Finding Your Niche

Have you ever heard of Joey Holiday?

If you're a trucker you probably have. He plays "Truckin' Music", and he stays within that. Listening to these songs, you can almost feel the wind in your hair and the pride of being the lion of the highway. It's Country twang, and you can almost hear the shifting of gears, while the songs set the tone for your 8 hours of  getting the job done.

Joey has found a niche that fits him.....If you don't live this lifestyle, they'd see right through you. He has found a market that is constantly out there working, while listening to music. He has a customer base that is fanatic, and growing. The fans of this music LIVE it.....and the musicians they support do too.

 This what I mean by differentiating yourself from the rest of the pack. Choose a style that fits you, so that you can be yourself, and never have a need to compromise your values (or lack thereof). But choose a way of presenting that style to focus your energy on people who will appreciate what you do, and support it.

Look at it this way......

James Taylor and Eric Clapton seem to be the choice for a certain group of listener.
Jimmy Buffet and Kenny Chesney seem to play a style that appeals to people of a certain attitude (or 'latitude', if you will).
Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Jamey Johnson speak for a particular group of people.
If you can recognize how these examples apply, I think you will be on your way to forming a BRAND. By playing it in your style, you will not please everyone......but those that do love you will be fanatic about it.

Find out where your heart is and play there. Most may not like you, but there are a few others who will have a voracious appetite for your presentation.......

.......and isn't that what we all want?

Fiddlers Blues Band

Fiddlers Blues band out of Columbus brings the 'Kit Shickin'" back to Middle Ga.
Check out their website!

http://fiddlersbluesband.com/

Pull on yer boots and get ready for the kind of hoe down you write home about!

They read the crowd (cause readin' print is fer city folk) and give you what you came for.....A moonshine swillin', dance floor killin', rockin' good time! The keep it focused on real music. From classic and new country to southern rock..... from bluegrass stomps to jazz standards. And, of course, the blues.

Git in, Git down, and be proud of your country roots....Fiddlers Blues Band will make you pine for that old pickup truck, the sweet smell of fresh cut grass, and swimmin' in the crick.

Wayne Minor Band

2 keyboards, guitar and drums. An unusual setup to be sure, but the Wayne Minor Band makes full use of this setup to rock the crowd.

The songwriting will remind you of Leon Russell. The execution is flawless and the arrangement is painstakingly tight and purposeful, but doesn't lose that all to elusive feel.You won't spend a moment at a Wayne Minor Band show, wondering who else is playing around town. These guys know how to craft the soundtrack of your night. Check out this live recording done by Mark Foley:
 Wayne Minor Band Live at Fountainfest

This is one of the rare bands that other bands seek out to learn from.Don't pass up an opportunity to check them out live.

 

http://www.wayneminor.com/

 

LegenDerry Vs. the Big Hairy Monster

The outrageous frontman for Ran$om has teamed up with the oddball geniuses of Big Hairy Monster to provide Middle Ga. with a much needed kick in the nuts.....(or maybe that was just me).

I want to add more to this article, but I simply can't- If the first sentence doesn't excite you then nothing I say could.

Derry has been a staple a round town for a few years now, and has always put on a great show. The band playing behind him as Ransom, have always been great musicians  able to pull out an obscure cover with no preparation at all. Derry has always taken this quality of the band and highlighted it to the thrill of the crowd. His shows are always fun to watch, as there is rarely a repeat from the gig before.

Big Hairy Monster is band of music afficionados who had gotten tired of the same old music being pandered around town.They started writing originals, and playing covers that lesser bands were afraid to touch. This led to Big Hairy Monster being considered by many to be the "cream on top of the cream of the crop".

Combining these two will undoubtedly be the highlight of the year. I can't wait.

March Forth and September Twenty Seconds

A few years ago I put together a birthday party for my wife...I was of course, booked to play that night. I got the idea that I could make it a birthday party for others born around the same date.
 I found people on FB with birthdays within a week of my wife's.
I contacted these people individually, and asked if they wanted to participate.  Several people wanted to but it was Memorial day weekend and they already had plans out of town.  Of the 12 that I asked, 3 were available and agreed to participate. I got each of them an extra large cupcake of their favorite design, and a tshirt. Each person brought their own birthday party to the same location. I ended up with a substantial crowd.....70 people... All but 6 were there for the birthday party. If not for 'my birthday party crowd', the place would have been dead.

