Chris Gentry wrote on Fri, 16 April 2010 17:11 |
Is it typical practice for the sound co. or band to show up with guitar/bass leads? I'm not talking national touring acts with sound co. in tow. More along the line of your smaller, weekend guy covering the company picnic or charity fundraiser where you'd have some regional acts showing up.
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My thinking; as the sound system provider, you should expect, but not bet your business, that they can get their own sound into their own stage amps. You're definitely on the hook for anything else. Compounding that responsibility is the added pressure of being the easiest guy to point fingers at should something go wrong, even if it has nothing to do with your own equipment.
So, I would prepare two "gear bags"; my "normal" kit would include anything I would reasonably need to get the band into my PA system. That will include a few instrument cables, for the sole reason that if the bassist doesn't use effects you will need a 1/4" cable to insert your DI box. Of course you'll also need vocal and cab mikes of various types, DIs in various flavors, stands for any mike on stage whether it's yours or not, and a few miles of mic cable. I would even throw in a generic soundhole pickup or two in case they normally mic acoustics and it's not an option in this gig.
Your better acts have their own PAs, and will bring along the additional equipment they normally use to get to their stage box. I would expect (but not bet the rent) any vocalists to bring along their mics (especially if the band's invested in something better or more "fitted" to various vocalists than garden-variety 58s or 835s). They may or may not want to use their own stuff when you pull out yours; be prepared for anything including a hybrid setup.
My "second" gear kit is the "rescue" kit. The groups on stage whom you run sound for should not know about this kit until the first time they genuinely need rescue (and if it's something boneheaded and/or their first gig, I'd be seriously thinking about whether I wanted to run sound for them again). This bag will include anything you can think of that would generally be the band's responsibility, is relatively inexpensive for you to buy and keep handy, but would end the band's evening for lack of it. Batteries, picks, 1/4" instrument and patch cables, strings, flashlights, an extra couple of 57s or 58s, and even a few of the most common amp tubes (12AX7, EL84, 6L6).
If you keep a "rescue" bag like that handy for band-related emergencies, you will be a god to any band who has some freak occurrence they weren't prepared for, like an amp tube cherrying out. Even if you send them an invoice to replace what they needed, your preparedness will earn you a lot of word-of-mouth.