Sound Report

Sound Reinforcement committee report for June 2, 2015: The big event of the past month was the first Getaway of 2015. In all, each event gets more routine. Many thanks to the sound crew of Andrew Dunn, FiL Wisneski, Chris (apologies about forgetting his last name) and Bill Henderson for making the weekend such an easy success. Several hands helped with tear down on Sunday. Some improvements at my day job included the assignment of a company vehicle, a Ford Expedition, which is large enough to accommodate the stage and speakers from The Sanctuary without impacting the precious space within Bill Henderson's trailer. The Sanctuary speakers made a nice difference in filling that wide room surrounding the main stage. The Vocalotto was more tame this year in the past Getaways. A fun little extension this year was the addition of Tim and Nancy Weinrich's wedding on Monday. For that we brought along the battery powered little amplifier and wireless mic from The Minstrel collection. The original plan was to use it to amplify the battery-powered piano and the accompaniment singing voice for one of the performers. For that it was set up on the wooden deck near the performing musicians for whom it was intended. The ceremony grew to include seven sets of performers, and then a line of numerous verbal dedications to the happy couple. The system paid for itself in the good work that it did on this day. Sound budget: An ad-hoc finance committee asked us for thoughts about a budget for sound equipment and maintenance. After some consideration and calculating, I requested that $10 per Minstrel show be the contribution to the sound budget. And that $100 per Getaway be applied to a sound budget, since the Getaways often require something to purchase or replace. This year it was a carpet to cover cables, gaffers tape and such, and I left the rechargeable 9 Volt batteries plugged into the charger at Bernie. I've already replaced the batteries and charger and will bring them as soon as they arrive. A request would be that unused money be kept in the budget for the following year, to provide for capital expenses to cover big expenses. An annual budget will permit better planning for both the Board and the Sound Chair. Permanent MUF sound: The sound committee at MUF is still doing its research based on our suggestions. On the Folk Project side, President Wilson is arranging a meeting between FP and MUF about the future plans and relationships, a discussion that will also include the news of our grant and other support from us. Other impending issues with MUF also include the driveway and other construction projects, all of which may impact sound issues. It is entirely likely that it may be quite a while before a permanent sound system is agreed upon and contracted. Folk Project improvements:

During the past month there has been a lot of useful and thoughtful discussion among the Board members about the future of The Minstrel in the context of sound reinforcement and the overall presentation relative to the other nearly series. It's unfortunate that the rank-in-file soundies didn't see all of it, which started with a state-of-the-system summary about Minstrel sound. The short version is that both the monitor and main speakers in the FP collection are very old, are growing inefficient with age and are difficult to balance by the many ears doing so. The speaker cones are paper and degrade with age.

While MUF is considering ways to permanently mount high-quality speakers, MUF's needs for speakers are much different than ours and the result could possibly not be an optimum solution for live performances. Whichever direction MUF takes, The Minstrel is still going to need stage monitors. And regardless of what MUF hangs on its walls for speakers, the Getaway main stage sound still needs to be resolved. The following is a proposal to replace and upgrade both the stage monitors and the main speakers at The Minstrel and similar Folk Project events. While a couple of directors commented that they don't hear a problem with the current sound system, I offered up the reasoning that folks sitting near the stage may not hear any short comings since they're getting the sound live, versus those in the back who are getting it all from the main speakers, and that for every person who can't hear a difference, there is another who can hear each voice in a choir. Newer equipment can reproduce more cleanly with less work from the operators. Here's the pitch: Monitor speakers: 4 units; 10-inch "active" two-way enclosures, Behringer model B110D @ $200.46 $801.84 Main speakers (front-of-house): 2 units, 15-inch "active" two-way enclosures, Electro-Voice ELX 115P @ $699.00 $1398.00 Console: 1 unit, graphic equalizer, Behringer FBQ3102, $149.99 (purchasing 2 units would be wise) $149.99 Misc: Cords, cables, connectors and adapters $250.00 Free shipping Total investment: $2599.83 The above equipment will make the most improvement while giving the soundies the most flexibility with the variety of groups using the stage. These are powered speakers, bi-amped, meaning that each enclosure has two amplifiers, one each for the woofer (big speaker) and the tweeter (smaller speaker for higher frequencies). This arrangement offers a much smoother frequency response and more realistic sound without extreme adjustments by the sound crew. This past show with Brother Son is a good example of a show that would have been much improved with four stage monitors placed closer to the performers requiring them. The audience members furthest from the stage could hear the monitor speakers louder than the main speakers. The two monitors were placed center stage pointing outward. While that was the best position possible to enable all three performers to hear them, the volume required to reach the distance required was high. And that group prefers three monitor mixes. The console is capable of a total of eight mixes.

The new main speakers would be a good idea as it could be quite a while before MUF makes a decision, and that's if it makes a decision the Folk Project can live with. The mains will also see use at the Getaways. The Sanctuary is going to purchase four of the same model speakers. This permits the borrowing of The Sanctuary speakers for the Getaway events and having the equipment operationally identical. The Electro-Voice speakers will have about the same weight as our current Mackie 12-inch passive speakers. The main speakers are what the audience hears more than anything, and they should not be skimped. These are professional quality, crisp and clean reproduction with genuine wooden cabinets for that classic tone. The additional equalizer will give the soundies up to four channels of control over resonance and feedback. The flexibility can include one channel for the house (current norm) and up to three monitor mixes. The signals from the console will travel to the stage via the existing snake. Adapters will be purchased and kept with the console so that any combination is possible. All cables and adapters will be marked so that multiple users can assemble the basic system. If one monitor is necessary, then use one. All four can be on one mix, if desired. Connecting the new speakers won't be difficult, but it will be different since each speaker will require a power cord in addition to a signal line. The speaker lines are the exact same cables as the mic lines, but we'll purchased speaker lines that are visually different for easier organization on the stage. The above numbers provide for electrical cords and extentions and ways to organize the wire runs. Most sound companies would run a separate "drive line" snake for speakers to leave channels open for microphones. But it's sooooo rare that The Minstrel will have that kind of capacity problem. Ditto for The Getaway. The above will permit the retirement of the current monitors and mains, and the amplifier in the console, each of which are more than twenty years old. Swing 'n Tern may be a possible place for them. Some modest rearranging of the existing boxes in the lobby will permit storage of the new equipment. Respectfully submitted, Mike Del Vecchio Sound chair