Solo performer - hardware organization for efficient stage setup?

[alexis]

Hi -

I'll be doing an open mic night in a month or so, and would like to ask for advice on how to organize my "stuff" so I can get set up on stage asap and manage it without juggling various little and not so little boxes to keep them from falling/sliding to the floor, etc.

The room for the venue I'm targeting is a church fellowship hall. I visited the venue last night to get the lay of the land. The stage itself (about 18-24 inches high) is crammed full with equipment for the house band, so unavailable; the open mic acts stand in front of the stage on the main floor. I get three songs, then off for the next act.

My equipment:
- Roland Juno DS-88 keyboard (I'll be battery-powered)
*-10 inches x 10 inches Behringer personal mixer
*-Yamaha StagePas 600BT (remains to be purchased). The controller settings will be set and forget, so I don't need to access them during my performance.
*-Small mic splitter box (ART SplitCom Pro)
*-Small DI Box (Radial Pro D2)
-IEMs (routed from my Behringer personal mixer)
-Mic stand, fairly lightweight
-Vocal mic

I think if I were able to group the starred, * , items together into one "item" for transport in one fell swoop to the front I'd be in good shape, I just don't really know what sort of solutions if any might exist.

Velcro/music stand? I'm a fumbler by nature ...

Any thoughts greatly appreciated - thank you!

[Drew Stephenson]

Are you really providing your own PA? (The Yamaha) Or is my google-fu leading me astray?

The other stuff could fit into a pedalboard type case with as much pre-plugged cabling as possible.

[Hugh Robjohns]

If it were me, I'd mount the mixer in an open-topped flight case, with the mic splitter and DI boxes mounted underneath (make sure they're well away from the mixer's mains transformer, if it has one).

Pre-wire everything so you have a stereo cable stored in the case that you just pull out and plug into the keyboard outs, and same with a mic cable to the mic, and earphone lead.

You could also have tails ready connected for the PA outputs.

Or you could even make up a custom rack-mount connection panel to make stage connections easy and robust.

.... but if you're running your own PA, do you really need the splitters? Why not just use the mixer to provide both the PA feed and the in-ears monitor? (You might need to trade up to a slightly more flexible mixer, but you'd save the costs of the splitters).

[AlecSp]

Frankly, expecting to bring that much gear including a PA to an open mic for three songs, and the fact that you're asking how to make it work, leads me to believe that you won't get to perform as you'll have used up your time before playing anything.

Forget the PA system - especially as you haven't bought it yet.

Option 1: come with everything pre-wired, tested and racked or mounted on a board, with tails for keys and vocals.

Option 2: do as everyone else would do and bring just a keyboard - using a house mic and their wedges.

[James Perrett]

I'd add that all this sounds totally unrealistic for an open mic night.

Expect to use the mics and PA already provided. If you want to use any hi-tech kit then set it all up on a board that you can carry on stage and just plug in a single power cable and a single signal cable into the PA. Make sure everything is completely ready to go before you approach the stage. If anything takes time to boot up when powered on then ditch it.

Could you use a backing track rather than all your hi-tech gear? Open mic organisers tend to be more familiar with using backing tracks.

I've been going to a few open mic nights recently and even the tiniest thing out of the ordinary can cause problems. Don't be the guy that everyone remembers for taking all their allotted time in setting up.

[alexis]

Thanks guys for the perspective, maybe partially summarized as, "Too complicated dude, you're gonna fail".

One thing is the other open mic night participants all bring their own amps (all guitar players), they don't use the house PA for their guitar. They are using the house mic, which would make it hard for me to use a mixer to hear a "more me vocal" in my IEMs (I think?). No open mic musicians bring a keyboard.

If it were me, I'd mount the mixer in an open-topped flight case, with the mic splitter and DI boxes mounted underneath (make sure they're well away from the mixer's mains transformer, if it has one).

