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Subject: Playback sucks


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Original Message                 Date: 05-May-02  @  08:10 PM   -   Playback sucks

proximus

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I'm NEVER doing playback anymore..

no the cd didn't skip but I was quite drunk and everybody could see I wasn't playing live.

And drinking and playing live.. well, that's another story

I did a gig this weekend with playback and it did not go very well to put it mildly. I think there are two main reasons why it fucked up. First one first which was my own fault. I've never done a gig before and the promoter said they wanted bands with little need of gear so I thought:easy! I'll do playback (another thing.. YOU know what YOU need, get what you need if you get it don't play. You get fucked, not the promoter.). As I mentioned before, everybody could see I wasn't really playing live. That's not a good thing

The other thing which I believe fucked things up for me was that the introducer said I was a young talented artist from Bergen who produces trance and have a JUST faboulous voice. "Today he is going to sing and perform his song."

I DON't SING!! I HAVE NEVER SUNG IN MY LIFE!! WHY! HOW!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to put the blame on other. I was responsible but the last one, fuck, who could I avoid it?

I don't know what I would have done with out my supporting friends backing me up and cheering like mad in the front. Cos, to be honest there wasn't a lot of cheering except from them. I managed to get some ok cheering at some points with some heavily clapping in the air (Yeah I know it's cheesy but what was I to do?) but then I forgot to play the keyboard, hehe.

There was a pretty big audience too, maybe 300 and I was unvoluntary picked out to *kick* off the show.

Anyway, this experience didn't turn my wish for playing live, but I'm NEVER EVER using playback again. By the way, this was my first gig ever.

Give me your flames and comfort. Especially comfort because I need it

I kinda look a bit humorous on it but it still sucks  




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Message 71/81             20-Jun-02  @  11:55 PM   -   RE: Playback sucks

prox

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thanks for the support. It went ok yesterday, but it could have been better if they would have given me a soundcheck!!  

I believe the sound was not good, people told me it was distorted and the piano could was really hard to spot. I have no idea how it sounded because I only stood behind the speakers and all I could here from that spot was the reverb of somethin that sounded like my song.. wish they had given me a 5 minute soundcheck, maybe some of this could have been avoided.

And guess what?

I enter the stage, I present my song and I go over to my table filled my gear and my comp. What do I see? I see that some smartass has cut the power.. So, what I had to do was to get the power back and turn on my comp and start logic and load my song  

That ruined it for me really.. plus that with the sound.

Anyway, it wasn't playback this time.

What I've discovered when I try to perform is that I do not consetrate on the music, I have really no idea where in the song I am. This is not a good thing I think, it's probably because I'm nervous.

I did get to play live once again and that was nice but I'd be really happy if it had gone a bit different

 



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Message 72/81             21-Jun-02  @  12:10 AM   -   RE: Playback sucks

proximus

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and I have to leave all my gear at school coz I didn't have time to bring it home after the party and nobody give me a lift either. I have to say I didn't sleep very well last night, I had nightmares about people stealing my equipment. I woke up several times early in the morning, even though I had been pretty drunk after my performance (only had one glass before I went up   ).

And when I woke up I felt like shit because I knew my gear was unsafe.. and I promise you it will be the last time I leave my gear alone. People could easily have stolen my gear..

I felt it all over my body that my gear was unsafe, I'm not sure what I would have done if something or all had been nicked



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Message 73/81             21-Jun-02  @  12:38 AM   -   RE: Playback sucks

xoxos

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sure i can knowa. i've just got this goofy personal preference for a world with attainable objectives and achievements where visions can take shape as opposed to a world where visions can't take shape because some bugger comes along and blows it up or knocks it down or steals it's hubcaps (or shoots it's mother and two kids to steal a pair of $70 hubcaps as occured earlier this year in tucson or a five year old who shoots himself because life is too miserable at five) every five minutes. it's very healthy indeed to say "aah well, there goes that, fuck all then, great googly moogly what a whirl what a whirl" and it's very bloody american. but sometimes, don't you ever get like.. "ooh that would be nice let's see what we can do" sorta thing. come on you pedantic cross questioning bastard, sing it with me, slow at first.. "we shall not rest, until we" et c.

i know you're set knowa, i just have to say this stuff. it's what i do.



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Message 74/81             21-Jun-02  @  07:27 AM   -   RE: Playback sucks

xoxos

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sorry to steal your lime p - few points. make sure you invest in some kinda surge protector/power conditioner before you play out again (if you haven't   congrats on another gig! never gigged with midi, but it'll get better with experience and practice. maybe now that it's the hols you can have a few friends over and have them chill while you do little run-thrus for them?

it's the same deal with anything you care about.. wife, kids, child porn tapes.. you fret endlessly when they're out of your sphere of control. but that's how d' devil gets into d' world. it is a paper moon after all.

(heh we had some guy in tucson take a dennys hostage to force authorities to return confiscated child porn - he shot two people! killed one, a pregnant mother.. well i mean more 'heh' that raw gasping sound one makes when feeling aged and experienced and doling out advice than 'har har')

fuck, my town's pretty damn rough looknig back on this past year  



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Message 75/81             24-Jun-02  @  11:37 AM   -   RE: Playback sucks

Pongoid

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dig this: I'm going to drop a couple points on you from a salty, seasoned vet to a new recruit.

