The Week That Was
0 Comments Published by Kevin Broken Scar on Saturday, February 12, 2011 at 1:53 AM.
9th February 2011
Mixed Engine Three Seven @ The Espy Gershwin Room
It was heaps fun mixing Engine Three Seven as they played a very rare acoustic set compared to their usual heavy rock set. But don't be fooled, the band delivered a high energy performance despite being an acoustic set. The stage was fully decked out with couches and they really got the vibe going. I didn't get a chance to take any photos as it was quite a fast paced night. The boys didn't get a sound check and during the line check before their set, I discovered that the two DI's provided were faulty and they needed four all up. I had my two, but we had to get two more off the front bar's. I did get off to quite a rough start, trying to get the show on the road but all in all, the set went on well and it sounded great, thanks to the awesome E37 crew and James "Audio Wizard" Anderson for being such great help. The Gershwin Room is such a sweet room to mix in. You can put an acoustic band or a metal band in there and they will still sound suitable for the room.
10th February 2011
Mixed Preston Perche and Aluka @ Paris Cat
The desk was tiny but it did the job for the night seeing that the venue was small. The only problem was it was placed in the most inconvenient location! Next to the stage, next to the drummer! The speakers weren't well placed either because they were behind the vocal mics. I suppose Paris Cat doesn't require loud levels and the crowd usually don't talk anyway because it is a jazz venue. I also reckon, jazz bands usually just balance themselves on stage, therefore having the desk right beside them would be the most convenient thing to do. The setup may work for jazz but it wasn't the best conditions for what we were doing tonight, but we got the job done anyway and everyone had a great time.
Aluka opened the night with their awesome A Capella performance and Preston Perche took on the stage next with a full bad this time, with Jonathan on bass and Steph on drums.
Although, I must admit, my neck was hurting by the end of the night because of the awkward position of the desk.
It was a sit down type show, as you can see. This was the view from where I was, if this would give you any indication where the desk was.
11th February 2011
Mixed The Violet Flames, The Happy Endings and The Run Run @ The Evelyn
Tonight was a night to remember. The Violet Flames played their last show ever as a band and they also launched their highly anticipated album. I must admit, I was truly sad that this was the last time that I would get to see them play live. It has been an awesome journey and privilege working with the boys. Loved every moment of it and I am glad I was a part of this night. Epic!
Going from the tiny desk at Paris Cat back to the Midas Verona at The Evelyn was a relief. This was back to "normal" rock band mixing conditions. Although, I would have loved the desk to be raised a little higher for comfort. Not complaining though.
The preamp knobs seem very sensitive tonight. I had to do a few more touches than usual to get them to the sweet spots, but it was okay. No big deal. Just an observation. All the gear was in good condition and I was a happy mixer.
My view from FOH
The boys rockin' out!
From L-R: Clinton Weaver, Yours Truly, Matt Crute, James Forest & Jackson Proud. Post gig photo. One for the road! Thanks for the memories boys! It was an epic night! What a way to end the week. RAWK!
Side notes: Having mixed on digital desks and analogue desks equally as much lately, I find that my DBX 266XL sounds more musical than the digital compressors/gates on a digital desk. I wonder if it is a preference thing. But I suppose having everything in one digital desk is more convenient than having to lug a stack of outboard gear.
Mixed Engine Three Seven @ The Espy Gershwin Room
It was heaps fun mixing Engine Three Seven as they played a very rare acoustic set compared to their usual heavy rock set. But don't be fooled, the band delivered a high energy performance despite being an acoustic set. The stage was fully decked out with couches and they really got the vibe going. I didn't get a chance to take any photos as it was quite a fast paced night. The boys didn't get a sound check and during the line check before their set, I discovered that the two DI's provided were faulty and they needed four all up. I had my two, but we had to get two more off the front bar's. I did get off to quite a rough start, trying to get the show on the road but all in all, the set went on well and it sounded great, thanks to the awesome E37 crew and James "Audio Wizard" Anderson for being such great help. The Gershwin Room is such a sweet room to mix in. You can put an acoustic band or a metal band in there and they will still sound suitable for the room.
