Man, I miss modules and racks …

[Sundown]

Hey all,

 

I’m a home studio rat (I don’t play live) but I really miss synth modules. I’m sure their demise is economic given the rise of software instruments, but I still like hardware synths and I have no desire for another set of keys. A 19” rack makes a lot of sense for a guy like me and coupled with an editor/librarian it’s a great combination.

 

The growth of table top synths is interesting (especially since many are analog, knob-laden units) but I really miss the old days of racks. I think the Montage and PC4/K2700 are great but nothing would possess me to buy another set of keys.

 

I think we may see the demise of 61-key synths in the not too distant future but that’s a premature hunch. It seems like the market is going small (three or four octaves) or going the full 88-key route (e.g. Kurzweil).

 

I know my post won’t change anything, but as I was re-assembling and re-configuring my studio today I really thought about the usefulness of rack-mounted synths.

 

Todd

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Anderton]

I hear you! The problem is people didn't buy them, which is why companies just gave up. At this point, the concept might be sufficiently tainted that manufacturers wouldn't try, even if there was a revived interset in them ("no way, I remember what happened last time!").

 

Your best hope is that MIDI 2.0 brings back more hardware, and companies that weren't around in the 80s give rack units a shot because (hopefully) new MIDI 2.0 controllers could give a hands-on experience that was hard to achieve with the first generation of rack synths. I wouldn't bet on it, but you never know.

[Notes_Norton]

Fortunately, I have +10 synth modules in my rack. Many of them have hundreds and hundreds of sounds, and they represent different kinds of synthesis. I have thousands of sounds to choose from.

 

One nice thing about that, is the synth modules I bought in the late 80s and 90s still work. Just about zero software from that era still works.

 

Some of these old sounds are stale, but some are irreplaceable. I can mix the best of the old sounds with the best of the new ones.

 

As long as the 5Pin-DIN plug works, they will not become obsolete, and I will not have to buy them again, and/or pay for an upgrade in the future. Plus, since the sounds are created or accessed in the module, and they all have about the same latency, I can mix and match with no timing problems. In addition, they tax the computer's CPU minimally, as the computer doesn't have to create each note that's played.

 

So far, I have successfully avoided buying software synths. --- Wish me luck

 

 

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

[Anderton]

4 hours ago, Notes_Norton said:

One nice thing about that, is the synth modules I bought in the late 80s and 90s still work.

 

Make sure the backup batteries don't leak, and realize that at some point, you're going to need to replace capacitors. 

[KuruPrionz]

7 hours ago, Notes_Norton said:

Fortunately, I have +10 synth modules in my rack. Many of them have hundreds and hundreds of sounds, and they represent different kinds of synthesis. I have thousands of sounds to choose from.

 

One nice thing about that, is the synth modules I bought in the late 80s and 90s still work. Just about zero software from that era still works.

 

Some of these old sounds are stale, but some are irreplaceable. I can mix the best of the old sounds with the best of the new ones.

 

As long as the 5Pin-DIN plug works, they will not become obsolete, and I will not have to buy them again, and/or pay for an upgrade in the future. Plus, since the sounds are created or accessed in the module, and they all have about the same latency, I can mix and match with no timing problems. In addition, they tax the computer's CPU minimally, as the computer doesn't have to create each note that's played.

 

So far, I have successfully avoided buying software synths. --- Wish me luck

 

 

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

As always, there is good and bad in everything. 

Currently I have a couple dozen soft synths on my laptop. It's still the same size and the same weight as it was before I installed the synths.

A 10 space rack is pretty big and really heavy, I'm glad to not move one around.

Most of those synths were freebies and really pretty good. 

Others were purchased on sale for low prices. The batteries don't leak, the connectors do not corrode and if something goes wrong I can just download another copy and re-install. I can plug in any 5 pin MIDI keyboard or USB controller (including a Fishman Triple Play that allows me to play synths with a guitar). 

I like this way, to each their own! 😃

[Dave Bryce]

I still have and use several rack units.

 

My V-Synth XT, Wavestation SR, Mellotron 4000D and DM-Pro (drum module) are probably the ones that get the most use, but I still hit my M1R, QSR and TX802 here and there as well.  Heck, I still even use my 1/3 rack Alesis NanoBass!

 

dB

[Sundown]

I'd love to eventually get a used MKS-70, a D-550, maybe an Oberheim Matrix 1000, and it would be swell if Yamaha would do a 1U rack of the Montage or last Motif. Oh, and a TX81Z for sure ...

