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First live set - epic fail. What went wrong?
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Adharaguy
IsraTrance Junior Member
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138
Posted : Mar 28, 2010 20:20
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Its really a nightmare...shits happen...keep going 
About the distortion in phono channel, this is normal because the eq inserted in all phono lines, to balance the frequencies that we have to cut in the fase of recording vinyls.
In the next live you gona break rocks 
  Main Fusion aka Dj Adhara |
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dija
IsraTrance Junior Member
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483
Posted : Mar 29, 2010 06:10
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pc can be just as stable as mac. just takes lots of "fixing up" any well versed windows user knows this. you want stable try linux.
this pc has been ON for over 2 years straight except for software reboots and i've only had to hard shutdown twice.(NEVER during an audio session) usually during a program installation or something.
http://www.youtube.com/user/trawhi (tutorials)
http://www.myspace.com/eusidmusic |
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Mahruna
IsraTrance Junior Member
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47
Posted : Mar 29, 2010 12:12
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Oh damm bro i feel with you .
In one month i had my first live set alone , and in my head i think the whole time what can go wrong... |
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smehoparanoya
IsraTrance Junior Member
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280
Posted : Mar 29, 2010 18:56
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Things get pretty stressful. Don't sweat it too much. Just a note, if you're going to route the output of a laptop line out straight into the mixer, beware of ground loop noise! always check on main system before playing.
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Dennis the menace
DevilsDennis Sparris McHilton
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128
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Posted : Mar 29, 2010 19:37
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Quote:
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On 2010-03-28 01:55:29, Chemogen wrote:
I quickly swapped the inputs on the mixer from Line to Phono thinking everything would be peachy.
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That's where you failed, the signal from turntables are weaker than from line sources and it get's amplified with a RIAA Pre amp inside the mixer to gain the signal to the right levels. = you amplified an already strong signal = Distortion = Fail
What you should have done is to keep the gain structure on the mixer, keep it on line and adjust the gain from your soundcard/computer to match the other channels. (the channels the dj was using)
This has absolutely nothing to do with your computer and gear but the way you connected it to rig.
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Ascension
IsraTrance Full Member
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170
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3642
Posted : Mar 29, 2010 19:55
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Quote:
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On 2010-03-29 19:37, Dennis the menace wrote:
Quote:
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On 2010-03-28 01:55:29, Chemogen wrote:
I quickly swapped the inputs on the mixer from Line to Phono thinking everything would be peachy.
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That's where you failed, the signal from turntables are weaker than from line sources and it get's amplified with a RIAA Pre amp inside the mixer to gain the signal to the right levels. = you amplified an already strong signal = Distortion = Fail
What you should have done is to keep the gain structure on the mixer, keep it on line and adjust the gain from your soundcard/computer to match the other channels. (the channels the dj was using)
This has absolutely nothing to do with your computer and gear but the way you connected it to rig.
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Yeah definitely seems like an issue of the signal out from the sound card being too quiet. I've been using an m-audio fast track pro for live sets and I always have to crank the gain up on it to get a decent signal.
If it comes down to it you can always start turning up the attenuator on the back of the 600  . http://soundcloud.com/ascensionsound
www.chilluminati.org - Midwest based psytrance group |
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Dharma Lab
Started Topics :
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342
Posted : Mar 30, 2010 02:43
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A Backup plan is worth having, even more than 1.
As mentioned, phono will never work with a line level output. There are -10 dB & +4 dB line levels, and some mixers allow you to switch those, so if a mixer has that, you can try it.
What I would have done:
1) Turn DJ mixer channel gain up some, but not all the way up.
2) Hardware volume knob on soundcard? turn it all the way up if needed
3) Turn software volume all the way up if needed
4) Turn DJ mixer channel gain all the way up if needed
5) Turn DJ master volume up
6) Turn the amp levels up
7) Last option, crank all DJ channel EQ's up for additional gain
When you crank a system like this, be very careful, cause any sudden changes in sound levels will be harsh.
PS - stick with it, unfortunately learning to deal with problems well requires that you run into problems. Keep The Faith,
Christian K. |
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Shiranui
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Mar 30, 2010 13:52
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The phono inputs also account for RIAA equalization, so yet another reason why it wouldn't work.
