Jump to content


Please note: You can easily log in to MPN using your Facebook account!

How long does it take ***YOU*** to set up your live rig?


Recommended Posts

Holly cow Chuck, when I was reading your post I was seeing myself in your shoes....Yes, I agree, I had to be not so much a Canadian guy, I mean, when you are not supposed to say inappropriate stuff and "yell" a bit of show your first ration but yes, my guitarist in the Rock band was always counting on me for the PA and his monitor as well as why his guitarist was not working well....just the same bad "rat" pedal that brings so many buzz....

And for the new one, same thing after a while, I pointed out the fact that they have all their stuff provided, better guitars, better bases, better Amps, all sound to dial for each song written and switches to do on basses on a schematic for each songs and I want them to be able to do it alone and not to accept any crappy sound just because it works, co pared to no sound....and stop,looking at me not really k owing what you should have dial in....

Are we the only one to work hard on getting our own sound for our rig the closet as it supposed to be for the song?

Tough one, you have to stay put and form but not too aggressive and bossy....

Stage 2, C2, NL2X+TC Pedals, P08+Tetra+H9, P12+TC Chorus D50+PG1000, 2 Matrix 1K, Proteus 2K, TX802, Streichfett, Drumbrute. Guitars:G&L Legacy, Asat X2, Ibanez Artstar AS153.Bass: L2000, SR1200&2605.
Link to comment
Share on other sites



  • Replies 131
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

And video of Mighty Motif Max is not working for me here in Canada....

Any other way to see it?

Stage 2, C2, NL2X+TC Pedals, P08+Tetra+H9, P12+TC Chorus D50+PG1000, 2 Matrix 1K, Proteus 2K, TX802, Streichfett, Drumbrute. Guitars:G&L Legacy, Asat X2, Ibanez Artstar AS153.Bass: L2000, SR1200&2605.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jesus, I need to get some of you to teach me how to be faster.

 

From arrival to first note is about 3 hours for me if I'm playing in my rock band and providing PA and lights. I could probably do it in two if I had to hustle, but hustling makes me tired and then I can't play (mostly because when I hustle, I skip eating, and then I have tunnel vision for the entire first set).

 

This is why I want to join a blues band and not do sound anymore. I can plop an organ and Leslie on stage in 3 minutes flat. And a good hunk of that is waiting for the tubes to warm up.

Hammond: L111, M100, M3, BC, CV, Franken CV, A100, D152, C3, B3

Leslie: 710, 760, 51C, 147, 145, 122, 22H, 31H

Yamaha: CP4, DGX-620, DX7II-FD-E!, PF85, DX9

Roland: VR-09, RD-800

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

PA is a whole other deal but a lot of what I said earlier applies - organized, have a system, dedicated cables including snakes and label everything - same channels every time, and usually you wont have to mess with the gains too much show to show and mix of gut to at least be close. If Im setting up small PA (two 18 subs, two 2-way tops, monitors, 5-pc band, thats an hour plus sound check.

 

Now when we do big shows at the lake, it takes a crew of 4 guys a full day to set up. But thats risers, trussing, lighting, flying line arrays; 6 dual 15 subs, 5 amp racks, mixing up a huge drum set, banners, curtains, co2 canons, etc.

Dan

 

Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And video of Mighty Motif Max is not working for me here in Canada....

Any other way to see it?

 

I'm afraid I didn't post a video at all. Just a comment.

Yamaha: Motif XF8, MODX7, YS200, CVP-305, CLP-130, YPG-235, PSR-295, PSS-470 | Roland: Fantom 7, JV-1000

Kurzweil: PC3-76, PC4 (88) | Hammond: SK Pro 73 | Korg: Triton LE 76, N1R, X5DR | Emu: Proteus/1 | Casio: CT-370 | Novation: Launchkey 37 MK3 | Technics: WSA1R

Former: Emu Proformance Plus & Mo'Phatt, Korg Krome 61, Roland Fantom XR & JV-1010, Yamaha MX61, Behringer CAT

Assorted electric & acoustic guitars and electric basses | Roland TD-17 KVX | Alesis SamplePad Pro | Assorted organs, accordions, other instruments

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jesus, I need to get some of you to teach me how to be faster.

 

From arrival to first note is about 3 hours for me if I'm playing in my rock band and providing PA and lights. I could probably do it in two if I had to hustle, but hustling makes me tired and then I can't play (mostly because when I hustle, I skip eating, and then I have tunnel vision for the entire first set).

 

This is why I want to join a blues band and not do sound anymore. I can plop an organ and Leslie on stage in 3 minutes flat. And a good hunk of that is waiting for the tubes to warm up.