Many in this crowd had never seen or heard of me before. I was sure to give out plenty of business cards and copies of my original music. That one event gave me new friends, and fans that have come out to support me ever since. I have gotten to perform at private parties, a Christmas Party, a New Year's Party and office parties because of someone's attendance at this one event.

My birthday is March 4th. It just so happens that March Fourth is the only day of the year that is also a command ("March Forth!" for those of you from Twiggs County). I've also noticed that a few other local musicians have birthdays around that same time, so I'm thinking that it would be a cool idea to have all of us born around late Feb/early March get together and have a big birthday jam.....

Then the good ideas started coming.....

My brother's Birthday is September 22....and the most common birthday of the year is within a week of that..(Sept 16)...So, here's my plan......

If your Birthday falls between Feb25 through March 11....Let's have a big birthday bash....one night, one big party! Contact me and let me know you want to participate.... we'll get a venue who'll love to have the business....and we'll make it happen.!!! We'll do it next year....I'm thinking the first weekend in March. Contact me at chrisnpope@gmail.com I need to know how many to tell the venue to plan for, and I need to know how big a venue to book.

 

If your birthday is between Sept 16 and Sept 29 let Uncle Earl Tribble know.......It's far enough out to plan for and we could put together a birthday blowout to pack the house. His email address is prodrummer67@windstream.net    CONTACT HIM EARLY! He needs to know how many people to tell the venue to plan for.

Having everyone's birthdays listed on FB makes it easier to personally invite people we may otherwise not have a reason to engage. If each one of us attending will seek out others to invite to have their birthday parties at the same location, it could open some doors for private parties, office Christmas parties, and increase the attendance at our public gigs. The one event like this that I did, really helped me out alot!

So if you are a musician get with Earl and plan the best birthday blow out ever for September 21st.
Or get with me to plan the best birthday blowout bash in early March of 2014.....

OR finally put 2 and 2 together and turn your next gig into a birthday party for someone you have never met.

Who knows......maybe you'll get a crowd that night.

The last ride of The Chris Pope Train Wreck

 Musicians have stories. Much like every other profession, strange things happen.
I've been run out of a bar because i didn't play the type of country the regulars wanted to hear.

I've been shorted by bar owners, and had my gear stolen.

I even had a night where a woman requested a song... She didn't know any of the words and the way she described it, no one in the bar could understand a bit of it.( "It goes.....'something, something, something......NA NA NA' ".........That's exactly what she said. ) NO ONE was more surprised than me when I guessed the song she was talking about, and played it.....having never even considered playing it before.

We've all had nights where we leave shrugging our shoulders and shaking our heads.....
but one night in particular has bewildered me for years.....
I used to invite people to come out and jam with me…..For a few years, NO ONE ever did, So I would continue to invite anyone (who said they owned an instrument) to sit in. I don’t do that anymore.

This one night, playing at the Rookery for my wife’s Birthday Party, EVERYBODY showed up.
I had 3 electric guitar players,2 acoustic players plus me, (one of them didn’t even have a pickup in his acoustic and wanted to play REAL close to my vocal mic so it could get through the PA.) . I had a bass player, 2 more singers, NO Drums, and a guy who sat right up front with a harmonica……yes. One harmonica.

I was much nicer back then, so things got out of hand quick. Also, at that time, I didn’t use a drum machine…..you can just imagine how bad it was.

After every song, I would ask the harmonica guy to ‘sit this one out’. I told him over and over that I wasn’t used to a harmonica player and him playing SO CLOSE to me and SO LOUD that I was very distracted. Not only was he playing out of key, but LOUD.

At one point, a person came up from the crowd and asked (beginning very politely, and increasing volume as he leaned toward the harmonica players ear.)…

”Hey. Can your harmonica player play in the key of shut the f &% k up?!!?!?!” I laughed until I couldn’t breathe.

It was complete chaos. Fortunately, this gob of ‘talent’ allowed me to decide the songs and the tempo for each song. It was so chaotic and thrown together that the door guy changed the name on the sign from “Chris Pope and Friends” to “The Chris Pope Train Wreck”.

When it was over, I thanked everyone and started packing up, completely disgusted.

Chris Wolfe (he now plays for EchoSpeed) was in the crowd that night and decided, based on that performance, to play lead guitar for me in a two piece we called "the Window Liquors".

