Intensive Gig

Last thursday me and my group had our assessment for our live audio intensive. It has been a month in planning to get this gig together and everything was going smoothly. Although the day before gig i received a message from D’artagnan from Magic

is Happening Letting me know that his bassist was sick so he would be doing the show by himself. After checking with Tim if only one person met the criteria for the assignment it was easily changed.

I had organised a film student to record a song for both of the bands so they could gain a live music video out of it so i was to arrive early on the day of the show to help her out and make sure that she had everything that she needed. She had some help from other film students so i printed off some run sheets and stuck them in important places around the hall so everyone had access to what was going to be happening.

After everything was set up we waited until 6pm when we had a sound check and both Brendan and D’artagnan quickly performed a song and we made adjustments to their fold backs, the FOH house EQ and did some quick processing like putting a compressor on the vocal so it didn’t fluctuate in dynamic rage too much. The show started at around 7.20 with Civique playing four songs and Magic Is Happening playing 6.

What went well? After reflecting on the gig i think the best thing about the night was the quality of the sound that was heard from the audience. I was able to hear all of the vocals clearly and the music was crisp and powerful. I think making the decision to leave plenty of room on our schedule was a good idea because when a small problem arose, like D’artagnan forgetting a pick for his guitar. I had plenty of time to scour SAE for one for him to borrow and is was not an issue.

What didn't go so well? I think the things that could've been done better were the attendance of the audience. As a group we should have pushed for more people to come but it was only for an assignment so i’m not too disappointed. Although our group worked well together, i would have liked to see more dedication. I was disappointed to find one of our group members leaving at 9pm before the last act had finished and the rest of the group having to jump on the desk and pack up the evening.

Overall the night was a success and i will be excited to see the final videos that come form the film students.