Workshops and training in specifically live audio engineering for concerts festivals and events
Contact: +44 (0) 7970 458244
Left to right: myself and Neville, with trainees John and Nick. Would you trust this motley crew to run your festival?!
Neville and Anthony in action.. The fastest stage changers in the south-west!
Combined Sound System Evaluation and Training - 13th 14th August 07
Following on from meeting Dylan at Cromer, we established two days to evaluate his new PA system and audio skills. So off to North Wales I headed. Dylan managed to purchase a rather hefty PA system for not very much money (comparatively) on Ebay! A few years ago this would have been an absolute "no-no" but following the recent improvements made by overseas unfamiliar manufacturers, you can end up with quite a reasonable standard of equipment for your bucks. The rule still stands that you get what you pay for, but it was a relief to see that Dylan had become the proud owner of some very useable gear, which certainly measures up to the type of concerts he demands of it.
Needles to say, we spent the time very productively. We managed to make several improvements to the system and extend Dylan's working knowledge and confidence. This all culminated in a gig (18th birthday party to be precise) with 3 bands performing including one 10 piece ska band, with Dylan at the helm mixing the show.
Take a look at Dylan and his PA at his myspace site http://www.myspace.com/bwnpa
Based in North Wales and offers a complete PA service at a competitive price!
Cromer Folk on the Pier
This has been a mainstay festival for the last 7 years - the festival itself reaches the grand old age of 10 this year. For this event I was accompanied by trainee Dylan who travelled from deepest darkest North Wales to join us - a mere 7 hour train journey!
The festival is a pleasant mix of seaside location, 6 acts a day, 5 minute changeovers and luxury accommodation! Dylan fitted in with our crew really well performing stage duties all weekend and being thrown in at the deep end of a mixing desk - which Dylan took in his stride..... myself and the 550 strong sellout audience were very pleased!
The highlight of the weekend had to be Terrafolk. A Slovenian band that combine a masterclass in musicianship of acoustic instruments and classical music with death rock vocals! I guess you had to be there......
GMG Training Events
I have established links with The GMG to provide a two day sound course available with funding for FREE to anyone living in the Gloucestershire region. This new two day course features 1 full day sound engineering training with a live band, and is accompanied by a second day health and safety training. A formal examination is performed at the end of the health and safety training day and students receive a 'Chartered Institute of Environmental Health Certificate - Health and Safety in the Workplace' - provided they pass!
The first of these dates went really well - photos here soon...... A second set of these training opportunities will be run on 10th / 11th September,
GMG training opportunities are now closed. Big thanks to Anna, AC and Dave for assisting me in this venture.
16th - 18th Feb Cheltenham Folk Festival
This years Cheltenham Folk Festival offered a number of demanding pressures from a variety of sources:
Cheltenham is the first outing for myself and Neville Mitchell not operating under the guise of Spadger Sound Services. Since John Eeles retirement, myself and Neville have been approached by a few of the "usual suspects" keen to know if we we're still guns-for-hire as folk sound engineers. Long hours, impossibly short sound checks, impromptu stormings of the stage by fiddle clad musicians............. how could we refuse! So in collaboration with Cheltenham Stage Services we met the season head on!
Secondly, the infamous Cheltenham Town Hall in-house delay speakers. Late 2006 saw myself and Neville removing much of the pre-historic signal processing, and replacing it with the rather well spec'd behringer speaker management system. After a few teething problems, the system seemed to be performing well, with all to prove at the Folk festival (if you can please a folk audience...) Although I do say so myself, the town hall is sounding better than it ever has- line arrays step aside - you cant beat time alligned nearfiled sound sources in such a barn of a building.
And finally, Cheltenham is the first time I have invited trainees to one of our events. Everybody performed really really well both on stage and at FOH. Anthony wins the "Die hard get-out" award, Adam receives the coveted "couldnt-have-happened- to-a-nicer-bloke" award. Meanwhile John sneaks in with the everyday is like Sunday award and congratulations goes to Nick for his new found love of songstress ensembles (or is it a fetish?!)
So it is without hesitation that I congratulate the trainees, and ofcourse Neville for what can only be discribed as a success! Who's up for the next one?!
11th Feb Training course
The first training session at the space went really well.
The four attendees were:
Adam - from Portland - experienced rig technician looking to get a bit more hands on faders.
Anthony - from Bristol AV technician at secondary school (that deserves a medal on its own) looking to become a freelance technician
John - from Coaley - freelance film and television sound recordist, looking to understand why live gigs sound so bad!
Nick - Strouds finest - sent on day trip by the Subscription Rooms to further technical training.
Big thanks to Heelstone - our superb acoustic act all the way from Salisbury. Their willingness to be experimented on is commendable, their comments invaluable, and their spirits immovable! I hope they found it in some way useful, - thanks once again Gareth, Wen and Merv. Thanks also to Cheltenham Stage Services for the excellent PA system. The UPA's FOH speakers are a very nice product, and we all really enjoyed the mains power jigsaw puzzle (me included!) Thanks also to The Space - great venue and really coming together of late - well done Sue B!
