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Sound Reinforcement - Forums for Live Sound Professionals - Your Displayed Name Must Be Your Real Full Name To Post In The Live Sound Forums => The Basement => Topic started by: Ted Christensen on January 10, 2014, 11:47:59 AM

Title: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Ted Christensen on January 10, 2014, 11:47:59 AM
Have had some fun with the band you are mixing?

Say you know them well and want to mess with them.

Ever sing into the talk back mic?

Or

Send the delay in from foh to the monitors?


What have YOU done to make a boring night more fun?
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Tim McCulloch on January 10, 2014, 11:52:11 AM
Have had some fun with the band you are mixing?

Say you know them well and want to mess with them.

Ever sing into the talk back mic?

Or

Send the delay in from foh to the monitors?


What have YOU done to make a boring night more fun?

My singing to the TB mic will probably get a response from a HazMat crew... ;)

I experiment with reverb settings and other FX (sometimes just over headphones).  Or if it's so boring that I'd rather do something else, I tell the band I'm going home and mix their show over the internet. /nudge, wink.
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Tommy Peel on January 10, 2014, 12:13:58 PM
I'll definitely have some fun at the before church band practice. :) It can be entertaining to throw some long repeating delay on the snare or kick drum.  ::) One time we were practicing and the lead singer couldn't remember the words to a song so he ended up lip reading me while I was singing along at FOH; I didn't realize what he was doing and ducked behind the mixer rack case to adjust the compressor on his vocal and all of a sudden he stopped singing...  ;D

It's also entertaining to put some delay/'verb on people when they go on stage to talk/announc stuff.
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Mike Christy on January 10, 2014, 12:22:53 PM
Actually, Im glad my bar days seem to be finally over, Im tired of bands constantly messing with me...

...mispatching their mics, batteries dieing mid-song in anything wireless, using ground-lift adapters, orange extention cords, using their own DUCT tape... the list goes on... lol

Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Steve M Smith on January 10, 2014, 12:36:28 PM
Say you know them well and want to mess with them.

Ever sing into the talk back mic?

Or

Send the delay in from foh to the monitors?


What have YOU done to make a boring night more fun?

Or made them sound like chipmunks....


Steve.
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Tim McCulloch on January 10, 2014, 12:39:06 PM
Or made them sound like chipmunks....


Steve.

The old MXR pitch shifter, 1 octave up.... don't ask how I know...
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Ted Christensen on January 10, 2014, 01:30:31 PM
Or made them sound like chipmunks....


Steve.

I will be saving this for a rainy day, thank you!
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Steve M Smith on January 10, 2014, 01:46:55 PM
Or made them sound like chipmunks....

At a large outdoor event, not in a bar.


Steve.
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Tim McCulloch on January 10, 2014, 01:47:43 PM
At a large outdoor event, not in a bar.


Steve.

"Alvin!  Theodore!"
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Tommy Peel on January 10, 2014, 01:51:38 PM
The old MXR pitch shifter, 1 octave up.... don't ask how I know...

I wish my TC m300 had a pitch shifter.... I'd love to try that sometime.  ;D
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Tom Roche on January 10, 2014, 03:02:04 PM
Not at a bar, but during warm up/rehearsal before service I slyly inserted a TC Helicon Quintet in the lead vox channel and added a few backup singers during the chorus.  Then I ran his voice through some extreme settings for a good laugh.
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Kevin Graf on January 10, 2014, 03:02:20 PM
What we did at the radio station.  Some of the DJ's ran the headphones way high, so we would loop the headphone feed through a long tape delay.
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Brook Hovland on January 10, 2014, 03:14:18 PM
Delay the snare and send only the delayed sound back to the drummer...LOUD
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Bob Leonard on January 10, 2014, 04:01:29 PM
I once punched a guy in the head who messed with the sound, and that was fun for me. Is that the kind of fun we're talking about?
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Jim Turner on January 10, 2014, 04:08:49 PM
I once punched a guy in the head who messed with the sound, and that was fun for me. Is that the kind of fun we're talking about?

switch to decaf...  lol
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Ted Christensen on January 10, 2014, 04:54:28 PM
I once punched a guy in the head who messed with the sound, and that was fun for me. Is that the kind of fun we're talking about?

I'm sure there is a punchy kick drum joke in there somewhere I just can't find it right now
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Tim McCulloch on January 10, 2014, 07:38:57 PM
I once punched a guy in the head who messed with the sound, and that was fun for me. Is that the kind of fun we're talking about?

