It's Only A Flesh Wound...

Most of us are at a performing level where we're still handling our own gear.  Some of you may have a small crew that handles the PA and lights, but there ain't many of us on the club circuit that have our own instrument techs.  Yeah, wouldn't it be wonderful to just show up for sound check with your tech waiting to hand you your guitar as you walk on to a 60' x 40' custom stage. 

OK...wake up.  It's time to load in.

This week, I want to talk about personal safety for musicians that handle their own gear before and after a show.

As a musician that's moving equipment in the afternoon and then performing at night, you want to make sure that you protect your hands and limbs, your back, and then everything else. 

You're In Good Hands...
Let's start with the hands.  Unless you're a vocals-only front person you're going to need your fingers to play your instrument.  Moving cases, handling cables, and everything else that goes into building a production has the potential of doing damage.  So to that end, get yourself a pair of good quality well fitted gloves...and wear 'em!  My favorites are Setwear Pro Leather gloves.  They'll set you back about $40, but they typically last a few years for me.  If that's too rich for your blood, then get a set of mechanic's gloves (about $15 at auto parts and home improvement stores).

Whatever you get, make sure they fit snug.  Gloves that are too large for your hands will just frustrate you, and you'll likely not wear them.

Fingerless gloves have their place, but not moving equipment.  Back in the days when we were carrying lighting truss, I had a pair that I used for just that task.  I could thread the hardware easily, and my palms were still protected.  But other than that and weight lifting...they really don't do much for a rock-n-roll show (unless you're a lead singer in an 80's tribute band...then knock yourself out).

That's How We Roll
Never carry something that you can roll.  If you've got a road case with good casters and it's not ridiculously heavy put a small container or two on it when you get it out of the truck/trailer...then head for the stage area.  As a bonus, you can save yourself a few trips to back and forth if you watch what you're doing.

If you don't own a good hand truck, you're working way too hard.  I don't like wheels on a PA or sub cabinet (unless they're removable).  So if they're not in a case or on a dolly board then put those bad boys on a hand truck and off you go.  If you're carrying them by hand, you're straining yourself.  If they're big enough for two people to carry....we'll, you're tying up two people when one person and a hand truck could do the work.

If you do outdoor gigs where you have to go over rough terrain, then get a hand truck with pneumatic tires.  But, that does mean you will need to air them up periodically so you better have a tire pressure gauge and air compressor.  The solid-wheel versions are fine until you have to go over soft ground.

One of my hand trucks is a convertible type, where you can make it a 4 wheeler to carry more gear.  That configuration is OK if you're on smooth asphalt, concrete, or flooring.  But honestly, almost everything we have has casters on it, so we don't use that option very often.

A good hand truck will run you around $60.  Again, the home improvement stores (Home Depot, Lowe's, etc) will have 'em.  I bought my workhorse at U-Haul for under $50 (they will deal a little on the price if you're nice about it or a regular customer). 

Now, if you're a drummer, keyboardist, or anyone else with a lot of bulky (but not overly heavy) cases, then you owe it to yourself to check out Rock N Roller carts and hand trucks.  I know two drummers that have these, and they're great.  They don't seem that heavy, but they can take a beating.  There are a bunch of different configurations and options for them (some of them a bit overpriced, but whatever).  But think about this...instead of four or five trips to the truck, you load up and bring everything in with one trip!  Think about how much time you've saved.

Back Up Against The Wall
I'm a text book example of back problems.  Between falling out of trees when I was a kid, and then breaking my back about 10 years ago...yeah, I've got issues.  There's no substitute for being careful, but if you've got a history of back trouble, are over 40, have a lot of heavy stuff (or in my case, all of the above), then get yourself a back brace to wear while moving things around.  I got mine at Home Depot for less than $15...and that's less than half of my deductible for one chiropractic treatment! 

I like the braces with the shoulder straps so I can loosen it when I'm not lifting things, but it's right there when someone asks for a hand with something.  It's not the coolest or sexist thing you'll buy, but this is all about you and being able to play later.

And Then There's That Gravity Thing
If you're working outside and especially on uneven surfaces, beware of cases that decide to start rolling on their own.  That happened to us last weekend on a concrete patio we were playing.  A Mesa Boogie guitar amp took a spill (but survived)...but that could have been bad.  If you've got good casters and they don't have brakes then make sure to block the case so it can't go anywhere.

If You Want Blood...
With all the care in the world, accidents still happen.  I got the end of my fretting hand index finger sliced right before a gig a few weeks ago.  If I had still had my gloves on, it wouldn't have happened.  But it did, and so I had to fix myself up. 

I keep of bottle of what I call "skin fix-it" in my work box.  It's marketed under the name New Skin or Liquid Bandage, but it's all the same.  It's basically a medical grade Super Glue with an antiseptic in it.  I buy it at CVS Pharmacy.  Unless you're a total klutz, a bottle will last you for years.  It works best on clean cuts.  Take your time and build up several layers of the stuff and you can get through a gig.  A puncture wound, though, it ain't gonna help.  The only thing you can do for that is Neosporin, a bandage, and a shot of Patron.

You know those rustic looking stages finished in rough cedar that are a main stay at Country Western clubs and upscale venues?  Any club owner that puts those in needs to be thrown into a cage with pissed off porcupines.  Those things are splinter bombs just waiting to go off.  I got one over an inch long under a fingernail about 5 minutes before a very high profile show.  That was a long 3 sets.  Now I keep a set of fine point tweezers in my gig bag, along with fingernail clippers and a file.  Hang nails and guitar playing don't work.  (And no...I quit carrying the black nail polish a long time ago).

Don't Start Killing Brain Cells Early...
I have a personal rule when setting up a show.  I don't have that first beer until everything is unpacked, stacked, and hooked up...especially the power hook ups.  You get hurt when you're not aware of what's going on around you. 

For the next couple of weeks, I want to talk about the actual load in and striking the show.  It amazes me how many bands create multiple obstacles for themselves when they're moving gear in and out of a venue.  I've got a couple of full production shows with The Rhythm Dawgs over the next couple of weeks, so this is a good time to share some of the things I've learned over the years.

Until then...keep the meters out of the red (especially if the red is blood).

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 



Flying On Instruments

We've spent over half a year now talking primarily about sound systems, dealing with clubs and club owners, lousy power, and even lousier business deals.  The best sound system in the world doesn't do you much good without something to run through it.

So this week, I thought I would focus on the care and feeding of instruments...at least the ones I know, being guitar and bass.

A lot of people equate "maintainence" of an instrument with wiping the beer off and occasionally throwing a set of strings on it.  OK...that's a start...just getting the sweat and other foreign material off your instrument (especially the strings) will help out.  But that in and of itself is not a replacement for periodically giving your axe some real TLC.  Here's my ritual.

When you've got a lot of instruments to keep up on a frequent basis, there's nothing like having a dedicated workspace.  After years of restringing on the kitchen table (which there's nothing wrong with in my opinion, but Mrs. Carver wasn't crazy about it), I finally got my spot. 
 

 

I found a great chest of drawers at IKEA that's just the right height (with a ton of storage).  The mat is from Musician's Friend, and set me back $30 or so.  Add a work light and you're all set.  We'll work on my main guitar and bass today...a 2012 Fender American Precision Deluxe and early 2k's Schecter semi-hollow body.
 

First off, let's get our supplies together.  Today I'm going to polish the frets, condition the finger board in the Schecter, restring, and then clean.  Here are the tools and supplies I use:

 

Most of this stuff is probably familiar to most player, with the possible exception of the package on the lower right.  That's a product I found a few years ago called Gorgomyte.  It's a disposible cloth that impregnated with a metal cleaner/polisher.  Before if I wanted to polish the frets on an instrument, I had to get mask off the neck and use a Dremel tool with a polishing wheel.  No more...this stuff makes it super easy to have smooth, clean frets.  I'll use it about every third string change.
 

The bottles are Dunlop cleaning and maintainence products which I've used for decades.  The "01" is an alcohol based neck cleaner, the "02" is a conditioner, and the "65" is a general purpose cleaner for the entire instrument.  It can take fingerprints off a black guitar in seconds, which is kind of my litmus test for this kind of product.  I keep a bottle at home and in my workbox that goes to gigs.
 