I got two business cards from women who wanted to book me for a private party. They both worked at Aveda and said they had the best time ever.

To this day it blows my mind.

LSD Crescent Moon Dogs

I wasn't expecting to go out on Friday, February 2, but fate pulled me to Friends On the Hill where I found Steven strumming his guitar and singing, as he was in a Lenny Kravitz hair fashion. I enjoyed the music as I found out that Steven was warming up the crowd for a bigger show to come, gaining word that Lance Rodriquez and Dustin were there as well.

The crowd anticipated.

To set the mood of what was to come, center stage was a bison skull, atopped with an inscent aglow and setting the scene with a vibrant fragrance. After much anticipation, Steven returned to the stage on guitar, bringing Lance to the drums, and Dustin on bass and lead vocals for most songs. Jokes broke out on stage and were woven between songs. The crowd jammed out to rock, hard rock, and metal songs performed through the night as LSD Crescent Moon Dog performed originals and additional cover songs, which are a rarity from this predominently original band.

This show was a treat for fans as a prequel and fundraiser for the new EP that LSD Crescent Moon Dogs will hopefully be releasing this upcoming March. Keep an eye out for these guys!

Promoting yourself

We all use Facebook as a way of advertising our shows, but we are missing out on MANY opportunities.

This site was built to help us in a variety of ways, and if we will collectively take advantage of it's benefits, we can see even more people supporting  live music!

Now before I go any further, let me point out, that at present, I have GROSSED approximately 4 dollars per month with this site. If I take my yearly domain fee out of that, I have made about 40 dollars for 2012. In June, I plan to take my wife to Outback for a plate of celebratory cheese fries with my earnings. Assuming of course, that the money keeps rolling in.

In other words, my constant attempt at promoting MidGaLive.com, has nothing to do with profit, and everything to do with promoting the music scene in Middle Ga. I would like for all of us to take part in it.

What if you could get other musicians to promote your show at the same time they promote their show? It would increase the visibilty of both ads and almost guarantee you all will have a bigger draw. A good example of this was seen recently!

This is where Lance Rodriguez has a show at Shenanigan's on the same day FailTrain is playing at Friends On The Hill. Lance will post something like.....

"Come to Shenaningan's tonight starting at 7 so that I can get you geared up for hearing FailTrain at Friends on the Hill starting at 10! Get drunk, get crunk, and experience the funk!- Lance "

It's been happening alot lately, and it should continue .......

When you list your show on the MidGaLive Music Schedule, you are promoting live music as a whole. You are drawing people to one place so that they can see the wide variety of music that is being performed. If you are on that schedule, they will, of course see your band as well.

By having your band profile on MidGaLive.com, you get the chance to promote yourself, and at the same time the Live Music Schedule will appear at the bottom of the page.You can post the article I have written for your band, as your advertisement. At the bottom of the screen, the Live Music Schedule shows all of the activity going on. Nothing attracts a crowd, like a crowd.

If you promote ALL live music, you promote the entire scene....This brings more people out to support it, which opens up more opportunities to play.

By using the color codes people will find it easier to seek out the type of music they are interested in....Which means you are making it easier for potential fans to find you.

Win/Win.

You can encourage venues to use the MidGaLive Music Schedule to promote shows as well. This gives them a chance to read about all the bands in the area, and possibly open doors for you in playing new and different clubs, which opens the doors to new and different fans. If they can see what is working for another venue, and maybe they'll try that as well.

The Eleventh Hour has been helpful to a lot of people. Many bands have a loyalty to the Eleventh Hour which makes them hesitant to promote or utilize MidGaLive.com .

Personally, the notion that MidGaLive.com is somehow competition is funny to me. There is simply no comparison. I think the Eleventh Hour does show support for the music scene, but it supports many other things also. They have done well, but they can't focus specifically on every single act while simultaneously selling advertisements for every restaurant, art studio, and massage parlor in Middle Ga.. We coexist and I believe both the Eleventh Hour and MidGaLive.com have a purpose, and we serve it well.

Use every resource you can find to promote yourself. The Eleventh Hour is a  great resource too; and I wouldn't discourage anyone from using it.

Let's work together. Promote each other and we will ALL win.

That should be everyone's goal.....Shouldn't it?

