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Setting Levels
March/April 1999
Contributors: Ethan C. Drew-Both Sides of the Board
Brad Slate-Once It's Gone, It's Gone

Edited by Paul L. "Pro" Pearson, Ph.D., (pro@strangepleasures.com)
Strange Pleasures-www.strangepleasures.com

Welcome back to the land of electrons, sine waves and ear protection; tangled cords, blown amps and crispy first gens…it's Setting Levels. This month's guest columnists are: Ethan Drew, a taper and road-tested sound engineer-he's got some insight on taping live music from both perspectives, and Brad Slate-violinist from the band ALLSET, who's got some important information about live music and your hearing.

But first, I'd like to thank everyone who took part in last month's Ominous Seapods tape offer-the first jamband show stories were very interesting. Hats off goes to Brandon whose first Phish show was 11/9/98 at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago. He was kind enough to help out a stranded motorist and received the gift of a ticket in return. Then, following the show, he went to Kingston Mines and guess what-the boys were there and he got to meet Trey and Page (and sent a photocopy of the signed ticket to prove it). Now that's a first show to remember…

Tape of the month: If you are interested in getting into tape trading, but don't know how to get started, you've found the place. You have to have less than 10 hours of jamband tapes, send me blanks and postage (B&P) and agree to be a good trader and spread them around. This month, I'll take up to the first ten requests that meet those requirements and tell me who their favorite jamband guitarist is and what makes he/she the best in the bidness.

This month's tape is:

Phish 2/20/93 Roxy Theatre, Atlanta GA

Setlist-http://www.phish.net/hfb/1993.html#02-23-93
Review-http://www.phish.net/reviews/shows/02-20-93.html
(pro@strangepleasures.com) with your request and your favorite guitarist story…

Site of the Month: I will take submissions or reviews from anyone for sites dedicated to tape trading, mixing, web audio or related topics.

This month's featured site is:

It's a DAT, DAT, DAT, DAT World!
http://www.digitalexperience.com

This site is owned by Alex Sloley and is an excellent first stop for those interested in getting into digital taping. There are primers on soundboard taping, CD-R creation, resources for J-card creation and much, much more. If you have questions after reading the article by Ethan Drew that follows, this is another good place to stop.

Without any further blather, on to the articles…

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Both Sides of the Board
Ethan C. Drew
druidsound@mindless.com

Well, what can I say? I've been a taper for years, going back to 1984. I'm also a sound engineer, previously on the road with the band Jiggle the Handle for 6 years. I now work for Taft Sound and Foret Systems. But the bottom line is, I'm someone who loves music. This is the first time I've written anything for this space and I was going to write a tour journal but I didn't get the info together on time. So, this installment will be something for all the tapers to get some insight from the sound guy's perspective. I've heard both sides of the argument…

The sound guy is an asshole…

I would like to correct people on that. Most of the engineers are really good people and deserve more credit than they get from tapers. I've been a sound engineer for awhile but I started out by taping. The first show I recorded was Max Creek on a stereo micro-cassette recorder that came out horrible. Now the technology has gotten much better with the DAT decks and good mics and preamp DA converters and such.

Let's get on with the tech end of things-first off, when you go to a show to tape, don't expect the sound engineer to give you power and a board patch. I've tried to be good about that, but sometimes it just isn't possible. I had the system shut down by a taper who wanted power for his D-7 and plugged into the wrong place. So, please bring self-contained power (Battery packs can be bought and they are also easy to make).

Next, bring patch cables and any other equipment you need, but you may also want to bring mics. Some consoles aren't easy to patch from. Last Friday night I had someone come in with the band and he had a very extensive setup for live recording. His rig consisted of a Tascam DA-38 8-track digital deck, and the lines he used were as follows: right and left from the board, 2 Realistic PZM mics, the vocal subgroups, baritone sax and trumpet. This was all well and good, but he had no way to control the levels going into his deck and some of the channels were clipping (the signal was too hot coming from the board). I went to see Deep Banana Blackout and Moon Boot Lover the other night and I wish I had brought mics. This being the first show I have taped in awhile, I didn't like the drum sounds from the board. Mics would have made it so that I could have heard how the whole room sounded.

Next on the list is mic placement. I have thought long and hard about this. I like to run split mics placed about 15 - 30 feet apart, but that isn't realistic in most rooms. So, walk the room, find the sweet spot and setup there unless it 's not possible to do so. I would make mic suggestions, but there's so many to choose from. In my own little world I would have about 10 pairs to choose from for any show. Use what you think sounds good if and when you can afford them.

Tapers are a pain in the ass…

So there it is-both sides of the coin-tapers suck, sound guys suck. I know where this attitude comes from. I was a taper and still tape some shows, but first I'm an engineer. I don't like people who think it's their God-given right to record anything they want. I don't like people who put their mic stands in the way so I can't see the band. I don't like having my gear unplugged so a taper can plug in his deck. Here is the biggie-I hate people who come in and start pulling cables out of the console so they can get the patch. Get a clue, they are there for a reason. If you want a patch, ask the sound person and don't assume anything. I don't mind helping you pull a good tape but I won't put up with anyone messing with my gear.

Here are some suggestions to help you out. Talk to the engineers and make friends. Ask nice and be respectful. Bring in a patch bay that other tapers can use. Bring a battery pack or power strip and ask for power well before the show. Show up early enough!! I won't look for some place to patch a deck in at the last minute.