Along with the tools, I'll use 3 different cleaning cloths....
 

The one on the left is a microfiber cloth I use for general body cleaning.  In the middle is a cotton wash cloth I like for neck clean up.  On the right is part of an old t-shirt that gets used to take up the excess oil when I condition the fingerboard.

Oh yeah, one last thing before we get started...I open up the pack of strings I'm going to use and make sure that all of them are there!  It hasn't happened often, but there have been a few times over the years I've had a 3 string bass or a 5 string guitar set!  Bad news right before a gig.

 



I buy my strings in bulk now, but back in the day when I had to sell my organs to buy bass strings this would have been a big problem.  BTW, for the gear heads that are wondering these are Dean Markley Blue Steel medium lights.  The Fender is the only bass that gets this gauge...all my others get 45-105 sets.
 

At this point, I might get myself a beverage...(wait...there's ain't no "might" to it) and get to work.
 

I'll go ahead and apologize to the purists and vintage snobs out there right now, but the next step is to remove all the strings.
 

 

"AHHHH...what about the neck?"
 

Chill...this is a modern instrument with a good truss rod.  Hell, I'll even do this to my 1970 Les Paul and not think about it. Well, my thinking is that tree lived for a long time without any strings on it.  Honestly, I've never had a problem with this.  In fact, most experts tell me you should loosen the strings on a guitar if you're flying it in an unpressurized cargo hold.  But I digress.  Now that there's nothing in the way, get in there and clean between the pickups and the bridge!  There, all better now, right?
 

Next...I'm going to hit the frets with the Gorgomyte.  A 2" square will do a neck just fine (you get a piece of it big enough for 10 jobs for about $10).  Some guys will really dig into the wood with these, but I pretty much concentrate on the frets and will use other products for the wood.  By the time you finish, this cloth is going to be pretty nasty looking.

Next, I follow up with my fingerboard cleaner.  I try to keep this away from the painted parts of the instrument (but have never damaged anything if I did get some on).  Spray it on, wipe it off.  Wax on...wax off.  Except this isn't wax.  Nevermind.

If I'm going to condition the fingerboard, here's where that happens.  I did the bass a few weeks ago, so I'm just doing this guitar today. 

Different folks have different opinions on what to use and how to do it.  As I mentioned earlier, I use the Dunlop products...mainly because I know they won't have an adverse interaction between themselves.  But in the past, I've used lemon oil and it worked fine.  I also used a product called Fiddlebrite for years that worked well (it's just hard to find now).  Taylor guitars recommends linseed oil.

Speaking of Taylor, they recommend putting the stuff on and wiping it off immediately.  Personally, I'll let it sit for a few minutes, and then wipe off the excess.  How long?  About the length of time to go to the kitchen and freshen my drink.

I'll typically do a conditioning on my rosewood necks about 4 times a year.  Ebony necks get it twice a year (it's a naturally oily wood).  I don't own any maple neck instruments, but if they're finished then you really don't need to do this.

After this, it's time to put a fresh set of strings on...

The hardest thing about restringing is "where do I cut the string off at?".  Improperly wound tuning pegs are a huge source of tuning instability.  I've got a little different technique for each instrument, but for my basses this works really well.  For the E and A strings, I go "a post and a half" past where they will wind.  In the above picture, I'm getting reading to the E string.  Where my fingers are is where I will make a 90 degree bend.

I like to make the bend before I cut, because in my mind it lessens the chance of the outer wrap on the string coming loose.  I'll cut the string about an inch past the bend.

From there, I insert the string and then wrap it smoothly from top to bottom on the post.  You want the string to have a downward force into the nut.

 

From here...repeat ad naseum.  For the D and G strings, I will give them 2 posts of length (since they're thinner strings).  Since you're going to run out of posts, hold the string in position at the correct tuning post, and then bring it back to make your measurement.  This photo shows me about to string up the G.  I'm holding it where it would hit it's tuning post.

Now I tune up, stretch the strings, repeat...a couple of times.  And we're strung up for the next show.

