Dad3353

Print it onto one of these, then, and let them...

Back to the old nationalistic clichés again, I see..? And Mexicans; they never drop off of an afternoon, peut-être..? Now, if you'll excuse m Zzzzz... Zzzzz... Zzzzz...

Oh dear. I worked as a tech in a music shop in France for quite some years, and the stories I could tell about band leaders and their PA 'savvy' would fill a decent volume (yes, Danny Desaunay, this includes you..!). It's no guarantee of savoir faire; in fact quite the opposite, in my experience. Run for the hills..! I've used rear PA (alone...) before, but at extremely modest levels, just as a bit of monitoring, really. Sidefill can be very useful, but only on larger stages, and tightly controlled. No, the bloke's just deluded. Call in an independent sound tech to oversee and recommend improvements, is my advice (but I doubt this bloke will listen to such; again going by my past experience of band leaders in general, and French ones even more so..!)

Eh..? What..? Did someone call..? Ah, the old 'clout the drummer' gags, huh..? Better than that you will have to do. Can I continue my siesta now, please..? (Yawn ...)

£400 is the price (new...) of an entry-point kit; fine enough for home practice or messing about on (and a good product, just the same...), but cannot be compared to playing an acoustic kit, and is still £400..! A decent electro kit is well above the £1000-plus mark. I'd love an electro kit, but I've seen too many entry-level kits fall apart or be too quickly hammered to dust to spend £400 on one. For gigging, the PA has to be of a minimum standard to plug into, too. No, electro kits are rather the more expensive option; certainly not 'budget', in my experience (more's the pity ...).

Something like this, I suspect... Archer 3/4 Double Bass ...

Subsafe Audio Protection ...

A Dutch auction, eh..? Seeing who blinks first..? I'd wait a bit longer, at the risk of someone else snapping up this 'bargain'.

Following a Report concerning some reactions in this topic, I've done a bit of cleaning up. A simple misunderstanding that escalated; let's leave it there. Play nicely, please, despite the late hour. Thanks in advance for your understanding and cooperation.

Stereotypes..? They're so passé; Shirley no-one these days holds those ancient views on gender and such nowadays..?

A new way of relicing, perhaps..?

Disaster, but for whom..? One of many 'Kiemsa' anecdotes posted previously; I was the 'lighter' and truck driver for them for several years ... Every year there is a full week of music in the town of Bourges. We had a whole raft of dates, several each day, in bars and cafés all over the town. In one place, mid-afternoon, we were set up in a tiny cramped corner of a tiny bar (about 5 m x 10 m..?). The tables were fine, 'art-deco' cast iron affairs, with two cast stems supporting the marble top, for four (cramped...) customers. Our lights were 4 PAR 56 cans, on the floor at the singer's feet. Once they started up, the place went crazy. There was a swell, the placed was literally heaving; I had a heck of a time trying to hold back the public from sweeping all forward, saving what I could of the PARs, the monitors and the band from this deluge of a throng. Came half-time, and a short pause, the wreckage became apparent. Every tabletop had been snapped clean off, leaving mortally dangerous cast-iron spikes sticking up by a foot from the floor. How no-one was not injured or transpierced is a miracle. The bar owner was not at all happy, but, seeing the business he was doing, and the very strong crowd wanting more, allowed us to continue the second set, asking for a touch more musical restraint. Vain hope; he just had time to remove the spikes, chiselling them from the floor, before more mayhem. There were two more 'showcase' events and bar concerts that same day. Oh how we laughed; you had to be there.

As a Cynic, I'm generally wary of 'data', and the little shown in this topic even more so, as the questions posed seem (to me...) to be biased from the start, and we've no idea as to geographic nor demographic spread. Someone once said 'there are lies, damned lies and statistics.' It could have been me; I don't buy into 'data' of the sort without a great deal more background information. Where, then, do I get my opinions from..? Several decades on the planet with my own experiences and observations, coupled with sources I trust, rightly or wrongly, plus the over-riding factor of my own conscience. That'll do me (he said, with smug complacency ...)

Mmm... Tee..!

If composing is your bent, and you're looking for inspiration or a reason for doing it, look no further ... April Composition Challenge ... To judge from the quality of your 'Mother Of All BS', you'll have no trouble at all fitting in with the high quality of the regular participants. Worth a look..? As for the track (a bit short; cries out for expansion...), I liked the false rhythm at the start, which gels very nicely as the 'motor' gets going. If that's what you do with simply Garageband, continue; you're on a roll, there. Good Stuff; thanks for sharing. Don't waste such talent, get stuck into the BC Challenge..!

That kind of mileage is pretty well standard for most French bands, but the weather here tends to be slightly more clement in general. Well done, lad; you're now a real trooper, if you weren't before..!

Very satisfied with our Smothhound. First and only system, so nothing to compare it with, but no regrets on its acquisition. It's Good Stuff.

And that's another thing. When will you learn to leave that Zimmer frame out of everyone's way..? No respect for the rights of passage; with failing eyesight anyone could do themselves severe damage tripping over the darned thing. Think of the children, and the bad example you're setting..! (Non, mais..! Aucun considération pour autrui..! Il y a de quoi désespérer de nos aïeux..! Tsk, Tsk..! ) ...

... and will, presumably, disappear up it's own of its own accord in the fullness of time..? S'only a matter of patience, then, as little can be done to change owt till then. One has to hope that the present young'uns don't age and become old gits as we seem to have done, maybe..?

Good evening, xxxxx , and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share. (... but you knew that anyway, didn't you..? )

You're not fooling me with your 'April First' nonsense..! I'll wait for the real picture to be posted..! Ha Didn't expect us to fall for that, did you..? We're not that simple..! Let's have a decent pic, not some joke. ... ...

I'm not sure that I'd agree, there. Non-musical cymbals will tire the ear very quickly, in whatever circumstances, in my experience. Musicality does not come cheap, as with all other domains, but there's not much to be done to 'improve' a duff cymbal except not play it. The best-sounding ones for one's pocket, I'd say, and preferably compatible with the rest of the cymbal set. They are an integral part of the kit, after all. Listen to 'em, and reject any that don't sound musical (unless playing absolute 'trash'-style, of course, in which case all bets are off..! )

You're ranting at the wrong person, I'm afraid. I'm an anarchist, and a firm believer in taking one's destiny into one's own hands. Far be it for me to defend the present System, but the fact remains that, whilst accepting fully that everyone has freedom to choose how to protect themselves, there is still a duty for employers to ensure adequate working conditions for those working for them, and this includes musicians. You mention, in your exaggeration, road drills. Do you see workers operating those with no protection..? Not often, I'd guess. A viola player sitting in front of a brass section is no different, I say. Should he have refused to play there..? Maybe, but the employers are not absolved from their obligations, just the same. Would I have stayed there in the din and racket..? Probably not, but that's easy to say from my armchair and with hindsight. Once the damage is done, it's too late to move away. No-one should be put in such a position if it can be avoided. (Accidents are a different kettle of fish; we're discussing work conditions, not fortuitous incidents...). You ask (rhetorically, I presume...) 'What's the answer..?' I'd suggest the wearing of adequate protection whenevr exposed to loud noises, whatever their provenance, if one's hearing is of any value to one.