 

To Craig's point, I didn't know that they didn't sell well. I always saw pros with large racks but that's admittedly a small percentage of sales.

 

I always thought the professional MIDI controller was doomed (e.g. Roland A-80, Yamaha KX88) as not many would spend $2K+ on a board without a sound engine. But the low-cost controllers of today completely changed that. I almost bought a Kawai VPC1, but I instead opted for my MP11 for a grand more.

 

Todd

[Bill Heins]

I've got two workstations here and eventually they'll go into storage and I'll pick up a couple of good controllers. Software is absolute lightyears ahead of Romplers in sound quality and I can't afford the really good analog stuff

 

Bill

[Al Coda]

12 hours ago, Sundown said:

if Yamaha would do a 1U rack of the Montage or last Motif.

 

 

I´d buy a MODX 1HU rack in a heartbeat !

 

Still use rackmount devices,- M1Rex, Wavestation SR, D550, TG77, TX816 and some of the smaller ones I didn´t sell up to now,- SG-Rack, D110, U220.

And there are samplers still,- EMU E64, AKAI S-1000 and S-1100.

Yamaha, Digitech and TC multiFX devices; dynamics like compressors, expanders, gates; rackmount mixers; power amps and 19" MIDI gear (mergers, thru-boxes and matrix switchers/processors).

 

I own lots of software and DSP gear too, but every time when we overhauled a piece of hardware after not using it for a longer period of time, I again recognized how good it sounds and why I bought it in the past.

And,- last but not least,- the handling ...

I´m used to handle larg(er) hardware rigs, all being controlled via MIDI,- and regardless what I tried up to now, I never found a similar workflow using a software rig.

It´s simply too different,- and the most difficult task seems to be combining both worlds with lowest latency, stability and reliability possible.

 

 

A.C.

 

[Notes_Norton]

On 1/2/2023 at 2:04 PM, Anderton said:

 

Make sure the backup batteries don't leak, and realize that at some point, you're going to need to replace capacitors. 

I've replaced the batteries on my two TX81z's twice so far. They are soldered-in batteries, so I put a little battery clip in the case so I can use the solderless type. Takes 10 minutes and so far they last well over 10 years each. If they leak in the battery clip, it's replaceable, but when they die, I immediately pop a new one in.

 

Since I bought the TX81z's and MT-32s, I want from an Atari/ST computer to DOS5/Win3.1, to a Mac Classic ][, to a Win95, to a Win98SE, to an E-Mac, to a Win XP, to a Win8/10, and now a Win11 computer and they still work. No software synth would ever go through that many changes, so I'm way ahead of the game.

 

In the studio, the rack is plugged into a UPS, and my road rack is always plugged into a TrippLite power conditioner. I am a firm believer that steady power without dips and sages extends the life of the gear. The pre-GeneralMIDI synths I have, TX81z and MT-32 are still working like they day they were born. So is my Peavey SP hardware sample player.

 

I do suppose someday they may go belly-up, but by the time they do, several generations of software plug-in synths will be in the graveyard. Do you see any software synths lasting over 35 years?

 

Softsynths have come with my computers, and use them for non-pro listening, from the Turtle Beach sound card to the Virtual Sound Canvas and Coyote that came with Band-in-a-Box to others, and the Turtle Beach, VSC, and Coyote no longer work on modern systems. My TX and MT are decades older than those, and they still crank out.

 

I have an Edirol SD90 that I love, a Roland SC55, and a Ketron SD2 that have great conventional instrument emulations, and a couple of Yamaha VL70m physical modeling synths that not only give me the sound of sax, trumpet, trombone, and other instruments, but the expression of them as well. Plus the TX81z, Roland XV5050 for synth sounds, and an i3 that give me thousands of sounds with just a MIDI channel, patch change, MSB entry and LSB entry.

 

I don't miss modules and racks, I have avoided softsynths.

 

But of course, this is for my needs and not everyone's. There is more than one right way to make music.

 

 

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

 

[Anderton]

6 hours ago, Notes_Norton said:

I do suppose someday they may go belly-up, but by the time they do, several generations of software plug-in synths will be in the graveyard. Do you see any software synths lasting over 35 years?

 

Well, I'm using some virtual instruments for Windows that are almost 20 years old. Don't know if they'll make 35 years or not, though.

