Go Go Gadget...

A few weeks ago, I did a post on some of my "must have" gadgets I keep in my tool box.  With us being in the thick of gift giving now, I thought I would throw out a few more of my favorite things to get me through a gig.  And by the way, I'm not compensated in any way for this...these are just things I like and consider quite handy.

LED Flash Light
Man, when these things came out I thought they were a bunch of hype.  Was I ever wrong.  My son gave me one about 5 years ago, and I wouldn't take anything for it.  And here's a real kicker...I've only changed the batteries in it once in that time (and it gets used a lot, even when I'm not gigging).  The color rendering on LEDs is so much better for actually reading the back of a power amp in a dark club.  The Maglite XL50 is the replacement for what I'm carrying.  About $30 at Frys.

Cab Grabber Mic Holder
If you're a sound man, or a guitarist who mic's up his cabinet then you'll love this.  It's a fairly new offering from Audix, and will run you about $50.  But then you've got something that holds the mic in place and you don't have to worry about knocking over a stand (and I'm all about getting rid of as many mic stands on stage as possible.  You can find 'em at Musician's Friend online.  And if Santa doesn't bring me a couple of these, I'll use any cash I get to score some.

 

 

Portable Guitar Work Stand

I've got a pretty nice bench at home where I can work on my guitars, but every now and then you find yourself having to restring at a venue.  Rather than try to balance your guitar in your lap and support the neck at the same time, just grab this little gizmo from your work box and set your guitar neck in it.  From Planet Wave, the Headstand Instrument Workbench Stand is one handy little tool.  You can find 'em for $10 at all of the major online music dealers.

 

 

Music Management Software

A lot of musicians I know are carrying iPads...myself included.  I originally got mine for remote control of my mixing console, but it's morphed into a whole lot more.  My iPad has now replaced 3 large notebooks of charts and lyrics, and made them more usable on stage then ever before. 

 

There are several programs out there, but the one I'm using is called OnSong (http://www.onsongapp.com/) , available for iPad, iPhone, and iPod.  It not only lets me organize all of my lyric sheets, but also lets me build sets and then scroll through the songs in order.  You can import Word, PDF, and most image files directly, but the magic really happens when you take the time to put your cheat sheets into Chordpro format.  Then, you've got display control of the fonts for the chords and lyrics separately.  You can even transpose the key of a song on the fly.  It's the best $8 I've spent in a long time. 

 

The program also supports Bluetooth pedals that will scroll the page and advance to the next song hands free. 





 

 

Mic Stand Drink Holder

'Cause you know you're gonna drink something. Saves you from spilling your beverage into your amp or knocking it over on the floor. Plus, you don't have to bend down or turn your back to the audience (unless that's part of your stage persona). There's lot's of 'em out there for $10 to $20.

 

 

 

Hope this gives you a few ideas.

 

Next week, we'll talk about something a little different.  This is the time of year a lot of bands are getting out of the clubs and into private parties.  They're two very different gigs, and we'll discuss how you should be approaching each one.

 

Until then, keep the meters out of the red!

 

Ken

 

 



Ken Carver has been a musician and performer since the early 70's, and involved with live music production since the mid 70's. He worked for 15 years as a broadcast engineer, building numerous studios and transmitter sites around Texas. He's also worked in Critical Care Communications for the medical industry, R&D for an automated lighting manufacturer, and owned Project Lighting & Sound in the 80's. He currently heads up an R&D Hardware Technician Team at National Instruments in Austin, and still performs on the weekends in the Central Texas area. You can reach Ken at itsjustlogistics@gmail.com