10th February 2011
Mixed Preston Perche and Aluka @ Paris Cat
The desk was tiny but it did the job for the night seeing that the venue was small. The only problem was it was placed in the most inconvenient location! Next to the stage, next to the drummer! The speakers weren't well placed either because they were behind the vocal mics. I suppose Paris Cat doesn't require loud levels and the crowd usually don't talk anyway because it is a jazz venue. I also reckon, jazz bands usually just balance themselves on stage, therefore having the desk right beside them would be the most convenient thing to do. The setup may work for jazz but it wasn't the best conditions for what we were doing tonight, but we got the job done anyway and everyone had a great time.
Aluka opened the night with their awesome A Capella performance and Preston Perche took on the stage next with a full bad this time, with Jonathan on bass and Steph on drums.
Although, I must admit, my neck was hurting by the end of the night because of the awkward position of the desk.
It was a sit down type show, as you can see. This was the view from where I was, if this would give you any indication where the desk was.
11th February 2011
Mixed The Violet Flames, The Happy Endings and The Run Run @ The Evelyn
Tonight was a night to remember. The Violet Flames played their last show ever as a band and they also launched their highly anticipated album. I must admit, I was truly sad that this was the last time that I would get to see them play live. It has been an awesome journey and privilege working with the boys. Loved every moment of it and I am glad I was a part of this night. Epic!
Going from the tiny desk at Paris Cat back to the Midas Verona at The Evelyn was a relief. This was back to "normal" rock band mixing conditions. Although, I would have loved the desk to be raised a little higher for comfort. Not complaining though.
The preamp knobs seem very sensitive tonight. I had to do a few more touches than usual to get them to the sweet spots, but it was okay. No big deal. Just an observation. All the gear was in good condition and I was a happy mixer.
My view from FOH
The boys rockin' out!
From L-R: Clinton Weaver, Yours Truly, Matt Crute, James Forest & Jackson Proud. Post gig photo. One for the road! Thanks for the memories boys! It was an epic night! What a way to end the week. RAWK!
Side notes: Having mixed on digital desks and analogue desks equally as much lately, I find that my DBX 266XL sounds more musical than the digital compressors/gates on a digital desk. I wonder if it is a preference thing. But I suppose having everything in one digital desk is more convenient than having to lug a stack of outboard gear.
______________________________________________________
All Broken Scar's music is available on www.reverbnation.com/brokenscar
All Broken Scar's music is available on www.reverbnation.com/brokenscar
Labels: Live Mixing, Mixing Diary
Somehow taking a short thirty minute tram ride out of the city to St. Kilda beach just opens up a different atmosphere. It's as if St Kilda operates on a different weather system as the city. It was a bit gloomy when I boarded the tram in the city and as I got closer to St. Kilda, it was as if I was entering a different dimension. The sun was glowing, the breeze was strong but not freezing, the kite surfing dudes were out there doing their thing and the pubs were teeming with so much buzz as if there isn't a care in the world.
With all the enjoyment around, there had to be people working behind the scenes to provide this atmosphere and entertainment. I happen to be one of those people. I was at The Espy's Gershwin room last night and I mixed Underwater Jesus who played first and Sadhana who was fourth on the bill. I usually get to venue early so I can set up and tune up the room in my own time without rushing and stressing out. There's always a calm feeling and a sense of assurance just by being early, you know?
I had time to kill between mixing the first and fourth bands so I took a walk to the beach to chill out and relax my ears. I also helped out the other two mix engineers who were mixing the two bands before Sadhana and it's always good to make friends with like-minded audio engineers on the road.
Anyway, fast forward to the actual mixing. It was one of those times the FOH mix was sounding killer but the monitors weren't sounding that flash. Being the perfectionist that I am, I felt a little bummed despite pulling a great mix at FOH. I mean, the drums were sounding fat and stellar, the guitars were cutting through like a knife, the bass was right there in the pocket and the vocals were just soaring above it all, but I guess you can't win them all, can you? All in all, it was still a great night mixing the bands.
