. I once showed up early for a booking there and the manager demonstrated with the maximiser on and off, and there was an audible difference.

[jaygees]

Hi John ,sorry to hear of this--can you tell us where it was you had the problem?

CRAZY K

hello, this venue is the comet hotel in stevenage old town. nice venue just dont play music in it.:eek: