Pedals To The Metal

2/23/13

If you're one of those guitarists or bassists that insists on the only thing between your instrument and you amp should be a high quality cable, then you're excused for the next couple of weeks.  

OK, now for the 75% of you guitarists and 40% of you bassists who have at least 2 or 3 pedals in your signal chain, welcome aboard.  (By the way, did you know that 50% of all statistics are made up?)

Just to preface today's discussion, we're not here to debate the merits of one brand of pedal over another.  If you like your 70's era Foxx Tone Machine and think that the modern Z-Vex stuff sucks, that's your business.  In general, I've found that guitarists make their choices of pedals by one of two methods:

• "I'm in search of a very specific sound, and I'm willing to spend hundreds of dollars on handmade boutique pedals from companies no one besides me has ever heard of in my quest for tone nirvana."

• "Whatcha' got on sale?"

No...the next couple of installments are about packaging your pedals up in a method where they're easy to deploy and pack away, and function in a predictable and reliable manner.

If you've only got a couple of pedals, and you're running them on batteries, then it's up to you if you want to mount them up on a board.  But, if you've got 3 or more pedals, then it's definitely to your advantage to get them packaged and powered externally.

Alright...ready to go?  This week is about laying things out.  Next week, we'll hook things up and bolt 'em down.

Lay It...Out
Layout starts with one of two assumptions.  Either:
 - You want to fit all of yout pedals on one board and don't care how big it gets
 - You have a target size for the board, and need to figure out what can go on there.

If it's the first case, then you just need to lay everything out on the floor and see how much space it takes up.  Remember, you can't shove pedals right up next to each other...you've got to allow space for the input/output and power connections.  How much space depends on how you're going to connect things together.  You've got the choice of ready-made patch cables, cable kits (like Lava, Planet Waves, or George L), or making the cables yourself.  We'll touch on that next week when we get into actually hooking this stuff up.

If you're trying to restrict your pedal board to a certain size (as the case would be if you're buying a ready-made board), then mark off an area on the floor equal to that size and starting putting things down.  My favorite technique is to use poster board, because then I can draw around where the pedals are and use that as a reference when putting the board together.  

Pedaltrain (my current favorite boards) have a great online resource that lets you plan things out electronically at http://pedalboardplanner.com/ .  They've got a huge library of pedal templates, or you can draw in your own dimensions if needed.  You can also plan the wire routes too.  The template sizes are for their boards, but you're not locked into using them.

Can I Take Your Order
You want your pedal placement to follow the signal flow you want as much as you can.  You don't want to come into the lower right corner of the board with your first effect, jump to the upper left corner, and then back unless you absolutely have to.  Part of making a successful pedal board is keeping your interconnects between pedals short.

So, what order should the pedals go in?  That's up to you....if you've got a combination that gives you the sounds you like, then rock on.  "But what's the best way?" you may ask.  OK...there are general guidelines for order of effects that I (and most other board builders) like to follow.  Again they are only guidelines.

Pedals, in general can be divided into four categories:
Gain modifiers:  
These are your distortion, overdrive, and fuzz boxes.  Compressors and 
noise gates loosely fall into this category as well, but get a little different treatment.

Tone Modifiers:
This family would include EQ's, wah pedals, envelope followers, and any other type of filters (like some of the Moog pedals).

Time Modifiers:
Here's where effects like reverb, chorus, delay, phasers, and flangers live.  These effects are usually the best candidates for going into an effects loop on an amp as opposed to being on the front end (but again, that's just a guideline).

Frequency Manipulators:
Octave dividers and multipliers (like the Mayer Octavia) are in this group.  Pitch benders and shifters like the Digitech Whammy Pedal definitely occupy this space as well.  And if you're one of those brave souls that utilizes a ring modulator, then technically that's in this category.  But in my book, if you're using one of those then you're into messing your signal up as much as possible...you can place it anywhere you want in the chain!

...And The Survey Says
OK...so what order do things go in?  In general, I like to hook things up in this order:

[Input]--->[Compressor]--->[Frequency Manipulators]--->[Gain Modifiers]--->
[Tone Modifiers]--->[Noise Gating]--->[Time Based Effects]--->[Amp]

Notice that I called out the compressor and noise gate specifically.  Yes, there is madness to the method.  Here's the rationale behind this:

• A compressor is going to try to turn a signal up as it fades away (increasing apparent sustain).  You want as quiet of a signal going into the compressor as you can get.  Straight from the guitar is pretty quiet.  If you put the compressor after a distortion box (which are noisy), then you're turning up the noise too.  That's why they work best as the first device in the signal chain.
• Noise gates work like compressors in reverse.  When there's no signal present, they turn everything down.  That's why they're sometimes referred to as expanders (the opposite of  "compressor"...get it).  You want the noise gate after all of your noisy stuff, but before your time based stuff.  Otherwise, your beautiful trailing echoes or monsterous reverb can get shut off abruptly.

What's The Frequency, Kenneth?

I always put frequency manipulators early in the chain.

Frequency manipulators are trying to analyze the signals coming in and then do a bunch of math on them.  These devices have a much better chance of locking on to the fundamental note and processing it correctly if you send them a clean, undistorted signal.  If you send a harmonically rich (ie; distorted) signal to them, they can get confused as to what the fundamental tone is.  That results in them glitching or jumping around.  So keep it clean and simple here...you can distort the bejesus out of your signal further down the line.  

Capital Gains
A lot of guys use more than one gain modifier.  It can be a clean boost, overdrive, distortion, or fuzz box.   I've done more than a few boards with a clean boost as the first "effect".  They leave it on all the time, and it does a couple of important jobs:

 - It provides a constant load for the guitar (important if you're using a cable, not so much if you're wireless)
 - It helps overcome signal losses through the cables and pedals (you're going to get some loss regardless of how well you put this together).

As far as the other gain modifiers, I usually like to put them in order of gain low to high.  Your overdrive would typically be first, followed by the distortion (which is essentially an overdrive with clipping diodes), and finally fuzz.  If you like "stacking" your pedals (turning on more than one), this typically works pretty well.  But try different combinations...you might hit on something you really like.

Watch Your Tone With Me Young Man...
Tone modifiers, while I've said I like them after the gain stuff, can actually go before as well.  It's a different set of sounds.  The only downside is that you're adding more electronics before the gain modifiers (which can make for a noisier signal), but a lot of times it's worth it.

The wah pedal usually sounds better before the gain boxes.  If you're looking for that Michael Schenker/UFO or Kirk Hammett/Metallica kind of mid-rangy lead sound, this is what you want.  But, if you're looking for an extreme filtered/distorted sound (like the end of "Californication" by the Chili Peppers), then put the wah after the distortion.

EQ...same thing.  Want to know part of the secret to Tom Scholtz's guitar sound on the first Boston album?  It was an MXR 6 band EQ with a major boost at  800Hz, and lesser boosts at 400Hz and 3200Hz  before the distortion stages of the signal chain.

If you're looking to sculpt your signal, this is the way to go.  But, if you put the EQ after the distortion then you could use it like a lead boost by gently pushing up the midrange a bit.  

And it that wasn't enough exceptions, I'd better talk about the envelope follower.  I know more bassists that use these than guitar players, but the functionality is the same.  The envelope follower counts on having a dynamic signal in order to work.  If you put it after distortion or a lot of compression...it's not going to sound right.  If you use one of these (like the Electro-Harmonix Dr. Q, the Boss Auto-Wah, or a Mutron III), then you might want to put that right after the compressor, or even first in the chain.  I'm not a fan of these things...just because more than a couple of minutes with one on turns any song into a porno sound track.  But, to each his own.

Excuse Me, Do You Have The Time...
Like distortion boxes, time based effects tend to work best in ascending order of how much they're delaying or affecting the signal.  And these effects work well with distorted signals.  Want to mimic Ernie Isley's guitar sound in "Who's That Lady"...plug a fuzz box into a phaser and turn 'em both on.  Yeah baby!!!!

Going from least amount of delay, you've got chorus, then phasers ("Leslie" type effects go here too), and flangers.  Delay/echo and reverb are really kind of interchangeable as you can get several seconds of effect from either depending on what you've got on the board.

I've said that your time based stuff is candidate for going in an amp's effects loop, but of course there are always exceptions.  If you run your amp pretty clean and get your distortion from a box, then don't worry about it.  And of course, they will sound different depending on if they're in the loop or between the guitar and amp.  Phase shifters really fall into this category, as a lot of guitarists use them in front of the amp for a slight filtering effect.  You can really hear this on the guitar solos in "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" on the first Van Halen album.  John Petrucci also used a phase shifter in front of a distorted Mesa Boogie amp for the solo in "Constant Motion" from Dream Theater's Systematic Chaos album.  It's a really cool way to add another dimension to your tone without beating the listener over the head with the effect.

Speaking In Volumes
I suppose I should talk about volume pedals since they're not just for steel guitarists anymore. While they're technically a gain modifier you have to look at them differently because they take away gain.  Yeah, there are active volume pedals out there that will give you a signal level increase, and that gives you the option of using them as a clean boost if you want.  No, a volume pedal can pretty much go where you want it to.  What it does to your effects depends completely on where you put it.

Put it before you distortion pedals, and the distortion will decrease as you back off of it.  It's the same effect as if you turn down the volume on your guitar.  Personally, I don't find this particularly useful since it does replicate controls I've already got.

Putting a volume pedal after distortion, however, lets you back off of the overall volume but still maintain the same distortion intensity.  This is a far more useful position, at least for me.  

You've also got considerations before and after a delay.  Put it before the delay and you can kill the original signal while the echoes taper off.  Put it last in line, and you can kill everything!

But Wait...What About My Tuner?
Oh yeah...we do like to tune up every now and then don't we?  Where the tuner goes kind of depends on what kind you have.

If you've got something like a Boss TU-12 that doesn't have a foot switch (it's always on), then you're going to want to locate it before your volume pedal so you can kill the signal to the amp and while you tune up.  Personally, I like to put a tuner right after the compressor or clean boost, but before any other kind of effects.  The reason for that is that if you have a distortion box or time based effect like a flanger going, it can confuse the tuner.  In that respect, tuners are just like the frequency manipulators in that they need a clean signal to work correctly.

If you have a pedal-type tuner like the Boss TU-3 or the Korg Pitch Black, then you can put it anywhere.  Putting at the end of the signal chain gives you the option to mute your entire board (kind of nice during breaks).  Slash uses one of the Korg's on his board for just that reason.  If you do put it at the end of your signal chain, just remember to kill your effects before trying to tune up.

Rules...We Don't Need No Stinkin' Rules
With everything I've laid out here, feel free to chunk it out the window if you want.  I've heard some really cool stuff by putting effects in an order you normally wouldn't.  One guitarist I know puts a reverb pedal before a fuzz box.  When he kicks 'em both on, it sounds like someone throwing an amp down a flight of stairs....freakin' genius!

Putting a delay pedal early in the chain gives you the option of applying an effect to the echoes. Want to hear something cool?  Set a long delay with several repeats and then sent that to a flanger set to a slow sweep and medium feedback.  You get a sound like you're pulling the echoes through a tube.  I've used this one live at the end of "Business Of Life" with The Rhythm Dawgs.

There are dozens of other scenarios we haven't talked about here....but this covers probably 80% of what you're going to run across.

Next week, we'll talk about power options, cabling, and packaging things up.  I'll have some pictures and diagrams of boards that I've built or consulted on, including an all analog  bass board that I built in the late 80's (that's still kickin').

Until then, keep the meters out of the red!

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

Just Got Paid Today....Hopefully

I've said it a few times before, but it bears repeating.  Unless you're content to never get past the point of jamming with your friends in the garage, then half of the music business is "business". 

I started out this week to write about how to stylize different contracts for different events.  But, when I got the point of "compensation" I started coming up with all the different ways I've been screwed over on pay over the years.

We'll still talk about contracts and riders in a future installment...but this just seemed a bit more important to get out there.


How Am I Getting Paid
Once you've worked up some songs, most bands are either going to want to cut a CD, get out and play, or a combination there of.  It's fun to get in front of people and try your material out.  Plus, on some level it helps validate to your spouse/significant other the insane amount of money you've spent on gear (OK...it really doesn't, but it will make you feel a little better about it).

There are three basic ways that club bands get compensated:

• Straight Guarantee
• Percentage of the door
• Percentage of bar sales

If you're doing a private party, then you most likely looking at a guarantee.  And that's the way most of the clubs I deal with work.  When you do the agreement, be sure to add in if you're expecting any additional compensation, like a food or bar allowance.  A couple of my club clients do this for us.  (For private parties...there are at least a dozen other points you need to cover, but that's another article).

I've only had a problem with this arrangement one time (even with a contract in hand, the club owner wouldn't pay.  It wasn't worth going to court over. We just didn't play there anymore more, and they closed shortly after that.

For a straight guarantee, don't be surprised if the club hands you a check at the end of the night (unless you've specifically said you need to have cash).  A lot of places will cash the check for you.  Don't be put off by this...the places that run like a business are going to report their band expenses.  They're probably going to ask for a SS number as well, because once you make more than $600 in a year from a venue they're going to report it.  Conversely, someone has to claim it, and that person is the one who's social security number they got!  If you're running your band like a business...it's not a big deal.

This is pretty much the way I do club business now.

Cut Me In
Door proceeds can get interesting...especially if you're on a multi-band bill.  But let's start with the easiest scenario, and that's the one where you're the only band and get 100% of the door.

Some places let you put your own person on the door, and for me that's the best.  If you're manning the door yourself, you need to have your own cash box, change (more on that in a minute), and some kind of stamp if you're allowing in & outs.  Do yourself a favor and print a sign up with the answers to the 3 most common questions:

 - Who's playing here?
 - What kind of music do they play?
 - How much?

When The Rhythm Dawgs used to work a venue that did that, we would charge until the last set, and then just let folks in for the last hour.  That was our call, not the venue's.

With your cash box, you want to bring some change, relective of how much you're charging.  If it's a $5 cover, then you'll likely want a lot of $5's and $10's.  If you're charging $4 or $6, then you'll need a butt-load of $1's.  And at the end of the night when you're paying out the band, don't forget to pull the original change out.  Otherwise, the band makes out better than they should and someone gets screwed over.

These days, it's almost a requirement to be able to accept credit cards.  That used to be a big hassle, but no more.  Square Up is ruling the roost these days on mobile credit card points of acceptance.  Sign up with them and they send you a card reader for iOS or Android mobile devices.  They'll charge you 2.75% of the transaction.  But, had you rather have 97.25%, or 0% because the folks that wanted to come in don't carry cash.

https://squareup.com/

Finally on this subject, you always want to watch out for yourself.  Some venues will put one of "their" people on the door for a cut of the money or a guarantee.  When this happens, I still put one of our people on the door with one of those hand held counters.  If they count 100 people in at $5 a head, there are questions to be asked at the end of the night when you get handed $275.

