Dave Rat Porta-Blog Driven or be Driven

Rock in Rio mix came in hot and solid. I stalled back at the hotel and skipped the 7:30 am lobby call near 18 tour-bus-less hours before the 1am show time. Sharp, fresh and clear versus loads of time to sort things perfectly., its a bit of a quandary as both sides have their challenges. Having my console and Jim FOH teching out here gave me the confidence to know I can do the rig tuning during set change and hit the opening song dialed.
The double hung Vertec added another fun level of complexity to mixing as well. I truly enjoy keeping things interesting. The only real issue I had was the Vertec did not sound quite like the my expectations. Softer and squishier, the low end punch was diminished and though I usually high pass most of it out of the flown rig anyways, what flown low end I was seeking, wasn't there.
I had Jim double check that all was in order, no system EQ on the vendor end and using all factory presets. It was not till I woke this morning that the cause dawned upon me. When have I heard this before? What is the variable? What could be slipping under the web of assumptions of a rig well tested?
I had a much smaller Vertec rig two shows ago and it really pushed well, I even kept my system EQ intact and laid into a spare graph so I had a starting point. Wait, aha, of course, this massive equipment outlay, the giant stage, pulled me out of 3 hours of hazy sleep. I think I know, I will bet that it's cable length! The low end punch is the first thing to go, squishy is exactly what 70 volt systems sound like as they are the extremes of long thin wires. Its pretty common to see large gigs where cables just keep getting extended and without the ability to A/B compare, vendors rarely notice or realize the issue.
As a vendor, the comparative reference is tough, but as an engineer, it's clear. Yet as an engineer it's tough to quantify the vendor perspectives and challenges that create these dynamics. And I know that back home at Rat, though we strive for short cable lengths, there are events where concessions are made.
All that said, at least I got a good grab at trying to compensate when I played my two songs to tune rig during set change and now that I have a solid theory on it, I look forward to doing a real world test fairly soon and see if I can distinctly recreate the scenario and gain more confidence that theory is correct. Fun, a project!
Cool cool, delay off today in Rio with a 1:30 am flight home to a whole different reality. My heart hurts to see me daughters as I begin to let myself feel again.
Oh, and tour surf trip #4 Rio was yet another success! And a bit about the pics above:
May I never forget the absoulute best night sand tumbling, MC, so great to see you and I miss the textabuse! How do they make eggs that don't need refrigeration over here? Chickens 2.0? Does Apple make chickens now? And finally, ok, I have an idea, gonna start beach hut and will name it.....
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Dave Rat non-porta blog Rememories

I'll start with a shout out to our Peruvian surf friends Thank you and cant wait to see ya next time!

So I started thinking. Wow, have I been with Peppers a long time. Maybe 21 years and I still enjoy it. And then I started thinking, Hey, what was I doing 20 years ago this month? And then I realized that one of the things I was not doing was taking pictures but.... 10 years ago I was so, here is quick run down of this month a decade ago:

My shorties, Sammy and Maddie were 5, both playing on the same soccer team and both blond at the same time.

I stayed at that darn frogger hotel in London and walked over to Princess Di's memorial

I was in London mixing sound for the Bangles, whom I really enjoyed hanging out with



And they played the now defunct Top of the Pops show

And finally, my sister Tiffany took Jen and I rock climbing and as usual, she put me on something way more advanced than my skill level, and as usual, I used pure fear and hardheadedness to scramble up and try and not look scared or hardheaded.

So on to sound world.  It is near 8 pm and getting ready to head over to the Rock in Rio gig in a few.  It is the last show of the South America tour and I am torn between not wanting the adventure to end and being very ready to get home and pretend i am a normal human for a few days.

Though I have not shared much outside of tour mode, I have had a lot going on, primarily, Rat Sound is finally purchasing a building just over 30 years since the company started. It is a 21,000 square foot industrial space in Camarillo and we should be moving over by mid November at the latest.  I'll take some pictures when I am back on the same continent.

Ok, off to the rock show! Fun fun fun!

