Facilities Issues - Booking Suspended - Existing Shows OK

So, just as I get out of my booking weirdness from October, I get some news regarding facilities issues.

At the moment, I don't have any shareable details. However, the bottom line is that new bookings are being suspended until I can figure out what is going on.

If you have a show already booked officially, there is no need to panic. I have no reason to believe that existing bookings will be affected at this time.

However, if you are on a waiting list for an "outside the window" date, or have not yet gotten in contact, please be aware that I will need a couple of weeks to do some sorting out of the current issues.

Thanks everyone - updates as I know more!

Technical Data For New Song Underground

Because of some questions that have come up in recently in booking discussions, my inner audio nerd decided to get me busy with doing with a technical overview of New Song Underground.  There is quite a bit of "audio nerd content" in this, and some of the language may be unwieldy to parse - but I'm trying to be something that reasonably approaches precise.

Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't.

Anyway, here it is:

Technical Data for New Song Underground

This document is an attempt to provide meaningful, quantitative data regarding various aspects of New Song Underground. It does not (and can not) address every possible situation encountered, and the testing discussed is not infallible. However, this document may still be interesting and useful in various cases. Please excuse any spelling or grammatical errors.

PA Equipment

FOH PA System:

Two stacks, each biamplified, consisting of one subwoofer enclosure of one direct radiating 18” low frequency (LF) driver, and one mid-high enclosure of one direct-radiating 15” LF driver, one direct-radiating 15” mid frequency (MF) driver, and one horn-loaded 1” exit high frequency (HF) driver.

The FOH stack style is parallel (one stack on either side of the stage, with the stacks radiating on a line perpendicular to an imaginary, vertical plane intersecting the proscenium).

The FOH PA is configured to operate as a monaural source. One channel is reserved for the mid-high amplification, and one channel is reserved for the subwoofer amplification. These channels are fed from the output of the mixing console in such a fashion that an audio technician can allocate signal between the mid-high and subwoofer systems by way of the pan controls on each mixing console channel.

FOH PA management consists of one “equalization (EQ) emphasis” loudspeaker management system, and one “crossover emphasis” loudspeaker management system, in series.

Stage Monitor System:

Four monitor wedges, each biamplified, each being a mid-high enclosure of one direct-radiating 10” LF driver, and one horn-loaded 1” exit HF driver.

One drum fill, comprising two stacks, each triamplified, each stack consisting of one subwoofer enclosure of one direct radiating 18” LF driver, and one mid-high enclosure of one direct-radiating 15” LF driver, and one horn-loaded 1” exit HF driver.

The stage monitor style is wedges across the downstage lip, and the drum fill centered near the upstage wall.

The stage monitor system is configured to operate as five monaural sources. Mixes for the sources are derived from the first five auxiliaries available on the mixing console channels, typically using console channels configured to be independent of channels used for feeding the FOH PA. (Channels used for feeding the FOH PA can be used to drive the monitor mixes, if independent EQ and compression for monitor sources is not required.)

The stage monitor system's management consists of one parametric equalizer for each wedge, and one graphic equalizer and “crossover emphasis” loudspeaker management system (in series) for the drum fill.

Mixing Console:

One digital mixing console with 32 channels and 16 physical inputs (one usually reserved for a submix of talkback and house music). Typical configuration is channels 1-16 feeding the FOH PA, each channel having four bands of parametric EQ, a gate, and a compressor available. Channels 17-32 are used to derive monitor mixes, each channel having four bands of parametric EQ, and a compressor available. Gates are not available on channels 17-32.

Performance Measurements

Warning! Performance measurements are made in open-loop (no possible feedback) conditions, using pink noise. It should not necessarily be expected that maximum performance can always be obtained in closed-loop conditions, for example, with a microphone, or indeed in any performance situation where multiple, unforseen and potentially uncontrollable factors exist! Also, please be aware that these measurements were not taken using “scientific grade” instruments, and so may not stand up to measurements made with full scientific rigor – they are a guideline only.

Maximum continuous sound pressure level (SPL), FOH PA:

For an observer approximately 1.676 meters (5.5 feet) above the floor, on a line perpendicular to the fourth “panel” from the front on the south wall, and intersecting a plane perpendicular to the floor and the FOH PA stacks, emanating from the south edge of the bottom stage step:

104 dB SPL A (mostly emphasizing midrange) weighted

107 dB SPL C (more low frequencies measured compared to A) weighted

Method:

Pink noise was introduced to a console channel, with the panner centered. Pink noise was increased in level until the “crossover emphasis” system management system was indicating intermittent limiter operation on the high-frequency output. Limiter operation was approximately 5 times per second. Amplification for mid-high enclosures was steadily indicating onset of amplifier limiter operation and/ or clipping.