A Beginner’s Guide to Stage Sound – Part 2: Setting up your PA

So now you’ve got all of your equipment and you’re ready to test it out. That’s right… test it out. Hook everything up and run through the numbers. Don’t tell me that you just wanted to get on stage and see how it sounds. It’s very important to thoroughly familiarize yourself with your equipment before it’s time to hit the stage. Let’s start with simply getting everything in place and hooking everything up.

Inputs

Once your mixer is in place, it’s time to run your inputs. I like to start with my vocal mics then progress across the channel list until everything is hooked up. At this point, nothing is powered on, and all faders and volume knobs are bottomed out. As you position your microphones, consider your stands. Make sure they are stable and non-intrusive. Make sure your cables are long enough to comfortably reach your mixing board (Or snake) and provide some slack for adjustments if needed. Make sure your stands won’t be tripped over or bumped into during those more enthusiastic ballads.

A good Vocal microphone is cardioid, which means that they have to be sung into directly. When positioning your microphone, consider what sound sources will be aiming at the front of that mic when the singer moves his/her head. Since monitors are generally placed on the floor in front of the singer, it is a good practice to angle the microphone so it aims almost directly away from the monitors. This will be a great step to preventing feedback. And remember never to position your FOH speakers behind your microphones. If you have a guitar cabinet behind you, try getting it, or your mic, positioned in a manner where the speakers don’t aim at the front of the mic. One of the best ways is to angle the mics upward slightly. If the mic almost pointing at your mouth from below it not only blocks less of your face to the audience, but provides better cardiod isolation from your back line.

 

Instrument mics are also cardioid, but often more so than vocal microphones. If you are placing a microphone in front of a speaker cabinet, place the mic as close to the protective screen as possible, and aim it directly at the sound cone of one of the speakers (Not the center of the speaker). Boom stands and short instrument microphone stands are helpful for this application, but be mindful of cable routing and positioning to avoid snags and trips. Isolation from other instruments is important, so if you have the drums next to you, pick the speaker furthest from the drums. If you’re right next to another cabinet or the bass amp, try to get some isolation (space) between their amps and your microphone if possible.

Equalization

Now that our inputs are in place, we need to push that signal out for processing and amplification. Run the outputs from the mixer to your 2 –channel equalizer. One mono channel will be dedicated to your Mains (FOH) and the other will go to your monitors. If you plan on using multiple monitor mixes, more equalizers should be considered. Equalizers can be your best tool for accenting or brightening certain frequency ranges while suppressing others. On your monitor channel, it will be a great tool for finding feedback frequencies and suppressing them.

Though equalization takes place later, during sound check, we will discuss it a bit here. Equalizing a signal can be a lengthy process, and sometimes needs to be repeated when you visit a venue with different acoustics. Taking notes of your EQ settings can save a lot of time. (Photos using your camera phone can be a great way to archive your settings for future visits.) My favorite method is the basic sweep method. Hook up an MP3 player and play some music that matches the tone and style you want to equalize. Start with all faders centered. Starting with your lowest frequency, slowly sweep the knob up and down while listening to the effect it has on your sound. Find the spot that sounds the best and move on to the next fader. After going all the way to the highest fader, work back through from High to Low.

 

To use an equalizer to eliminate feedback, you need to find your “invasive frequencies.” There are some specialized pieces of hardware available that specifically help to find and suppress invasive frequencies, but these can be expensive additions to your PA. There are also some great equalizers that will have a light on the fader to indicate which frequency is causing your feedback. But I’ve found that I can gain similar results with a simple, free iPhone application called “Feedback Detector.” Simply hold your phone near the speaker feeding back and it will tell you the approximate frequency of the intrusive signal. Lower the corresponding faders on your EQ and you will be suppressing the likelihood of feedback.

 

Fighting feedback sometimes means deliberately causing feedback. Whenever you are doing feedback testing, be extremely careful not to overdrive your FOH speakers or monitors. Keep someone at the faders so they can mute the channels if the feedback gets too hot. If you do this in a club, let the club owners know what you are going to be doing so they don’t get concerned. Fortunately, if you don’t change your equipment, you can take note of your dangerous frequencies and apply what you’ve learned at most similar venues. You don’t necessarily need to do this every time. Once you’re pleased with your equalization, the signal can be split and amplified.

