Live from a Rush Concert.

John Chiara

John Chiara

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Jan 11, 2011
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Troy, NY
I just got a text from a reliable musical associate ranting about how awful the show... at The Saratoga Performing Arts Center...sounds. I mean he is hammering me with adjectives!
Any info on what might be going on?
 
Re: Live from a Rush Concert.

Chris Nixon said:
It's probably because they're not running at 96Khz. :D~:-D~:grin:

What does "awful" mean? Anything more descriptive about the problem?

Chris
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His words.."So incredibly muddy. All low end. Can't hear guitar leads to save your life. Every drum sounds like a floor Tom. Snare is a minor player. Very puzzling. "
He is about 1/3 off center on ground floor.
 
Re: Live from a Rush Concert.

John Chiara said:
Mike, that was my experience too. How can this persist at that level!!
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+1 but rush fans r problay harder to please then most

during the day the mix/tones sounded clear as a bell on his studio monitors at foh
mix/tones just did not translate well threw the i5s in the arena
to much mixing in the canz or monitors
not enough mixing to the room/house would be my gess
but the band loves there recorded live mix i bet ....
 
Re: Live from a Rush Concert.

Mark Lonow said:
+1 but rush fans r problay harder to please then most

during the day the mix/tones sounded clear as a bell on his studio monitors at foh
mix/tones just did not translate well threw the i5s in the arena
to much mixing in the canz or monitors
not enough mixing to the room/house would be my gess
but the band loves there recorded live mix i bet ....
Click to expand...

Don't need studio monitors at FOH... Not that far away. I have an opinion on the whole thing but I fear a discussion of that..would create a disturbance in the force. Seems to be gorilla season..:)
Private messages are welcome!
 
Re: Live from a Rush Concert.

My first hand experience is a little dated now. I was at one of their sound checks when they played Hartford, CT back in the early '80s. I though the sound was OK for a large empty hall, and IIRC one of the sound guys walked the room, at least up into the cheap seats. They cranked it up to test the system for the finale and even the sound check was way too loud for me. :-(.

JR
 
Re: Live from a Rush Concert.

Totally out of contect-but I saw Rush "back in the day" in the late 70's-when National sound was providing for them-double scoops-double 12 horn mids and single and double driver 2440 HF's. The sidefills was just about as large as the main PA.

This was in a 12K ish arena. The right side did not sound like the left. I walked around behind the stage and it got "interesting".

One the House Left PA-they had all the double driver HFs. On the stage Right sidefill they single driver HF's. So far so good.

But on the House Right PA they had the single driver HF's and on the stage Left sidefills they had the double driver HF's.

That could do it-----------------------------

I really like Rush (at least the old stuff), but overall the concert was a big letdown and very "lackluster" and I don't remember it sounding very good-OK at best.

But that was a few decades ago-BOY do I want a time machine to be invented so I could go back to some of those shows and see how I would feel now about the sound quality------
 
Re: Live from a Rush Concert.

Ivan Beaver said:
Totally out of contect-but I saw Rush "back in the day" in the late 70's-when National sound was providing for them-double scoops-double 12 horn mids and single and double driver 2440 HF's. The sidefills was just about as large as the main PA.

This was in a 12K ish arena. The right side did not sound like the left. I walked around behind the stage and it got "interesting".

One the House Left PA-they had all the double driver HFs. On the stage Right sidefill they single driver HF's. So far so good.

But on the House Right PA they had the single driver HF's and on the stage Left sidefills they had the double driver HF's.

That could do it-----------------------------

I really like Rush (at least the old stuff), but overall the concert was a big letdown and very "lackluster" and I don't remember it sounding very good-OK at best.

But that was a few decades ago-BOY do I want a time machine to be invented so I could go back to some of those shows and see how I would feel now about the sound quality------
Click to expand...

/begin snarky dc area insider humor

National Sound set up a PA wrong? Say it isn't so.... :)

/end snarky dc area insider humor
 
Re: Live from a Rush Concert.

brian maddox said:
/begin snarky dc area insider humor

National Sound set up a PA wrong? Say it isn't so.... :)

/end snarky dc area insider humor
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This was back when National Sound was getting started-and I believe Rush back then was their first big tour.