Pre-wire everything so you have a stereo cable stored in the case that you just pull out and plug into the keyboard outs, and same with a mic cable to the mic, and earphone lead.

You could also have tails ready connected for the PA outputs.

Or you could even make up a custom rack-mount connection panel to make stage connections easy and robust.

Thanks for that. I'll have to go to a music store to see about how to work with an open-topped flight case, or custom rack-mount connection panel, I've never handled any of those before.

.... but if you're running your own PA, do you really need the splitters? Why not just use the mixer to provide both the PA feed and the in-ears monitor? (You might need to trade up to a slightly more flexible mixer, but you'd save the costs of the splitters).

If I do wind up using my own PA (big doubts about that now, after reading the kindly offered perspectives above): I guess it's a sunken cost, but I just got the Behringer 1202 SFX for Christmas. I may be able to use it as a mic splitter (haven't checked yet whether the FX out is pre-fader), but I haven't figured out how it can route a "more me vocal" mix to the IEMs without sending it also to FOH.

Total cost of the ART SplitCom Pro and Radial Pro D2 is approx. $275. Can I get a mixer to replace those two for a similar price? I'll look! (Any suggestions anyone would be appreciated!).

Thanks again, everyone!

[AlecSp]

Thanks guys for the perspective, maybe partially summarized as, "Too complicated dude, you're gonna fail".

Nope, *completely* summarized as, "Too complicated dude, you're gonna fail"

One thing is the other open mic night participants all bring their own amps (all guitar players), they don't use the house PA for their guitar. They are using the house mic, which would make it hard for me to use a mixer to hear a "more me vocal" in my IEMs (I think?). No open mic musicians bring a keyboard.

Every open mics I've come across has shared backline, shared kit, shared mics, wedges and FOH. All people bring is themselves and their instrument. Keyboards aren't common, but are by no means unknown. Don't think I've ever come across anyone using IEMs at an open mic.

Anyone coming in with all the kit you're talking about using would be politely told by most house engineers that the situation is: keyboards into a house DI, vocals into a house mic and monitoring via a house wedge.

It's an open mic night, it's not a full-on production night.

[James Perrett]

One thing is the other open mic night participants all bring their own amps (all guitar players), they don't use the house PA for their guitar. They are using the house mic, which would make it hard for me to use a mixer to hear a "more me vocal" in my IEMs (I think?).

I think you still need to re-calibrate your expectations - monitors at an open mic night are a luxury. IEMs are unlikely to be usable here.

Occasionally singers will bring their own mic but they'll plug it into the same cable as everyone else uses.

Once you gain some experience at doing open mics and performing you can start to build up your own way of doing things but for the first few times you need to keep things absolutely basic and be prepared to accept that things are going to be far less than ideal.

[alexis]

Thank you very much again. Having only played in "full productions" before, I see my open mic night prep needs some ... recalibrating!

[Sam Spoons]

Are you playing your own songs or covers? Can you arrange them for vocals an a single keyboard part (assuming the songs are strong enough to stand alone)? If so it can be a liberating, and very satisfying experience to hear your songs being well received 'au natural'.

[alexis]

Are you playing your own songs or covers? Can you arrange them for vocals an a single keyboard part (assuming the songs are strong enough to stand alone)? If so it can be a liberating, and very satisfying experience to hear your songs being well received 'au natural'.

Hi Sam!

One cover, two of my own.

Solo piano only!

[Sam Spoons]

Bravo but if it's solo piano and voice only why do you need IEMs? As long as you can hear the piano at a level that allows you to also hear your voice (as if you were practicing at home) that should be all you'll need? It's how I do it when playing solo, or even with the acoustic trio. TBF you do need a quietish stage for that to work but if the room's a bit noisy I'd just ask for vocal and piano (guitar in my case) in the monitor just loud enough to hear above the hubub.