Crossovers

Crossovers take the single FOH sound signal and split it up into multiple signals. The two popular uses are called Bi-amp and Tri-amp setups. Bi-Amp setups will split the signal into a low signal and a Mid/High signal. Tri-Amp setups split it into a Low, mid, and high range. I find that many decent FOH speakers include a basic internal crossover that will split your Mid and high signals for you, so in many cases, Bi-Amping is sufficient. You can even get away with a single signal for some venue, but I am a big fan of subs, so I will advocate the added expense.

 

Crossovers will have dials which allow you to manipulate where in the frequency spectrum the split will occur, and how much of each frequency will be able to fade into or overlap into the other channel. This is another place where experimentation will be helpful. Find a cutoff frequency for your low signal (I set my PA around 20-30 Hz) and simply see how your subs perform. If you think your subs can handle more, dial it up a bit, or if you just want hard hitting lows, dial it back. I find 20-30 Hz to be a nice compromise. This is a setting that you will likely only need to do once over the life of the PA. Once you’ve found the “sweet spot,” you shouldn’t need to adjust it again, barring a major change in your band’s sound. Now your signal is ready to be amplified.

Amplifiers

Amplifiers will boost your signal so that it can drive your speakers. Some amplifiers are built right into the speakers creating “Powered” or “Active” speakers. Other amplifiers are separate from the speakers, making the speakers “Passive”. Active speakers are great for novices because the internal amplifiers are perfectly rated for the speakers they are attached to. The downside is that you will need to plug each speaker into its own power source and they also tend to be more expensive than passive speakers.

 

Amplifiers will have an output power and an impedance rating for each amplifier channel that should be carefully noted. It is very important that your amplifier is compatible with your speakers. A mismatch could result in an overdrive or frequent clipping, both of which can cause permanent damage to your equipment. There are numerous arguments about how to properly match power rating to the speakers peak and optimal RMS. I’m going to take a stab at explaining it.

Pairing Speakers and Amplifiers

Amps are rated for output power (Watts) at a certain impedance (Ohms). Simply stating that you have a 1000 watt amp may not be accurate, since the “power” will not always necessarily be consistent. As the impedance (number of Ohms)of a line changes, the power to each speaker will change with it. For example, a fairly popular amplifier, the Peavey CS-2000, delivers 1075 watts (rms) per channel @ 2 ohms, 750 watts @ 4 ohms, and 495 watts @ 8 ohms.

 

Speakers have an impedance rating in ohms, and an optimal (program) and peak power rating. The Peavey PR-15 is an 8 ohm speaker that handles 400 watts program and 800 watts of peak power. When speakers are “daisy chained” off of a single amplifier channel, the line impedance changes. How it changes depends on if the speakers are in series or parallel. If you have 2 speakers in a parallel chain (I would never advise chaining more than 2 for common applications), then your impedance is divided by 2. If they are in series, the impedances are added together. Peavey PR-15’s are connected in parallel (this information is usually labeled on the connector plate.), so the line impedance will now be 4 ohms.

 

As we can see above, the CS-2000 amplifier provides 750 watts at 4 ohms. This means that 750 watts will need to be divided amongst all of the speakers in that chain. In this case, each speaker will get 375 Watts of peak power. In this case, it falls under our program power, and not even close to our peak power. Though I’ve seen this application work, it is not healthy for the equipment. I would recommend getting a slightly more powerful amplifier. The pros say that the Amplifier should be able provide roughly 2/3 (66%) peak power to each speaker. If we have a pair of PR-15’s, we will be looking for an amplifier that can provide 66% of 800 watts, or approximately 528 Watts at 8 Ohms. Since we are hoping to use them in parallel, then we need double that, or 1056 Watts at 4 Ohms.

At first glance, it looked like the Peavey CS-2000 was a good pairing for our PR-15, but after we calculated what the output power would be, it fell short. Now, if we decided to only hook up one speaker per channel, the impedance would be 8 Ohms. So each speaker would receive 1075 Watts of peak power. This is higher than the speaker’s peak power rating. Fortunately, the CS-2000 has a dial to reduce the peak power output. A user could simply dial the knob back to the center mark, and each channel would receive half of that 1075 watts (approximately 537 Watts). This will put the peak output power almost perfectly at our 66% range.

 

What have we learned? Do your homework before deciding how to connect your speakers to your amplifier. Matching power isn’t always as straight forward as it looks.

Note about wiring – Always keep your load above 2 ohms and below 16 Ohms .Most amplifiers are not designed to handle anything more than that.