And you wondered why the cat pissed on your speakers?  Kitty Karma.
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Kirby Yarbrough on January 10, 2014, 07:40:23 PM
The old MXR pitch shifter, 1 octave up.... don't ask how I know...

Pitch shifter on the backing vocals, 1.5 steps up or down, in the lead vocalist's monitor mix.
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Jay Barracato on January 10, 2014, 07:51:42 PM
Well this time the bass player and drummer kept changing time, the guitarist was out of tune, and the singer incoherent...


No wait. They were just a shitty band.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk

Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Jim McKeveny on January 12, 2014, 09:24:35 AM
Between songs grab the talkback and, just in the monitors, say "Your fly is open".

Watch as every musician bends their head in unison to check.














Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Steve M Smith on January 12, 2014, 11:49:43 AM
Not sound engineering related but a few years ago at a gig, I had arranged with the rest of the band that in a particular song, when another band member went to play a harmonica solo, we would all go up a semi-tone.


Steve.
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Brook Hovland on January 12, 2014, 04:46:29 PM
After a corporate show, the crowd wasn't paying any attention to the band so I built a screen shot for the video screens that said:

"the band cant see these screens. At the end of this song, scream and cheer as if Elvis and Garth Brooks just walked onto the stage"

I built two more that said "ready?" and "NOW!"

The crowd went nuts and the band thought they were rock stars...  for one song!
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Rob Gow on January 13, 2014, 03:32:36 AM
Lol no, but there is a big screen behind the band at the one venue.


Hmmmm
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: John Sulek on January 13, 2014, 09:24:23 AM
Have had some fun with the band you are mixing?

Say you know them well and want to mess with them.

Ever sing into the talk back mic?

Or

Send the delay in from foh to the monitors?


What have YOU done to make a boring night more fun?

we used to sample "crew gets a raise" into an spx90 and use the lead vocal mic as the trigger. Replace the vocal channel with the sample at both foh and monitors...good laughs all around
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Stu McDoniel on January 13, 2014, 10:58:17 PM
The old MXR pitch shifter, 1 octave up.... don't ask how I know...
The old MXR pitch shifter was a blast to use that real super deep voice
on...The Barry White kinda thing
:)
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Jamin Lynch on January 15, 2014, 01:36:44 PM
Have had some fun with the band you are mixing?

Say you know them well and want to mess with them.

Ever sing into the talk back mic?

Or

Send the delay in from foh to the monitors?


What have YOU done to make a boring night more fun?

Buy a round for the house on the band tab
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Cosmo on January 15, 2014, 07:21:24 PM

I always had a portable CD player plugged into the board somewhere, and if enough regular channels were open I liked to put it there so I could send it to the wedges.  I'd bring one or two sound effects CDs and between songs play something unusual through the monitors.  (If somebody REALLY screwed up their part, I'd play the sound of a toilet flushing, in THEIR mix only.)  One time I had the gain up too high and the sound of a fighter plane strafing run just about knocked the drummer off his throne.

Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: frank kayser on January 15, 2014, 09:12:20 PM
I've heard about the pitch shifter in the monitor, but the sound effects (toilet flushing!) is brilliant.  Have to be careful with those strafing runs, though. 
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Steve M Smith on January 16, 2014, 01:42:43 AM
I've heard about the pitch shifter in the monitor

Monitor?  FOH too!


Steve.
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: gordonmcgregor on January 24, 2014, 06:17:19 PM
After warning a comedy duo not to drop the hand helds during their more flamboyant sketches, inevitably one of them did >:( engage pitch shifter as high as it would go for the next time he spoke, I can still see the guilty look yet ;D
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Steve M Smith on January 25, 2014, 03:30:23 AM
Just out of interest, to the OP, why did you ask "on a bar level - not professional"?

Did you think we wouldn't mess about with things during larger events?!!


Steve.
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Bob Leonard on January 25, 2014, 01:02:54 PM
I once wired a vocal mic to 115v. When the singer grabbed the mic it shocked the shit out of him and he was out cold for 15 minutes. We laughed all night long.

Another time I rigged blasting caps to the drummers snare. When it exploded it took out his knee. we laughed all night long.

Once we rigged the front legs of a B3 and about half way through the first set it tipped over and broke both the keyboard players legs. We laughed all night long.