[alexis]

Bravo but if it's solo piano and voice only why do you need IEMs? As long as you can hear the piano at a level that allows you to also hear your voice (as if you were practicing at home) that should be all you'll need? ...

Thanks, Sam. Even at home, I can't hear my voice on top of the piano. I don't know why, I've never been able to. Same when I sing anywhere, like church, the car if the volume isn't super low, etc. It's like a curse.

So practicing for this gig, I'm using IEMs.

[Sam Spoons]

Have you tried a single earplug instead of IEMs? Or practice with the Berry mini monitor?

[alexis]

Have you tried a single earplug instead of IEMs? Or practice with the Berry mini monitor?

Hi Sam,

Yup, you understand! That finger in my ear like Robin Gibb does the trick. I've tried an ear plug at home in the past, but not while performing for fear it would pop out; as well, the IEMs do the job so much better, in terms of "more voice than piano".

It's been a while since I tried the plug, I can give it a go again and see how I feel.

What are you referring to there? A small monitor maybe to place on my keyboard to use as a wedge like performing?

[Sam Spoons]

I was thinking just for practice with the piano, for the open mic I think you're going to have to go with the house PA/monitors.

[alexis]

I was thinking just for practice with the piano, for the open mic I think you're going to have to go with the house PA/monitors.

Thanks for your advice, Sam!

Looks like I'll get to audition the set-up ergonomics next week, the house band is practicing at the venue and they said I could drop by then.

So that'll be nice!

[tacitus]

I don’t sing solo in public, but I’ve had the quiet voice problem, less so now since I got my breathing aligned more with my wind playing.

I’d recommend a headset mike with an xlr output a bit hotter than a beta 58. If I did sing in public while playing keys, I’d never keep on mic. As long as it’ll plug into the house cable and is as loud as their mike, you’re more or less away. You’ll hear the keys, you’ll hear you, and you’ll stay on mike and can play the room to compensate for not being able to play the mike.

A directional model will be safer than an omni one, as you can figure out yourself. It’s the way I’d go if I were forced to.

When I play keys on stage I use a Yamaha P121, 6-octave weighted keyboard with speakers. I shift it around on the furniture stand, which sits fully assembled on my car’s back seat. Hugely less accident prone than an x-stand. It might be a bit awkward for an open mic, though, unless you have a mate to help.

[alexis]

I don’t sing solo in public, but I’ve had the quiet voice problem, less so now since I got my breathing aligned more with my wind playing.

I’d recommend a headset mike with an xlr output a bit hotter than a beta 58. If I did sing in public while playing keys, I’d never keep on mic. As long as it’ll plug into the house cable and is as loud as their mike, you’re more or less away. You’ll hear the keys, you’ll hear you, and you’ll stay on mike and can play the room to compensate for not being able to play the mike.

A directional model will be safer than an omni one, as you can figure out yourself. It’s the way I’d go if I were forced to.

When I play keys on stage I use a Yamaha P121, 6-octave weighted keyboard with speakers. I shift it around on the furniture stand, which sits fully assembled on my car’s back seat. Hugely less accident prone than an x-stand. It might be a bit awkward for an open mic, though, unless you have a mate to help.

Thanks so much, tacitus! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one with an almost "tacit" singing voice!

Love your suggestions! Not sure I can picture what you mean by "furniture stand" - can you describe or give link with pic? The X-stand does completely make me nervous ...

Thanks again!

[Sam Spoons]

Have you tried to learn to sing louder? It's perfectly possible and would solve many of you problems. Start by working out why you sing quietly, it may be a confidence thing or a lack of technique* but if you can find out why you're halfway to fixing it.

* Or it may be a choice in which case ignlre the above.

[tacitus]

The furniture stand option is the collection of mdf panels, sides and rear, that make a keyboard look more like a compact piano. They’re generally sold as options for keyboards that are aimed at home users. In the P121’s case, you need the full pedal pack, which fixes to the furniture stand back, to operate the rotary speaker emulation in organ mode. I did buy a separate set of pedals and build a case to make them sit on the floor, but as I use a 6 octave keyboard, with the furniture stand it’s just small and light enough to go on the car’s back seat, held in place by all three seat belts.

