Re: Do you interpret "required SPL" on riders as A or C weighting?
I think we all know the difference between A and C weighting but most are unfamiliar with Z weighting and I'm sure that's not what these riders imply. I think most also understand what BE's and agents are going for when they spec high SPL requirements to ensure an adequate rig is supplied. My question is within the context of the unclear, self-contradictory and out-right ridiculous riders that float through Clubland how should I interpret required SPL at FOH if no weighting is specified?
I know how much we all enjoy discussing such things so I'll bring up several helpful points I think everybody should appreciate when making a tech rider:
Outside fest gigs and inside club gigs are two entirely different animals. For one the mix position is usually the back of the room behind the audience in a club and at a fest your somewhere in the midst of the audience. For this reason I find "SPL at mix position" a bad standard. I think the "SPL over the listening area" is much more relevant.
Input lists and monitor requirements are similar and I would enjoy some allowances between the two on riders. I think it could be done without much complication. I've done it myself. You won't need 12 mics on the kit in my 50X60' room. Nor has any act needed each member to have a pair of 15"x2" bi-amped wedges at 130dbA on a 25'x15' stage, an XL4 or any line array ever as our maximum trim height is 10'.
What these unrealistic riders do in Clubland is cause lots of venues to disregard them entirely as something they would/could never actually adhere to possibly causing actual problem day of show. i.e. a conversation I overheard once with a band I was playing with at the time: BE:" The riders said we needed a monitor desk I'm not doing wedges from FOH!" PM: "you had all kinds of stuff on there you knew you'd never get how was I supposed to know what you needed! You not getting an XL4 or a 2000k light rig either!" This was a small time regional act and the TM/BE had made one of these typical "wish list" riders. He did 6 mixes from FOH on a Mackie and made use of the matrix for a verb send.
I recommend BE's and TM's right realistic riders containing things they really need and learn the language to do it. I think it would cause less problems for everybody.