On the technical side of things, I bought a used DBX 266XL Compressor/Gate to add to my live mixing toy collection recently and I must say, I am blown away at how awesome it works on vocals when it is inserted as a dedicated compressor on a particular vocal channel. This is going to be my staple for vocals, unless I end up getting a tube pre-amp/comp/EQ strip in the future. This would do for now and I am absolutely stoked. The Gershwin's got decent Drawmer gates on toms and Drawmer comps for my groups, as well as an M-One for reverb and D-Two for Delays. So having the 266 dedicated to the lead vocals was definitely a killer choice! Glad I didn't resign to not being bothered!
Still buzzing from the mix last night, I couldn't really sleep all night and I went to church at Bridge bright and early this morning to mix monitors. It was a blast! Still buzzing from everything, I had a coffee after. Then 4pm came and that was when I crashed! I am still paying for it as I type this.
With all the enjoyment around, there had to be people working behind the scenes to provide this atmosphere and entertainment. I happen to be one of those people. I was at The Espy's Gershwin room last night and I mixed Underwater Jesus who played first and Sadhana who was fourth on the bill. I usually get to venue early so I can set up and tune up the room in my own time without rushing and stressing out. There's always a calm feeling and a sense of assurance just by being early, you know?
I had time to kill between mixing the first and fourth bands so I took a walk to the beach to chill out and relax my ears. I also helped out the other two mix engineers who were mixing the two bands before Sadhana and it's always good to make friends with like-minded audio engineers on the road.
Anyway, fast forward to the actual mixing. It was one of those times the FOH mix was sounding killer but the monitors weren't sounding that flash. Being the perfectionist that I am, I felt a little bummed despite pulling a great mix at FOH. I mean, the drums were sounding fat and stellar, the guitars were cutting through like a knife, the bass was right there in the pocket and the vocals were just soaring above it all, but I guess you can't win them all, can you? All in all, it was still a great night mixing the bands.
On the technical side of things, I bought a used DBX 266XL Compressor/Gate to add to my live mixing toy collection recently and I must say, I am blown away at how awesome it works on vocals when it is inserted as a dedicated compressor on a particular vocal channel. This is going to be my staple for vocals, unless I end up getting a tube pre-amp/comp/EQ strip in the future. This would do for now and I am absolutely stoked. The Gershwin's got decent Drawmer gates on toms and Drawmer comps for my groups, as well as an M-One for reverb and D-Two for Delays. So having the 266 dedicated to the lead vocals was definitely a killer choice! Glad I didn't resign to not being bothered!
Still buzzing from the mix last night, I couldn't really sleep all night and I went to church at Bridge bright and early this morning to mix monitors. It was a blast! Still buzzing from everything, I had a coffee after. Then 4pm came and that was when I crashed! I am still paying for it as I type this.
______________________________________________________
All Broken Scar's music is available on www.reverbnation.com/brokenscar
All Broken Scar's music is available on www.reverbnation.com/brokenscar
Labels: Live Mixing, Sadhana, The Espy
I just got home from mixing The Violet Flames at The Espy in St. Kilda. The Violet Flames were freakin awesome and the crowd was amazing. They're only a 3 piece band but don't let that fool you because they sound HUGE! I had such a great time mixing the boys.
On a side note, St. Kilda was windy tonight but thank God it wasn't freezing. It was the calming kind of windy beach weather, the kind that you'd want to take a slow stroll by the shoreline and listen to the water crash into the sand and rocks. There was something about the St. Kilda air that made it romantic. I wish the weather stays this way so we don't freeze out butts off when the wife and I go see The Cat Empire soon.
On a completely random note, in my quest to find a healthier snack, I bought those low fat crackers from Safeway the other day and guess what, it is absolutely tasteless or rather, it tastes like cardboard and it's so hard that it cuts your mouth! So, goodbye low fat crackers. Moving right along to the next snack please.
On a side note, St. Kilda was windy tonight but thank God it wasn't freezing. It was the calming kind of windy beach weather, the kind that you'd want to take a slow stroll by the shoreline and listen to the water crash into the sand and rocks. There was something about the St. Kilda air that made it romantic. I wish the weather stays this way so we don't freeze out butts off when the wife and I go see The Cat Empire soon.