Following on from meeting Dylan at Cromer, we established two days to evaluate his new PA system and audio skills. So off to North Wales I headed. Dylan managed to purchase a rather hefty PA system for not very much money (comparatively) on Ebay! A few years ago this would have been an absolute "no-no" but following the recent improvements made by overseas unfamiliar manufacturers, you can end up with quite a reasonable standard of equipment for your bucks. The rule still stands that you get what you pay for, but it was a relief to see that Dylan had become the proud owner of some very useable gear, which certainly measures up to the type of concerts he demands of it.
Needles to say, we spent the time very productively. We managed to make several improvements to the system and extend Dylan's working knowledge and confidence. This all culminated in a gig (18th birthday party to be precise) with 3 bands performing including one 10 piece ska band, with Dylan at the helm mixing the show.
Take a look at Dylan and his PA at his myspace site http://www.myspace.com/bwnpa
Based in North Wales and offers a complete PA service at a competitive price!
Cromer Folk on the Pier
This has been a mainstay festival for the last 7 years - the festival itself reaches the grand old age of 10 this year. For this event I was accompanied by trainee Dylan who travelled from deepest darkest North Wales to join us - a mere 7 hour train journey!
The festival is a pleasant mix of seaside location, 6 acts a day, 5 minute changeovers and luxury accommodation! Dylan fitted in with our crew really well performing stage duties all weekend and being thrown in at the deep end of a mixing desk - which Dylan took in his stride..... myself and the 550 strong sellout audience were very pleased!
The highlight of the weekend had to be Terrafolk. A Slovenian band that combine a masterclass in musicianship of acoustic instruments and classical music with death rock vocals! I guess you had to be there......
GMG Training Events
I have established links with The GMG to provide a two day sound course available with funding for FREE to anyone living in the Gloucestershire region. This new two day course features 1 full day sound engineering training with a live band, and is accompanied by a second day health and safety training. A formal examination is performed at the end of the health and safety training day and students receive a 'Chartered Institute of Environmental Health Certificate - Health and Safety in the Workplace' - provided they pass!
The first of these dates went really well - photos here soon...... A second set of these training opportunities will be run on 10th / 11th September,
GMG training opportunities are now closed. Big thanks to Anna, AC and Dave for assisting me in this venture.
16th - 18th Feb Cheltenham Folk Festival
This years Cheltenham Folk Festival offered a number of demanding pressures from a variety of sources:
Cheltenham is the first outing for myself and Neville Mitchell not operating under the guise of Spadger Sound Services. Since John Eeles retirement, myself and Neville have been approached by a few of the "usual suspects" keen to know if we we're still guns-for-hire as folk sound engineers. Long hours, impossibly short sound checks, impromptu stormings of the stage by fiddle clad musicians............. how could we refuse! So in collaboration with Cheltenham Stage Services we met the season head on!
Secondly, the infamous Cheltenham Town Hall in-house delay speakers. Late 2006 saw myself and Neville removing much of the pre-historic signal processing, and replacing it with the rather well spec'd behringer speaker management system. After a few teething problems, the system seemed to be performing well, with all to prove at the Folk festival (if you can please a folk audience...) Although I do say so myself, the town hall is sounding better than it ever has- line arrays step aside - you cant beat time alligned nearfiled sound sources in such a barn of a building.
And finally, Cheltenham is the first time I have invited trainees to one of our events. Everybody performed really really well both on stage and at FOH. Anthony wins the "Die hard get-out" award, Adam receives the coveted "couldnt-have-happened- to-a-nicer-bloke" award. Meanwhile John sneaks in with the everyday is like Sunday award and congratulations goes to Nick for his new found love of songstress ensembles (or is it a fetish?!)
So it is without hesitation that I congratulate the trainees, and ofcourse Neville for what can only be discribed as a success! Who's up for the next one?!
11th Feb Training course
The first training session at the space went really well.
The four attendees were:
Adam - from Portland - experienced rig technician looking to get a bit more hands on faders.
Anthony - from Bristol AV technician at secondary school (that deserves a medal on its own) looking to become a freelance technician
John - from Coaley - freelance film and television sound recordist, looking to understand why live gigs sound so bad!
Nick - Strouds finest - sent on day trip by the Subscription Rooms to further technical training.
Big thanks to Heelstone - our superb acoustic act all the way from Salisbury. Their willingness to be experimented on is commendable, their comments invaluable, and their spirits immovable! I hope they found it in some way useful, - thanks once again Gareth, Wen and Merv. Thanks also to Cheltenham Stage Services for the excellent PA system. The UPA's FOH speakers are a very nice product, and we all really enjoyed the mains power jigsaw puzzle (me included!) Thanks also to The Space - great venue and really coming together of late - well done Sue B!
