ProSoundWeb Community

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

Pages: [1] 2  All   Go Down

Author Topic: Made me giggle...  (Read 7947 times)

Debbie Dunkley

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 6037
  • Central North Carolina
Made me giggle...
« on: May 09, 2014, 10:37:58 PM »

So today I met with the organizers of 1st Annual USMVF motorcycle rally locally on June 14th. Hubby is standing in playing bass with the band and I get to do the sound (of course duh).... Anyway, it was my chance to make sure the band gets appropriate power ( the usual problem) , protection from the sun ( another typical problem) , alternative arrangement if it rains and so on.
So I asked the Mall office organizer if adequate power will be provided to the band and she said "Yes - 100 watts".
I wasn't sure she knew what I was asking and maybe the mall was supplying some kind of small PA system so I clarified and asked again what amount of mains power would be provided to the band for the equipment on stage and again she said - this time with a huge smile on her face - "You get 100 watts". Sitting in the same room was the owner of the local Harley dealership and his manager, a rep from the Military Veterans Foundation and 3 other organizers - all of whom turned to me and nodded in agreement with her. 
I suggested that the power supplied would be measured in amperage - not watts and she said "Yes - that's right - like I said - 100 watts". 
After a couple of minutes of back and forth and a few eye rolls from her team toward me - like I am the idiot, she finally realized she had it completely wrong and we worked out she meant 5 x 20 amp circuits....5 x 20 = 100 amps.........
I kept quiet after that...
Just thought I'd share....Are people really that ignorant of something so basic???
Logged
A young child says to his mother, "Mom, when I grow up I'm going to be a musician." She replies, "Well honey, you know you can't do both."

Mark Oakley

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 198
Re: Made me giggle...
« Reply #1 on: May 09, 2014, 10:52:22 PM »

Are people really that ignorant of something so basic???

I've done small outdoor gigs where I've told the organizers "...I'll need 4 separate 15 amp circuits...". I get there and there's a dollar-store power bar on the end of a 300 ft. orange extension cord: "...here's six circuits..."

-Mark
Logged
Oakley Audio

Brook Hovland

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 184
    • DiA Events
Re: Made me giggle...
« Reply #2 on: May 09, 2014, 10:58:55 PM »

So today I met with the organizers of 1st Annual USMVF motorcycle rally locally on June 14th. Hubby is standing in playing bass with the band and I get to do the sound (of course duh).... Anyway, it was my chance to make sure the band gets appropriate power ( the usual problem) , protection from the sun ( another typical problem) , alternative arrangement if it rains and so on.
So I asked the Mall office organizer if adequate power will be provided to the band and she said "Yes - 100 watts".
I wasn't sure she knew what I was asking and maybe the mall was supplying some kind of small PA system so I clarified and asked again what amount of mains power would be provided to the band for the equipment on stage and again she said - this time with a huge smile on her face - "You get 100 watts". Sitting in the same room was the owner of the local Harley dealership and his manager, a rep from the Military Veterans Foundation and 3 other organizers - all of whom turned to me and nodded in agreement with her. 
I suggested that the power supplied would be measured in amperage - not watts and she said "Yes - that's right - like I said - 100 watts". 
After a couple of minutes of back and forth and a few eye rolls from her team toward me - like I am the idiot, she finally realized she had it completely wrong and we worked out she meant 5 x 20 amp circuits....5 x 20 = 100 amps.........
I kept quiet after that...
Just thought I'd share....Are people really that ignorant of something so basic???

Yes!
Logged

John Moore

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 223
  • "learning the hard way sucks donkey kong"
    • Trinity Productions
Re: Made me giggle...
« Reply #3 on: May 10, 2014, 12:06:01 AM »

yes they are , that is why i show pictures of the power requirements in our contracts, so that there is minimal confusion on their part...i really try to make it simple for them, but when they want to use building power, is does get a bit more complicated in explaining about dedicated circuits, being on separate breakers, etc. and that just because you have two plugs at an outlet , does not mean they are separate circuits...amps, watts, 220, 221, sure we have power...and on it goes.
Logged
http://www.trinityprosound.com 209-832-8023
DEALER:Dealer for Yorkville, EV, QSC, RCF, Danley Sound Labs, VTC, Allen & Heath, Ashly, Denon,  Audix, One Systems, Beyerdynamic, Presonus, K&M, Ultimate,  Trusst, Road Ready, Gator, Radial Engineering, Turbosound, dB Technologies, RCF, American Audio,  Rapco, CBI Cables, ADJ, Chauvet, Blizzard, Furman, Shure, Tascam, Elite Screens,  BenQ, Midas, Digico,  and many many more...

