About chrisrnps

www.dollfactory.org

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  Where can I recycle my old cell phone and iPod?

  1 1 The iPod can be dropped off at any Apple Store location - Apple recycles old iPods, iPhones, and computers for free (after getting bad PR a couple years ago regarding their environmental practices). chrisrnps answered in Science & Technology about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 20 more answers »

• Comment on Eric Grandy's answer…

  0 0 "NEED" meaning "The Stranger NEEDS to write about MY SHITTY LOCAL BAND", of course. Right, TSMDS? "Readers" want to read what they want to read. Print and online publications are competing for eyeballs, which translate into ad space, which translates into being able to eat, just like your and my shitty local bands are competing for ear-holes. I'm in one of those bands whose name has only ever appeared in The Stranger in their annual "we'll list every band who fills in a web form" issue (OK, and the concert calendar listings), but if it covered every local band that felt entitled to a write-up, it would be unreadable. Pro Tip: If you read The Stranger and Line Out, it's pretty easy to tell what local music blogs the writers read. Try to get covered in those to get on the proverbial radar. and also please to be asking yourself what does it mean about coming across with that attitude and lack of non-headache-inducing sentence structure and capitalization and screen name and sense of entitlement if you're trying to make an impression on someone you hope will write about your band? chrisrnps commented over 2 years ago

• Comment on Jake London's answer…

  0 0 For the three synths and electronic drum pads I'd suggest that you DO give them a stereo mix of everything (with your own 2 DIs) and politely ask that they use both DI channels @ equal volume even if they're not running in stereo (many clubs aren't, and it can often be counterproductive for the 90% of the audience that isn't standing in the exact center). Politely shrugging and say "that's cool, man - even if you're not running in stereo, we like having the extra headroom and a safety in case one channel cuts out" has worked for me in the past with the soundman visibly perking up when you "speak their language". Coming across as humble / easygoing / ever-so-slightly apologetic about your needs, while knowing what you're talking about (as opposed to "acting like you think you know more than the soundman", which even when true, is a surefire way to ensure an evening of "audio retribution" in your monitor mix later) works wonders. Don't be fake, but if the impression the sound guy has of your band is "what a bunch of nice, earnest guys", there's a fair-to-middling chance your mix will get a little extra love and attention that night. With the electronic drums and synths, the relative volumes of those are something that you'd probably want to be consistent from night-to-night, with the 'mix' pre-programmed into the actual presets of the synths and electronic kit. They aren't going to be as beholden to the acoustics of different venues as much as something like a guitar rig (where you might have to use different tone-knob settings in different venues, or decide to forego the reverb in a boomy-sounding venue) or an acoustic drum set. Synths and electronic drums -> your mixer -> main L/R outs of mixer -> your two DIs -> -> XLR outs of DIs go the the venue's snake -> 1/4" 'thru' outs of DIs go to two not-underpowered 15"-and-tweets keyboard amps - maybe even put these higher up on tripod speaker stands like "sidefills", or tilted back so they're not shooting at your knees. Not entirely unlike a traditional guitar/bass/drums band - which is the easiest for a sound guy to mix when their relative amp stage volumes are based on the acoustic stage volume of the drum kit - set the volume on the pair of keyboard amps relative to the stage volume the guitarist uses for his/her amp so that it already sounds like "a mix" onstage / in your practice space before you even add the house PA / stage monitors into the equation. Then all the sound human has to do is get the relative levels of the pre-mixed "electronics", the one miked guitar cab, and the vocal mics in the ballpark, and you're more or less golden. That way you'd only be depending on the house sound dude for making sure you can hear the vocals in the house monitor wedges, and balancing the electronics/guitar/vocals in the FOH mix - and with only 2 DI inputs (with your own DIs) and four mic inputs, you could play pretty much anywhere with a lot less hassle. Just a thought. You might have to upsize to a station wagon though. ;-) chrisrnps commented over 2 years ago

• Comment on Eli Anderson's answer…

  0 0 Phil, based on the equipment list on the Croc's site, the final D/A conversion happens inside the D&B Audiotechnik power amps used for FOH, which have both digital and analog inputs. That particular Yamaha digital board is pretty stinkin' badass, too. As are those EAW wedges and QSC amps for the monitor setup. I have to admit I haven't been since the relaunch of the Croc, but that's arguably the most high-end system in a venue of its size in town. chrisrnps commented over 2 years ago

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