Jump to content


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

Just Organized My Gigging Setup


Recommended Posts

Why does such a simple task a) take so long to get started, and b) create such a satisfied feeling?

 

I use two keyboards with various pedals (sustain, volume and a Vent ll) and a mixer, nothing very complicated on the surface. But at the end of a gig or when setting up quickly, I tend to get disorganized fast and throw everything into my rolling case, knowing that it won't be any more organized the next time I open it up.

 

Now I have a small plastic box reserved for power supplies; all my cables are tested; I even velcro'd spots on my little carpet for the various pedals to keep them from wandering.

 

I mean, I'm 63 and have been gigging since I was 10. I've caused myself a lot of unnecessary stress by not doing this on a regular basis.

 

In practical use, I realized just now that the system for my power supplies needs to be tweaked--for example, this morning I have a rehearsal where I'm only taking my main keyboard. Thus having the power supply and sustain pedal for that keyboard in the main 'power supply box" means I can't just grab the keyboard case and go--I have to dig them out of the main box in the rolling case first. Not ideal. I think I will put the power and sustain pedals for this one board into the keyboard case, but leave the others where they are.

 

That's all, just emptying my head before I go off to slay the musical dragons..

Doug Robinson

www.dougrobinson.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites



  • Replies 17
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

My view is that it's simpler to always take all "accessories". That's PSUs, pedals, cables you might not need, etc. Put them all into a single bag/case/box and bring them to every gig. So you have an expression pedal and a vent even on a solo piano gig. You have a Kawai PSU when you're just gigging a Mojo. Provided they're not infeasibly heavy, that's not a big deal.

 

The reason I say this is that on the big gigs, when it really counts, you don't want to be worrying about whether you've forgotten something.

 

A few exceptions/tweaks to this:

- You could duplicate your "accessories" case, and have one for e.g. "solo piano" and a second for "full rig". That would obviously have some redundancy

- You could attach some "accessories" to your boards - I've done this with power supplies that are permanently attached to my boards.

 

Finally, to accelerate the setup task (and tear-down): pre-wire and loom together everything you can. I have permanently connected cables to my pedalboard and loomed one set for my keyboard, plus another loom to my mixer/headphone amp. Colo(u)r-code all connections for quick setup.

 

Cheers, Mike.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use a box I found -- evidently it's an accountant's case? Anyway, its about 18" long, maybe 8" wide, 12" tall, top is two flaps that fold over and latch. When I do my breakdown, I put everything in as I go, so it comes out later in set-up order. This means the power strip and mixer are on top when the case is full, sustain pedals are at the bottom. Cords go in the side pocket of the keyboards' gig bags; that way they always have their own cords.

It's not the gear, it's the player ... but hey, look -- new gear!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My view is that it's simpler to always take all "accessories". That's PSUs, pedals, cables you might not need, etc. Put them all into a single bag/case/box and bring them to every gig.

Mike has nailed it here.

 

I take two accessory gig bags to every single gig I do, no matter which band it's with and what keyboard configuration I use. My keyboard cases or bags only contain keyboards.

 

It is simply impossible to forget anything this way, plus I have every spare I need in case anything breaks. Takes a mountain of stress out of pre-gig planning.

 

The number of times I have rescued band mates (including fellow keyboard players) who are not similarly organised is staggering.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It was simpler when I always played with the same rig. But now sometimes it's just 2 keys, sometimes 3, sometimes also guitar, sometimes also sax....some gigs use my K10, others use IEM's.

 

I'm contemplating making a pedalboard that would be the hub for all the rigs, but with different sets of snakes and a switch on the pedalboard that would accommodate all of my setups. I've been holding off to see how things shake out with a couple of the different gigs that I've been doing.

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

After two stomach dropping nightmares in the 90s, I make it a habit two always have two power supplies for every piece of gear. Often, it's just another three prong plug, but when I look how how thin the cords are on wall warts, I start to sweat.

 

So it's one in the bag of power, and one with the device.

 

Now that I don't gig at all, I do it with laptop, camera and tool battery chargers.

"For instance" is not proof.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do y'all think our need/desire (obsession?) with getting our rigs as organized as possible (clean cable runs, organized pedals, etc.) is a keyboard player thing, or a musician thing?

 

I ask because a few of the musicians I work with seem to just slop cords around and not really mind the mess and disorganization. But that's a small sample...so what have you guys generally seen?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's funny... I've done some major gigs with guitar or bass players who showed up without even a spare cable... never mind a backup guitar. It never ceases to amaze me. While I bring a backup board, and doubles of EVERY piece of gear. (Even if it stays in the truck, I have a neatly packed "spare" bag with cables, pedals, mixer, power cords, etc.)

 

Because you just never know what might crap out, or have been left behind at home or the last gig!

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it depends on the musician. I've seen keyboard players with all the cables just hanging all over the place and it drives me nuts. Likewise I've seen more than a few guitar players go to great lengths to put together very tidy organized pedal boards. I don't think there's anything specific to the instrument, other than maybe the fact that we tend to have more things to interconnect by virtue of our instrument.

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

I have duplicate power supplies, cables, and pedals so that my home stuff stays at home and my gig stuff stays packed up between gigs. I use bungies for cable management to prevent droopage and danglies.

Yamaha P-515, Hammond SK1, Casio PX5s, Motif ES rack, Kawai MP5, Kawai ESS110, Yamaha S03, iPad, and a bunch of stuff in the closet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Less organized people that play in a band can usually depend on those of us that are obsessive about being organized, carrying back up for operating mandatory equipment, extra cables, power supplies, batteries. Being that the last gigs I did was as a solo act, everything had to work. So, I carried an extra power amp, an extra mixer, in addition to all of the above.

 

As they say "The show must go on". :rawk:

 

 

Mike T.

Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In one of my old bands, the guitar player and I each kept spare drum keys, which the drummer borrowed frequently!

 

I had spare cables, pedals and spare keyboards that I didn't typically bring, but weren't far away. Once, a friend of mine who has a key to my house brought a spare up to me during a gig. I was able to limp through the first set using one of my keyboards and doing guitar oriented stuff.

 

We had a drawer in our monitor rack with batteries, connectors, soldering iron, electrical tape, and a little set of tools, not to mention logo'd guitar pics, stickers, temporary tattoos, 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

I'm not at the extreme end of either OCD organized or sloppy lazy breakdown. I learned long ago it's super important to wrap up your cables properly after a gig. Period. Unraveling tangles is not only unfun, but unprofessional to the audience half watching you set up. Plus it takes like 4 times as long to unravel compared to just plug and play.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been needing help with droopage and danglies.

 

You and me both. What was once ARP is now AARP.

9 Moog things, 3 Roland things, 2 Hammond things and a computer with stuff on it

 

 

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...