Of course I was just getting started-and had A LOT (still do) to learn-but it just seemed odd to me why the horns were that way.

Funny the things you remember from years ago.

I have no idea if Tommy was there at that particular show or not. Heck I thought the bands owned the systems they were performing with---------------- So little did I know.
 
Re: Live from a Rush Concert.

Ivan Beaver said:
This was back when National Sound was getting started-and I believe Rush back then was their first big tour.

Of course I was just getting started-and had A LOT (still do) to learn-but it just seemed odd to me why the horns were that way.

Funny the things you remember from years ago.

I have no idea if Tommy was there at that particular show or not. Heck I thought the bands owned the systems they were performing with---------------- So little did I know.
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i came up in the early 90's working for a DC area competitor, so ragging on National was one of our favorite pastimes. :)

Truth is, i never really knew Tommy or any of the other guys from National. And they probably spent plenty of time ragging on us without knowing us as well. And so it goes....
 
Re: Live from a Rush Concert.

That was a totally different National than the National Events you knew Brian. The big scoops plus Martin bins plus Perkins double 12 rig all flown in giant steel baskets on the Rush shows was very early days.
 
Re: Live from a Rush Concert.

I saw them in early to mid 80's with a "pile O parts" stacked on each of the stage for PA, most likely a National rig.
While the sound was just OK it was much better than when I saw them a few years ago, instruments were distinguishable in
the mix and more or less where they should be, vocals were decently clear and on top.
When I saw them few years ago I though maybe we got the worst seating section in the place, after taking a little walk I realized it sucked everywhere and I even walked behind FOH.
About 6 months earlier I saw another show in the same venue with basically the same Clair rig and it sounded great!!!!!!
 
Re: Live from a Rush Concert.

Riley Casey said:
That was a totally different National than the National Events you knew Brian. The big scoops plus Martin bins plus Perkins double 12 rig all flown in giant steel baskets on the Rush shows was very early days.
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I think it was 1979 for the show I described. It was all stacked on the stage wings-nothing flown.

The system was just multiples of the "big system" sold by Music Emporium/Venimems (SP?) music.
 
Re: Live from a Rush Concert.

Ivan Beaver said:
I think it was 1979 for the show I described. It was all stacked on the stage wings-nothing flown.

The system was just multiples of the "big system" sold by Music Emporium/Venimems (SP?) music.
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I still have their catalogs from back then, oh to be able to make a phone call into the past and still order some select pieces of equipment at those prices.............and sell it today as vintage new old stock still in box!
 
Re: Live from a Rush Concert.

I've been a big Rush fan since High School (77-79). I remember seeing them in Victoria B.C at the main skating arena. I thought (at the time) that it sounded just as good as the albums, but with the added punch of coming through a big systtem.

Forward to 10 years ago, and I attended 3 Rush concerts (on 3 different tours) at the Molson Canadian Amphitheater. Without a doubt, it was absolutely the worst sound I've ever experienced in my life. A typical "shed" setup, and I was on the grass, in the cheap seats at the back. The Amphitheater has a ring of KF-850's (I think) around the roof-line for delays, and these boxes were being driven so hard they sounded like they were ready to explode into schrapnel. You could hear the limiters clamping down constantly, and after the second song, my ears were burning. Totally an ugly, painful and smeared-out sound.

I last saw Rush last October and the Air Canada Center, and I was off on Geddy's side, sitting slightly above stage level with the side hang of 10 I-5's pointing at me. Quite good sound! I'd give it an 8.5 out of 10. Clear, well balanced and powerful without being painful.

I've got tickets to the Hamilton show on July 6 (balcony, 3rd row up, slightly to house-right). I'll report back.

-Mark
 
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Re: Live from a Rush Concert.

Riley Casey said:
That was a totally different National than the National Events you knew Brian. The big scoops plus Martin bins plus Perkins double 12 rig all flown in giant steel baskets on the Rush shows was very early days.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I was a late comer (early 90's) to the DC scene. At that time, National Events was pretty much giant piles of component PA doing Big Outdoor Sound. Definitely no match for the competition we were getting from down the road from that guy that used to go by the name of Ed... :)
 
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