Lee Jacobson wrote on Wed, 13 June 2007 20:45 |
I'll let Lowum speak for himself about his opinions. If I recall, the rig he used was 3 over 2 per side, with the Peavey suggested CS3000s on the tops (one per side?? dunno) and CS4080 on the subs, VSX26 dsp. Now, the system tech may have played with the drive settings. On the other hand, perhaps there were simply too few boxes to do what Dave needed. Dave and I have been friends for several years, somewhere around nine+ at last count. During that time, we've had enough conversations about "sound&shit" that we have a pretty good understanding of each other's mindset, system expectations, mixing styles, etc. Given that, I feel like I understand what he's saying, and that it has not been my experience with this rig. Lee
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Thanks for the intro, Lee! My scenario was the typical "80's style rock act at a festival"... no soundcheck, just quickie line checks and go... I had the opportunity to listen to the last half of the previous band's set, and the CD interlude, but no real "tuning" time. This is a band I've been working with for YEARS (longer that I've known Lee!), so I know the subtleties of their tones and interactions quite well.
Before I get into my observations and reactions, let me say a couple of things... First, I was honestly looking forward to mixing on this rig, since I dig new kit. Second, yes, I am a bit of a gear snob (I tend to preach the Gospel According to Nexo), but I also generally keep an open mind towards things until I have my own experiences to draw from. There has been a lot of good press about the Versarray, and I was finally going to get my ears wrapped around it!
The rig I was presented with is one I am going to assume to be fairly typical for the targeted market. A&H GL2800 console, DBX 10-series graphs, Vermette stands, and a total rig of 3 tops and 2 subs per side. The house EQ was rather hacked up, and had a suspicious rolloff above 10K or so, but I politely inquired about the power, in a curious way, and was told that it was the "factory recommended setup" with the Peavey high-output amps. Okay, cool. I'm all-in with Scovil wanting the "latest version of the factory software for the system DSP, with no user edits." I won't swear that the DSP in my situation was virginal, but the provider wasn't exactly the type that I would imagine diving into the box...
First impression was that the system was severely lacking in low-mid punch, but at the same time, was kind of boxy/flubby sounding in the same area. Murky and indistinct would be the best description. The upper mids were okay, if a bit on the harsh side, which I wasn't able to get rid of, and I never experienced the airiness and crystal clarity that Lee was raving about. I looked for it, but I couldn't find it. The sub freq's were fine, decent oomph from the kick and bass, and really shone on the VLF keyboard stuff. Definately a sub, and not just a "bass box."
Once I got the initial fires put out and some semblance of a mix happening, I did a little wandering to get a sense of what was happening out from under the 10x10 mix tent. The coverage was uneven in tonality at different horizontal angles, and directly on axis with the hang, it had a distinct "rip" to the sound, right around +/-5 degrees from dead on. I went back into the tent and essentially flattened the graph, then pulled 500, 800 and 1K down a tad, and if memory serves, all but crushed 125, which was bleeding all over the deck. I could tell from the sudden vocal mic resonances immediately following me undoing the house "curve."
In the end, I spent most of the 90 minute set trying to EQ the harshness out, since I just couldn't get the warmth that I was looking for.
To be fair, I have to acknowlege the fact that the provider had JUST gotten the rig, and may not have properly deployed the system. In conversations with Lee, I did get up on my soapbox about mis-application of line/vertical arrays, and how far too many vendors (including ones that should know better!) hang lines that are just too short. My biggest worry with a product such as Versarray (affordable high-technology) is that it will get into the hands of those folk that don't have the technical chops to use the tools they have, and wind up creating all kinds of problems with poor sound. I really don't want to come off snobbish, but I honestly think that you should have to pass some sort of test before being allowed to deploy lines by yourself. I know experienced guys that blow off shooting the room in the software, and it hurts them. Now that we have a product aimed at a market that may not have the chops even if they have the tools, I can see a serious danger ahead. These are the same folk that will blithly and smilingly flat-front their trap boxes "because it's louder that way." Letting them play with lines gives me the willies! Okay, I'm off my soap-box now.
Would I give the Versarray another chance? You bet. But when I next get on one, I REALLY hope that somebody like Lee or Don was involved, and that it was hung, processed, and powered properly.
Please give me a moment to don my fire-retardant clothing...