24 Aug
2015
24 Aug
'15
6:41 p.m.
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(a)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(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
--
Dana Dwinell-Yardley
graphic design & layout
Montpelier, Vermont
802-505-6639
danadwya(a)gmail.com
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(a)gmail.com
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