Stevelegh
987 posts
Nov 13, 2014
1:36 AM
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Hi Everyone,
I thought this could make for an interesting thread and kind of help me with my equipment and transporting it.
I'm just starting with a three - four piece acoustic setup. Whilst we don't have much need for P.A. at this early stage, as I'm the one with the most gear, providing amplified vocals has come down to me. I'm quite happy with that, but moving gear from home to the practice venue is always a bit of a pain and as we're now looking to move practices out of town, I'm looking for foolproof (and I can be a bit of a fool) ways of ensuring I've got all my gear and its safely transported without any risk of leaving something behind or taking forever to set up and pack down.
Whilst I don't think specifics are necessary as to what equipment I'm using, I'd be interested to hear about any little tricks you have up your sleeve which make the most boring part of being a modern musician more tolerable.
One thing that I've found to be a godsend are the velco cable tidies you can get from Amazon. When I buy new cables, one of these are fitted even before I take the cable out of the packaging.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/15mm-Black-Cable-Tidy-Lengths/dp/B004AF25RM
One thing I'm looking at buying is a folding sack truck.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-633565-Folding-Sack-Truck/dp/B000LFYO7E
Does anyone else have any muso life hacks they can share?
Last Edited by Stevelegh on Nov 13, 2014 1:37 AM
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jbone
1805 posts
Nov 13, 2014
4:30 AM
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In short Steve- blues duo, all fits in a small car. 5w amps, Fender Passport 150 p.a., 1 case of mics/cables/etc., 2 or 3 mic stands, a music stand. Songbook. Our little license plate size sign and some cds to sell. In all, 2 amps, p.a., case, messenger bag, guitars, harp case, stands.
When you do this for a while and end up replacing what you forgot, you learn to keep everything corralled.
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http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000386839482
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbTwvU-EN1Q
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Goldbrick
767 posts
Nov 13, 2014
4:54 AM
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I use this- fold flat and does the job
Rock N Roller R2RT Micro Multi-Cart
Hand Truck with 8 Configurations, 6" R-Trac Wheels, 350-lb. Capacity, and Non-skid Surface
I use it for everything from drum gigs to guitar gigs.
For just harp I use a clarinet case for harps and mic and a stand bag to hold mic stand , seat and misc. crap.
I can give you this advice-- All my gig stuff whether drums or harp stay in their cases at home- they are packed up and ready to gig and do not get used except for gigs
My home studio has its own set up for practice or recording
This way nothing gets left behind
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Meaux Jeaux
24 posts
Nov 13, 2014
6:32 PM
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For practice/rehearsal I take my harmonicas and a notebook. Rehearsing acoustically causes everyone to play at low volume and listen to what each are doing.
No need for a loud rehearsal, it is detrimental to your time if someone screws up because they can't hear.
If someone must be loud at rehearsal/practice, then in essence they are putting their needs before the group
dynamic and when that caries over to a gig it is rarely
if ever a good thing.
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nacoran
8122 posts
Nov 13, 2014
8:20 PM
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Never underestimate the power of a checklist to keep you from forgetting something.
I'm kind of in Meaux's camp on acoustic practice, at least while you are getting songs down. There are times when you need to figure out what sounds are going to work with what and who needs to use what pedal to get things to gel, but that doesn't need to be every time, and it means less ear fatigue.
Of course, a drummer can screw that up.
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Nate
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KingoBad
1561 posts
Nov 13, 2014
8:20 PM
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The problem is that they do listen when you play acoustically, and don't when you turn it up….
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Danny
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Diggsblues
1606 posts
Nov 14, 2014
10:55 AM
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Always have some back up chords. The velcro is a godsend. Keep it simple, small and the best quality
you can afford. Set up and break down can be a pain.
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JustFuya
644 posts
Nov 14, 2014
3:38 PM
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I agree with everyone who expounds low volume during practice .... maybe a few watts for electric guitar and experimenting with effects. But unless you are a pianist you should have a light load heading off to practice.
A good drummer adds sparkle. A bad one can screw it up. A good one in a bad mood can go either way.
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Martic
109 posts
Nov 14, 2014
5:55 PM
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5 things you ALWAYS must carry with you on a gig:
1.- Backup cable(s)
2.- Backup mic: specially if you're playing out of town with borrowed gear. I just can't tell how many times I've been saved by my old SM57.
3.- Masking tape.
4.- Power strip: be careful of the on/off switch, you don't wanna step on it in the middle of a song.
5.- A small toolkit
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indigo
17 posts
Nov 14, 2014
7:44 PM
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One way i've found to keep everything in it's place is to put a plug board into the bottom of my amp(siliconed to be semi permanent) then i keep the Amp plugged into that and if i am using a pedal(s) they go onto the floor of the Amp too.
So i have one amp to carry with everything inside it.Most amps have room to do this .
Get to a gig just one extension cord will run everything and you are good to go.
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Stevelegh
988 posts
Nov 15, 2014
3:52 AM
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Hey guys, Apologies for not coming back sooner.
I had a practice on Thursday evening. I was running late (one of those times when you think you've got plenty of time and then realise you have a ton of other things to sort out) The following occurred.
1: Not enough leads. I grabbed a spare lead which turned out to be a stereo cable. We managed to fiddle around in the socket and make it work.
2: No extension lead. I had to set up on the other side of the room and point the amp away from the singer whilst trying to hear what I was trying to do.
I'm going to get this rig ready. I've bought a folding sack truck and I'm certainly taking Inigo's advice of siliconing a 4 gang extension socket into my amp. A spare mic and leads and why on earth did I not think of a checklist? I'm gonna laminate that bad boy and stick it to the top of my amp!
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Stevelegh
989 posts
Nov 15, 2014
8:11 AM
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I do too Garry. I velcro the cable before taking the packaging off. Totally swear by them.
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KingoBad
1563 posts
Nov 15, 2014
9:22 AM
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Garry, thanks for the heads up on the Velcro ties... I still get pissed looking at the prices of them at guitar center...
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Danny
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garry
545 posts
Nov 16, 2014
7:53 PM
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yeah, i love these things, and the rolls are so cheap. i use 'em for audio cables and computer cables, pretty much every cable that comes into my house gets one of these wrapped around it. they have a narrow tongue at one end and an eyelet at the other so you can leave them attached to the cables.
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