What Band Is It You Want To Hear?
Door proceeds from a multi-band band are really a pain.  Some places will ask people as they come in "who are you here to see?".  If they say your band's name, then you get credit for those people.  However, a lot of folks just go to the club...not really planning to see any specific band.  Now, you would think the club would just split that between all the bands.  Nope...they usually pocket that money.  I NEVER take a gig like this.  I'm so over that.

Credit or Debit?
And then...there are the "percentage of bar sales" deals.  Again, if you're the only band on the bill it's a bit easier.  If you're on a multi-band bill, then supposedly you get credit for a percentage of the sales while you're playing.  A reputible bar will show you a time-stamped print out of the sales...but that almost never happens any more.

And here's a real scam I got caught up in years ago.  This club we started playing in Lakeway (OK...Detours...I'll call 'em out, but they're long gone), offered us a minimum guarantee or a percentage of bar sales, which ever is greater.  We were looking for a new venue for our rotation so we said OK. 

The first time there, there was a so-so crowd, but apparently they were real drinkers because we walked out with a really good pay-out.  The club was fun, stage was nice, and so we booked additional shows with them.

The next time we're back, we had probably 20% more people, yet the pay was about 15% off from the first time.  The club said that the crowd wasn't drinking as much.  OK...if you say so.

The next time, I put one of our people at the bar to watch the transactions.  It was really crowded that night, and we were expecting a really good payout.  Unfortunately, this one was less than the other two.  Our estimates were that they ran over $3000 in business at the bar, but we were paid on less than half of that. 

It turns out that they were only paying us on cash sales...NOT CREDIT CARD SALES.  That exclusion was never declared, because the deal changed after we played there the first time.  Seems the owner didn't feel like any band should be making what we were (regardless of the fact that we were selling a ton of booze for them).  Needless to say, we didn't come back after that.  And from then on, anytime we would accept a percentage deal like that, it calls out "Total Cash and Credit/Debit Card sales". 

Sometimes, you just ain't gonna win
Here's a really wretched scam I found out that some of the clubs on 6th Street in Austin are running.  The deal is you get 10% of the bar sales after $500.  In other words, they only pay you on the sales starting at $501. 

OK...in my book that's a bad deal to start with even if everyone plays fair.  But here's how the club gets over.  If they're really busy at the bar when it's time to start...they'll say something like "hold off for 30 minutes".  They wait until business dies down a bit and then let you start. 

Likewise, if it gets really busy during your set, they pull you off early.  The idea is to get you on and off the stage before they cross that $500 barrier.  And if they do so, then they don't owe the band a penny.

Really????

And then there's this guy....
Most clubs are not going to execute a full contract with a band.  Those club owners view bands that want a contract as a "pain" and "difficult to work with", so they just move to the next band on the list.  For those situtations, I at least have an email stating time, date, length of performance, and compensation.  (Funny, the really successful places insist on a contract...go figure).

I won't call this club out, because they're still open (and I'm pretty sure the individual involved isn't associated with them anymore).  We had an email from his club manager that specified we got the door or a guarantee, which ever was greater.  The show was on July 4th, and I told them that they weren't going to have that great a crowd.  The only reason we took is was because they gave us the guarantee and we needed the money for a CD project we were doing at the time.

As expected, the club was really slow.  We went to get paid at the end of the night, and the owner said there was no way we were getting a guarantee.  I showed him the email from his manager (who was standing right there), and he said that he didn't authorize it.  I told him that he shouldn't be letting his manager book the bands if that's how he felt about it. 

He then said he would give us the guarantee, but we were never play there again.  I said "fine", as I wasn't planning on ever going back.  Unfortunately, the band overruled me and took less than half the money.  (BTW, I don't think we ever went back).

Moral of the story...there will always be a-holes trying to get over on you

But it's not all bad
As bleak of a picture as I've painted, there are club owners and agents out there who are real pros and treat people right.  Two clients that I've dealt with for years (Bill Fischer and Martha Edwards) have been extremely kind to me and my bands.  There's never, ever been a problem with pay outs.  One time, there was accidentally a double-booking with one of them (us and another band on the same night).  It was their error, but they owned it and they still paid us about half of the guarantee for our trouble. 

These are the people that have the businesses that are there year after year.  They have the best bands wanting to play their venues and their revenues reflect that.

Too band the other 90% of club owners and agents out there haven't made the connection.

Next week...we'll get back to some technical work.  I've received a couple of emails asking about pedalboards, effects, and such.  I thought that might be fun to touch on. 

Until then, keep the meters your bank account 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

It's 106 Miles To Chicago...

Road Trip!!!

