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Summer, outdoor gig, direct sun, and electronics!


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Yesterday I played at the Levitt Pavilion in Denver Co., an outdoor shed gig. Very nice venue with a good crew. We sound checked in the afternoon. Temps were in the upper 90s and there was no shade on stage. My laptop audio turned to fuzz during the first tune â it was boiling hot. I shut it down & used a damp towel to wipe it down & cool off and it worked again for a while, then the same thing happened. All the headliner"s (TOP) gear was covered with thin reflective tarps â and they had run out of them (I got the last one for my keyboard at least â it's black, so it got really hot as well and I would have been in trouble without the cover.). After soundcheck I went back to the hotel to clean up, and brought two white towels back with me. Our start time was 6:45 so our stage was still in direct sunlight. I draped a towel over the laptop, then set up a fan to blow on it. The gig went fine and I had no issues with my gear.

 

I"m thinking maybe some of you have been in the same situation and come up with something besides a white towel and 24' fan (that"s all they had) to save the gig!

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Thanks Elmer. I googled and found quite a few of these laptop shades but they seem to be geared to photographers who need to see the screen clearly in strong sunlight. I think they should be white or have a reflective surface, but the ones I saw were black (better for viewing the screen I assume). I'm not sure how effective it would be on a day like yesterday. Black objects absorb sunlight and get hot. I covered my laptop with my (black) SKB case's lid to shield it from direct sunlight when I went back to the hotel after sound check, and the computer was very hot when I got back â I had to take it into the dressing room, wipe it down again & blow a fan on it for a while.

 

I'll keep looking and maybe there's something out there that will work. It has to be collapsible so it can go in my luggage too. We have another outdoor gig coming up in a few days (Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa CA). It's a 7:30PM hit as opposed to the 6:45 start in Denver so I'll probably be OK for the gig â but I'll be sure to bring a white towel to sound check! :)

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I had an outdoor gig last summer, cloudless day, 90+ degrees, set up in the morning and my gear was in the sun with no covering all day until the gig at 6pm. No tarps, no cover of any kind. Hammond XK5, Kurzweil Forte7, Lesile 3300, and two Yamaha DXR10 speakers. Never had a problem. This is why I don't trust laptops on the gig. :)
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Played plenty of outdoor gigs in the sun with hardware rigs, and never a problem. Laptops don't handle the heat as well. They DO make Laptop Coolers.

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.

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I had my Electrovoice zx-a1 shut itself down in the middle of a set at an outdoor gig, where it was exposed to direct sunlight.

I had my Roland KC-150 with me as a backup, and got it up an running within a couple minutes.

The KC-150 worked fine in the sun: of course it did - despite my criticism of its harsh sound, I think my KC-150 could survive an apocalypse.

 

During the next set break I arranged for something to block the sun from hitting my zx-a1, and used it for the rest of the gig.

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Fortunate to never have had an equipment heat issue. Although not being able to see the drawbar lights on an Electro in bright sunlight years ago helped convince me to get a set of OB drawbars.

 

On the flip side, how about those pier, lake or riverside gigs - where your keys are covered with dew midway thru the evening? That"s always fun...

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I won't do outdoor gigs here in FL without a cover. I've had too many skin cancers removed to put up with a venue that can't even put up an awning. I am prepared to bring my "soccer tournament tent" that all the parents bring, but thankfully it hasn't been needed. Fortunately, there has always been a cover, although sun can still get you depending on the angle....and a cover is no protection against the storms we have here :) Granted, I don't do this for a living so I have that luxury.
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Fact: electronics degrade faster when exposed to too much heat. It will shorten the life of your gear and most certainly cause malfunctions.

Fact: a black or dark colored mass absorbs sunlight and radiates heat much easier than light colored masses. Basic physics.

 

Be very careful about cooling methods. Exposing a hot case to a cold environment too abruptly can create condensation, which will cause worse problems.

 

90% of music gear is enclosed in dark colored cases. Keyboards, guitar/bass amps, rackmount devices, mixers - a LOT of gear. Humans and gear need protection from direct sunlight.

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How about this for the laptop? I think it's collapsible: IKEA DRÖNA Box

 

To cover the rest of the rig in the sun (or rain) between sets, I use a BBQ grill cover as noted in this thread: Umbrellas for Keyboards???

 

I haven't found anything to easily clip on to my keyboard(s) to provide shade while playing.

Nord Stage 3 HA88, Nord Stage 3 Compact, Casio CT-S1, Radial Key Largo, Westone AM Pro 30, Rolls PM55P, K&M 18880 + 18881, Bose S1 Pro, JBL 305p MKII, Zoom Q2n-4K

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I won't do outdoor gigs here in FL without a cover. I've had too many skin cancers removed to put up with a venue that can't even put up an awning. I am prepared to bring my "soccer tournament tent" that all the parents bring, but thankfully it hasn't been needed. Fortunately, there has always been a cover, although sun can still get you depending on the angle....and a cover is no protection against the storms we have here :) Granted, I don't do this for a living so I have that luxury.

