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All,
A report for September 2, 2014
Volunteer news
With this report we'd like to add Don Reimer to our ranks. As most know, Don had been active many years ago, and his schedule will again allow him some time to make the stage shows sound naturally wonderful.
In addition, thanks go to the sound crew at this weekend's Uke Fest: Larry Flannigan, Bob Safranek and Sandie Reilly. The weekend went smoothly. Thanks, too, to Christine DeLeon for the loan of her protable p.a. systeam that was her birthday present last December. I wanted to see it in action during such a diverse program of many performers, so the outdoor Open Mic was just perfect. I would recommend it for performers looking for something simple and lightweight.
Minstrel sound system:
Basically a repeat of last month's report: Little odds and ends still need and have receieved some attention, but the system functions as intended. The monitor speakers are rattling around a bit and a couple of the connections on the snake need replacement. The commitee will find a couple of hours to make these repairs, and we'd like to spend a maximum of $50 for the parts. The specifics of which will be determined once we take the speakers apart.
New for this month:
Two microphones were suspected of malfunctioning, an SM57 and SM58. Both are at my home where I can test them.
Some XLR jacks have been ordered, two new mic stands will be any day.
Sound at the door
Jeff Saxton reported at the August that the wireless unit was dead. A little investigation found that the amplifier had been put away the previous week with the power switch in the on position, so the big rechargeable battery had a negative charge as a result. During the research a little RF gain control appeared in the microphone, so I turned it up. The reception has been better.
Updating the Folk Project's equipment
The August report is left intact below this one for reference, as I'm going to rethink the update a bit. MUUF over the past four weeks hasn't responded to the request for another rollaround case in the Terrace Room, so we'll come up with a plan that keeps us within our existing storage spaces.
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Last month's report about purchasing new speakers got a lot of favorable response from folks outside of the Sound Reinforcement Committee, and I agree it's long been time to update a few things. Even on a good night, the sound at the Minstrel is often nasal and plastic-sounding. Routines are preferred by those operating the equipment, but with what I have in mind the change in routine will be minimal but the improvement in sound quality will be worth the change.
The first step would be to replace the two main speakers, purchase a case on rollers to store them, and purchase heavy-duty cabling for these speakers at a length for our needs. I'd like to investigate rugged speaker poles that will still fit our storage area.
These speakers will be powered in that the amplifiers are built into the speaker cabinet. They are bi-amped, meaning each speaker within the cabinet has a separate and descrete amplifier, which is very desirable in speakers. This improvement reduces and nearly eliminates the bulge in sound reproduction in the frequency range common to both speakers (cross-over frequency) when powered by one amplifier, thus reducing almost all of the equalization required when operating the system. Users will find that tweeking of the parametric knobs on the mixing board will be much less, and less extreme. These are 1000W speakers, meaning that at our volumes the amplifiers will not be working hard, insuring us the cleanest sound reproduction. Too, the signal feed for these speakers will travel through the "return" channels in the snake, eliminating the need to run separate speaker wires in addition to the snake, eliminating also the loss in such a length of wire.
The monitor amplifier will be removed from the console and kept on the stage near the snake, eliminating the extra wire as well. The 31-band equalizers will remain in the console to allow the operator complete control. Moving the amplifiers to the stage removes the operator's ability to hear the cooling fans within the amplifier, which affects the way the operator hears the room during sound check.
With powered main speakers, the two-channel amp can now provide two descrete monitor mixes, sometimes needed for the bigger acts and often requested by touring groups of two performers or more. Or, it can provide power to four monitor speakers with one mix, thus reducing the overall volume of all of the monitors which adds less of the sound of the monitors heard by the audience. The flexibility is there.
Our current "main" speakers will become monitor wedges on Minstrel nights that require additional stage monitor coverage, and can be used as needed for other occasions, such as Uke Fest and Weekend Getaways. When not in use, they can stay in the storage box.
I've heard several sets of powered speakers, and the ones I recommend for the price are Electro-Voice ZLX 15P, 2 @ $499. Road case $599 for both. Amp bag $85. Cables and Misc: $200. Some of the big boxes offer occasional discounts, and I have discount cards for some, so I can look for the best deal. Guitar Center, for example, recently had a 15% off sale for we regulars.
Total request: $1885
Before approving this, the Board needs to understand that MUUF is again considering a permanent sound system.
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Permanent MUUF sound
There has been no significant progress on this front as the MUUF point person is still reviewing plans.
Respectfully,
....Mike Del Vecchio
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