Difficult set up

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Jamin Lynch

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Jan 11, 2011
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South Texas
I often wonder where these planners get their ideas from.

I suggested they orient the stage facing down the long way and moving the bar to the smaller part of the L. (left on this drawing) This way I can use some longer "throw" cabinets down the longer part of the room and maybe a sidefill to cover the bar area.

What do you guys think?

Thanks
 

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Re: Difficult set up

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Jamin Lynch said:
I often wonder where these planners get their ideas from.

I suggested they orient the stage facing down the long way and moving the bar to the smaller part of the L. (left on this drawing) This way I can use some longer "throw" cabinets down the longer part of the room and maybe a sidefill to cover the bar area.

What do you guys think?

Thanks
Click to expand...

It's hard to say without knowing the type of event. Are there tables and people sitting or is this an open rock show? Is that an opening between the two rooms on the small part of the L? Based on the type of event do you think people would be clustered up front or hanging out in the quiet parts?

I'm guessing they'll ask you to set up behind the stage! :evil:

Image attached to save some downloading....
 
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Re: Difficult set up

It's a party for a bunch of attorneys. Should be a good sized crowd. The band is soft/classic rock and a little country. There will be tables for a sit down dinner and a small dance floor. I'm sure there will be a crowd at the open bar. Mostly a dinner and mingle crowd....at least until the free drinks kick in.

There's also going to be some guest speakers and presentations. I'll need good overall coverage for that part. My goal is not to blast the back wall when the band plays.
 
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Re: Difficult set up

I see your problem: You are approaching it like a concert where every seat should have (close to) the same SPL and frequency response. You should do the opposite here. People will position themselves in the room according to how interested they are in hearing the band versus chatting with their buddies.

My suggestion would be a narrow coverage stack on each side of the stage, cross firing as much as GBF will allow. In other words, the SL stack will cover the dancefloor and continue toward the entry, and the SR stack will cover the dancefloor and continue to the right on your drawing. FOH can go along the wall at the top of your drawing.

Don't point anything directly at the bar.

That's how I'd do it.
 
Re: Difficult set up

Milt Hathaway said:
I see your problem: You are approaching it like a concert where every seat should have (close to) the same SPL and frequency response. You should do the opposite here. People will position themselves in the room according to how interested they are in hearing the band versus chatting with their buddies.
Click to expand...

Fantastic advice. The mindset of the planner comes through perfectly in this floor plan. You are not putting on a concert, you are putting on classy background music. Worry about the first 50', then try and make the rest of the room quiet enough for conversation.
 
Re: Difficult set up

I agree with Milt and Bennett. The music has its place and function. The sound should serve that.

I've got something coming up in August where the band that was hired for general musical entertainment at a festival "kick-off party" has decided that it will be their "cd release concert". We'll see what happens......
 
Re: Difficult set up

Bennett Prescott said:
Fantastic advice. The mindset of the planner comes through perfectly in this floor plan. You are not putting on a concert, you are putting on classy background music. Worry about the first 50', then try and make the rest of the room quiet enough for conversation.
Click to expand...

+1. This is pretty much what I was getting at. The only thing I might suggest is a delay speaker down the long wall for speeches if intelligibility is otherwise not good there and assuming there are speeches. Sometimes a bit a low level 'sizzle' from that delay speaker during performances also helps turn reverberant mush into music, so while ever-so slightly louder it seems less annoying to those trying to talk (again, this is all very room and event dependent, but these types of events are my bread and butter).
 
Re: Difficult set up

Bennett Prescott said:
Fantastic advice. The mindset of the planner comes through perfectly in this floor plan. You are not putting on a concert, you are putting on classy background music. Worry about the first 50', then try and make the rest of the room quiet enough for conversation.
Click to expand...

Nope, I'm not going for concert style coverage. I'll aggree that the band in most events like this is just live background music...at least until the end of the night when all the drunk girls hit the dance floor. I'm more concerned about coverage for the speaches and presentaions. My experience in the past with these events is the bar area becomes the place where everyone likes to gather and talk. I was trying to get the bar away from the stage where people can mingle without having to talk over the band, which is only 17ft or so away.
 
Re: Difficult set up

Jamin Lynch said:
I often wonder where these planners get their ideas from.

I suggested they orient the stage facing down the long way and moving the bar to the smaller part of the L. (left on this drawing) This way I can use some longer "throw" cabinets down the longer part of the room and maybe a sidefill to cover the bar area.

What do you guys think?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Jamin,

Personally I think this gig looks easy. The organizers have done you the favor of not having the band wash hammer half the venue with a central stage. If the dance area goes directly in front of the band, even better.

Assuming the dance floor is immediately downstage of the band, this gig is easily covered by two SOS snugged up against each long wall, and a central downfill, front-fill, or wedge to cover the dancers. Hide a couple of subs in the far back corner behind the stage and call it done.

5 small boxes, 3-5 channels of DSP, a couple of subs, a suit and tie, and an easy day.
 
Re: Difficult set up

Jamin Lynch said:
I often wonder where these planners get their ideas from.

I suggested they orient the stage facing down the long way and moving the bar to the smaller part of the L. (left on this drawing) This way I can use some longer "throw" cabinets down the longer part of the room and maybe a sidefill to cover the bar area.

What do you guys think?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Looks pretty straight forward... but when the diagram clearly labels the bar as [BUILT-IN] and there is a service door behind it... suggesting to the party planner that she should move the bar and rearrange the stage and room isn't exactly going to win you any friends... it's also not going to help in having her take your professional opinions very seriously.
 
Re: Difficult set up

Steve Milner said:
Looks pretty straight forward... but when the diagram clearly labels the bar as [BUILT-IN] and there is a service door behind it... suggesting to the party planner that she should move the bar and rearrange the stage and room isn't exactly going to win you any friends... it's also not going to help in having her take your professional opinions very seriously.
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I was told the bar could be moved.

Call me crazy, but I see many problems with the stage facing the bar that is only 17ft away.
 
Re: Difficult set up

Jamin Lynch said:
Call me crazy, but I see many problems with the stage facing the bar that is only 17ft away.
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Yup...
In all my experiences with a bar that close to the stage you will pretty much get tortured all night long that the bartenders can't hear the drink orders.
Couple of speakers on sticks and vocal only PA should do it.....even then you will probably be too loud..
 
Re: Difficult set up

Marlow Wilson said:
The only thing I might suggest is a delay speaker down the long wall for speeches if intelligibility is otherwise not good there and assuming there are speeches. Sometimes a bit a low level 'sizzle' from that delay speaker during performances also helps turn reverberant mush into music, so while ever-so slightly louder it seems less annoying to those trying to talk (again, this is all very room and event dependent, but these types of events are my bread and butter).
Click to expand...

+1 on that.

No matter the room configuration or event type I always try to cover all seating areas (as much as is possible) with fills. The fills are on a matrix and get shut off once the music starts if it's an event where the music is not the primary event.

For an actual rock show, if it's on the truck it gets plugged in and turned on. :)


--
P.S. I'm mainly kidding about the Big Pile O' Speakers (TM) at concerts. Sometimes less is more at those events too.
 
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