Dig My Rig -- For Band Leaders

[cphollis]

An update for anyone who might be interested?

We now have a professional sound engineer who has joined our merry group. He thought we could do a lot better, so he surprised us with a custom-built "club sound" rig built specifically for the band. It starts with a 20-channel analog splitter that everyone plugs into. One set of signals goes to my X-Air and from there to the personal mixers over ethernet. So everyone still has control of their individual mix, independent of FOH.

The other set of signals goes via a reel of custom snake back to his hand-crafted old-school analog mixing desk and rack. From there, back up the snake and to FOH, subs, center fill, etc. In addition to the stage snake, he built a 10x for the far side of the stage (drums, bass, guitar) so that's a bunch of cables no longer on the stage floor.

We ran a new game plan for the gig on Friday. Sound guy (w/help) wheeled in his custom packaging, and it set up in about 5 minutes. We got the front PA set up with two other people in parallel, as it's pretty simple stuff. I set up the stage box, laptop, etc. Each musician was responsible for (a) running a piece of blue ethernet to their mixer, (b) getting their signal to the stage snake, and (c) verifying they could hear themselves through it. So that was pretty cool right there, as we were up and running maybe 30 minutes after getting the gear inside. My only additional personal duties were setting up my dual Nord rig and connecting things.

Side note: I have hired a "band tech" for gigs, a young aspiring musician that wants to know how all this band production stuff works. Another pair of hands that you don't have to supervise can make a big difference, so worth every penny spent -- especially after the gig when you're whupped.

We delivered an exceptional audio experience in the club we were playing in. The venue owner had spent a bit on treating the acoustics, had some default lights, etc. We brought more PA than we needed for the room, but it sounded great. Without blaring monitors, there's not much stage wash coming through the microphones, so we got a very clean recording. We heard a lot of "best sound ever" from the audience among other compliments. Not a bad way to make a reputation as a local bar band. The venue owner would now like us to play once a month on a fixed basis, and it's pretty good money.

So, from my band leader perspective, we've got all the basics in place: great sound, great look on stage, great setlist that the audience really appreciates, great family vibe with everyone involved, simplified gig logistics, a regular booked gig, and so on. We have a "season" here in Florida that runs through May and starts up again in October, so we are now booking into late 2022. I think it is helpful to point out this was a band that did not really exist until last October.

I would like to add more lighting and video elements to the show over time, based on what our new band tech can handle. We also had a professional video engineer (retired) leave his card with us, saying he'd like to get involved with that aspect. More hands, more fun. I have set up a LLC for tax purposes, and put two other band members on the "board of directors", just to keep things legit.

At this point, I think I could write a cookbook -- "How To Build And Launch A Band In Three Months". It has been a lot of work, and more than a little stress at times. It has not been cheap, either. But I am now quite satisfied with the results, and would encourage others in similar circumstances to consider taking the plunge.

Basically, if you can't find a band you like, consider creating one of your own.

[Berretje]

Thanks for the story and good to hear everything falls in place in a good way.

[cphollis]

Another update? We were lucky enough to play at a private event with a photographer, so I have nice pictures to share for anyone who is interested in the story so far.

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In the last month, our retired professional live sound engineer has had transformative results. The musicians are exceptional, play well together, have great material, etc. but now people are vocally commenting on the sound itself: even, tempered, engaging, etc. Also, the lights. They like the lights.

At this gig, we were instructed to play on the fine edge between "background music" and "party time", depending on the mood. This evening, the crowd gathered around and watched us play, concert-style. The venue owner -- who has seen literally dozens and dozens of bands there -- made sure to get our contact info, pricing, availability, etc.

The initial gear investment continues to pay dividends. By "investment", it's not just the money, it's the time and effort to learn how to use it, integrate it with everything else, package it for setup/teardown/transport, etc.

By component:
- The X Air / personal mixer subsystem is not intended for repeated live use, so I am trying to repackage it for the time being. For example, their ethernet hub does not have mounting holes, making it difficult to rack, etc. Minor problem. Otherwise, great.
- The Bose F1 system (subs/tops) are worth every penny, and probably much more. They are now integral to our "sound".
- The Ape Labs lighting was painfully expensive, but -- once again -- was a "buy once, cry once" experience. They are now integral to our "look".
- The sound guy is hand-building wiring harnesses for audio, digital and power. You should be so lucky to find someone like this.
- We have a band tech that is learning to be a guitar tech and a lighting tech. I am integrating a midi control surface for him next season.
- No video yet (recording, performance elements), maybe next season.

[FZiegler]

Looks as if the photographer liked/enjoyed your music, too.

[DavidSydney]

Thanks @cphollis, always appreciate your posts.

I've been using the Midas version of the XR18 in a theatre situation where we wanted a lot of outputs (think sound effects speakers in stage furniture, surround etc). The flexibility of these digital mixers is incredible. I also have the smaller XR12 which can work as a killer keyboard mixer.

A question: I recall you were using RCFs for FOH at some point. I'd be interested on your experience with these vs the Bose F1s.

Best,

David

[wweiss]

No more RCF TT08, QSC K8.2? What did you do with all that PA gear you have been talking about all these years? Interesting for small gigs you now prefer the Bose L1s over the pair of K8.2's you so highly recommended??

[cphollis]

I kept the RCF TT08As but have not used them in a long time. I gave the K8.2s to a friend. K10s, K12s, et. al. -- all gone.
No need anymore for either monitors or keyboard amplification.

I have a full Bose F1 PA these days for FOH along with a QSC KS118 for outdoor gigs.
Everyone in the band uses IEMs (a blessing, really) so no need for keyboard amplification, monitors, etc.
For acoustic gigs, it's an older Bose L1 Model 1S.
If I have to self-monitor, I bring two small mixers and use IEMs.

[cphollis]

Thanks @cphollis, always appreciate your posts.

I've been using the Midas version of the XR18 in a theatre situation where we wanted a lot of outputs (think sound effects speakers in stage furniture, surround etc). The flexibility of these digital mixers is incredible. I also have the smaller XR12 which can work as a killer keyboard mixer.

A question: I recall you were using RCFs for FOH at some point. I'd be interested on your experience with these vs the Bose F1s.

Best,

David

The previous FOH was a pair of RCF EVOX J8s, which were very nice for what they were. The Bose F1s are definitely next-level-up or two.