THE "ANYTHING" BOX

billbaker · Post by **billbaker** » Sun Jun 17, 2012 12:46 am

In recent PM's with xmlguy the conversation hit on the concept of what I call my "anything box" or perhaps "idiot insurance".

Murphy's Law says, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. For those who are unfamiliar: http://www.murphys-laws.com/murphy/murphy-laws.html

Murphy was an optimist...

So at a gig - what - aside from your keyboard - do you bring along to ensure smooth running.

There are the obvious - a spare: cable (xlr, 1/4", power), duct tape, extension cords. I carry a spare of everything between my hands and the main snake input just in case, and even have a spare keyboard that can be brought along if we are playing some distance from home.

And the not so obvious - like apps for your phone or iPad to check dB level (sound meter), troublesome frequencies (RTA), the ever-popular flashlight app, a free-app GPS back-up and even one to check that that the stage is not tilted (bubble type level).

Got some of your own?

Post here.

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Yoa · Post by **Yoa** » Sun Jun 17, 2012 9:08 pm

In case of total meltdown, I have recordings of everything I will be playing. If I really need to, I can just use Ableton Live or Deckadance (Dj software) and play the samples in order. Or remix them. It's a total Deadmau5 situation, haha!

billbaker · Post by **billbaker** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 1:36 am

Just out of curiosity what type of music are you doing? Your post would seem to indicate you are mostly software based. Do you carry an installable copy of your software as well?

Do you have a cloned computer at home as well? "Replaceable" software such as you might get through iTunes would seem to me to be more what I was talking about with this particular topic, but I can see where being tied to a common/popular software platform like Ableton would be an advantage. And you could get a Lite version for emergencies that would handle your samples and sequences made on the full version.

I can only imagine that a snow crash or theft of your main computer might leave you with no options - I hope you carry your copy in a separate bag.

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In the area I play in, 90% or more of my gigs (5 piece band) have no sound provided by the venue, so we have to be ready for anything that may come up from bad power to legal limitations on volume to stages that are underwater by the end of the night (story for a different post).

What else is in your gigging equipment - interface, direct box, etc., or do you find yourself mostly in plug-and-play situations where that just doesn't come up?

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Yoa · Post by **Yoa** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 1:58 am

It depends, but usually I do electronic stuff live. I actually use hardware for most of what I do, and have my laptop running to the side, should it need to be used. Normally it does have Deckadance up because if I need to get things set up differently or have a problem, I can keep people entertained by always playing something.

I only have the one laptop with a backup saved on an external hard drive. It's not much, but so far I've had no problems.

Well, if my computer goes somewhere, I would tend to notice. I keep all of my stuff close at hand because, I'll be honest, I can't trust many people, even some fans. If it did go, though, it wouldn't be much of a problem gigging wise since, again, I am mostly hardware based. If I do need to play a sample or whatever, I'll either wing it, leave it out, or improv.

When gigging with my full electronic rig, I have my Kaossilator, MiniKP, MK, my nano stuff, mixer, laptop, and maybe my DX7 if I need it. I hate taking that places because it has some issues. I've been known to have to leave it backstage because it had corrupted itself due to a slighly misaligned chip that moved while transporting it. When I'm DJing, though, it's just a laptop and my nano stuff, maybe a miniKP.

With both of those, I tend to take along two power strips and a 50' extension cord, just in case. I also have either my Peavey guitar amp or portable home studio speakers if the venue doesn't have audio stuff.

xmlguy · Post by **xmlguy** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 6:46 am

I take a couple different sets of gear to gigs, my keyboard gear and general gear. For my keyboard rig, I take two submixers, at least two of every kind of cable I normally use, misc adapters and Y cables, folding mic stand, two vocal mics, two sets of headphones/earbuds, two powered monitor/pa speakers, folding aluminum speaker stands, duct tape, double sided tape, dry board markers, permanent markers, velcro tape, multi-tools, spare NiMH batteries, battery charger, LED flashlights, gooseneck mic, MRS-8 multitrack, iPod Touch, electrical tape, aspirin, tylenol, small med kit, purex, cotton swabs, superglue, epoxy glue, sunscreen, and plastic sheets. For remote gigs, I also take deep cycle batteries, inverters, and a charger. For PA work, I take ducttape, stranded wire, soldering iron, solder, digital clip-on DC ammeter/multimeter, oscilloscope software, realtime signal analyzers, pink/white noise generators, function generators, laser infrared thermometer, laser measure, cable tracer, adhesive velcro, and my iPad2.

billbaker · Post by **billbaker** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 2:53 pm

X!

<grin> ...duct tape, sunscreen, plastic sheets...

Sounds like supplies for some sort of kinky performance art... with music.

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Yoa · Post by **Yoa** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 5:37 pm

LOL

I would have such a messy workstation if I had all that stuff, I think. Even just having cables running around my studio to my mixer is kinda messy; I can't imagine having doubles of all of that!

xmlguy · Post by **xmlguy** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 8:18 pm

billbaker wrote:X!

<grin> ...duct tape, sunscreen, plastic sheets...

Sounds like supplies for some sort of kinky performance art... with music.

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I play outdoor gigs, so wind, rain, and sun can be a factor. I can do remote gigs without grid power or loud, toxic fume gensets. Having a seagull or other bird drop a load on top of my gear is a bit too kinky for me.

So the plastic sheets and ducttape are a prophylactic, in that respect. Then again, the sheets and tape could prove useful for the crime scene that is certain to exist if someone puts a drink anywhere near my gear.

SanderXpander · Post by **SanderXpander** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 9:45 pm

Man, I thought I was thorough with my powered monitor, double pedals, cables, mightybrights and whatnot. Then again, there's always a PA company or club setup wherever I go so anything I bring (apart from the actual keyboards) is redundant to begin with.

billbaker · Post by **billbaker** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 12:01 am

"... always PA..."

Lucky you.

Not here (DC Metro Area) - of the clubs I play at only two have any sort of PA. Even then it's usually dual purpose and set up primarily for a DJ/Kareoke and not band. All private gigs, regardless of venue, we have to bring our gear for or arrange a rental. So we have a PA Company level bi-amped sound system with digital mixers... well actually two, because we have a lighter weight "speakers-on-sticks" system for smaller rooms.

At a minimum we like to bring in-ear wireless monitors, because it reduces stage noise levels so much.

My "anything box" is purely for my own piece of mind (keyboards), but there is a larger one similar to xmlguy's inventory for backing up and troubleshooting the PA. Mostly it lives in a box in the truck and yes, we do occasionally ask "why are we carrying all this stuff?" That sour attitude lasts just up to the point where something falls over, or it rains, or your gear makes that burnt toaster smell and then you're very happy that you aren't trying to find an open hardware store at 10:46 on a Saturday night in a strange town.

True story: Played a gig at a well known Ivy League college. They provided a system and engineer. Welllll... it looked good. Half way through the first set the amp stack crashed - they were using "vintage" compressors that the engineer had no clue about. He also had no idea of the system wiring or how to trace the signal path once it went into the big black box with wires - duh. Frantic phone calls to the "real" company engineer (on another job).

Because of the distance and "PA provided" we didn't have our usual back-up PA. We ended up playing for an hour and a half with the full band (my two keyboards and 5 vocalist) going through my 10" Eon monitor - the only thing close to PA. The "real" guy showed up around midnight, yanked the offending piece, rewired and had the system back up in around 5 minutes. Walked out again without so much as a "Sorry my ancient equipment is beyond the feeble comprehension of the incompetent monkey I hired to run it." His company is still running sound for the venue.

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