I don't know about you, but as a musician those two words get me excited.  Playing a new venue in front of new people, major bonding time with my band mates, and just livin' the "rock star" life if only for one night.  There's just three minor things to take care of: 
 - Get there in one piece
 - Pull the show off
 - Get home in somewhat reasonable shape

Oh yeah..making a little money would be nice too.  But don't hold your breath for that.

Whether you're planning on being out for 3 weeks or just taking a one nighter somewhere, the planning and considerations are pretty much the same...it just tends to scale up the longer you're out.  The longer you're out, the more prep time you need before you even think about loading the truck.

The first question you want to ask yourself is "why are you taking the gig(s)".  If your answer is "to make money", then stop right now and seek medical help.  You're obviously in the middle of a stroke and have lost all blood flow to the brain.  The wonderful thing about road trips and touring is that the expenses magically grow to consume all profit (and then some).  And the longer you're out, the worse it gets.  Even if hotel is taken care of for you or you've lined up crash pads, the likelihood of doing any better than breaking even is pretty grim unless you've got a good guarantee from the venues.

Now, if you're really trying to "make it", and have something to promote then think of your touring losses as an investment in your future.  Heck, even if it doesn't pan out you'll have some great stories to tell your grand kids!

I could write every week for the rest of the year on everything that could go wrong when you're out.  But it's easier for me just to tell you that if you haven't seen it, watch "Anvil: The Story Of Anvil" and soak it all in.  Everything that can go wrong on a tour does for these poor saps.  And keep in mind, unlike "Spinal Tap", this is a true story.
  
OK, if I haven't talked you out of it by now, then apparently you're hell bent to do this.  Let's get ready.

Line 'Em Up
Seems pretty obvious, but you need to know where you're going, right?  If it's just a one nighter, that's pretty easy.  But if you're out for several days, this is where routing really comes into play.  You don't want to drive 300 miles out of your way for a gig that might net you $20 do you?  No, you need to start planning this 4 to 6 months out.  And if it's your first time in these clubs, you're probably looking at a cut of the bar sales or a dismal guarantee.

And speaking of money, this is one time where you absolutely want to get agreements in writing.  I like a formal contract (and we'll address that in a future installment), but just having an email with date/time/compensation will help.  Make sure you print all of these out before you hit the road.

If the clubs are providing PA, make sure you understand what you're getting.  For some clubs, that's everything.  For others, they provide a "skinny" PA.  In short, that means you need to bring your own mics, cables and stands.  They provide everything from the snake on out.  Personally, I like taking my own mics even if the club has 'em.  I know what they sound like, and I know where they were last night.

Add 'Em Up
You need to have some idea what this trip is going to cost you.  Are the venues providing PA and you're just bringing backline, or are you taking full production?  How are you going to haul this stuff around?  How many vehicles are involved?  If I'm pulling a trailer in my SUV, then my cost just to go down the road is about 75 cents a mile (at today's gas price of $3.40).  Figure at least $7.00 per meal per man (unless you're going to be in one location for an extended period, then go to the grocery store and stock up).  

If you're selling merch, then that very well may be your main income stream.  Make sure you mention that in your agreement with the venues.  I've had some try to take a cut.  Unless they provide someone to man the table, then they shouldn't get any part of that money.

Load 'Em Up
Here's where there's no difference between an over nighter and an extended tour.  Take spares on everything!!!  Have a contingency plan for any failure.  What are you going to do if an amp goes down?  A bassist could go direct, but that doesn't work for guitar.  Take a spare amp..even if it's your "crappy practice amp".  Trust me, it's better than having to cancel a show or doing the gig a man down.  

I carry a Crate PB-150 that's normally for my talk box, but if my main amp went down I could have it patched in and running in under 2 minutes.  Granted, I loose most of my effects, but I'm up and playing.  Crate unfortunately discontinued these, but I still see 'em on eBay.  Grab one if you can...it's really small,  sounds pretty good for a solid state head, and it can get plenty loud.  Heck, Felicia Collins (guitarist for David Letterman) uses one as her main amp!  I typically see them for going for $75 to $100.

It goes without saying...wait, I am going to say it.  Load up on consumables...strings, batteries, picks, cables (yeah, I consider them consumable), drum heads, sticks...everything you can.  You don't want to have a gig in Notrees, Texas and need something only to find out that the nearest music store is 40 miles away and closes in 10 minutes.  Even if the club is providing production, make sure you take extension cords. And for goodness sake, use that outlet tester to make sure what you're plugging into is wired correctly.

Plan For The Worst...It Will Happen
By far, the riskiest part of all of this is the travel itself.  This is all common sense, but make sure the vehicle(s) are all in good working order.  Check the air in the spare...a lot a people have been bit by that one.  At least one person should have a credit card with a few thousand dollars available on it...you just never know.  Emergency repairs, emergency room, bail bondsman...you gotta be ready.

Cell phones are a given these days.  If none of you have one with GPS capabilities, then get a stand alone unit.  In my touring days, we would drive 200 miles to the next gig, and then spend the next 3 hours driving around to find the damn club.  