Since I didn't change string brands or gauges, there's no need to do a truss rod adjustment or set the intonation (although I'll spot check it).

Before you put your instrument away, check and make sure that everything that's supposed to be tight is.  Strap buttons are notorius for working loose.  Make sure those are snug, and if you use strap locks (you should be), then make sure that hardware is tight.

You don't want to wind up like this guy...especially if you tend to do any tricks.

Finally, if any of your guitars have active electronics and require a battery, when's the last time you changed that?  Typically, I'll change 'em twice a year.  I like to put a piece of board tape on 'em and write the date I installed it.  That takes the guess work out. 


Next week, I want to take about something that ain' glamorous but very necessary.  I've been doing this a long, long time and I been injuried either setting up or tearing down after a gig more times than I care to admit.  We'll talk about safety for you and your gear, and things you can do to make sure the show goes on.

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





I Hear You Rockin'

Next to my talk box and multi-neck guitars, the piece of gear I get asked about most at shows is my in-ear monitor system.  So this week, let me try to demystify this technology.

Using personal monitor devices is has been going on since the 70's (it's just gotten more elegant and less obtrusive).  Keith Moon used to put on a pair of Koss headphones to follow a backing tape when The Who would play Won't Get Fooled Again and Baba O'Riley live.

Guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers), used headphones instead of monitor slants live...as that was what he was accustomed to in the studio

Of course, these examples pre-date the wireless options we have today, but the concepts are the same.  Going to in ear systems have a lot of advantages over traditional slants:

• Hearing Conservation - when you put in a set of in-ears, you're really knocking down the  stage noise you hear.  Universal fit ear phones will attenuate the ambient by 10dB or so.  Custom fit molded ones will get you up to 25dB.
• Less gear - A transmitter, receiver, and ear phones can fit in a gig bag.  Try that with a monitor slant, power amp, and EQ.
• Speaking of EQ, you don't have to ring the feedback out of in-ears.
• Less noise on the stage means a cleaner mix for your front of house.
• When someone walks up to you while your playing to request a song, just point to you're in-ears, shake your head, and mouth the words "sorry, can't hear you".

OK...so that's all good, right?  Well...it is, but there are some trade-offs.  First, it's really not practical to share mixes with in-ears...everybody needs their own.  With that consideration, your main console needs to be able to supply enough mixes.  With modern consoles now, it's tough to find anything even semi-pro with less than 4 mixes now (the Presonus SL24 I'm using now has 10 freakin' mix outputs, plus 2 more for effects).

There's also cost.  You'll pay 2 to 4 times per wireless set up what a traditional slant/amp/EQ package would run you.  And this is one time where you need to stay with the name brands like Shure, Sennheiser, and Audio-Technica.  You really don't want something cheap that's going to randomly blast your ears with interference.  You're looking at $500 to $1000 per transmitter/receiver.  Most packages include universal fit ear pieces.   If you're a drummer or keyboardist and don't need wireless mobility, then wired systems are available for about half the cost.

If you're a band that mixes themselves from the stage, it's not practical for everyone to go to in ears.  Somebody still has to be able to hear the mains.  Otherwise, you could have a major problem in the mix and not know it until your crowd starts throwing stuff.

And finally, it's a very different environment to play in.  It's been almost 10 years ago, but I very much remember the first show I ever used them on.  I put in the ear pieces and thought "ah hell...this is too weird.  I just pissed away $1200".  But, seeing as I was trying to save my hearing I kept at it.  Along the way I figured a few things out that made things better, and now it's tough for me to play without 'em.

OK, so you (individually or your band) are going to move forward with this.  I won't go into the details of hooking everything up, as that can vary from system to system.  Instead, let's talk about getting things fired up and dialed in.

A Channel For Everyone

Seems kind of obvious, but everyone needs their own frequency to operate on.  This is the first thing I check when setting up a new system.  So of the new advanced ones automatically scan for available channels and configure themselves (the Shure PSM-1000 will do this...at a price of of over $5000).  And once you get your transmitters and receivers matched up, MARK 'EM!  Either color code them or put the performer's name on both the transmitter and receiver.  You'll thank me 5 minutes before show time.