 

But think about it for a second. You're depending on hardware. You can run virtual instruments in a laptop, and use it like an external instrument that feeds into you DAW via audio or as a pseudo-plug-in (e.g., Studio One's Pipeline plug-in). You can freeze the laptop's configuration, so it would need to be replaced only if the hardware died...and then you're in the same situation as a hardware instrument anyway

[Notes_Norton]

That's a valid point, Craig. Worth thinking about.

 

 

Notes ♫

[Sundown]

On 1/2/2023 at 7:29 PM, Bill Heins said:

Software is absolute lightyears ahead of Romplers in sound quality and I can't afford the really good analog stuff

 

I can’t fault you there … In terms of accuracy/authenticity for sampled instruments, it’s hard to beat streaming software. But I’ll say that producers like Kurzweil do some remarkable programming to make smaller sample memories play really, really well. And when it comes to synthetic instruments and sounds, that’s a harder battle to call.

[Notes_Norton]

The most realistic synth I have for lead instruments is the Yamaha VL70m. It uses physical modeling synthesis.

 

Like an acoustic sax, when I bend a note the tone changes, if I bend a note on a brass patch I can get a 'shake' lip slur, bending strings on a guitar patch also changes tone with the bend. Volume changes of the various instruments respond like the real thing, I can emulate throat growl and/or flutter tongue, tone changes gradually with pitch, and much, more. It is the only synth I have found that, when using a wind MIDI controller, feels like I am playing an instrument instead of triggering a synth.

 

When playing a party, we were in the backyard of the hosts' house. The husband, a good guitar player, was tending to the guests inside, and the wife outdoors. We played "Black Magic Woman" I used the "Hey Carlos" patch on my VL, and the husband came outside to see who was sitting in on the guitar.

 

In a country club, we were gigging in the lounge. We played a standard, and I took a solo on the "Coronet" patch, which I think sounds like a trumpet player with a more mellow tone. A trumpet player came out of the dining room to see who was playing the trumpet.

 

Now, the tone isn't as good as the ROMplers, but the ability to coax expression out of this module is phenomenal.

 

I am a believer that as long as your tone is in the ballpark for what kind of song you are playing, expression is much, much, much more important. Playing a sax patch like a piano, or a guitar patch like a trombone, won't fool anyone.

 

What is good tone anyway? For tenor sax, is it Stan Getz, Stanley Turrentine, John Coltrane, Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano or someone else? Play these people to non-musicians, and many will think they are playing different instruments.

 

Who has better guitar tone, Hendrix, Eric Gale, Jim Hall, Carlos Santana, Slash, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Kenny Burrell, B.B.King, Lonnie Mack, Dimebag, Duane Allman, Emily Remler, Earl Klugh, Herb Ellis, Pat Metheny, Wes Montgomery, Tony Iommi, Orianthe Panagaris, or someone else?

 

And what about singers who have/had great expression but not great voices? Dr. John, Amy Winehouse, John Lennon, Blossom Dearie, Joe Cocker, Stevie Nicks, Neil Young, and many other singers with less than stellar tone to their voices sold zillions of records because they put across expression that moved their fans.

 

Of course, this response is drifting OT.

 

I had a fellow wind synth player visit me while he was in Florida. He had a physical modeling software synth on his computer. Not all PM synths are equal, as this one felt very stiff and not even in the same ballpark of my VL in terms of response. I don't know if anyone else out there is making software PM synths, and if they are any good. I only tried one.

 

This means in my gig rack, I bring two VL modules, even though I only need one. It's part of my 'department of redundancy department".

 

 

I can cover my physical sax, lead guitar, and flute parts with a WX5 (I bring two) and the VL. In the 25+ years I've had them, they have never crashed, never needed an update, never needed to be reinstalled in a computer, never rendered obsolete by a new computer OS, and have only needed one battery replacement each.

 

I make a living gigging with these, and they have stood the test of time.

 

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

[KenElevenShadows]

I like that phrases such as "realistic synths" exist.   

[RABid]

I've got a XV-5080, Wavestation, SR, 6 Emu racks and a Yamaha A5000 sampler. None have been turned on in the past 6 years. I think a primary problem with racks is we went through a period where every few years a new version was released with a larger ROM, higher bit rate processing, and better effects. Suddenly people had a rack full of gear that no one wanted and they switched to software. Something that could be upgraded.

[ElmerJFudd]

I also found the fading of the rack format disappointing  - yes, specifically because I always want the sounds but not always the keys.  
 