 

Errr, even for our biggest gigs (festivals, etc.) it's never more than 60 minutes from arriving to first note. Even if there's a problem. Any individual piece of gear could die, and we have a plan. Must be my IT background?

 

My guys are learning what's expected of them. The PA setup is straightforward: a pair of FOHs on poles, a small sub, no monitors thanks to IEMs. The mixer is preset. Plug and play. No endlessly noodling around.

 

Thanks to battery-powered, Wifi-enabled, sound-sensing light fixtures, our bass player sets everything up 10 minutes ahead of first note. It's his contribution.

 

My keys gear takes no more than 15 minutes to set up. I have a roll-on travel suitcase with just the cables I need (plus a few spares) so no digging around for stuff. Bang, bang -- I'm live and dangerous.

 

We could do it in 30 minutes, but there's always the flaky guitar pedal, cables plugged in wrong, dead batteries, etc. Inevitable. But it's getting better. Throw the bad cable away, don't put it in your bag. Change batteries ahead of time. Before asking for help, check your own cable routing. And so on.

 

You can train a band to get on (and off) a stage in a short period. I am proof that it is possible.

 

But -- in reality -- it's about holding everyone else accountable for their own sound.

 

True story? In the middle of a gig, lead guitarist speaks into the microphone to me and says "I have a buzz in my pedals" like I'm supposed to fix it.

 

I reply, into my microphone "I'm not you're f*cking sound guy".

 

Never happened again.

Want to make your band better?  Check out "A Guide To Starting (Or Improving!) Your Own Local Band"

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"I reply, into my microphone "I'm not you're f*cking sound guy"

LOL, too funny, well, I should do it with my Rock Band, not with the dance band, the guitarist is so nice, always trying to help and improving that I won't do that to him...But yes, we are the sound guy designated because we know better stuff about sound/PA etc...

Stage 2, C2, NL2X+TC Pedals, P08+Tetra+H9, P12+TC Chorus D50+PG1000, 2 Matrix 1K, Proteus 2K, TX802, Streichfett, Drumbrute. Guitars:G&L Legacy, Asat X2, Ibanez Artstar AS153.Bass: L2000, SR1200&2605.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jesus, I need to get some of you to teach me how to be faster.

 

From arrival to first note is about 3 hours for me if I'm playing in my rock band and providing PA and lights. I could probably do it in two if I had to hustle, but hustling makes me tired and then I can't play (mostly because when I hustle, I skip eating, and then I have tunnel vision for the entire first set).

 

This is why I want to join a blues band and not do sound anymore. I can plop an organ and Leslie on stage in 3 minutes flat. And a good hunk of that is waiting for the tubes to warm up.

Ok, it's the same for me if I do the PA but I have trained them with schematics ans so on in order for them to be accountable for the sound...It concerns everyone anyway, right?

Stage 2, C2, NL2X+TC Pedals, P08+Tetra+H9, P12+TC Chorus D50+PG1000, 2 Matrix 1K, Proteus 2K, TX802, Streichfett, Drumbrute. Guitars:G&L Legacy, Asat X2, Ibanez Artstar AS153.Bass: L2000, SR1200&2605.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jesus, I need to get some of you to teach me how to be faster.

 

From arrival to first note is about 3 hours for me if I'm playing in my rock band and providing PA and lights. I could probably do it in two if I had to hustle, but hustling makes me tired and then I can't play (mostly because when I hustle, I skip eating, and then I have tunnel vision for the entire first set).

 

This is why I want to join a blues band and not do sound anymore. I can plop an organ and Leslie on stage in 3 minutes flat. And a good hunk of that is waiting for the tubes to warm up.

 

Errr, even for our biggest gigs (festivals, etc.) it's never more than 60 minutes from arriving to first note. Even if there's a problem. Any individual piece of gear could die, and we have a plan. Must be my IT background?

 

My guys are learning what's expected of them. The PA setup is straightforward: a pair of FOHs on poles, a small sub, no monitors thanks to IEMs. The mixer is preset. Plug and play. No endlessly noodling around.

 

Thanks to battery-powered, Wifi-enabled, sound-sensing light fixtures, our bass player sets everything up 10 minutes ahead of first note. It's his contribution.

 

My keys gear takes no more than 15 minutes to set up. I have a roll-on travel suitcase with just the cables I need (plus a few spares) so no digging around for stuff. Bang, bang -- I'm live and dangerous.

 

We could do it in 30 minutes, but there's always the flaky guitar pedal, cables plugged in wrong, dead batteries, etc. Inevitable. But it's getting better. Throw the bad cable away, don't put it in your bag. Change batteries ahead of time. Before asking for help, check your own cable routing. And so on.

