Tech Tip #19 Show Your Softer Side

Those who have read my tips (and rants) before may recall my mentioning how Barbara Streisand would take some 10,000 odd yards of carpet and drapery on tour when she was playing huge arenas just to help level the acoustic playing field as it were. Well I realize most people can not do that, but you would be surprised at what you can do if you are resourceful. Lets examine my own audio situation at the Centre for Conscious Living here in Winnipeg. Wonderful old church with vaulted ceilings and lots of reverb. The stage is like a separate chamber and has a very "live" sound. Typically people complain that the sound can become muddy or jumbled. This is usually in songs that are busy and everyone is playing away creating tons of noise. Slower songs sound awesome. I myself and Suzanne have circumvented this whole muddy sound issue by employing a shure in ear monitor system. Problem solved. So........ What we are looking to do is to add some soft material to the stage to absorb some of the sound energy. Another big factor on our stage is the acoustic piano that is pushed up against the wall. It doesn't take much to get that baby vibrating with sympathetic vibration and add to the din. Not a huge factor admittedly, but every little bit adds up right? Heres what I did. I located some discarded theatre quality drape off cuts and covered up the piano. This achieves three things. Firstly in mutes the piano so it does not vibrate when things get loud on stage. Second, it provides a large soft surface to act as extra sound absorber instead of reflector. Third, it hides the unused piano quite nicely. Suzanne and I happen to own our very own 28 by 8 theatre quality backdrop, so I leave it up at the very back wall about 3 feet from the wall creating a huge dead air space and a handy place to stash a few guitar cases. Looks great too. All velvety and veloury. I'm making up words now , but you get the idea. So the moral of this story is that plush black cloth is your very best friend when it comes to calming down a lively stage. Take care and remember, be resourceful and inventive.
techtips@mts.net