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anonymous 9 April 2011

I've got a good one. and would like to hear some others!

I had recorded a CD for DJIG in Jersey a couple weeks ago. It was a week recording session. We had a booth and all my equipment driven down form New York and set up in their basement, and being DJIG they tend to party alot. So there was a little mid week break/ st pattys day party, and their land lord (a racist) came by and decided to evict him on the spot! She also tried to claI'm all my equipment was hers! lol anyways we had to set up in a tiny college dorm and we still got it done.

Anybody have any other horror stories they've overcome or cashed and burned with lol?

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Big K Sun, 04/10/2011 - 06:17

Slightly ot, maybe not really home recording..
:-)...
It was quite a few years ago when I still was a young soldier in the Army, namely the 1st Signal Battalion of the Mountain Devision.
I was ordered to set up and orperate a very old PA speaker system for speeches of high ranking officers and generals celebrating the end of an international NATO exercise called "Gelber Enzian" with a large parade.
I packed my stuff in a VW bus. It was 2 round-footed metal stands and 2 arrays of 3 trumpet shaped megaphon type of rotten old speakers with a lot of dents and 20 paintjobs. And there was a large wooden box like 150 x 50 x 50 cm big and ridiculously heavy. In there you found 2 museum type TUBE amplifieres with a little switch box in the middle. Like always, we checked the system the day before and we found the right one would be in a better shape than the left amplifier.

When the time came a General stepped onto the pedestal and arranged his manuscript to beginn the speach infront of ..maybe 3.000 spectators, honorables, mayors, politicians and soldiers.
The Marching Band played their last notes and he started like: " Ladies and Gentlemaaa ..... and then there was silence... nothing nix nada ..no sound, anymore.
At that time I was sitting in the back of my VW bus together with an older staff sergeant of the other unit. Since we tested the PA just a minute before the speech started we were quite sure that it all goes down well. This impression was slightly disturbed when a red hot steaming General came waltzing in and had some not-nice words with us. I was very grateful that the sergeant asured the General that it went down just the second he startet the speech and I was not to blame. I guess he safed my back from a lot of trouble.

NOW!... I fired up the left tube amp that, as I knew, was in a less then ideal state and switched the speakers over to that with shaky fingers and rather mixed feelings. The General went to his pedestral and began his speech, again.
After this shock, I was close to a heartattack and the tension even grew, 'cause I was watching the tubes of the amp glowing brighter and brighter....
I started to blow down on them and waved my hat to give them any kind of cooling.... After the last word was spoken out there, it took about 5 seconds longer and the darn thing blew up big time...smoke and little flames in the metal case... a total write-off...
A day, I won't forget.... At least, we got sent to Munich to buy a new PA for the 1./GebFmBtl8, my 1st unit...

TheJackAttack Mon, 04/11/2011 - 09:00

I was playing/running FOH at one of my last concerts at MCRD San Diego. As happens in the Corps, my trained regulars had been rotated to other bands and the new crew was playing in the band also. Well we finally got everything setup and went to chow and put on dress uniforms. Concert time comes up and up comes the General. No sound. As Principal horn I'm on the edge anyway so I check the batteries and they are fine. No problem. I always plan for the worst. Sometimes the bratwurst. I hand the General the wired 58. No sound. Now I'm starting to sweat. I go walking with a purpose to the FOH board. Everything looks great. Levels are great. No sound to the mains. Damned if the mute wasn't on. Freudian slip?

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