Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[john sanders]

Would welcome responses regarding how many of you have been forced to mix front of house from the side or the front of the stage. Yes, this certainly isn't the ideal way to mix a performance however I've been placed in this predicament several times now and wonder how others have dealt with this situation.

[g'bye, Dick Rees]

Would welcome responses regarding how many of you have been forced to mix front of house from the side or the front of the stage. Yes, this certainly isn't the ideal way to mix a performance however I've been placed in this predicament several times now and wonder how others have dealt with this situation.

Isolation headphones.   If you're lucky enough to have a friend with good ears, give them a wireless mic, send them out in the house and let them clue you in.

[Tim McCulloch]

Would welcome responses regarding how many of you have been forced to mix front of house from the side or the front of the stage. Yes, this certainly isn't the ideal way to mix a performance however I've been placed in this predicament several times now and wonder how others have dealt with this situation.

Like Dick R said, isolation headphones... and lots of walking around.  Depending on the gig this might look dumb (or be discouraged by the planner/promoter) but ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

Digital mixers frequently can be remote controlled from a laptop, tablet (like Motion Computing or Lenovo), iPad app or other device.  If you find yourself frequently in this situation you might consider a digital mixer w/remote.

Have fun, good luck.

Tim Mc

[Pat Latimer]

Isolation headphones.   If you're lucky enough to have a friend with good ears, give them a wireless mic, send them out in the house and let them clue you in.

+ 1 on what Dick says. Been doing it for years (unfortunately) at House Gigs. If you can't do that, be prepared to do alot of walking!

Pat

[Geoff Doane]

... this certainly isn't the ideal way to mix a performance however I've been placed in this predicament several times now and wonder how others have dealt with this situation.

When I've had to do this, I've used another mid-high cabinet on a seperate amplifier feed, pointed at me side stage, as a monitor.  I don't get the whole effect of the room, of course, but it's better than nothing, and for me, better than headphones. I do make a couple trips out front as a reality check.

Then there was the time when the event planner didn't even want me at the side of the stage (I must be really ugly ).  Their preferred location was backstage, behind a curtain, where I couldn't even see the band.  It didn't help that it was a big band, with lots of solos, and I hadn't mixed them before.

When things like that happen, I used to get angry and indignant  .  Now, in my old age, my GAFF (Give a F*ck Factor) simply decreases significantly  .

GTD

[Tim McCulloch]

When I've had to do this, I've used another mid-high cabinet on a seperate amplifier feed, pointed at me side stage, as a monitor.  I don't get the whole effect of the room, of course, but it's better than nothing, and for me, better than headphones. I do make a couple trips out front as a reality check.

Then there was the time when the event planner didn't even want me at the side of the stage (I must be really ugly ).  Their preferred location was backstage, behind a curtain, where I couldn't even see the band.  It didn't help that it was a big band, with lots of solos, and I hadn't mixed them before.

When things like that happen, I used to get angry and indignant  .  Now, in my old age, my GAFF (Give a F*ck Factor) simply decreases significantly  .

GTD

Depending on the nature of the event, I ask the planner why I can't do the job I was hired to do (particularly if the planner is not my client).  They object to the buffet line?  The cook carving the beef on the line?

I've mixed a number of events while hiding behind silk plants because the planner didn't listen to the act, me, or their corporate contact regarding the entertainer's setup needs.  Sometimes, though, the planners lose....

I have a very detailed story (shortened here) about Gladys Knight & the Pips, a Silicon Valley event and the party planner who was not providing the production space necessary for their performance (you can't put that ugly stuff there, and those people have to go [those 'people' were Ms Knight's production manager and FOH engineer])... Pleasing the ultimate client is the primary objective, and in this case the CEO's wife REALLY LIKED GLADYS KNIGHT.  The CEO's wife won this battle when Ms Knight's production manager ordered the local crew to pack their stuff while the tour manager collected payment in full.

CEO assistant: "What do you mean you need the check now?  What do you mean you can't play? What do you mean by 'breach of contract?'...  Not perform? But... but... Ms XYZ just LOVES you guys!"

The party planner was fired on the spot and the band played while the Executive Couple had the first dance.  Don't fuck with the CEO's wife's favorite band.

Most situations don't work out like that one did, but it demonstrates that the party planner is more concerned about the look than the outcome.  Frankly, most of the time that's the right course no matter how much it frustrates us, the people that make the event actually work.

And just to make sure everyone know it:  most event planners don't know shit about anything other than tables and chairs, no matter what they claim.  However, they have sold themselves to a client in such a way as to be unassailable, and the planner will hide his/her incompetence by telling the client "the tech people are IMPOSSIBLE to work with!"

Have fun, mix while blind.

Tim Mc

[Robert Weston]

Yep - did the walking around routine several times.

However, those times are no more.  I specifically state in the contract there will be a FOH location and the square footage it will take.  If the customer doesn't like it, I'll work with them in changing my location (side to side only).  If they are not happy with it, I don't do the job.  Diplomacy only goes so far with most people.

The service I provide is what gets me the next job.  If my put myself into a position where I cannot provide the quality that I say I can, I don't do the gig.

[john sanders]

Thank you all for these great suggestions and stories.

[peter dakin]

Then there was the time when the event planner didn't even want me at the side of the stage (I must be really ugly ).  Their preferred location was backstage...
GTD

I had this in California at a very prestigious party to about 2000 people! Me and the monitor engineer were 10m behind the stage. We had our desk next to each other and I had a pair of the numerous satellites as near-field monitors. They were a god-send as the main system was adequate, but the satellite were tough to mix on. I spent most of the time with my IEM's in and checked in with the near-fields.

I quite enjoyed being totally detached from the audience/gig and mixing next to my colleague, we could nose/listen at each others work in real time during the show.

SERIOUSLY stressful though, especially as I wasn't allowed in-front of the main system during soundcheck due to the dance floor/main area being "waxed"!!!!

I find a guy out front invaluable and in the absence of a wireless mic, a series of hand-signals get get the job done to a surprising high standard. The guy out front does look like a bit of a prat trying to signal less reverb but its quite amusing.. especially if the band are in on the signals too.

[Greg Hershey]

.

[ProSoundWeb Community]