paul bell

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 609
Re: Made me giggle...
« Reply #4 on: May 10, 2014, 12:36:28 AM »

Somebody had to so here goes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6si8Xp8P-M
Logged

David Parker

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1198
Re: Made me giggle...
« Reply #5 on: May 10, 2014, 09:41:11 AM »

I did a gig several years ago and was assured there would be adequate power. I show up and this guy drives up in an electric company truck. Licensed electrician. Tells me he worked for Showco in the past. He drops one run of 12ga romex with a small breaker box on the end and 4 outlets. One of the outlets doesn't work. I'm thinking, even if this is wired 220v (which would be illegal with 12-3 romex) there still would only be two circuits, and there was 100' of it I could see, so I had no idea how far the run was.
Logged

Robert Piascik

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 733
  • Westerville, OH (near Columbus)
Re: Made me giggle...
« Reply #6 on: May 10, 2014, 11:19:11 AM »

If I posted every time I've run into something like that I'd never get anything else done! Yes people are generally ignorant when it comes to power issues so you must make sure that you are not.
Love that Mr. Mom clip and quote it all the time! :)
Logged
Pi Entertainment Services
Midas M32R / MR18
Behringer X32R
Danley SH50 / SM80 / TH118 / TH115
Fulcrum Acoustic fa22ac
RCF NX 12SMA
Yamaha DSR112 / DZR10
Powersoft X4 / M50Q
Crown iT8k

Jon C Thomas

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 52
Re: Made me giggle...
« Reply #7 on: May 10, 2014, 11:48:58 AM »

I had the opposite experience at the hardware store when buying wire, guy asks me how many amps I am running... Looks at me like I am special when I tell him it is a 25ft run with a class D 2000 watt per channel amp, he then tries to sell me some 18 gauge "SPEAKER" cable.
Logged

Debbie Dunkley

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 6037
  • Central North Carolina
Re: Made me giggle...
« Reply #8 on: May 10, 2014, 12:36:54 PM »

If I posted every time I've run into something like that I'd never get anything else done! Yes people are generally ignorant when it comes to power issues so you must make sure that you are not.
Love that Mr. Mom clip and quote it all the time! :)

I think it was more the fact that she was so confident and proud and almost rehearsed in her response to me and also that a table full of people looked at me like I was crazy to even be asking the question - especially the Harley Davidson dealership owner !!!
It would have made more sense if she had asked me to clarify and that she would find out those details for me-which is what usually happens if a venue organizer/owner/manager doesn't know the answer to something like that. Unless of course  I get to check out the place ahead of time and see for myself.
I fully expected one of the Harley dudes to cut in and say something but alas...no....
Logged
A young child says to his mother, "Mom, when I grow up I'm going to be a musician." She replies, "Well honey, you know you can't do both."

Robert Weston

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 562
  • Power is cheap, reputation is not.
Re: Made me giggle...
« Reply #9 on: May 10, 2014, 01:48:09 PM »

So today I met with the organizers of 1st Annual USMVF motorcycle rally locally on June 14th. Hubby is standing in playing bass with the band and I get to do the sound (of course duh).... Anyway, it was my chance to make sure the band gets appropriate power ( the usual problem) , protection from the sun ( another typical problem) , alternative arrangement if it rains and so on.
So I asked the Mall office organizer if adequate power will be provided to the band and she said "Yes - 100 watts".
I wasn't sure she knew what I was asking and maybe the mall was supplying some kind of small PA system so I clarified and asked again what amount of mains power would be provided to the band for the equipment on stage and again she said - this time with a huge smile on her face - "You get 100 watts". Sitting in the same room was the owner of the local Harley dealership and his manager, a rep from the Military Veterans Foundation and 3 other organizers - all of whom turned to me and nodded in agreement with her. 
I suggested that the power supplied would be measured in amperage - not watts and she said "Yes - that's right - like I said - 100 watts". 
After a couple of minutes of back and forth and a few eye rolls from her team toward me - like I am the idiot, she finally realized she had it completely wrong and we worked out she meant 5 x 20 amp circuits....5 x 20 = 100 amps.........
I kept quiet after that...
Just thought I'd share....Are people really that ignorant of something so basic???

This sounds completely normal and is usually expected (when working first time with a customer/client).

Logged

ProSoundWeb Community

Re: Made me giggle...
« Reply #9 on: May 10, 2014, 01:48:09 PM »


Pages: [1] 2  All   Go Up
 



Site Hosted By Ashdown Technologies, Inc.

Page created in 0.035 seconds with 24 queries.