 

You can train a band to get on (and off) a stage in a short period. I am proof that it is possible.

 

But -- in reality -- it's about holding everyone else accountable for their own sound.

 

True story? In the middle of a gig, lead guitarist speaks into the microphone to me and says "I have a buzz in my pedals" like I'm supposed to fix it.

 

I reply, into my microphone "I'm not you're f*cking sound guy".

 

Never happened again.

 

Yep, we are a small-time weekend band but this pretty much sums up how we've gotten so fast at setting up/tearing down. Now even faster, as our bass player (owns PA) picked up an EV thin main thingie (looks like Bose). We only used one at our last show and it covered the whole room. Those things are amazing. We did bring a separate sub.

 

Snaking everything (lights, pa power/signal) cut at least 20-30 minutes. Everyone having carts cut time. The main thing is that everyone runs direct and is very good about making sure they are consistent from show to show, so running sound is plug n play (with some tuning for new rooms). We've also cut down on our lights....for our gigs it was overkill to have a ton of lights. We have them pre-installed on bars that attach to the main(s)--click-click, they are on, then the snake that was run has all the lighting power and control right there. 49 key soft keyboard cases work great as a bag for a 3-light bar :)

 

Granted, we didn't get there overnight. For the first year or two we were over 2 hours minimum for setup.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Could probably do it in under 5 if I hurried. Used to be a lot longer when my setup was more complex.

 

I *used* to have a 4u rack, with a Emu Vintage Pro and a Muse Receptor. Those were MIDI'd to my AX7 and a M-Audio Pro 61 in a 2-tier stand setup. After that band folded I sold my rack stuff.

 

I am the "secondary keyboardist" in the band I am in now and my rig is iPad based with just the Ax7.

 

Setup is literally:

 

- Put the ipad on my mic stand iPad holder.

- Run Audio cable form iPad to DI box

- Plug bluetooth MIDI adapter in to AX-7 and turn it on

- Connect MIDI bluetooth on iPad

 

Done.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I made myself a snake with built in redundancy. Extra 1/4" and power lines. Lay out one cable, two keyboards on K&M stand, two powered speakers, done. Less than 5 minutes. One suitcase holds the snake, expression and sustain pedal as well as a couple of spares just in case.....
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My "basic" rig, which I use for 3 different bands at the moment, is 3 boards (Casio PX5s, Hammond XK-1c and Novation SLMK2 61, bottom to top), and an SKB Studio flyer with my macbook and Keith McMillen K-Mix. I leave all the cables plugged in the rack. Probably takes me 10-15 minutes to setup.

 

1. Put stands in place, K&M 18880 s-tier for the boards, Onstage T-stand for SKB, stands in an L with rack to my left.

 

2. Put stool and powered speaker (EVZLX 12-p) in place.

 

3. Place pedalboard under K&M. Connect power to pedalboard, then everything else is powered off of the pedalboard.

 

4. Place all three boards.

 

5. Connect pedals, 2 sustain to PX, expression and switch to XK, expression and sustain to SLMK2.

 

6. Connect audio from XK and PX to mixer.

 

7. Connect USB from PX and SLMK2 to computer.

 

8. Connect XLR cable from mixer to monitor, and either stereo or mono XLR to the Radial DI mounted in the rack.

 

9. Boot computer, launch Mainstage, and I'm ready to go.

 

In another band, I'll add my Minimoog on a stand to my right, and, for one completely ridiculous band, I'll take a small table and a Eurorack modular setup. That band takes longer to setup and doesn't play out that often.

 

Turn up the speaker

Hop, flop, squawk

It's a keeper

-Captain Beefheart, Ice Cream for Crow

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Usually takes me about 45 min to set up. Ultimate Apex stand, Korg Kronos X88. Damper and switch, l/r 1/4" outs to DI, 2 XLR's out of that to the snake. 1 1/4" out of DI to powered monitor for stage volume. Mic on Apex stand. Half stack guitar rig with Midi pedal running some rack gear and amp channel switching. guitar stands and 4 guitars. Crap, where did I put my set list? Where's the gaffers tape? Who borrowed my leatherman? After all that, I'm usually ready for soundcheck...and a Jameson's on the rocks.

Voyager, A Tribute to the Music of Journey - http:// www.facebook.com/voyageraz

Keys: Korg KronosX 88, M Audio Code 61, Novation Launchkey, Mainstage, Keyscape, Omnisphere

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can do it in less than 12 minutes if necessary.

 

That's starting the stopwatch from when the rock n roller cart (fully loaded) stops at the rear lip of the stage and I start unloading.

