pinking BOSE

[selloutrr]

Multi platinum artist - 70 thousand Plus fans headlining a festival - the first time I locked it up running automation on the effects trying to fast to switch scenes. trying to automate the effects for the vocals - over taxed the CPU with all the routing and delay time alignment. Kind of funny the Rep was out trying to convince the promoter it should be the house board. He was blushing like a school girl when I turned and said.. "you hear that...? (the crowd is chanting you fucking suck! and we want our money back... booo... and the like.) ... Now let's see how fast it can reboot. 93 seconds to repower.. that's a long time. The artist had no clue the monitor board still worked they kept playing with IEM. 15 minutes later I locked it up again running to many CPU taxing reverbs.

Not all digital sucks.. It's come a long way since the early 90's. the Yamaha PM1D and PM5D are road tested they just sound... ummm. yeah. The biggest mistake people make running digital consoles is using outboard gear as an insert. it creates a delay and the CPU can't adapt and create a delay line so you get artifacts and phase. which for a lack of better words if you listen it's audible and rather .. harsh.
As long as you go in digital keep all processing digital and sync'd with a master clock, keep all levels under clipping and the signal strength strong at the input it can sound great it's a just about getting a solid level because it's not at all forgiving. where analog can handle some spank on the input and analog tape loves to be driven hard. digital just gives up, rolls over, and dies. giving that clip we all know so well. I run just under the last bar before the clip light. keep all my levels in the 70% range and use the make up gain very sparingly and it allows the most natural sound at the output. The exception is the IEM I'll boost the input close to clipping and often strap a limiter before them ( to get volume and protect against spikes ) then let the artist adjust for volume.

When you are ready to invest let me know I'm happy to give you some suggestions for gear.

[Andy Le Blanc]

WTF...

and again...WTF...

The twist with the gig is bad enough... 70K? audience
2x and the promoter didn't bounce the rep...
bet he was walking funny the day after.

I do understand the digital issue with clip, thats never been pretty
even with small FOH system processors like dbx you really have to watch it.

The head room meters and clip indicators are there for a purpose.
I don't like having to baby sit the processor, but when the cpu is happy
all resources are there at your disposal.

I more than appreciate the heads up on insert with the digital board.

small halls are still a puddle, and the economy is fragile, so every one goes cheap

hence the bose

[selloutrr]

The Rep felt really bad but made notes of everything and took the board back to the design team to be adjusted.

If you are doing repeat gigs (artist / hall)
a small digital board like even the Yamaha O2R would be a huge time saver and benefit.

You could store your eq and room settings so it's set up and go. giving you time to get other things dialed in. same goes for bands you could create a template based on the venue and worst case situation with a band.

i.e. kick in , kick out, snare, top, snare bot, hat, tom 1, tom2, floor, oh L, oh R, bass DI, Bass Mic, Guitar 1 Mic, ... etc.

after a while you can even go as far as making eq and general outboard settings to save even more time. Then simply add or subtract tracks to fit your artist. it can easily be the difference between getting a coffee and pee break before the show of holding it and doing the potty dance hoping the encore is short.

[Andy Le Blanc]

I've taken the same approach but with a FOH possessor, develop the setting for each room

board land set up is down to the favored verb, and subgroup compression as a utility

I've had to work at the monitors in all the venue's... its maintaining them
after others come through putting smiles on the eq settings

Having a template sounds like a real time saver, with all dogpiles I have to work on
its a mark sheet while pining ...

btw.. tonight's act favored road mic was an ancient Sennheiser MD 431
so old I didn't recognize the brand or the case, 30 years old...

I think I remember an old photo of bowie trying to swallow one, jeez...

[vibratoking]

I use a digital camera to document many settings and placements. I find that a picture tells me more than I can ever write down. I also like digital graphic eqs because I can save/recall settings. They may not be the optimum signal processing units, but the convenience is very helpful and I find they are good enough for our live shows.

[Reeltarded]

You can't learn a concept if you aren't practicing it.

That's all.

[vibratoking]

Deleted

[Andy Le Blanc]

Another group on the bose monitors, for acoustic instruments and a small
stage the artists really like them, Its happened a few times, you nail the
instrument tones, and they complain at every venue that is bose-less
I bet Ill hear the same tomorrow, the response is measured the same
but the artist in the trad genre like the bose, I'll see tomorrow when I
check the monitor response pre sound check, Funny hearing two different
conclusions about monitors, I get respected tour vets telling me one thing
and every one else saying another, its the bose niche...

[selloutrr]

Up the venue size or do a show outside where you have to throw 6-8ft+ and fill the stage for a rock show where the room doesn't get filled by the natural acoustical energy from the artist's gear.
I doubt the response will be as possitive. I'm guessing you'll hear things like, "Can I get more bass?" and "Turn up my vocals" or "Can I get more volume?"

The touring vet's Like a speaker that works anywhere everytime

[Andy Le Blanc]

your absolutely right... I get the folk trad ones who hear a boost in a room
and are instantly very critical, the fiddle nazi's... and after a life time of
kalie's and kitchen parties who can blame them, they tend to like the bose.
Its a tone color thing, as soon as the requirement changes, even though
I've made positive statements about bose, I don't make the assumption
that they 're any good in any other situation. near field small room is about it.

You can easily EQ the usable range of the monitor to match the artist
and still use a monitor that will handle the volume, bass and throw...