Well, I hope you find this informative. Feel free to e-mail me (mailto:druidsound@mindless.com ) for help in finding mics, power supplies and other taping tools to fit your needs, or check out my website at: http://24hour.net/druid

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Once It's Gone It's Gone
A Look At Live Music And Hearing Damage

by Brad Slate - Electric/MIDI Violinist for ALLSET
allset@mer-ka-ba.com - http://mer-ka-ba.com/allset.html

ALLSET is an instrumental band based in Boston, MA. They create psychoactive music that is ideal for dancing and trancing and are planning their first national tour this summer.

So you manage to get yourself rolling through the clubs front door and out onto the street at 2:00am after a crazy night of dancing, drinking and some really good, really LOUD music. But what is that high-pitched squeal that seems to be coming from all around you? A nuclear attack? UFO's are finally landing? Nope - it's just some little tiny hairs inside your ears fighting a losing battle to stay alive. That high pitched sound, called tinnitus (pronounced tin-it-us), is an indicator that you hurt yourself and, oh yeah, caused PERMANENT DAMAGE TO YOUR BODY!

Tinnitus is caused by a "whip cracking" effect inside your inner ear. There are tiny little hairs inside your ear that are very sensitive to moving air, sometimes called sound by people who own ears. These hairs inside your ear canal live on top of some tissue that is also very sensitive to moving air. When this tissue is moved a bunch it is set into a wave-like motion. When these waves become to large (loud) for the space that exists inside your ear there occurs a whip cracking effect. This whip crack causes some of your little hairs to get killed outright and others to die a slow, painful, literally "whimpering" death. That annoying high pitched sound does go away though, so no big deal right? WRONG!

Those little hairs WILL NEVER GROW BACK and YOU HAVE DAMAGED YOUR HEARING.

Why am I so adamant about this? I've been playing the violin for 21 years now and electric violin for 10. I have played a lot of live music with unprotected ears. It didn't used to bother me, the tinnitus would go away and I'd be ready to do it again the next day. Well one day I woke up and the ringing didn't stop, it didn't stop for 3 YEARS! That's right, 3 years of 24X7 ringing! Can you say "total insanity"? Especially for a professional musician. I realized what I had been doing to myself and became really depressed. I was thinking my hearing is getting ruined and by the time I'm 40 my conversational vocabulary will consist of two words, "what?" and "huh?". My ears also became hyper sensitive and being around anything too loud gives me a headache in about 30 seconds (I've had other musicians laugh at me in the past for being such a wimp, all I can say is "that's not how I used to be and your gonna end up just like me if your not careful"). I couldn't stop playing because that's what I do so I had to find another solution.

Earplugs! I discovered earplugs. At first I started using regular old earplugs, the kind you would buy for shooting a gun or being around any loud noise (also the kind you can usually buy at a venue). Problem was that they were made for stopping sound altogether and didn't let much through so the music sounded bad and playing in them sucked. But then I discovered the wonders of modern technology and started using several different kinds of "designed for music" earplugs (these should be available at any local music shop). These worked well but I still thought things could be better as they kind of destroyed the high-end of sound, everything above 10k was very muffled. Playing a violin without any frets one needs to be able to hear the notes so things'll be in tune. I then found out about custom fitted earplugs.

A person can purchase these at pretty much any place that fits people for hearing aids. They cost around $100 dollars, a very worthwhile investment considering it's your ability to talk to people, enjoy music etc. (come on, just don't buy a couple of kind bags and save your ears). The process is very simple and consists of a foamlike substance being injected into your ear canal. This exact copy of your ear is then used to make earplus that you can't even tell you have in when worn. These are the best sounding ear plugs I have ever used as they don't destroy a total frequncy range but rather have an overall effect of "turning the volume down." This is very agreeable from a music lover's standpoint.

I would also like to add, after much contemplation on my part, that it's not the volume in the ear that makes electric music so killer (our ears are designed for detecting little rodents, also known as dinner, 200 yards away in the wilderness - not standing in front of a rumbling sound system putting out 110db), but rather the intense level of vibration that we feel with the rest of our bodies. There is nothing more fun for myself than standing in front of a huge slamming sound sytem and feeling the waves of sound roll over and through me as I play.

My tinnitus has since gone away after I started wearing earplugs but it took a few years. I've had my hearing tested and it is still "above normal" but I wonder how good it was... So wether you're a player, listener or both if your ears are ringing you just murdered a bunch of little hairs and they're gone and nothings gonna bring 'em back (barring any future bionic ear implants 'n' stuff, but don't count on it). Bottom line - DON'T SHRED YOUR HEAD - PLUG YOUR EARS!

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There you go-taping concerns from both sides of the board and a very important message about saving your hearing. As a sound guy, I'm worried about that as well, because some nights it feels like I'm not hearing the full range of sound after an hour or two. (Thinkin' I might need to get myself some of those plugs…)

In my world, I haven't had anyone requesting a board patch yet, but I have worked with a couple of tapers (come back next month for an interview with one of them). As Ethan pointed out, we are generally limited by the space, power, and outputs we have, and we are VERY BUSY just before the show starts-too busy to take care of your needs. I call it the "20 minutes of panic," and you can generally see by the look on my face when I'm in that zone. It's best to just leave me alone until you see me grooving…

Speaking of grooving, Strange Pleasures and The Disco Biscuits at the Saddle Creek Bar in Omaha NE on St. Patrick's Day, Wednesday March 17th at 8 PM. This is my first opportunity to hear the Bisco and I'm psyched. This show will probably be taped both from the room and the board, and may show up as next month's offer. Hope to see you there!! Send comments or contributions for next month (including dank tapes or website recommendations) to pro@strangepleasures.com.

Take care until next month,

Pro