Share The Burden
Don't stick one person with all the driving (unless they really want it that way).  Make sure at least two of you are unimpaired at any time there's an extended distance to cover.  When you stop for gas, give the driver a break...the rest of you get off your lazy backsides and take care of the refueling, cleaning the windshield, and anything else. 

Don't Be That Guy
When you're in close quarters, even your best friends can get on your nerves after a while.   If some guys want to grab a nap (as long as it's not the guy driving), then let 'em.  When the vehicle is in motion, that's not the time for horseplay or practical jokes...save those for the hotel.

Respect the vehicle you're in.  If the owner asks you not to eat in the vehicle, then don't.  Smoking...unless you're all smokers then no.  Farting, on the other hand, is a male bonding thing and encouraged.  If you have a female member in the band, play fair. Make sure she had a chance to eat a Slim Jim before the contest starts.

Travel Time
My bands hate me for this because it makes us leave earlier than they like, but for every 1 hour of travel time, I add 30 minutes of padding.  So, for a 4 hour drive that would be 6 hours.  And that's not even taking traffic into account.  That takes care of fuel stops, breaks, meals, and the dreaded flat tire.  People may be grumbling when you leave, but they'll get over it when you get where you're going early.

Do The Show
Once you get to the venue,  treat it like you would a high paying private gig.  Have your act together, and leave the drama in the truck.  If you're working with a sound man, give him a stage plot, channel list, and monitor requirements.  Some will blow it off, but most will appreciate it.

Since you're in new territory, make sure people know who you are and where to find you.  Being an out-of-town band adds a certain mystique.  Make sure you shake some hands on break, and don't miss an opportunity to sell a CD or get a name for the email list. 

If you're on a multi-band bill, be ready to get on stage as soon as they say go.  Wrap it up when you're supposed to, and then make way for the next band.  Just because the band before you were dicks and slow to get off the stage doesn't mean you should be.

After? Party?
Once you're done and loaded up, you're doing one of two things...either heading home or to the hotel / crash pad.  If you're heading home, make sure someone is wide awake and ready for the drive.  My rule is if it's over 100 miles or we play until 2:00AM, then it's an over night trip.  I've probably lost a dozen musician friends over the years because someone fell asleep driving back late from a gig.

If you're staying overnight, make sure everyone is clear on what time you're leaving the next morning.  That way, if they party until 6:00AM, they can't say anything about leaving at 8:00AM.  And have some common sense...don't wander off alone without telling anyone where you're going.  You don't want to make the rest of the band come looking for you, because if you're not hurt when they find you, you will be shortly thereafter.

By the way, trashing the hotel room is so over now.  Besides, if you're reading this you ain't making enough money to get away with it.  BUT, if you do decide to throw a TV out the window...here's some advice that Tommy Lee gave me several years ago.  "Dude...if you're gonna chunk the TV out the window, get a long extension cord first.  It's a lot better if it's actually on when it hits!".  And that's why Mr. Lee is such a great role model.

Extended Trips
Touring is hard on you physically.  Don't make it harder than it has to be.  When I was 20, I could eat McDonalds three times a day and brush my teeth with Jack Daniels the next morning.  Not so much now.  Remember to eat some real food every day (and that doesn't come in a wrapper), and know that water is your best friend.  Oh yeah, orange juice without the vodka is pretty good too...you should try it.

Don't forget to plan for laundry days.  You can spray your stage clothes with Febreeze only so many times before they try to walk off on their own.

Finally...take some time to enjoy what you're doing.  If you're getting to see parts of the country (or world if you're lucky) that you've never seen, then stop long enough to take it in.  You're getting to lead the life of a gypsy, take pleasure in that.

What Not To Bring
There are some things that don't belong in the trailer or the van.  First and foremost, girlfriends / boyfriends.  Unless they have a legitimate job in the band (my wife happens to be a kick-ass guitar and bass tech), then they're better off at home.  If you're going some place nice and they have their own transportation to go do something during set up / sound check, then maybe.  Most partners / significant others view it as a "vacation".  It ain't...it's work.  If they can't deal with that, then maybe you shouldn't be going on the trip to start with.

And here's where I'm going to sound like I'm getting preachy but this is the reality.  There are certain counties in Texas (and throughout the south) where it's still 1972 and you will be pulled over if your hair is a certain length, you have a certain number of tattoos, or have the infamous "Gas, Grass, or Ass" bumper sticker. 

Several years ago, I was detained in Three Rivers, Tx for 90 minutes because the Sheriff didn't like the "way I looked" (and told me as much).  Don't tell me how I should have protested or anything else...I had a gig to get to.  He finally let me leave after I heard him say to the dispatcher "well, if you can't find anything on him I guess I'll have to let 'em go".  

Be careful about what you have with you.  Remember what I said about respecting the owner of the vehicle?  I've always asked that my band mates not bring any illegal substances with them (but a couple of 'em never listened...and I won't travel with them again).  One person can cause the entire band a lot of trouble.  This isn't a debate over the legalization or morality of recreational drug use...it's the way things work, like it or not.