 

~Now that we are hooked up and ready to go, In the next article we will discuss performing a sound check.~

A Beginner’s Guide to Stage Sound – Part 1: The Equipment

The first article by our resident sound man-
Tim Burris: Lead singer of the local supergroup 'FailTrain'

Introduction So your band has been working hard to build enough material to get out gigging. You’ve finally polished off a nice set list and booked a gig at the local bar. But the bar doesn’t have a PA or sound man, so you’ve got to acquire, set up, and configure your own PA. This is an opportunity to make or break your band’s reputation since all the practice in the world won’t improve the sound of feedback or a bad mix. Great bands have stumbled due to the lack of a quality sound system or trained sound man. PA equipment can be a relatively simple set-up or a logistical nightmare. So to keep it simple, I am going to highlight 2 basic set-ups: An all-in-one PA and a traditional mixing board and Amplifier modular PA system. We will touch on 'powered' (also known as 'active') speakers in another article. when you see speakers referenced in this article, we are referring to 'passive' speakers. An all-in-one system will have your mixer, equalizer, effects, and amplifier in one convenient, easy to use, piece of hardware. You simply plug your microphones into the inputs, plug your speakers into the outputs, and voila, you’ve got sound. Well, it’s not exactly that easy, but that’s the general idea. A modular PA will require a lot more individual equipment, but it allows for versatility, flexibility, and growth. Microphones  Before you get started you have to get all of your hardware. Let’s start with inputs. You will need vocal microphones, instrument microphones, and in some cases drum microphones (which we won’t discuss here). Not just any microphone makes a good vocal microphone. For vocal microphones, you should start by finding a microphone that is “Dynamic”, and “Cardioid.” Dynamic refers to the fact that the microphone doesn’t require any external power and that the microphone responds well to varying volumes. Cardioid is another word for unidirectional which means that it will pick up sound that is directed primarily at the front of the microphone. This is an important thing to note when we get to talking about feedback. (A couple quality vocal microphones include the Shure SM-58 and EV N/D267A.) Instrument microphones should be dynamic and either Super-cardioid or Ultra-cardioid. This will help prevent the microphone from boosting any other sounds from the stage. How often are your guitar cabinets within just a few feet of the drums? A good instrument mic will prevent sound from bleeding over, and give the sound man good control of what is being amplified. (A quality instrument microphone is the Shure SM-57 or the Sennheiser e609) Microphone Cables Microphones will need cables to plug into the mixer. Here, you should get low impedance XLR microphone cables with quality connectors. I cannot stress the importance of quality connectors enough. Many great musicians have had headaches during their sound checks due to bad cable connectors. A good rule of thumb is “You get what you pay for.” Another good rule of thumb - If the XLR connector doesn’t say ‘Neutrik’ on it, don’t’ buy it. (Yes, I’m biased) Mixer Inputs Next, the microphones will plug into a mixer. Each microphone will be designated a channel. It is important to note, at the mixer, which microphone belongs to which channel. I like to group my vocals next to each other (1-4), and then instruments (5-6), and then drums (7-12), labeling each on a piece of masking tape. These labels will greatly assist the sound tech while they are making adjustments during your performance. Mixer Outputs (All-In-One Mixer/Amplifier) All-in-one mixers include everything you need in one box. They are portable, easy to set-up, and generally less expensive than traditional modular set-ups. If your mixer is an all-in-one unit, then you simply need to connect your mixer/amplifier outputs to your speakers. In this case, you will have two groups of outputs: Mains and Monitors. For simplicity sake, we will have a “Mono” output and daisy-chain our mains and daisy-chain our monitors. When considering what kind of cable to use, consider both the output type of the Mixer/amplifier and the input type of the speaker. Some use 1/4 inch connectors, while newer models are using locking “Speakon” connectors. Make sure your cables are long enough to allow you to position your mixer in a safe, comfortable position while allowing for flexibility in positioning your main speaker and monitors. Speakers should always be inspected to make sure that they are compatible with the impedance (4 Ohm or 8 Ohm) and output power (x Watts) of the amplifier. Incompatible hardware could result in damage to your speakers or amplifier. *Please note that connectors should never be connected or disconnected while there is power running to the PA. Traditional Modular Mixer Amplifier Set-ups Modular set-ups require a lot more equipment than all-in-one units, but allow for greater flexibility and growth. To get a good sound quality, reduce feedback, and protect your equipment, the following hardware will be needed: Mixer, Effects Processor, 2 channel equalizer for mains and monitors, Crossover, Amplifier for mains, subs and Monitors. Effects Processor The mixer will send an auxillary signal to the effects processor. This is usually sent over a ¼ inch cable. The effects processor can modify the sound by adding chorus or reverb effects, then send them back to the mixer. Most mixers let you manipulate which channels get sent to the aux and which bypass it. So you may want effects on your vocal channels, but not your instruments. Equalizer The equalizer lets you help dial in your sound, and also eliminate any frequencies that are feeding back. Configuring the equalizer is a time consuming process that will require a lot of experimentation, but the benefits are well worth it. The mixer’s outbound signal will go to the equalizer. The equalizer will then send the modified signal to the crossover to be split. Crossover The crossover will separate your signal into High frequencies and Low frequencies. This is primarily used to send the low frequencies to their own subwoofers, while sending the high frequencies to speakers and horns. By separating the signals, you take a lot of strain off of your speakers and gain greater control over how each element of your sound is presented. If you don’t plan on using a subwoofer, a crossover is not necessary, but bear in mind that your mains will have to process a lot of sound. The crossover generally receives the signal from the equalizer and passes it to the amplifiers. Amplifiers The amplifiers will boost the “cold” signal into a powerful, amplified signal ready to go to the speakers. This is one of the most dangerous elements of the set-up, as misconfigured or mis-wired amplifiers can result in permanent damage to your equipment. Make sure your output impedance and wattage match what your speakers are capable of handling. Speakers - Mains (FOH) The most important speakers in your set-up will be your mains. This is what delivers your final mix to the audience. They are also referred to as FOH (Front of House) Speakers. A rule of thumb – Never place your FOH speakers behind your performers and their mics. This is a recipe for feedback. Speakers - Monitors These speakers are placed on the stage and aimed at the performers so that you can hear yourself. Many All-In-One PA systems will only allow for one monitor signal. This means that you get to create a single mix of instruments and vocals and play them back to the performers. More advanced set-ups will allow for separate monitor mixes. So the guitarists can have more guitar and singer can have more vocals. Speakers – Subs Most All-in-one units don’t’ allow for the additional of subwoofers without some creative engineering. So these will generally be used more with modular PA systems. They will produce your deep low sounds, and when used in coordination with a good crossover, will remove the low sounds from your main FOH speakers, giving them more clear and crisp highs. More on Cables You will need microphone cables, speaker cables, power cables, connectors to bridge equipment, and extension cords. It is important to inspect your cables regularly and take good care of them as a single cable can be the difference between a great sounding show and a night of headaches. In general, you get what you pay for, so if there’s one place to avoid the bargain shopping, it’s on your cables. …In our next article we’ll talk about how to use this equipment together and configure it before a performance to help control and enhance your sound.