I"m with you. My only two requirements are: protection from the elements and a flat level surface to set up on. I can deal with everything else, even outlets hundreds of feet away. I bought one of these years ago on sale at ace hardware for $50. I"ve used it once or twice. But I do a solo gig, so I don"t have to worry about standing out from the rest of the band, visually.

 

quik-shade-commercial-100-canopy-tent-10-x-10-54.jpg

The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers

 

People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin

 

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To cover the rest of the rig in the sun (or rain) between sets, I use a BBQ grill cover as noted in this thread: Umbrellas for Keyboards???

Mine is still in the box, unopened on the floor behind my passenger seat, ready for when I need it. :thu:

The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers

 

People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin

 

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I also use one of those tents whenever I have to play outside. It only took one 45 minute set a few years ago in the direct sun on a 90+ degree day for me to make that decision haha.

"...and that TV channel at the hotel that's, like, ABOUT the hotel?"

 

Yamaha CP 73 / Numa Organ 2 / Korg Prologue 8

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My DMC122/Gemini once became unhappy sitting in direct sunlight. No sound. Thankfully I noticed before the first song of the set. A quick reset and folded towel across the button panel did the trick.
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Thank you almost everybody for your comments & advice. Yes I got bit here, and assumed that any outdoor gig I play with AWB would be at a facility properly equipped to handle this situation. It"s always worked out in the past, but this was just a 'perfect storm' of events. We were not headlining â Tower Of Power was. The venue had a lot of reflective tarps on hand so they were obviously used to dealing with this. Except - TOP is a pretty big band and they used almost all of them, since they set up & soundchecked first! I got the last one and threw it over my pitch-black Roland A800 controller as it got boiling hot 5 minutes after being put on its stand! I was hoping my silver laptop would reflect enough sun to keep it out of trouble. And don"t think I didn"t search (in vain) for a shady spot to put it â as the opener, we had to set up in front of TOP and their gear left us no space near me with shade â I tried. What completed the 'perfect storm' is that due to poor communication we were rushed to sound check and I was getting grief to have my stuff up & running as fast as possible.

 

So, live & learn.

 

Fact: electronics degrade faster when exposed to too much heat. It will shorten the life of your gear and most certainly cause malfunctions.

Fact: a black or dark colored mass absorbs sunlight and radiates heat much easier than light colored masses. Basic physics.

 

Be very careful about cooling methods. Exposing a hot case to a cold environment too abruptly can create condensation, which will cause worse problems.

 

90% of music gear is enclosed in dark colored cases. Keyboards, guitar/bass amps, rackmount devices, mixers - a LOT of gear. Humans and gear need protection from direct sunlight.

Great summation of the situation, thanks. I"m never happy playing gigs outdoors in sunny conditions. Even with shade on stage, it"s often hard to see the LEDs & LCDs on my controller. But keeping out of direct sun is really job #1 for gear and people, as you say.

 

Some thing like this from Amazon?

 

71qJK012ilL._SX679_.jpg

 

That actually looks like it would work pretty well, thanks! Light-colored too. I think I"d still want a small fan blowing since it seems to me ambient heat could build up in an enclosed space.

 

How about this for the laptop? I think it's collapsible: IKEA DRÃNA Box

Thanks - I saw that in my searches but the pic showed a black box; I wasn"t aware they came in white too. This could work but I"d have to cut holes for cable access. The price is certainly right compared to Markay"s higher-tech solution above.

 

I had an outdoor gig last summer, cloudless day, 90+ degrees, set up in the morning and my gear was in the sun with no covering all day until the gig at 6pm. No tarps, no cover of any kind. Hammond XK5, Kurzweil Forte7, Lesile 3300, and two Yamaha DXR10 speakers. Never had a problem. This is why I don't trust laptops on the gig. :)

I"m glad you got through your gig Jim, but I have to say I"m surprised to read 'my gear' unless you meant in the general sense, as in 'the gear I was using.' I would have assumed it to be rental gear. No way would I leave my personal gear out on a hot stage all day like that.

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Last time i played a gig in that sort of situation my Motif XF got so hot i couldn't touch it - yet it played on and survived with no problems. But reading this thread gave me an idea, if i'm ever again in that situation, to borrow the reflective windshield cover from my car to put over the keyboards during breaks.

 

- Jimbo

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One of those tents with a Blue Ice block inside looks like a great idea. Just keep a cooler nearby with a backup Ice Block or two, and change it out every hour.

Puck Funk! :)

 

Equipment: Laptop running lots of nerdy software, some keyboards, noise makersâ¦yada yada yadaâ¦maybe a cat?