There probably isn’t a furniture stand option for your keyboard, and you need a huge car to stand an 88-key piano-style instrument on the seat. I made a conscious decision to go with the smaller keyboard because I was fed up with all the palaver carting a full-size instrument everywhere. I mentioned it here as an instance of a ready-to-roll unit.

In your case, if you can find a gig-bag that’s bigger than your keyboard, you could probably get everything connected up and in the case except the x-stand. That’s going to help you get onstage quicker; packing up afterwards might be a bit fiddly but not a major issue, I think.

When I use a separate stand, I never try to carry the stand and keyboard together. You can make two trips safely in only a few seconds more. Bring stand onstage and site to your requirements. Plonk keyboard on stand, plug in mike and keyboard cables, and you’re off. But don’t criticise the sound guys if they’re slow, or they might engage the suck button! Maybe just whisk out a bright yellow duster and flick it over the keys? Oh, OK, probably not.

I’d also fix non-slip material of some sort where the keyboard sits on the stand. The slide-on rings these stands have turn into slide-off rings at the first glance from punters. You can then “give it some”, in your act, if it includes tactical nuclear ballads …

It’s all a question of planning and anticipating anything that might go wrong. You can’t guarantee nothing will go wrong, but a snag for an obviously well-organised act is shareable with a laugh. A series of accidents due to lack of preparation is just sad.

I’d give your family/friends a dry run or two to check it all out. Doing stuff for the second or third time is way less scary.

[Essex Boi]

I’d also fix non-slip material of some sort where the keyboard sits on the stand.

Sensible advice. I use pieces of non-slip mesh fabric under anything that's relying on gravity to stay in place. I find it's just enough to prevent accidents, though it won't stop a determined idiot.

[alexis]

...

Don't know where to begin ... you wrote so much amazingly helpful stuff - thank you, tacitus!!

[alexis]

I’d also fix non-slip material of some sort where the keyboard sits on the stand.

Sensible advice. I use pieces of non-slip mesh fabric under anything that's relying on gravity to stay in place. I find it's just enough to prevent accidents, though it won't stop a determined idiot.

Thanks, Essex Boi!

[tacitus]

The thing is, we all start out using forums to acquire sophistication in our recording/performing/studio building and whatever else, but it’s more help to learn the ropes of preparing for gigs, turning up or being ready on time, with gear assembled and working, having some idea of what’ll be our response when something goes wrong.

Couple of examples: when our company sponsored a championship brass band in the 1980s/90s, it’s professional conductor was the then up and coming Bramwell Tovey (sadly no longer with us). Bram was conducting the band at a big concert when his baton went flying off to the side after an extra-energetic gesture. He reached into the depths of his tails jacket, produced another and carried on unaffected.

On the other hand, I was playjng bari in a sax quintet, opening for a wind band I was MD of, in our village, during the 2012 jubilee celebrations. After a flap during set up when the drummer accidentally discharged a dry powder extinguisher, triggering a frantic clean-up before anything could start, we went on with the quintet and started playing, only for me to realise my reed was failing. I had spares, but where? Everything got moved and I had no idea where they’d got to. As top and bottom notes became unplayable, I rewrote my parts on the fly to use the still viable middle octave.

It was highly stressful, and we were lucky the booze was flowing like that bloody dry powder! Just make sure if you carry spares for your PA, instrument or your own body that they’re not backstage when you’re onstage! I was proud of myself and severely embarrassed all at the same time.

And when I started conducting, I lived in dread of the band falling apart and stopping. With pro players that’s not a good look. When it finally happened to me, admittedly with an amateur band, I was enormously relieved to find the audience loved it. More than they loved what we were playing, evidently!