There are a lot of desktop format synths now, and many of them can be racked by ordering ears, but they often don’t have the ports where you would want them when stacking synths. 
 

And of course software synths have replaced the lot of it.  Virtual racks inside hosts, some with classic interfaces others with ingenious graphic user interfaces.   Especially when it comes to modulation matrix routing.   One laptop, hundreds of synths with instant recall in a set list.  Though I admit, they don’t all sound as good when it comes to virtual analogue, but at the same time some are very impressive when it comes to samples!  Way more storage and detail than an Akai S1000 for example.   
 

Regardless, I’d love to see Kronos, PC4 or Forte and Montage in keyless format.  Roland has a pricing scheme through their Cloud for most of Fantom or Jupiter X.  You can get a lot of a Kronos in software from Korg as well.  Yamaha is a big hold out on that front - but CS80, DX7, and more have been done by other developers.   But if you like single function hardware with tactile user interface, yeah. Some people just prefer hardware.  

 

[Anderton]

9 hours ago, Notes_Norton said:

I can cover my physical sax, lead guitar, and flute parts with a WX5 (I bring two) and the VL. In the 25+ years I've had them, they have never crashed, never needed an update, never needed to be reinstalled in a computer, never rendered obsolete by a new computer OS, and have only needed one battery replacement each.

 

Try to get a replacement cable for Yamaha's G-10 MIDI guitar. You're dead in the water without it. Yamaha doesn't carry it, never will, has no replacements, and can't even tell you who made it originally. But I found out. I think I'll order 10 and sell them at dramatically inflated prices on eBay

[Sundown]

2 hours ago, Anderton said:

 

Try to get a replacement cable for Yamaha's G-10 MIDI guitar. You're dead in the water without it. Yamaha doesn't carry it, never will, has no replacements, and can't even tell you who made it originally.

 

I’ve been trying to find a power supply / replacement board for my original Korg Wavestation (it has the click of death, which is usually bad capacitors on the power supply board). It’s impossible to find … If anyone has one, they aren’t selling it.

 

Todd

[Al Coda]

13 hours ago, RABid said:

and they switched to software. Something that could be upgraded.

 

Also software can only be upgraded for a limited period of time and there´s no guarantee every update and/or upgrade is a real improvement you urgently need.

Most often, when a bug is fixed, you got 10 new ones being hidden in new code.

 

I like, the rack modules did what they do when I bought ´em and I always founda way to make ´em usable for me.

Program some own patches and use the FX for what they can do best for only these patches,- and when it sounds good, it will sound good enough forever.

And when you record,- there´s the option to bypass these onboard FX and replace by studio-quality ones (in the mix).

 

 

A.C.

 

[Joe Muscara]

In the latest episode of The Keyboard Chronicles, our own @Steve Nathantalks about this. He had 44- and 22-space racks, but eventually found that he was using the laptop he put on top of the rack for all the sounds he needed.

[Notes_Norton]

14 hours ago, Anderton said:

 

Try to get a replacement cable for Yamaha's G-10 MIDI guitar. You're dead in the water without it. Yamaha doesn't carry it, never will, has no replacements, and can't even tell you who made it originally. But I found out. I think I'll order 10 and sell them at dramatically inflated prices on eBay

Years ago, I think it was 1989 my wife bought a Buchla Thunder tactile MIDI controller. She uses it on stage, so we bought two.

 

We saw a review in Electronics Musician or Keyboard magazine and she thought it would be fun. It's a nice controller, it has both its limitations and its benefits.

 

They are very dependable machines. They are built like tanks and are very reliable, but in the decades we have owned them, they have had 3 or 4 problems. The guy who repairs them has been with Buchla forever and is the only guy who knows how to service them The last time it broke, he said that as long as it is not one of a few particular chips, he could fix it. They don't make those chips anymore. Fortunately, it was only a problem with the power supply.

 

She is weaning herself off the Thunders, and using other instruments to play those parts. There will be a day when one of them dies.

 

Speaking of obsolete instruments. Do you have any idea how long a LinnStrument may be in production and serviceable? They intrigue me, but after the Thunder, I'm reluctant to spend the time to learn how to use one, only to find it orphaned.

 

I learned my lesson, when Yamaha discontinued the WX5, I bought a couple of extra controllers, and plenty of the parts that are likely to wear out, mouthpieces, reeds, and power cables. I've got a stash.

 

If I wait long enough, I might be able to sell them for dramatically inflated prices on eBay.

