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First live set - epic fail. What went wrong?
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Chemogen
IsraTrance Full Member
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166
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Posted : Mar 28, 2010 01:55:29
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So tonight was in effect something I'd been working towards for the last three years. My first real live set. For the last few weeks I'd been totally shirking college responsibility, putting essays and projects on hold so I could solely concentrate on this event. I'd spent days putting together a real live set incorporating my iPod Touch and NanoKontrol. I went through 4 full rehearsals over the last week and I was having no problems whatsoever.
I get to the event, with about forty minutes to my set I get on stage and start setting up. There was a multi-plug adapter right next to me, no hassles plugging in. My fears of pulling out a cable for a CDJ or mixer (my biggest fear at the point) were moot because there was a separate adapter for live equipment. I thought that I'd have everything set up in a few minutes and could go get a drink and give the DJ some space to finish his set before I came back.
Everything seemed great, Live was running flawlessly my NanoKontrol was working perfectly. My Novation Nio 2/4 wasn't giving issues in the headphones. Monitoring the signal straight from the box on my headphones, the signal was crystal clear. I was so excited.
Then things went pear shaped.
Using RCA connectors, I plugged into the mixer, A Pioneer DJM600. I asked the DJ if I could quickly check the signal with his headphones seeing as he had a good six minutes to his next mix. Shock. The signal was low. Very, very very low. With the gain on the mixer set to full, only two green lights were barely flashing on the mixer's meters. My heart sank but then with total relief I realised "Shit, the Nio has Phono outputs. Wow, that could have been embarrassing." So - and I still have about half an hour till my set now - I quickly swapped the inputs on the mixer from Line to Phono thinking everything would be peachy.
Nope.
The signal going into the mixer was one of the dirtiest, most distorted noises I've ever had the displeasure of experiencing. My god, it was horrible. The bass sounded like a hollow shell, the kick was more distorted than the most intense Gabba track - and this was for a Psytrance set, by the way. The gain pot on my Nio seemed to have absolutely no effect on the signal going into the mixer. The gain set at 9 o clock on the mixer was still pushing the mixer so far into the red I was expecting flickering bars to start flying out the back. Even with the gain set nearly to 0, the signal was still horribly distorted. There was absolutely no way I could make someone put up with even 16 bars of that.
I called the event organiser over and we tried sorting things out (this all over another poor DJ trying to play his set with two people clambering over his shoulders.)
We tried different channels on the mixer, we tried different cables, we continuously switched between phono and line on the mixer in case by some act of God, the architecture of the hardware would suddenly accommodate me.
I rebooted three times.
By now I'm down to the last five or so minutes of this guy's set before I need to get things going. I can't think of a situation more sickening for a DJ then watching the remaining time on a CDJ tick down while wiping the sweat off your brow and wondering what the fuck you're going to do. It is seriously the kind of thing I've honestly had nightmares about. This entire night was literally a nightmare come true.
There is a somewhat happy ending though. As I was leaving home, laptop slung over my shoulder, a voice - a very quiet one - inside urged me to grab some CDs just in case Plan A failed. So in the last 15 seconds before my set started, I flung a CD into the CDJ and played a DJ set that I didn't enjoy in the slightest. For the whole (lengthy) drive home I've been stressing over the fact that I don't know how I can be booked as a live act with the heavy burden of knowing that this could happen again and not having any idea as to why.
Does anyone have any answers or suggestions? Really one of the most disappointing things I've experienced in a long time which is so sad because it was a seriously rocking party. I have to thank the enthusiastic crowd who didn't seem to care one way or the other what was being played as long as there was doof and it sounded good.
Any advice would be very, very appreciated and encouraging, like a big fuzzy hug. Please excuse the lengthy post, but it's somewhat cathartic for me at the moment. |
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Axis Mundi
Axis Mundi
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Posted : Mar 28, 2010 03:14
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Things like that happen, and it can be hard to predict sometimes. For the most part, I've been fortunate, but there was one time where I was setting up for my set (as a rule I go through setup an hour before I go on so as to work out any snags early) and my external failed to recieve power... something in the hard drive housing had broken. Fortunately there was another DJ ready to go, and someone who was at the party just happened to have a bag full of spare external hard drive parts. So I watched (in horror) as he took my hard drive apart and reassembled it in a new housing, and... it worked! I got to go on... about 8 hours after I should have but at least there was a happy ending.
A good DJ friend of mine practiced for months for his first overseas bookings, and when he went up in from of about 2000 people, a problem with his sound card made most of his set sound like complete ass. His next overseas booking a few weeks later, his sound card slipped out of the DJ booth and hit the floor, screwing up his set royally. He was really bummed about it, understandably. But the point is, it happens, so don't let it get you down. Take it as a lesson learned so you know what to look out for next time it happens.
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vipal
IsraTrance Full Member
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123
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1397
Posted : Mar 28, 2010 03:39
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you did 4 rehearsals, had a back-up set, made the crowd dance... no one to blaim here. ...
and i am sure the party-organizer now really wants to hear your live set. so you will get another gig!
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take the time to sort it out. good luck.
... first gig i did i screwed up terribly, it haunted me a long time, what to do?..., just continue. but you did not even make a mess. |
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Chemogen
IsraTrance Full Member
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713
Posted : Mar 28, 2010 03:56
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Hey guys, thanks for the tips. At home, I go straight from my sound card to my monitors with no problems. Right now I'm kicking myself for not thinking about just going straight from the laptop's line out into the mixer, but I have a feeling the output would not have been strong enough for a nice signal. I also came across another forum post regarding hard-wired gain boosts in the phono stage to accommodate old turn-tables, but I'm not sure if this is the case. Can't for the life of me find that post now!