Start Small

I used mine the first time at a performance...trial by fire for me.  If I had to do it over again, I would have done a couple of rehearsals with them first.

When you first put in the ear pieces, resist the temptation to put everything into the mix.  See what you can hear without adding anything.  Then, add your voice, instrument, and maybe the other vocals.  It's quite possible you might wind up with just about everything in, but you might not need it.

How Are You People Doing?

The biggest "disconnect" for me was not hearing the room or the audience.  And then I found out what the big boys do...they mic the room and add that back to the mix!  So that's what I do now.  I started out putting a condenser mic on my stand facing back out, but I got tied of the drunks bumping into it coming up to ask for "In A Gadda Da Vida".  So now, I just crack in a little of the drum overheads and that works fine.  Just make sure that in the case of a true room mic, it's just routed to the monitor bus and not going out the mains.  Otherwise, you'll be trying to chase down some nasty feedback.

Earache My Eye...

The quality of the ear pieces that comes with your system is directly proportional to the cost of the entire system.  My first system came with Shure e1's...pretty fundamental single driver units, but OK for guitar and vocals.

Those gave up the ghost after a couple of years so I stepped up to the e3's.  Much better, and they worked fine until I started playing bass in Buzzfuel.  Unfortunately, I couldn't hear below a low G on my bass, and the guitarist next to me on stage was using a 100 watt Mesa Boogie that was capable of wiping out a small country.  Even with the e3's in, he was the loudest thing in my head.

That's when I decided to pony up and get a set of custom mold in-ears made for me.  After shopping around and talking to some friends of mine who play for a living, I decided to go with the UE5's from Ultimate Ears.  They're a 2-way system (separate woofer & tweeter).  Between the ear pieces, getting the molds shot, and shipping it was just under $700, but they've been entirely worth it.  Not only do the sound a ton better, the outside noise isolation was so good that I had to add that killer amp next to me back into my mix...I couldn't hear it otherwise!

You're Gonna Put What Where?
If you decide you want to go with the custom mold route, I'll warn you right now...it's not at all painful, but it's a strange experience. 

You'll want to go to an audiologist that's familiar with the requirements of the particular company you're going to order from.  Ultimate Ears calls out for a specific mold compound, the depth of the mold, and how much of your outer ear they want an impression taken of.  Most places will charge you about $50 to take the impressions.

When you start, they're going to shove a small foam dam deep into your ear.  Next, you'll get a piece of foam to bite on (a bite block) to hold your mouth open at a certain angle.  Finally, the audiologist comes at you with what looks like a caulk gun and shoots the mold compound into your ear.  It's very cold when it goes in, but warms up as it cures.  It only takes a minute or two to set up, and then they pull it out.  Repeat for the second ear.  You wind up with a couple of alien looking things.  These are my impressions from my last set I had made. (Note: the fuzzy looking things are the dams they put in my ear canel before shooting in the blue goo...not something unexpected that came out of my head)

You send these in (along with a fairly substantial amount of money) and some paper work.  Be sure you send them to the correct address.  The lab that scans the impressions and makes the enclosures may not be the same facility that you ordered from. 

Anyway, in a couple of weeks the in-ear fairy will bring you your new toys.

Care And Feeding
The most important thing you can do with custom mold in-ears after you get them is to keep them clean.  As gross as it is, you're going to have to clean the ear wax out of the ports every show or two (you'll get tools to do that).  Another thing I like to do is wipe the outside down with alcohol (isopropyl, not grain) after every show.  Rather than carry a bottle of the stuff that can spill, I use these:

These are pre-moistened 1" x 1" cotton squares in individual packets.  You get 120 for less than $3. 

I figure if I've got these things I'm going to sticking into my head for several hours at a time, I need to make sure  that they're not acting as a Petri dish for who-knows-what bacteria that they may have picked up at a gig.





We've covered a lot of ground today.  I may have talked a few of you out of the idea of using in-ear systems.  Honestly...not every one likes 'em, and that's all right.

I've received a few emails about instrument maintenance, and seeing that I've got basses and guitars to restring and prep for shows next weekend I figure we'll cover that next week.

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