1) Ride, schmide. You NEVER leave your gear at the gig. You lock it up at a friend's place with their valuables, or you bring it home, or later, if it gets to this point, in the hotel, with all of it accounted for and insured, none of this 'not accountable for stolen articles' shit. Cover your ass and your gear. Always always. Couldn't sleep? Good you carry it home on your back if you have to, or you wait at the gig for whoever invited you to play to take care of you. Period. Inconvenience, my ass. Those are your tools of expressing what worlds alone or mediums visual do not. Treat them accordingly.

2: Unless it's some heavily coordinated performance, in which case you have a tech standing there the whole time at side stage before and while you play, you always go on early to verify your gear. You're not fucking rockstar. You are there to make music. You need to have your gear up and ready, and you need it to stay that way. Which many rockstars don't have a tech check their amps and gear before they go onstage? The failures, or the ones that do it themselves.

In the mean time, congrats on getting out there. Keep going.

Ape



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Message 76/81             25-Jun-02  @  05:25 PM   -   RE: Playback sucks

proximus

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Thanks for the tips, they are appreciated.

I'm no rockstar? :-)



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Message 77/81             25-Jun-02  @  06:31 PM   -   RE: Playback sucks

errata

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I've been playing forever!!! hehehe

I remember my first year of gigs. I thought it was a miracle that people would ask me back, after all the mistakes and bad mixes and EXCUSES! Don't sweat what has happened just learn from it!

Pongoid's right as usual. DON'T EVER leave your gear where you aren't. I've left mine in my hotel room but all of my gear is insured against loss (even on the road) which isn't completely cheap but way cheaper than replacement! I once had a kid spill a pepsi on my A3000!!! If you play out get insured!

I always go up 15 minutes before a set and make sure everything's hooked up and working! You don't want that bullshit when everyone's staring at you. And SHOW UP EARLY for soundcheck!!! Get there hours early if you have to. But make sure there's room for your kit and that you have the opportunity to hear your music in house before the party! (Promoters are used to DJ's, they don't understand that you need extra room. I've been to many a venue that needed serious reorganization on stage because of a lack of space!) Also, showing up early and helping decorate and set up (after your shit is taken care of) is a great way to meet the people who may (or may not) ask you back. When you've no resume you need to get in with these people.

I thought you brought your monitors! Why couldn't you hear your trax? If they don't have monitors you need to bring yours. And don't let the nappy headed "sound guy" tell you you can't have a line for your monitors. He's wrong and you need to be able to show him why!

I don't know if you use HW on stage (but if you don't you should! It REALLY is more stable). If you do, make sure you know the ins and outs of every part of your gear. Have everything backed up in case of memory loss. Be sure you can plug everything you need into one source and bring a cable for it. And bring redundant audio cables, it's got to be every other show that i don't have a cable I KNEW I brought. On that note... leave as many cables plugged in as your gear and cases permit. You should be able to set up and break down in next to no time at all, without being in the way of the next act!

that's all I can think of. A lot of it is obvious shit, but most peole don't think about it until it happens to them.

I can't tell you how many cables I've loaned to other acts at party's...

e



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Message 78/81             25-Jun-02  @  07:09 PM   -   RE: Playback sucks

proximus

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Thanks for the good tips mate.

I actually showed up really early so that I could get a soundcheck but I still didn't get any. You get yours in 20 mins, oh, in 15, another 15 mins.. 10 mins .. 5 mins. Ok, the show is starting. Too bad you didn't get a soundcheck  

I definately agree about meeting people, that's what my first time. I got in touch with the keyboard guy to Apollo (a wellknown norwegian rapper). He was really nice and he had a Nord 2 which I drooled on  

I think one of the problems with the sound was that the signal from my mixer was too loud, but this would have been fixed in no time if I had a soundcheck. Besides, I can't see why the soundguy didn't lower his inputs if it was too loud.

I brought most of my stuff.. my comp, my synths, mixers, monitors and amp :D It took me over 20 mins to get it all running..

Hmm, maybe a sampler and a cheap hardware sequencer is smart. I could sample the EXS24 parts and have the rest of my song sequenced from the Hardware sequencer.



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Message 79/81             25-Jun-02  @  09:49 PM   -   RE: Playback sucks

errata

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Don't rely on sound guys... If it sounds wrong, go over and fix it! If he's in the way tell him. Don't let other people screw up your set. You can do all this without being an asshole. Just don't let them put you off. If the party starts in an hour and you're not ready, demand (nicely) to have a check before the doors open or THEIR PARTY will suck because the sound's bad.

Like I said though, don't worry about what's been. Just take care of the future. With time you'll gain confidence, and they'll listen without the B/S if they see that you know what you're doing.

e



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Message 80/81             25-Jun-02  @  10:00 PM   -   RE: Playback sucks

proximus

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:-)



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