Maximum continuous SPL, single monitor wedge:

For an observer approximately 1.676 meters (5.5 feet) above the floor, and approximately 1 meter (3.280 feet) from the monitor on a line parallel to the floor and emanating from the approximate geometric center of the monitor's front face:

113 dB SPL A

114 dB SPL C

Method:

Pink noise was introduced to a console channel. Pink noise was increased in level until the monitor's clip/ limit indicator illuminated, and then decreased in 2 dB increments until the indicator no longer illuminated.

Maximum continuous SPL, drum fill:

For an observer approximately 1.676 meters (5.5 feet) above the floor, centered between the drum fill stacks:

110 dB SPL A

115 dB SPL C

Method:

Pink noise was introduced to a console channel. Pink noise was increased in level until the mid-high enclosure's clip/ limit indicator illuminated, and then decreased in 2 dB increments until the indicator no longer illuminated.

Environmental reverb time, full bandwidth:

For an observer approximately 1.737 meters (5.7 feet) above the floor, on a line perpendicular to the fourth “panel” from the front on the south wall, and intersecting a plane perpendicular to the floor and the FOH PA stacks, emanating from the south edge of the bottom stage step:

1.536 seconds

Method:

Pink noise generated from a “region” inside a recording program was introduced to a console channel, with the panner centered. Pink noise was set to an average of 100 dB SPL C as measured at FOH, with both the FOH PA and the monitor system being audible to the observer. A recording was made of the pink noise ending, and the subsequent reverberation. The recording was analyzed to determine the length of time between the end of the pink noise, and the point where the recording level decayed beyond -55 dBFS (decibels referenced to full scale, or the maximum possible input level for the console channel). The PA system was equalized as normal.

Environmental reverb time, in half-octave bands (spectral decay):

Method:

Pink noise generated from a “region” inside a recording program was introduced to a console channel, with the panner centered. To generate the noise passbands, a multiband compressor (set to a 1:1 ratio) was set so that each passband could be reproduced in isolation. Each passband of pink noise was set to an average of 100 dB SPL C as measured at FOH, with both the FOH PA and the monitor system being audible to the observer. A recording was made of the pink noise ending, and the subsequent reverberation. The recording was analyzed to determine the length of time between the end of the pink noise, and the point where the recording level decayed beyond -55 dBFS (decibels referenced to full scale, or the maximum possible input level for the console channel). The PA system was equalized as normal.

On The Booking Of Shows

First, make sure that everybody involved (that means everybody responsible for promoting OR playing at the show) can agree to the following:

Please enjoy Underground at your own risk - and please be excellent to each other at all times.

REGARDING TOURS: Touring acts are as welcome at Underground as anyone else.  However, Underground does not have the resources to directly support touring packages needing guarantees, and with our short hours we cannot support touring packages with more than two acts.  In order to have any kind of crowd present at your show, you must have strong local support, and if you have guarantee needs, you will need to work that out with the local bands or a local promoter.  Again, this is not to make anyone unwelcome - it is just to ensure that everyone has a worthwhile night.

VERY IMPORTANT: Underground has no staff other than the audio technician (that's me)!  You MUST bring your own person to handle the door.  Remember to bring change, or ask for exact change only!

Underground is very much about bands having control over their own show whenever possible.  For this reason, it is also the responsibility of the band booking the venue to put their own bill together, and approve anyone requesting to join the bill.

The "house split" is $2 per admission.  You can set any price for admission that you like that is above $2.  The split makes it possible for me to do Underground as a full time gig (which I like very much).

In order to be good neighbors, we need to end shows by 9:00 PM.  Keeping the neighbors happy is key to our survival!

As a result of this, the suggested show is a 2 - 3 band bill that has doors at 6:30 PM, and starts promptly at 7:00 PM.  You are welcome to start a show earlier if you think that your crowd will show up that early, of course.

I would characterize our PA system and monitor rig as small, but reasonably decent.  However, we don't have loads of power or unlimited gain before feedback - please take this into account!

If everybody can agree to this, then the next step is to get in contact. The phone (801.638.7975) is good, but it can be better to send an e-mail to dmaland0@gmail.com (that's a zero after dmaland, not an "o").

Some information that we'll need is:

• Which band(s) (if any) want their show multitracked. We can only multitrack the first 16 channels.  A "faders up" quick mix of the recording is $10.  A full multitrack mix is $150 (per band/ performer).  Please note that, as of this time, we only record upon request.
  
• The websites or Myspace pages of the bands playing the show.
• The input list for each band.

After that, we'll get soundcheck times squared away, and everything will be ready to go.