But thanks again for the tips.  |
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orange
Fat Data
Started Topics :
154
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3918
Posted : Mar 28, 2010 04:44
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Chemogen
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
166
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713
Posted : Mar 28, 2010 04:49
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I know, I know but it just feels so wrong. Before I got my laptop I played two sets off CD but it just didn't feel right.  |
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minddoctorsmakeacid
IsraTrance Full Member
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577
Posted : Mar 28, 2010 07:38
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Best bet is to get there b4 the party starts and do a sound check, also plan b is allways a good choice.... |
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-aeon-
Aeon
Started Topics :
10
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546
Posted : Mar 28, 2010 11:18
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there are always ghosts in the machine, Neo...
i once was playing a big party in London. i had probably played 50 live sets by then... and i *always* get to the venue before opening so i can do a soundcheck. but this time, a friend of mine was playing his first ever DJ set and i wanted to let him get warmed up and relax, so i skipped mine. no worries, it'll be fine.
plug in, set up and suddenly there's no sound above about 150hz going through the rig.
the monitors were fine; the headphone feed was fine. but out on the floor you could only hear muffle and woompf and no middle or high frequencies at all. Mood Deluxe and I spent about 10 minutes frantically unplugging and replugging everything we could... to no avail. we swapped cables, we tried taking the rig out from the headphone out via a splitter, everything... there was *no logical or reasonable technical explanation*. just a glitch in the matrix, you know? 
the important thing is that you did have a backup (well done) and you did leave yourself time to get set up (again, well done). that's professionalism right there, and that's why - no matter what piece of hardware craps out on you - you'll be even better prepared next time, and you'll be booked again.
i guess the only thing i'd ask is - have you been able to replicate the problem? do you know what caused it yet?
one area that's worth looking at is power. whether it's an outdoor rig or an overloaded club system, i rarely have full confidence that the power going to my live setup is as stable as it would be in the studio. so if your audio interface is bus-powered, that might be one thing to consider.
 http://www.myspace.com/aeonaeon |
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Braindrop
Braindrop
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140
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1730
Posted : Mar 28, 2010 12:03
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Ahhh Chemooo.... I just feel ur pain... and i had the exact problem that u faced, a few weeks ago....and did exactly wat u did !
Ive had a few livesets before, and it all went fine....and i presumed would be the same with this... just before the event..... i went... plugged in all the things.... sound out to the mixer frm the soundcard with RCA cables (big mistake!).... soundcheck all done nice and sweet.... 10 minutes before my set.... checked all... and no out.... i hear pretty well through the soundcard.... but nothing from the mixer.... tried everything..... switching cables.... phono...line....blah blah.... nothing worked....baffled.... i was carrying my cd case for backup...played a dj set.... everybody enjoyed...was good!
The best way to get around this... is to carry an external mixer....which i carried too.... but unfortunately i did not carry phono cables..... I think this way u will have a much better balanced signal... RC cables are always a gamble.. which was exactly wat i feared!
Like Aeon said.... there is no technical explanation to this .... But...i wld say try to cut out... RCA cables.... use an external mixer with phono cables....
Cheers!
www.braindrop.in |
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Disciple
IsraTrance Junior Member
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85
Posted : Mar 28, 2010 12:32
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i feel the pain bro, I was once doing a techno dj set in a church (wow acoustics!) I stepped up to the desk with everyone looking at me in silence only to find that the mixer was not plugged in and the sound guy didnt have a clue, after 5 mins...nothing, so my mate (the previous act) stepped in on his rig and played a storming set, I was both relieved and embarrassed at the same time! Ive run through it in mind hundreds of times since then but fact of the matter is get your stuff set up before the party starts. |
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Chemogen
IsraTrance Full Member
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166
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713
Posted : Mar 28, 2010 14:41
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Thanks again guys. Aeon, I have a cheap Gemini CDM500 CDJ/Mixer console I'm going to try run through before going into my monitors to see if the same problem happens. The most logical explanation I have is that the gain in the phono stage was boosted and hardwired on the DJM 600 and unless a really weak signal was going in there to begin with, I imagine anything would be distorted. |
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mubali
Mubali
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71
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2219
Posted : Mar 28, 2010 15:25
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The first year of doing live sets, I had a 50% success ratio... There's many a time that I'm sitting on the sidelines being pissed that my computer is acting funny or having to do a dj set I didn't plan to do.... no worries man.....
An Eagle may soar, but Weasels don't get sucked into jet engines. |
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Chemogen
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
166
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Posted : Mar 28, 2010 15:36
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So I just ran my set up through my mixer at home. No issues at all on the Line input. Switching to phono on the mixer reproduced the same distortion so that was obviously my fault, but I just can't understand why the line signal on the DJM was so weak.
Mubali, that must've sucked. Especially the who not-knowing-when-its-going-to-fuck-out aspect. |
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PoM
IsraTrance Full Member
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162
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8087
Posted : Mar 28, 2010 15:43
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back up cd on the cdj ,you start them both at same time.
it make me think twice about the relabilty of pc for liveset,i dont even remember last time my gf macbook pro crashed ( hapened maybe 2 times in 1 or 2 years of heavy use) |
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mubali
Mubali
Started Topics :
71
Posts :
2219
Posted : Mar 28, 2010 15:43
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and then some... does your soundcard have a manual volume adjustment? it might be something as silly as the volume to the card being turned down a bit... Check the software interface for your soundcard.
An Eagle may soar, but Weasels don't get sucked into jet engines. |
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