My first major issue dealt with my saxophone effects pedal. There was way too much noise in the channel--a flat ton of hiss. I'm not sure why, but I tried swapping out cables and that didn't cure it, and I tried bypassing my effects pedal (plugging the sax directly into my mixer) and that cured it, so I think that maybe the output jack has gone bad. I won't know until I can set it up at home and check it out.
I put the pedal away since I assume it's messed up. I was checking it with my tenor, so I ran from my receiver directly into my board, which cured the hiss. Strangely, though, the gain was jacked way up. I assumed that the gain from the pedal had been helping me up to this point, so I didn't sweat it.
We started the gig, and the first or second tune we played, I had an alto solo, and when I switched on my alto, my monitor squealed and screamed like I was committing audio suicide. What the hell? I kept trying to back it down and find a workable spot, but the thing kept going nuts every time I would turn it on. I played the solo with no microphone as a result, and the soundman came running over--"I'm not getting anything!"
A couple of songs later, I had a tenor solo, which was inaudible. I was really confused. You have no idea how difficult it is to troubleshoot your gear while you're playing a gig--anything you try and anything you touch is a potential land mine that could detonate without warning.
Back and forth this went...alto was too loud, tenor was basically off. I finally figured it out right before the end of the first set. I have a separate wireless transmitter for each horn (both going to the same receiver). The transmitter for the tenor had the pad turned on, making it something like 20 db lower (or, if you set the gain on your mixer to accommodate that, your non padded alto sound is 20 db "airhorn in your face" louder). Ahh!
Now I'm wondering if maybe my pedal was ok, but I had the gain cranked up so high on my board it made it hiss like crazy? Maybe. I need to get that sorted out ASAP.
I got the sax straightened out. Sort of, anyway.
In the second song of the second set, Lido Shuffle, my EWI went insane. It sounded like I hung a note--if you're not MIDI inclined, I guess that means that the sound kept going (full blast) even though I wasn't playing it, and I would normally smack the spacebar to clear it. I have no idea why this happened to me, but the EWI sounded like it hung four or five notes at the same time, which made for a horrible cluster of audible crap. Worse was that I smacked the spacebar and it would not go away. I tried again and it would not stop. Meanwhile, my big keyboard solo was approaching, and I needed to cure this in about three seconds, but it would not go away. I tried turning off the EWI. It would not stop. I finally turned off my mixer--the only way I could get the sound to stop. Turning off the mixer meant that I couldn't play the solo, though. Not a cool moment. I kept banging on the spacebar and eventually my laptop reset and things were OK.
The rest of the gig was fine. Everything worked normally.
Playing-wise, things were sloppy. I made it through FM without any casualties (though it was one of my almost inaudible tenor moments), and the string part was fine. In I Can't Go for That, I split a high G on alto that was super gnarly and super loud, and I held on to it for as long as I could. It's a spot where the vocals and I trade, and Nick didn't even sing. Good thing--after all my equipment issues for that set, I wanted to beat the hell out of something. Biggest Part of Me suffered from my usual problem--when I go out front to play, I can't hear as well as I can when I'm right in front of my monitor, so I overblow, and I end up fighting my horn. Pretty stupid that I'm still having that issue. I need to accept that the PA in the room will take care of me. I guess it's more the fact that it sounds like my mic isn't on, and I'm going for it, and so I end up pushing too hard. I've got to convince myself to back it down about twenty percent. My horn would work a lot better if I did.
I can't remember anything else. We played I'd Really Love to See You Tonight (with me playing the piano part) and that went pretty well. I had one wrong chord, but I was cool with everything else. I just need to relax on that one a little more. It's faster in my head than the speed at which we actually play it.
I have a House Live gig tonight, and Yacht Rock tomorrow.
www.davidfreemanmusic.net