 

There is also a site where there is a windcontroller forum, sponsored by a guy who sells and services wind MIDI controllers and synths. He assures me he has enough parts to last my projected lifetime span. His prices are a little higher than Yamaha's, but I understand he needs a bit of mark-up to make a profit, so that's OK with me. As a small business owner, I understand the challenges of other small business owners.

 

So if I strike it rich selling used WX5 parts on eBay, I'll have no one to thank but you, Craig. I guess I'll owe you a percentage. :D

 

On the other side of the coin, I have an alto saxophone that is older than I am. It will turn 100 in two years, and can be serviced by any good woodwind technician. Pads, springs, screws, rods, and even keys can be replaced.

 

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

[Winston Psmith]

Funny coincidence, I was just working on one of my Synth racks last night.

Guitar is my main Instrument, so my focus is mainly on the sound engines, and I've had very good luck finding used hardware Synths. One of my personal favorites is my WaveStation SR, which cost me $150 at a local GC. I also have a TX81Z, a Proteus 2000, and a D-110, all of which are in good working order. (I also have a number of KB Synths, but we're talking Modules here, so . . .) I tend to drive everything with a Roland GR-series Guitar Synth, usually my GR-30 or GR-33. I also have a GR-20 and a GR-1, but I love driving other Synths with the Arpeggiators in the GR-30 and GR-33.

 

I'm not going to try to start an argument over which or what is better, hardware vs software, digital vs analog, cats vs dogs, or what-have-you, although I'll admit to a certain fondness for affordable, or cheap, hardware. In terms of what I wanted, and a what I could afford, I'm very happy with what I've got, and it works for me, which is the real issue.

 

[Anderton]

5 hours ago, Notes_Norton said:

Speaking of obsolete instruments. Do you have any idea how long a LinnStrument may be in production and serviceable? They intrigue me, but after the Thunder, I'm reluctant to spend the time to learn how to use one, only to find it orphaned.

 

I think the real question is how long an instrument that uses the same muscle memory is available. Instruments that depend on sideways motion, front-to-back motion, and pressure have more commonalities than differences. A lot of the LinnStrument techniques translate to the Roli Seaboard. However, the LinnStrument arranges its notes in a matrix, while the Seaboard is a traditional keyboard layout. If anything happened to the LinnStrument, I would hope some replacement would use a similar matrix-based approach.

 

The LinnStrument probably won't last forever, but neither will I, so ultimately I'm not sure it matters much

5 hours ago, Winston Psmith said:

I'm not going to try to start an argument over which or what is better, hardware vs software, digital vs analog, cats vs dogs, or what-have-you, although I'll admit to a certain fondness for affordable, or cheap, hardware. 

 

The argument ended for me a long time ago - use both

[KuruPrionz]

6 hours ago, Winston Psmith said:

I'm not going to try to start an argument over which or what is better, hardware vs software, digital vs analog, cats vs dogs, or what-have-you, although I'll admit to a certain fondness for affordable, or cheap, hardware. In terms of what I wanted, and a what I could afford, I'm very happy with what I've got, and it works for me, which is the real issue.

 

Cats are better than dogs. While both of them use their tongue for toilet paper, a dog will eat poop and try to lick your face. Just sayin'.🤮

As far as all the audio stuffs, get what you need and use what you got - it's all fair game!!!!!

I'm currently living mostly in the box but even so I love the mic preamps in the SSL 2+ and I've been experimenting with using the 2 channels of my Fishman Loudbox Performer as channel strips. There are 3 XLR outs on the back, one for each channel (EQ but no effects) and the third one is a mix of both channels plus the effects. 

It's clean, low noise floor and sounds good, a useful amp in many ways and one of my favorite pieces of gear. 

[Steve Nathan]

7 hours ago, Joe Muscara said:

In the latest episode of The Keyboard Chronicles, our own @Steve Nathantalks about this. He had 44- and 22-space racks, but eventually found that he was using the laptop he put on top of the rack for all the sounds he needed.

Here's the 44. Looking for the 22 now.  The good old days😉

 

 

 

[Notes_Norton]

I don't think it's a hardware vs software issue, it's a matter of what works best for certain people. That depends on their situation and needs.

 

My needs as a gigging multi-instrumentalist musician in a duo doing one-nighters would be much different from someone in a studio trying to get a record deal or release songs on Spotify.