We put darts in the top horns of a Leslie once. when it spun up to high speed the darts flew out and impaled 5 people in the audience. We laughed all night long.

We put marbles under a guitar players pedal board one night. when he tried to use his wah the board flew into the crowd and he fell off the stage breaking his arm. We laughed all night long.

We rigged the ramp to the truck one night so that it would slide off and fall. Two roadies got hurt, but luckily after they had finished loading the truck. We laughed all night long.
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Tim McCulloch on January 25, 2014, 04:37:06 PM
I once wired a vocal mic to 115v. When the singer grabbed the mic it shocked the shit out of him and he was out cold for 15 minutes. We laughed all night long.

Another time I rigged blasting caps to the drummers snare. When it exploded it took out his knee. we laughed all night long.

Once we rigged the front legs of a B3 and about half way through the first set it tipped over and broke both the keyboard players legs. We laughed all night long.

We put darts in the top horns of a Leslie once. when it spun up to high speed the darts flew out and impaled 5 people in the audience. We laughed all night long.

We put marbles under a guitar players pedal board one night. when he tried to use his wah the board flew into the crowd and he fell off the stage breaking his arm. We laughed all night long.

We rigged the ramp to the truck one night so that it would slide off and fall. Two roadies got hurt, but luckily after they had finished loading the truck. We laughed all night long.

My hero!
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Bradford "BJ" James on January 25, 2014, 04:42:44 PM
Not sound engineering related but a few years ago at a gig, I had arranged with the rest of the band that in a particular song, when another band member went to play a harmonica solo, we would all go up a semi-tone.


Steve.
Similar,
Back in my road warrior days, we had a "sexy boy" drummer who felt he was the best singer in the band. Just so happened the lead singer was a former drummer, and quite good. So, once or twice a night Sexy Boy would swap places with the singer for a couple songs. He would always want to do songs that were a little out of his vocal range and the straining of his voice to reach some of those notes was like nails on a chalkboard to the rest of us.
One afternoon the bass player and me(guitar) relearned one of his songs in "G". Originally he sang it in "D".  Brian Adams song There Will Never Be Another Tonight.
Fairly quick tune that starts of with a 4 count, guitar and bass in on count 1, first vocal line starts on count 2 "put on your blue dress baby...."
I'll never be able to erase the sight of that vein popping out on his forehead trying to sing that song 5 semitones higher.
He just thought he was having an off night. Later the singer spilled the beans, and boy was he pissed. THAT was even more funny.
Topic Swerve: Do all bands have 1 member that everyone picks on a little extra?

One other time another band I was in shocked the inattentive crowd by hitting the stage for our 2nd set donning only our gotchies and cowboy boots. It helped. The first set was like playing for an oil painting that smoked.
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Steve M Smith on January 25, 2014, 04:48:20 PM
Topic Swerve: Do all bands have 1 member that everyone picks on a little extra?

Not really picking on, but I was in a band with someone who would regularly be chatting at the bar whilst the rest of us packed up.  One night we made him pack everything away by himself whilst we watched.


Steve.
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Steve Kennedy-Williams on January 27, 2014, 02:30:08 PM
The old MXR pitch shifter, 1 octave up.... don't ask how I know...

Dan Healy would sometimes pitch shift Bob Weir's vocals during The Other One. Chipmunk Bobby. I've heard it was a contributing factor to his tenure ending with The Grateful Dead.

As an audience member, it cracked me up.
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Patrick Tracy on January 27, 2014, 02:40:44 PM
Dan Healy would sometimes pitch shift Bob Weir's vocals during The Other One. Chipmunk Bobby. I've heard it was a contributing factor to his tenure ending with The Grateful Dead.

As an audience member, it cracked me up.

I do remember that. It was funny once, then sort of distracting. But then so were Bob's "haa, hananaa" shrieks.
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Ted Christensen on January 28, 2014, 10:30:50 AM
Just out of interest, to the OP, why did you ask "on a bar level - not professional"?

Did you think we wouldn't mess about with things during larger events?!!


Steve.

Haha! Redundancy and never assume anything.  Two things I have learned in this business.
Title: Re: on a bar level...not professional how many of you...
Post by: Joe Jordan on January 29, 2014, 07:46:15 AM
I've had a rule for a while, mention me in any way: by name or just "sound guy" and the mic gets turned off. It became a game for a while , one band member would start and as I was muting him another would jump in.