Take Care Of Business...Every Day
Save every receipt.  Log your mileage.  If you can't turn a profit, and least make it a good write-off!

I don't have any desire to take off for a three month tour (unless I got a call from an arena level act).  But, the occasional weekend trip is still a blast to do.  Whatever you do, just do me this favor...get there and get back safely.  Like I said earlier, I've lost enough friends to the road.

We touched on it this week, so it seems like a good segue.  Next week, we'll talk about contracts, riders, and stage plots.  What's realistic, and what is just self gratification.

Until then, keep the meters out of the red! it between the white lines!

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

OK...Let's Take It From The Top!

There have been a few times along the way that I’ve been in a position where I had to learn a lot of songs in a fairly short amount of time.  Probably the biggest crunch I ever had was when I was asked to join Buzzfuel in the fall of 2009.  When it was all said and done, I had about 45 days to learn 30 songs I had never played before.  And not just muddle my way through ‘em.  Nope, the band leader expected all the key parts to be there.  Needless to say, I had to figure out the most efficient way to get these songs under my fingers.

Before I go any further, I have to give credit to John Cortell for turning me on to a lot of the tools and techniques for learning songs.  John was the ring leader for Buzzfuel, and was the guy that had the final stamp of approval on when a song was ready to perform.  John, those lessons you taught me still serve me well to this day.

In this article, I’m mainly concentrating on learning covers. Keep in mind that there are various "levels" of learning a song...anything from "it sort of goes this way" to what I refer as "tribute level" where your goal is an extremely accurate reproduction of a recording.  Unless it's agreed upon that the song is going to rearranged or otherwise changed, I'm usually shooting for "tribute".

When learning a cover, the most basic thing is to make sure you’re learning the correct version of the song.  I’ve been burned more than once because I learned the album version of a song only to find out at rehearsal that the band was playing an extended dance remix version.  Thus was born the idea of “the well spring”.  A central repository of all of the songs to learn.  It can be a CD that’s handed out to everyone, or uploaded to a web or FTP site.  However you do it, make sure you’re all working off the same song.

And on that note (pun intended), make sure you agree on the key of the song as well.  Normally, that’s not an issue.  But, what if the original artist tunes down a ½ step?  Do you play the song in Eb, take a second set of instruments tuned down, or do it in E?  And what about those songs that sort of fall in between standard pitches (thanks Pearl Jam...would it kill you to use a freakin’ tuner).  Work all that out ahead of time so you don’t have to learn the same song twice.

OK, you’ve got all that figured out.  Now, how do you learn the song?  Well, back in the day I’d put the album on and just wear it out.  If it was a 45 RPM single, then I had the option to slow it down to 33 RPM to try to pick out the fast parts.  But things are a little easier now.

 

You’ve Gotta Be Able To Hear

I work under headphones whether I’m learning something on guitar or bass.  The setup I've put together has worked out really well.  At the heart of my system is a small Behringer mixing board.  I’ve got the output of the computer going to it in stereo.  My bass goes through a preamp to buffer the signal,a compressor, and then to the board.  For guitar…I’ve got a Digitech GNX-4 Workstation that’s direct in.  I’m not overly concerned with the tone or quality of the instruments right now, I just want to hear and play along.

 

The headphones I use are Shure SRH-440’s  They’re well built with a balanced sound and solid performance in the low octaves. An added bonus…the main cable is easily replaced by the user. They’re less than $100, and are one of the best deals out there.  I tried the Beats headphones, but have two problems with them…the bass over powers everything else and they’re way too expensive for what you get.  The build quality didn’t really impress me either.

Get Yourself A Good Media Player

The media player that comes standard with Windows is OK, but it’s designed for listening to music…not really learning it. What if you need to slow down a part, or change the pitch? What if you want to loop a section over and over? All of these are useful features to have when learning a song.

By far, my favorite software to use for this is Audacity. It will do all of those functions and a whole lot more. You can also record yourself with it as well. And the best part…it’s free! Audacity will play just about any type of audio file (MP3, MP4, Wave, AIFF). Check it out.

 

Listen Before You Pick Your Instrument Up

If you start playing along immediately to a song you don’t know, you’re going to “learn” wrong parts to start with.  Nope, you want to listen without an instrument in your hands a few time before picking it up.  Listen first for the rhythms, then the notes.  And if you’re the type to actually chart your stuff out, this is what you want to do anyway.

Start Picking Things Apart

If you haven’t charted anything, at least make yourself some notes on the song structure (unless you’ve heard it a million times and know it by heart).  Generally, I’ll try to learn a verse, then the chorus, the bridge, and then string it all together.  Be aware of subtle changes in parts from verse to verse.  It’s picking up on these little things that will put you ahead of other players.

What Did He Play?