 

I don't embrace or reject new technology, but analyze it as it applies to me. When I started doing my backing tracks, I used a Teac A3440 reel-to-real and mixed to cassette. Then when MIDI came around, computers were unreliable on stage so I went to MIDI and still mixed to cassette. When Roland introduced the Sound Brush (3.25" floppy disk fed MIDI player) I bought a few, and had two on state at all times. Now I'm mixing at home and saving as mp3 files. If something new comes along, that makes me want to redo our +600 songs, I'll embrace it.

 

Remember, there is more than one right way to make music.

 

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

[KuruPrionz]

I am all analog on stage, haven't gotten into the backing tracks deal yet but someday. More stuff to do on the computer, meh... 

I've put locking tuners on all my stage guitars, fast to put a new string on if needed. 

I have 2 guitar cords. Only one amp and then a DI with distortion option (Tech 21 Para Driver DI) in the event an amp fails. Since I stopped using tube amps reliability has been bullet proof. I have a footswitch/footpedal for my amp but I mostly play without it and rarely bring it along. I hate stuff but not many places have a good sounding PA ready to go, at least not around here. 

 

Remember that Steve Nathan above was a studio musician. It's a different world than live performance. 

I do hate moving any sort of equipment around. 2 big racks? They can just stay where ever they are, forever. 

 

At home, I record on a computer. Stuff stays where I put it mostly, mics and mic stands get moved around a bit. I do have some analog gear that I enjoy using but I can go totally ITB if I want. 

[Notes_Norton]

8 hours ago, KuruPrionz said:

I do hate moving any sort of equipment around. 2 big racks?

I tell people, "We play for free, and get paid to move the gear."

 

And that's close to the truth.

 

I remember when I was young, I had a tenor sax case in one hand, an alto in the other, and a flute tucked under my arm. That's all I needed for the gig. The problem with that was, "Give me a hand with this +400lb Hammond B3 organ" (or Voice Of The Theater Speakers, or whatever).

 

Things have gotten lighter since then, but I've decided to play guitar, wind synth, and downsize to a duo so I schlep the PA system too. But I don't have to subscribe to gym membership to lift heavy things -- the PA speakers weigh almost 40 pounds and the 10 space rack is close, but much bulkier.

 

We allow an hour and a half to set up. The extra half hour is just in case something fails (rule #1: It's always a cable). It takes us about an hour to pack out. Before that, it comes out of the house and into the minivan, and after it goes back in. Our average gig is 3 hours, sometimes 4 and on rare occasions less or more. So we spend almost as much time moving gear as we do playing. But it beats any wage-slave day-job that I can think of.

 

I was laughing about schlepping gear with the musician who follows us on Wednesdays, and he said that his idea of "Musician's Hell" was having to move all his gear in and out, and not getting to play. So I guess his version of hell is being a roadie.

 

 

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

[KuruPrionz]

1 hour ago, Notes_Norton said:

I tell people, "We play for free, and get paid to move the gear."

 

And that's close to the truth.

 

I remember when I was young, I had a tenor sax case in one hand, an alto in the other, and a flute tucked under my arm. That's all I needed for the gig. The problem with that was, "Give me a hand with this +400lb Hammond B3 organ" (or Voice Of The Theater Speakers, or whatever).

 

Things have gotten lighter since then, but I've decided to play guitar, wind synth, and downsize to a duo so I schlep the PA system too. But I don't have to subscribe to gym membership to lift heavy things -- the PA speakers weigh almost 40 pounds and the 10 space rack is close, but much bulkier.

 

We allow an hour and a half to set up. The extra half hour is just in case something fails (rule #1: It's always a cable). It takes us about an hour to pack out. Before that, it comes out of the house and into the minivan, and after it goes back in. Our average gig is 3 hours, sometimes 4 and on rare occasions less or more. So we spend almost as much time moving gear as we do playing. But it beats any wage-slave day-job that I can think of.

 

I was laughing about schlepping gear with the musician who follows us on Wednesdays, and he said that his idea of "Musician's Hell" was having to move all his gear in and out, and not getting to play. So I guess his version of hell is being a roadie.

 

 

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

I say the same thing, I get paid to load in and out, the music is the funs. 

I could reminisce about all the heavy crap we used to cart around but I'll spare everybody since they've probably been through it too. 

I had a gig early December, it was a snooty affair with the Mayor attending.  We had to go set up our gear in the afternoon, come back and were booked to play an hour show from 8-9. Then a moron got up and started talking and burned up 15 of our minutes. We played for 45 minutes, packed up and left. 8 piece band, I made $120, better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. 😇