I would say the best solution to this problem is to arrive at the venue early and soundcheck. As someone who helps out with lots of parties, I can't tell you how annoyed it makes me that DJs and live artists show up literally 10 minutes before their set starts. |
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Shiranui
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Mar 30, 2010 13:58
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Oh yeah, and as someone who owns a DJM-600.. they do not have a lot of gain on the line inputs.
I have the output of my SB Live soundcard running into two of my channels, and with all of the PC's volume controls at max I need to put the mixer's gain at about 1 or 2 oclock to get the levels of a typical song to 0 db
With tracks that are mastered very quiet (like a Ghreg on Earth track I'm listening to right now), it is still well below 0 db even with the gain at max.
I don't know if this is a problem with the DJM-600 or my soundcard or both... but I know that CDJs produce a much louder signal that my soundcard, even with my soundcard at max volume.
I would suggest getting some kind of small preamp that you can use for situations like this. You can also give yourself a decent signal boost by cranking the three EQ knobs up a little bit (turning them to 3 oclock gives you about +13 db)
I would also suggest not running your signal through a DJM-600 if you can avoid it. They sound like crap. |
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the daleks
The Daleks
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Posted : Mar 31, 2010 10:13
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i feel your pain chemogen
i've had all kind of bad things happen to me during a live set from HD problems, to even the power going out on the PA (3 different times! someone tripping the power, generator gas running out, circuit breaker going out) to the point of thinking that i was cursed. all happened in one year, so could have been
i've come across the phono thing before also, gain is different for turntables, so that probably was it, i.e. the dj mixer, not your soundcard
like everyone says, always good to do the soundcheck and always bring a backup CD of your tracks, just in case
better luck next time!
and a nice parable: shippai wa seikou no moto, or failure is the basis of success i.e. one must have experienced failure in order to succeed Gamma Riders EP out now on iTunes and Amazon.com!
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A-Boys : www.myspace.com/akibaboys |
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The Bap
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Apr 3, 2010 13:33
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aw man I feel your pain. Me & my brother played a set there last month. Everything checked, all working, sweet. We started right on cue, tune building nicely then all of a sudden, Live decided that it hated our mixer (BCD2000) and ditched all the maps that we had created for it. Then one side of the PA dropped out and the next 20 mins had 3 different "experts" climbing over us trying to "fix" the PA. Then the laptop froze.
It happens mate. It's total shit but, it happens. Next time, it's payback. Paint the walls with their brains!(In a nice way of course)
https://soundcloud.com/craic-addict |
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minddoctorsmakeacid
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Apr 4, 2010 02:10
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Ok. Heres my experience....
Last night I got to the party 1hr b4 start and did a sound check, everything was fine and because I was using my multitrack recorder I was preaty sure that I didn't needed a backup plan cos my multitrack recorder never fails.
All was fine on the sound check but when I was just about to play I pressed play and.... Error....
The bloody machine was absolutley wrecked by the vibration in the room.
I had to pick up some cds from the car and mix my music with somebody elses music it was horrible.
I've learned my lesson. allways take backup cds with you. |
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SCircuit
Started Topics :
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66
Posted : Apr 12, 2010 03:38
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I have yet to do a live techno set as I'm still building one. Having a backup plan is def +1. However, I do have some stage and performance experience.
I found that a small investment of a compressor / limiter and a noise gate, rack units are irreplaceable in instances like that. Sometimes you never know what your going to be plugging into, and being able to have flexibility on your output signal is essential. Also, having a "gig bag" set up for whatever type of connection (RCA, 1/4", balanced....etc), plus a few spare connecting wires you will be plugging into is also a good idea. You never know when one will suddenly produce some static.
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Chemogen
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Apr 12, 2010 20:36
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Playing again on Wednedsay. I think the error lay in the fact that I was going through outputs 3/4 on the sound card and not 1/2. *blush* It's the only logical explanation I can think of. If I'd just twiddled Output 3/4's gain, the problem would've been sorted. Lets hope I get my head together for Wednesday.  |
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Kanyon
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Apr 12, 2010 23:28
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