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RWD
`Olu`olu
USA
850 Posts |
 Posted - 05/06/2010 : 07:40:06 AM
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Had a great experience last Saturday.
I Played two traditional style slack key songs at a Milwaukee O'hana Lei Day party, but for the first time, I had a good sound man taking care of me--and it made all the difference in the word.
He set it up just before and then went out in the audience to check when I started the first song. He also quietly switched guitar cables for me (2 guitars)in between songs (the mixer was on stage) and set up the monitor so it would not cause low freq feedback. When I was done I mentioned that the monitor was kinda loud and bright! He said he adjusted it that way (from his experience) to keep me from overplaying. It turned out great!
The audience stood and clapped after both songs which was a first for me. Gotta tell ya it felt great!
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Retro
Ahonui
USA
2368 Posts |
Posted - 05/06/2010 : 08:28:11 AM
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Lucky you! Having a good engineer at a gig can make a world of difference in your performance (and your satisfaction with same). There is an engineer who has been working here in Seattle for many years that I would consider the area's top mixer for acoustic music. I was impressed when, about 24 years ago, I watched him set up sound for John McCutcheon. While McCutcheon was soundchecking, he would turn all the mains & monitors off, then walk up to the stage and listen to the playing. He told me it was because, knowing that every instrument sounds different no matter how many guitars, etc., he has amplified, he still needs to know what that specific instrument sounds like, so he knows what to reproduce in the hall.
I have worked with him dozens of times and always recommend him, when asked. I've seen him handle many slack-key and `ukulele shows that have come through the region, too. |
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slipry1
Ha`aha`a
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - 05/06/2010 : 10:55:18 AM
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| Who dat, Retro? My most positive experiences were: 1)Owen, at the Moore Theatre, who mixed my pedal steel brilliantly when I played in the pit band for "Das Barbeque", and 2) the guy whod did the sound at McCall Hall for Mark and me last Folklife. It is SUCH a great pleasure to be well engineered, and a total drag to be poorly engineered - also at Folklife, btw, although one of my worst experiences was at a concert with the New Radio Cowboys in Issequah. As some of you may know, a volume pedal is a necessity for pedal steel, controlling volume and attack. Well, this guy kept his hand on the volume control on my channel. Whenever I went down, he went up, and vice versa. He got pretty livid, and came up to me at the break and told me "I am in control of the sound here, I know what I'm doing, and quit Fu***ing with your volume pedal!". Sigh..... Of course, I ignored him as much as I could. |
keaka |
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Retro
Ahonui
USA
2368 Posts |
Posted - 05/06/2010 : 2:28:55 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by slipry1
Who dat, Retro?
Dan Mortensen; first worked with him back in the old days of The Backstage, when he did FOH and I was recording shows for KUOW. Worked with him at venues from MoHaI to Town Hall to Bellevue's Carlson Theatre, as well as many of our Folklife broadcasts. When I see him at the board, I know it will go great.
But as for who did sound for you at McCaw Hall; was possibly Tom Stiles, another of this burg's best. We did stuff together in many venues as well, including Seattle Center spaces, and UW's Meany Theatre & Kane Hall. Wrick Wolff also does a great job at some of the various Seattle Center spaces. Remember Beth Berkeley? She also did fantastic work here in Seattle, eventually working at The Paramount; she was another of my favorites, and I think she ended up doing sound design on Broadway. |
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Sound Man
