[Organizers] sound system ownership

[Dana Dwinell-Yardley via Organizers]

Thanks, everyone, for the thoughts on sound system ownership. This is all
really helpful to us!

Dana

On Fri, Aug 21, 2015 at 2:22 PM, Peter Clark <electriccamelcontra at gmail.com>
wrote:

> I have been involved in a second group situation as you described
> where an established group allowed our new group use of their sound
> system.  Initially it was free of charge, but eventually the
> established group requested a yearly donation of $150 to help with
> upkeep.
>
> Since our group's focus shifted to music workshops and open bands, we
> ended up acquiring a sound system that could be used by groups that
> included numerous new participants.  That meant lots of mics and a
> feedback suppressor that could help with having a large number of mics
> open and musicians with emerging mic technique.
>
> Have you noticed any commonalities of which nights have good sound vs.
> which nights don't?  When I have run sound, the biggest problems have
> resulted from musicians bringing their own gear.  For example, a
> guitarist insisting on using an omnidirectional mic that caused
> feedback when used with stage monitors / a multi-instrumentalist
> wanting to use a switch to connect two instruments that required very
> different gain settings resulting in immediate feedback when the
> hotter instrument was selected.
>
> I have found it somewhat rare to encounter contra dance sound systems
> using ducking and compression and wouldn't consider them a must-have.
> The primary use I have seen with compression is on the caller channel
> because sometimes a caller will get excited and yell at volumes that
> are far too loud for anyone's enjoyment.  I have seen bands resent the
> use of compression, since it prevents use of dynamics as a musical
> technique.
>
> Peter
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, Aug 19, 2015 at 1:16 PM, Dana Dwinell-Yardley via Organizers
> <organizers at lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> > Hi smart organizers,
> >
> > I wish I had some good suggestions to contribute to the conversation
> about
> > callers, but I don't think I can say anything better than has already
> been
> > said. Instead, I'll pose a new question!
> >
> > We are considering getting a sound system for our Grange hall. Right now,
> > bands either bring their own sound, or we hire a local sound person to
> bring
> > their system for the evening. Sometimes our sound is excellent, other
> times
> > less so. We'd like to make it more consistently excellent, making the
> dance
> > less stressful and more fun for everyone.
> >
> > Our main questions right now are about ownership and responsibility.
> There
> > is one dance series at our hall now, but a second series is being
> organized
> > to start this winter, and other groups use the Grange as well. Who should
> > own the sound system? Who will be responsible for caring for it? Who
> makes
> > decisions about it? What about insurance and storage and use by several
> > different groups?
> >
> > Also, the idea is to own a sound board, speakers/monitors, and a mic for
> the
> > caller, but ask bands to bring their own mics/stands/cables. Bands could
> > either run our system themselves, or we could hire someone for the
> evening.
> >
> > For those of you who have sound systems, how to you handle these things?
> Any
> > insights are welcome.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Dana
> >
> > --
> > Dana Dwinell-Yardley
> > graphic design & layout
> > Montpelier, Vermont
> > 802-505-6639
> > danadwya at gmail.com
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Organizers mailing list
> > Organizers at lists.sharedweight.net
> > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/organizers-sharedweight.net
> >
>



-- 
Dana Dwinell-Yardley
graphic design & layout
Montpelier, Vermont
802-505-6639
danadwya at gmail.com
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