 

I got that fast by practicing my rig set up over and over again at home, in the garage and then in the living room, until it became rote. If you want to get better at anything you have to practice it.

 

Sequence matters. Stands, mat and pedal board first. AC cables next. Audio and pedal cables next. Boards are the very last thing out of their cases and onto stand. Power on, check levels.

 

Practicing set up means eliminate redundant steps, redundant moves, get as efficient as possible. Don't make two trips if you can get away with one. Don't take three steps if you can reduce it to two.

 

It also means you get a muscle memory feel for when something is wrong, when you forgot something, etc.

 

I seldom have only 12 minutes to set up. Almost all gigs I have plenty of time after set up to chill and chat, but there have been a stray gig where traffic is an unpredictable thing, and it's good to have the mental assurance I can make downbeat very quickly if needed.

 

Full disclosure: Rig is Kronos, Wave, pedal board with dual sustain, key largo and Lester K, Baby Spider Pro stand, fatigue mat, iPad mounted on mic stand, two DXR8s on Yorkville mini stands, UPS managing all power.

..
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...
Tonight's gig was a single board rig. One trip. Keyboard stand up, Nord on top of stand, 2 pedals, 2 jacks, power, done. No faffing with mixers and getting levels right, etc. Stuff was loaded in my car 5 minutes after the last song. Would love a single board rig for everything...

Hammond SKX

Mainstage 3

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Probably 30 minutes, maybe less, from hauling gear to the stage to putting the empty cases back in the van and parking it.

 

I play organ and sham bass. The rig consists of a C2D, a 3U pre-wired rack, and two DXR10s on a tripod stand with a fork.

 

The rack contains a Vent, an MX28, an M-BD1 and other assorted items.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use a triple-board setup--Motif XS6, DX7, and VFX-SD, with an Alto TS212 for monitoring. Motif and VFX-SD sit on a 2-tier Stay Tower and the DX7 sits on a Quik-Lok double-braced X stand :o

 

DX7 and VFX-SD audio outs are routed to the Motif's audio in, and Motif is routed mono, to a DI, which splits out to my TS212 and FOH. Each board gets a sustain pedal.

 

Whole thing takes about 15-20 minutes to set up.

Hardware

Yamaha MODX7, DX7, PSR-530, SY77/Korg TR-Rack, 01/W Pro X, Trinity Pro X, Karma/Ensoniq ESQ-1, VFX-SD

Behringer DeepMind12, Model D, Odyssey, 2600/Roland RD-1000/Arturia Keylab MKII 61

 

Software

Studio One/V Collection 9/Korg Collection 4/Cherry Audio/UVI SonicPass/EW Composer Cloud/Omnisphere, Stylus RMX, Trilian/IK Total Studio 3.5 MAX/Roland Cloud

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Probably 30 minutes, maybe less, from hauling gear to the stage to putting the empty cases back in the van and parking it.

 

I play organ and sham bass. The rig consists of a C2D, a 3U pre-wired rack, and two DXR10s on a tripod stand with a fork.

 

The rack contains a Vent, an MX28, an M-BD1 and other assorted items.

Wait a minute - were including load in or parking time in this calculation?

The baiting I do is purely for entertainment value. Please feel free to ignore it.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute: the piano.

 Find 660 of my jazz piano arrangements of standards for educational purposes and tutorials at www.Patreon.com/HarryLikas Harry was the Technical Editor of Mark Levine's "The Jazz Theory Book" and helped develop "The Jazz Piano Book."

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5-10 minutes

 

got a 3 unit rack that contains all power-adapters, Rolls PM351 with enough space for my pedals and cables tied together for laptop, FOH and DMC-122

 

- Setup my x-stand

- put the DMC-122 on it

- Setup my Rack (on ground, or drummer's block) with Macbook Pro on top

- roll-out cable to Main-mixer (Main-stereo MIX, click-track mono, stereo return)

- cable to laptop (power+USB),

- cable to DMC-122 (power+USB)

- Put Small light on top (USB powered)

- Connect sustain and Volume bedal

- Put wooden 'Hammond' board behind DMC-122 (much slicker)

- put 7-inch Android tablet on top (powered by USB, for chords)

- Unwind In-ear cable

 

Soundcheck

Nord Piano 5-73, Nord Stage 3
Author of QSheets: The fastest lead sheet viewer in the world that also plays Audio Files and send Program Changes!
https://qsheets.eriknie.synology.me/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute

Nord Electro 5 placed on the x stand provided by the venue (just like the monitors etc)

I use a single board for most of my gigs nowadays. I like it simple and easy. And I want everything to fit on my Honda motorbike after the gig...

 

Be grateful for what you've got - a Nord, a laptop and two hands
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...