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Thanks Elmer. I googled and found quite a few of these laptop shades but they seem to be geared to photographers who need to see the screen clearly in strong sunlight. I think they should be white or have a reflective surface, but the ones I saw were black (better for viewing the screen I assume). I'm not sure how effective it would be on a day like yesterday. Black objects absorb sunlight and get hot. I covered my laptop with my (black) SKB case's lid to shield it from direct sunlight when I went back to the hotel after sound check, and the computer was very hot when I got back â I had to take it into the dressing room, wipe it down again & blow a fan on it for a while.

 

I'll keep looking and maybe there's something out there that will work. It has to be collapsible so it can go in my luggage too. We have another outdoor gig coming up in a few days (Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa CA). It's a 7:30PM hit as opposed to the 6:45 start in Denver so I'll probably be OK for the gig â but I'll be sure to bring a white towel to sound check! :)

 

Ya. As eluded to above. They make these shades in white, and yes, as usual they are geared toward photo/video but the point is to get the laptop out of direct sunlight. A slab of dry ice under the laptop and small fan for convection. That"s best we can do with laptops in these heat situations. As also mentioned, hardware keyboards fair better - although the Kronos is very PC like. Not sure how well it does in the heat.

 

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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Forumites that run into this often say they use laptop shades (little tents) that they sell for summer outdoor gigs.

Some go so far as to seat the laptop on a block of dry ice.

 

The very best way to cool a laptop. Dry Ice and a fan with a hood.

 

I use rackmounts so 12k triple barrel fans as loud as a Hoover in the frame of an ATA Shockrack.

Don"t need the case just carry it by the frame, but it really helps for cooling outdoors.

 

 

5-D3-D09-D6-ECE3-483-B-9-FC7-A1-C867-BB6-AB5.jpg

Magnus C350 + FMR RNP + Realistic Unisphere Mic
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i have had my iPad shut down a couple of times. I use it for lyrics and signature lines i need to remember so not as critical. usually just a towel or T shirt covering it works.

Jimmy

 

Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others. Groucho

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Ya. As eluded to above. They make these shades in white, and yes, as usual they are geared toward photo/video but the point is to get the laptop out of direct sunlight. A slab of dry ice under the laptop and small fan for convection. That"s best we can do with laptops in these heat situations. As also mentioned, hardware keyboards fair better - although the Kronos is very PC like. Not sure how well it does in the heat.

 

Wonder the same thing. Also the Mojo.

 

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Back in the earlier '90s when my main touring board was a Hammond XB-2, I learned that it was did not like being in direct sunlight. It would lock up and be non-functional until it had about 30 minutes of cooling down time. I ended up getting a second one mostly because of this behavior. Every time the band would play in sunlight, I'd be sure my spare was easily accessible. Without fail, after about an hour, it would freeze up and I'd look at our monitor/light tech to ask him to bring out my spare and we'd do a swap.

 

I've done plenty of sunny hot gigs with other gear and don't recall any other issues other than occasionally having trouble reading the display on the board due to sunlight. One sad thing on my Yamaha S90 was that when wearing polarized sunglasses, the display was simply not visible. I'd have to scoot my sunglasses down a moment to be sure I had picked the proper sounds.

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We play over 20 outdoor gigs per year that require equipment to be exposed to afternoon/early evening sun. I have several long generic windshield sun reflectors, several white shower curtain liners (with magnets in the bottom hem that will grip keyboards fairly well) and assorted length bungie cords bought at the dollar store for maybe $40 total. The windshield sun reflectors totally cover the tops of my boards and amps/speakers when they're not in use, and I'll loosely wrap them with the shower curtain liners first if there is any risk of a pop shower or blowing dust. All of that is fairly quick on/off, and stows easily.

 

If we're going to play in intense sunlight, I have one windshield sun reflector that has been trimmed to cover my Stage 3's top panel (I go single-board for the festivals that require quick on/off band transitions) with an overhang over the front and partial cutouts (H-shape cuts that allow "flaps" that will open for control and display access; the flaps also help shade the displays) for a few of the control areas of the keyboard that will require access or viewing during the set. Using pedals for rotor speed, volume, and to advance through presets minimizes the "ports" I need open all the time.

 

To shade my iPads, I have two collapsible music stands that I position as needed, with a 16x24" doubled and taped section of windshield sun screen clipped on the music shelf. Those can be easily tilted or moved as needed to keep the iPads shaded, and they're convenient to keep collapsed and packed away in my cable and pedal case if they're not needed.

 

I still also use cheap reflective "space/rescue blankets" to totally cover equipment if it is going to set in a pre-stage area or onstage a long time between soundcheck and showtime; not the most attractive thing, but very effective. I bought a bunch of those cheap in bulk on eBay, as sometimes the large, cheap thin ones are good for just one use.

 

 

Kawai KG-2D / Yamaha CP33 S90ES MX49 CP4 P515 / Hammond SK1 / NS3 88 / NS3Compact

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