I remember working on “Bullet With Butterfly Wings”, and the bridge of that song is extremely dense and distorted.  We were having a hell of a time figuring out what was going on there.  I’d tried all the usual tricks…slowing down the track, EQ’ing it, listening to each side separately…nothing.  It was just white noise.  

Finally, we stumbled across a clip on YouTube of The Smashing Pumpkins playing on Saturday Night Live.  They just happened to have the camera on the guitarist’s left hand in that part, and we were able to figure it out from there.  Which leads me to…

Don’t Forget “Second Sources”

A picture is definitely worth a thousand words, and a video is a whole book.  Just getting a glimpse of hand positions can be a big help when learning a difficult to hear part.  Also, a lot of people are fascinated by making videos of themselves playing along to cover songs.  Some of these are really good, and some not so.  Use this as a resource, but take it with a grain of salt.  Unless it’s the original artist, then they’ve likely missed or changed up something.

There are also a number of videos popping up now that are “isolated tracks”.  Some of these are lifted from the consoles at concerts.  Others…it’s possible that someone that had access to original multi-track tapes has released these.  Others…they’re fakes.  They’re really good (and still useful), but still it’s someone else playing.  I’ve also found out that some of these are from Guitar Hero and other games.  Those have been painfully reconstructed in the studio with top notch players.  Still not the original but dang close.

Call In Software Support

In addition to Audacity, another piece of software I use quite a bit is called Guitar Pro.  It’s a tab and note reader/editor and MIDI player that lets you make your own arrangements as well as play what others have created.  It also works a bit like a studio, in that you can remix the sound or just listen to individual parts while watching the arrangement in real time.  There’s a free demo, and the full program will run you $60.  It’s been a huge help.
 

 

The best repository I've found for Guitar Pro files (as well as tab, text, ChordPro, and others) is Ultimate-Guitar.com.  You can search by band or song.  But again, as with all content contributed by individuals the quality varies quite a bit.  Some are spot on, some...eh, not so much.

There’s a fairly new piece of software on the market from Roland called R-Mix .  Now, the holy grail would be to have a program that would take a fully mixed song and break it back down into individual tracks.  But, that would be like trying to un-bake a cake and get the whole eggs back out!  

 

What R-Mix attempts to do is let you isolate portions of an audio file based on (OK…it gets technical here) spectral content and position within the stereo field (whew!).  You can move and resize a window on the display to zero in on an instrument and then turn down everything else.  Conversely, if you wanted to get rid of an instrument and leave everything else, you can do that as well. 

Now, how well it works depends on how dense the mix is and how the instruments are spread in the stereo field.  I’ll tell you right now, the examples they include were custom mixed to work really well with the program.  Real world audio…it’s hit and miss.  I was able to almost perfectly isolate the bass in “Roundabout” by Yes.  But trying to do that on “Subdivisions” by Rush…I really couldn’t get anything out that I couldn’t get with Audacity. 

The full program is pricey…about $200.  The demo is fully functional, but limited to 30 seconds of playback.  So far, that’s been good enough for me.  If I find myself using it repeatedly, I’ll pop for the full version.  There's also a $10 version for iPad with a reduced feature set.  I haven't tried that...mainly because I don't feel like betting $10 on this yet.

Sometimes Less Is More

Turning up the volume isn’t always the answer.  Keep in mind that our ears have different frequency responses at different sound pressure levels (see my January 5^th article Getting Loud Without Getting Yelled At).  Sometimes, turning the headphones way down has revealed the mysterious chord or progression that I couldn’t pick out at normal or high listening levels.

Visualize The Song

Once I’ve got the basics of a song down, I make sure it’s available in the truck to listen to (I’m behind the wheel about an hour a day).  Now…don’t do this if you’ve never played the song.  But once you know the basic patterns and moves, then this is a good exercise.  This is also where you’ll start hearing the subtle changes and embellishments in a song.

How Do You Like Your Hearing...Regular Or Extra Crispy?
Be aware that your ears will fatigue (as will you arms and fingers).  Every hour or so, take the headphones off, put the instrument down, and get up from your workstation.  Remember that it's really easy to induce hearing damage with headphones...I'm living proof of that.  I'm carrying more damage from my years as a DJ (wearing headphones 6 hours a night / 6 nights a week) that from playing live.  And after 3 or 4 hours, you've likely reached the point of diminishing returns.  It's time to call it a day at that point.

Don’t Beat Yourself Up Too Much

It’s fine to have lofty goals, but here’s the reality of learning someone else’s part in a song

•          You’re never going to get to 100%.  If I can get to 85-90%, I’m ready to take it out.  Learning the rest just improves things.
•          The artist that played it originally probably can’t play exactly the same thing again either unless their last name is Myung or Petrucci.

Get a solid foundation, the recognizable hooks, and the major flourishes and cues.  Then enjoy the fact that you get to play music!

Next weekend I'm going to be on the road, so I thought I take the opportunity to talk about prepping for a "tour".  Now, "tour" can mean anything from a month on the East Coast to Saturday night in San Angelo.  But at club level, the prep is all pretty much the same.  So until next week...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