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Post by roly on May 25, 2020 21:32:30 GMT -5
I have just as much fun regardless of what end of the mic cable I am on. Performing is fun if the monitors are good. Teching is fun, more responsibility, much longer hours, but for me, equally rewarding.
It's nice when one looks forward to going to work.
cheers
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Fat Tony
Quarternote
Posts: 20
Formerly Known As: Tony Wright
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Post by Fat Tony on May 26, 2020 1:35:51 GMT -5
Hey! Whats up in your part of the world? The Covid19 shut down the facility where I work (since late March), and in so doing, changed a lot of our event and client plans for the summer...I have no complaints because my employer continued to pay my average hours...they put all of the part time employees on paid Administrative Leave. My lovely wife also had knee replacement about a month ago, so I am grateful to be here to help her these first few weeks...
It appears I will be called back to my steady job shortly after June 1...(I hope).
But...to answer your question:
I prefer to "perform" rather than to "work a sound for hire gig".
I got into sound because when I decided to play after not touching a guitar from 1971 to 2000...making myself "the gear guy" made me more valuable to the bands I played with back then...still true today. But my age and phobia of digital mixers....well, I do small gigs or my own band using MY gear or "ride the faders" on a few low budget gigs for hire. I also have a fairly steady relationship with a friend to support his system when he needs MORE STUFF. Which reminds me that my friend has all four of my JBL PRX series powered cabinets along with most of my stage lighting (about 15 LED fixtures). He does a lot of the high school dances and theater in the small town where he lives. (His 3rd kid is finally a senior in high school, but I bet he still feels obligated to work school dances or theater...) I knew what I was getting into...and I know he will bring any and all of my gear any time I bring it up.
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Post by roly on May 26, 2020 2:49:50 GMT -5
Hi Tony
Marg and I are also unemployed with no change expected in the foreseeable future. Chief Medical Officer up here says bars, festivals etc won't open until a vaccine is developed. So....we're hooped. We qualify for and are receiving a 2000.00 per month grant from the government which will run out mid June. Regardless of our current work status...when work is available, I look forward to putting in the hours. I will die broke but I don't really give a schitt. 11 cases total up here, last reported one was over two weeks ago. I think we are lucky. cheers Roly
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mikem
Wholenote
Musician soundman musician soundman
Posts: 233
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Post by mikem on May 26, 2020 19:12:06 GMT -5
Performing or tech'ing?? That's a good question.
For me, I actually like performing over tech'ing although they are different animals entirely.
I have been performing (gigging) steadily since about 1980.... Recently I was looking through one of my old calendars from the year prior to dating my wife; 1988. I was playing at least two nights per week (year round for about 10 years) and more than that from May through October.
August of '88 I had 2 days off - the rest of the days I was gigging/performing. It-was-so-much-fun! The gigs I did during those years ranged from dixieland to jazz to clubs to society to concert bands to professional shows (Temptations/Tony Bennett/Ray Charles)....a total musician's life.
I started doing sound in the early 90's as people started asking me to use my PA with their bands...
My tech'ing ramped up a bit when I provided the PA for a concert associated with a local professional orchestra. After that, more PA gigs came in...
Fast forward to 2002 (or thereabouts) and I was tech'ing the PA for a weekly summer outdoor concert series. The series started out at one night per week (Wednesday) and after the 3rd week the venue added Saturday shows.
I did them all but by the end of the summer I missed MY playing/performing - so the next summer I passed that series along to someone else. I felt (and still do today) that I would rather be on-stage performing rather than listening to others perform.
Don't get me wrong, I like doing sound (it is interesting to me), but in the end I would rather be playing than tech'ing.
These days my tech'ing sound is such that I do enough to keep me busy/current and only take sound gigs that interest me..
85% performing, 15% sound tech'ing is a good balance for me.
I'm not too picky......
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Post by Auf Kiltre on May 26, 2020 21:41:35 GMT -5
Roly, you clearly got credibility on both sides of the mic. I could never do live sound. Had an experience. Once. Unexpected electronic drum kit. Thought I blew out some speakers. No thanks. Thank God for guys like you.
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Post by Lesterstrat on May 26, 2020 21:52:13 GMT -5
I MUCH preferred performing. Now days, I’m retired from gigging (stopped gigging in 2012).
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Post by Laker on May 28, 2020 9:31:17 GMT -5
Back, thirty years ago, when I owned a large tri-amped PA system, a midi-controlled lighting system and the truck to haul it all, I enjoyed the tech side of a gig when I had an open date and someone would hire me to do sound/lighting for their show. It was a compliment to my ear when someone would tell me the sound of the band was good/great. The down side was when I finally unloaded all the equipment I got pennies on the dollar for the stuff.
A funny incident was the night I ran the show for a very popular local group that was kind of a Statler Brothers show that had a huge young teen female following. Near the end of the show when the performers were introduced, they introduced me as their “sound guy” for the evening. I thought I was gonna be attacked by all these screaming teen girls. It was quite the experience!
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Post by Riff Twang on Jun 1, 2020 11:39:52 GMT -5
I enjoyed both, as I was always fascinated with technical production as well as performing. I also did some studio engineering and production as well as session playing, and pretty much loved it all.
It pays to wear many hats to make a living in the music biz.
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Post by Duke on Jun 1, 2020 12:18:11 GMT -5
I prefer performing. Live, when it's back again, or streaming from home on YT.
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