Playing in your underwear

I love the way the "old pros" offer guidance and 'tricks of the trade' to "amateurs" and "new pros". I think we need more of that. Open mics are a great place to make that happen. If you're a pro of any stripes, it would be a good idea for ALL of us to try to advise 'newbies' through the basics of the business....Gear suggestions, tuning changes, changing the key to accomodate your voice or offer "Music Business Life Lessons".

I guess what I'm saying, is that open mics are a resource that we aren't really taking advantage of. For amateurs this is an invaluable resource to get 'plugged in' to the local music scene. 'Open Mic Nights' give amateurs access to professional grade equipment and guidance from seasoned veterans in the art of playing out in public.

For professionals, in playing open mics (and doing well), we can give the audience, a "commercial"; showing what we do, and how we do it.

It helps us build our fan base, and gives us more possible customers for our cd sales, Tshirts sales, or just more attendance at our shows.

It gives us the opportunity to learn from each other, teach each other, and engage in good, old fashioned fellowship.

As awesome as Facebook is~ It doesn't REPLACE the benefits of actual face to face interaction with our peers. It augments things for sure...and when I simply can't make it out of the house, it allows me to maintain contact with my fellow musicians.

But laying here in my underwear and creating storylines involving humorous misunderstandings and chilling revelations of angry Alpaca's, won't help me to be a better performer. I really hope to meet more of my Facebook friends in person. I want to learn from all of you.

....And to any amateur musicians sitting at home and wondering if you could be good at playing music in public.....Sure you could. Attending an open mic night could change your life.

It changed mine.