On a completely random note, in my quest to find a healthier snack, I bought those low fat crackers from Safeway the other day and guess what, it is absolutely tasteless or rather, it tastes like cardboard and it's so hard that it cuts your mouth! So, goodbye low fat crackers. Moving right along to the next snack please.
______________________________________________________
All Broken Scar's music is available on www.reverbnation.com/brokenscar
All Broken Scar's music is available on www.reverbnation.com/brokenscar
Labels: Audio Work, Live Mixing, Melbourne, St. Kilda, The Violet Flames
I felt like a superhero last Saturday when I saved the day by providing an ipod connector cable to the girls hosting the show before us at SYN 90.7. The girls had some problems with their audio playback and I helped fix it simply by swapping the ipod cable. It's nice to chip in and help out whenever I can.
I sometimes feel like over-preparing is a waste of time because 9 out of 10 times I over-prepare or over-pack equipment, things tend to run smoothly. The extra equipment that I had packed would render quite useless. But that leaves us to that one time that something or everything will go wrong and having the right equipment at hand will just make you look like a hero.
I pack extra guitar cables with me when I mix bands. You never know, a guitarist might have rushed to the gig and forgot his cables and when he yells, "Does somebody have a quarter inch guitar cable", I can swoop in and say, "Here you go, Sir". There are also tonnes of other stuff that I pack with me when I mix bands and half of what I pack hardly ever gets used but I am ready when the time calls for it.
I mixed three bands last night at The Espy in St. Kilda. Johnny Uppercut was up first, followed by Madonna and The Final Eclipse headlined the show. I was contemplating whether to bring in all the extra gear or not because I had not mixed at The Espy's basement before. I went back and forth in my mind and I finally decided to lug all that gear down to the show. Boy, was it worth it. The Yamaha SPX 90 II effects unit that I had saved the day. It would have gone well even without it, but it was really the icing on the cake. It made the vocals come alive and made the bands sound awesome. Sometimes, the little things count. I could have just gone with the standard and mic up just the kick, snare and vocals, but I went the extra mile to mic up the kick, snare, toms, guitar cabs and DI-ed the bass. The extra work is definitely worth it. The bands were happy, the crowd was happy and I was definitely happy. All in all, it was a very good night of awesome music.
I sometimes feel like over-preparing is a waste of time because 9 out of 10 times I over-prepare or over-pack equipment, things tend to run smoothly. The extra equipment that I had packed would render quite useless. But that leaves us to that one time that something or everything will go wrong and having the right equipment at hand will just make you look like a hero.
I pack extra guitar cables with me when I mix bands. You never know, a guitarist might have rushed to the gig and forgot his cables and when he yells, "Does somebody have a quarter inch guitar cable", I can swoop in and say, "Here you go, Sir". There are also tonnes of other stuff that I pack with me when I mix bands and half of what I pack hardly ever gets used but I am ready when the time calls for it.
I mixed three bands last night at The Espy in St. Kilda. Johnny Uppercut was up first, followed by Madonna and The Final Eclipse headlined the show. I was contemplating whether to bring in all the extra gear or not because I had not mixed at The Espy's basement before. I went back and forth in my mind and I finally decided to lug all that gear down to the show. Boy, was it worth it. The Yamaha SPX 90 II effects unit that I had saved the day. It would have gone well even without it, but it was really the icing on the cake. It made the vocals come alive and made the bands sound awesome. Sometimes, the little things count. I could have just gone with the standard and mic up just the kick, snare and vocals, but I went the extra mile to mic up the kick, snare, toms, guitar cabs and DI-ed the bass. The extra work is definitely worth it. The bands were happy, the crowd was happy and I was definitely happy. All in all, it was a very good night of awesome music.
______________________________________________________
All Broken Scar's music is available on www.reverbnation.com/brokenscar
All Broken Scar's music is available on www.reverbnation.com/brokenscar
Labels: Audio Work, Live Bands, Live Mixing, The Espy, The Limelight Hour
