Old School backline from the last two nights

[Lee Brenkman]

I just finished working as systems tech and support act FOH mixer for Ry Cooder's "two nights only" tour at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco.

I was able to tell the rest of the crew that like me, EVERY amp on stage was older than all of them.

Here's the bass rig:

 

[Lee Brenkman]

Re: Old School backline from the last two nights

And here are Ry's amps. The Macaferri style guitar is NOT his. It, and the Baggs DI belong to Los Cenzontles, the band that opened the show

 

[Tim McCulloch]

Re: Old School backline from the last two nights

Mr. Cooder is also probably "grandfather" material to most of your help as well.

Was the show as awesome as I hope it was?

 

[Lee Brenkman]

Re: Old School backline from the last two nights

Mr. Cooder is also probably "grandfather" material to most of your help as well.

Was the show as awesome as I hope it was?

Yes it was, from the songs with just Ry, bass and drums through all the various configurations that you can create with 15 musicians including a full on "banda" brass and percussion section. There were so many musicians that we put the trumpets and trombones in the balcony above stage right and the clarinets above stage left. Real, acoustic "stereo"!

Here's a picture of the segment with Ry, the rhythm section, accordion master Flaco Jimenez and the alto saxophonist. Photo credit" Paul Kotapish.

 

[Rob Ottaviano]

Re: Old School backline from the last two nights

Lee
Where were you hiding the PT rig. All kidding aside isn't it nice to mix/listen to real guys playing real instruments.

 

[Lee Brenkman]

Re: Old School backline from the last two nights

Lee
Where were you hiding the PT rig. All kidding aside isn't it nice to mix/listen to real guys playing real instruments.

Be careful what you joke about But in this cast the PT rig was strictly for recording.

ProTools rig was at FOH which was an AVID/Digidesign Profile Mixrack complete with the HDx card, a Magma Expressbox and Pro Tools 9 on the laptop belonging to Ry's engineer Martin.

All of the vintage stuff on stage (Including more than a couple of the musicians) was recorded onto 32 tracks of 48kHz 24 bit .wav files.

The Ampex 16 track with the all tube electronics just wouldn't have fit at FOH.

 

[Rob Ottaviano]

Re: Old School backline from the last two nights

Be careful what you joke about But in this cast the PT rig was strictly for recording.

ProTools rig was at FOH which was an AVID/Digidesign Profile Mixrack complete with the HDx card, a Magma Expressbox and Pro Tools 9 on the laptop belonging to Ry's engineer Martin

All of the vintage stuff on stage (Including more than a couple of the musicians) was recorded onto 32 tracks of 48kHz 24 bit .wav files.







The Ampex 16 track with the all tube electronics just wouldn't have fit at FOH.

Maybe they could have used this instead lol

http://www.uaudio.com/store/special-processing/studer-a800-tape-recorder.html

 

[Ned Ward]

Re: Old School backline from the last two nights

Nice stuff Lee. Love the Showman head for a bass amp - I just picked one up and am refurbing a '64-65 Bandmaster 2x12 cab with the intention of using it for guitar and/or bass. That's also quite the Magnatone amp!

I'm sure that despite the accordion, it was nice to listen to real instruments...

 

[Tom Manchester]

Re: Old School backline from the last two nights

This little guy crossed my stage last weekend. I think it's a 1952 Gibson GA-20. Sounded pretty sweet!

 

[Rob Ottaviano]

Re: Old School backline from the last two nights

Some things missing here Tom. Where's the ribbon?
Peace

 

[Tom Manchester]

Re: Old School backline from the last two nights

Some things missing here Tom. Where's the ribbon?
Peace

As in ribbon mic? Don't have any of those in stock, but I'm always accepting donations! ;-)

Actually in terms of boutique mic'ing setups I liked, a couple of weeks ago at a festival I was providing, we had blues guitarist Tad Benoit. He had 2 amps, I believe one was a Fender and the other was a Category 5? His road guy put a single Neumann LDC right between the two of them, and a KMS105 in the back of the '5. Very nice full sound. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BKY9DdRuSI

 

[Lee Brenkman]

Re: Old School backline from the last two nights

I'm sure that despite the accordion, it was nice to listen to real instruments...

Ned, actually three of the best live bands I've ever worked with included "bellows blown, free reed instruments".
Ry's band with Flaco, both in the mid 1970s and just last week.
Relativity with Phil Cunningham on piano accordion.
Astor Piazzolla's Quntet with Piazzolla himself on bandoneon

cheers,
gramps