Noise Makers

I remember being in high school with long hair and the joy of being able to hide behind it. Watching the world I felt so disconnected from without its ability to watch me.
I've learned since not to be uncomfortable feeling disconnected yet still enjoy the disconnection.
Day off in Sao Paulo, Peppers tour surf trip #3 and rolling large. I love simplicity and freedom and also have no problem embracing adventures I love to remember. So a helicopter ride to a surf spot was an easy yes. Too cool, too fun and now fast forward back to the practical world of proffesional speaker wiggling, I am going to take a stab at a budget opinion tour of the popular sound systems I run into.
How do I ike this or that system I am quite often asked. Well, they each have their assets and issues. So in the least technical word I can find:
Meyer's Milo sounds solid and the top end holds together well. It has a processed sound so transients sound subdued. I like the sonic consistency rig to rig and like that I know the sound I'll be getting. I guess it drives like compact town car, a bit corporate, soft-ish shocks, but not a full limo plush.
JBL Vertec is tough to get not to sound raw and boxy. Midrange resonance as you can hear the composite construction overlay a cardboard like sound with splashy HF, yet it gets loud and works. Though they vary from company to company sonically due to amp and processor variation, they are strong utility systems. Also being able to hang more boxes due to the light weight can be crucial in some scenarios. To me Vertec is the "Ford Explorer of sound systems" a roughish but toughish ride and they are everywhere.
Adamson Y10 gets loud too and has a solid and rigid push. I also find it a bit raw, unwieldy and unforgiving. I would say it could use a more refined processor but would rather see the finesse in the actual box and component designs. I find myself chasing EQ as it sort of handles like a stock muscle car. Neither is it small nor light and is a real watt guzzler.
And on that thought I have decided I really do not like 21" subs. They sound heavy, slow and boomy, take tons of power and seem to spend most of theiir effort just getting out of their own way.
21" subs are kind of like building a race car and startiing with a steel semi-truck frame. So big and heavy you need a giant motor just to hit the same volume as more finesse-fully built race cars, and when all is said and done, they just don't handle all that well at all.
D&B J rigs bump it all up a notch. Well behaved, powerful almost in an alien way compared to their size and weight competitors. Crisp top end yet edgy. The partially horn loaded design makes it jumpy, especially in the mids. If it was an eq thing, it would be easy to fix. If I wanted a more aggressive sound I could see that jumpiness as useful. When was 16, my dad bought a used Porsche 912 and he let me drive. I remember the lurching forward and touchiness of the clutch, stiff shocks and power. Mixing the J rig reminds me of driving that car. Fun for the driver but can be a bit tough on the passengers so ya really have to stay on your toes.
And then their are the brown boxes. Maybe just my exposure, time spent and familiarity or perhaps that same reason I bet the bank and future of Rat Sound on them, twice, based on what I heard in the way those L-Acoustics cabinets sound. Finesse. Tame emough to hold a tonal balance at lower and louder volumes, yet dynamic enough to sound natural. I don't find myself starving for compression like I often do on other systems. When pushing the rig, V-dosc tend to run out of juice in the mids at higher levels while the K1 deals quite well with volume abuse. Its not just being able to get a tonal balance, its being able to hold a tonal balance throughout the volume range that sets it apart. Ahh, its almost not fair and oh so much less work.
And on that note, oh! I can't wait for the cool K1/Kara rig I'll be seeing for the euro Peppers tour!
And all my system opinions aside, I really have enjoyed all the techs that have been doimg all they can to get things rocking. Thank you sound humans!
Oh, oit took me two days two peck this into my blackberry between adventures and rock shows, Sao Paulo show was a blast, hello Rio two days off!
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We don't get all our cool toys till Peppers hit Cologne in October when the full K1 sound system, lighting and custom stage setups all come together. In the mean time I've been messing with more of an assortment of hardware than a tuckstop trollop. The downside is that even though these are mostly our own shows, I start from scratch every gig with a different PA type, brand, size and configuration, festival style. The upside is I get to meet local vendors in each city and tune up my chops on a variety of rigs. I like puzzles, I like a killer perfect sound system even more.
So far I have had Meyer Milo rigs in Columbia and Peru, a JBL Vertec rig in Chile, an Adamson Y10 in Costa Rica and today in Argentina I am doing a Double Hung mixture with a D&B J and JBl Vertec bananas per side. Next I have a single hung V-Dosc in Sao Paulo followed by Double hung Vertec for Rocking Rio festival.
It's a patching and routing paradise, switching between hung and double hung. The way I deal with double hung is I return my sub group compressors into two sets of groups for each instrument. One set of suibgroups sends to the inner system hangs and the other set to outer. This allows me to put vocals or any instrument in either system on the fly.
Since I ran out of subgroups, I have vocals, guit, bass and kick/snare doubled up so in can hit either, while, toms, and cymbals hit the inner d&b rig and percussion and keyboards are dialed into the outer JBL rig.
Rocking Rio will be the first time I have mixed on a Double Hung PA that I did not specify. The PA vendor, Gabison has been running with that setup ever since 2008 or so, not long after Peppers rolled with what I believe to be the first worldwide version of the configuration.
If you want to know more about the theory and implementation of the double hung setup, do search in ratsound.com/cblog for "double hung"

Ok, and the photo run down in a guessing game order:
A blue Peru 3 wheeler
Scotty looking for his set list in Chile
Hugging Salt and Pepper ghosts rule!
The empty gig in Chile
Happy birthday to fearless leader Gage!
For hot sauce fans, the Peruvian Ahí salsa is awesome.
A couple flight pics of the Andes
Anticipation
Our cool support band the Foals
Josh's gutar tech Ian, knees after every gig.
The massive Peru venue from the outside
And finally happy birthday Clara all growed up to be an amazingly cool, smart and vibrant gal and cheers to her talented, inspirational and truly wonderful dad I have had the great honor to know and call a friend for many many years!
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Dave Rat Blog - Peppers Peru, The Decision Triangle

I used to find way more stress in making life directional decisions. Oh, what to do and how to navigate all the choices? I remember the anxiety of deciding to forgo a conventional career for the uncertainty of what led to self employed and life on the road. Over time using retrospective happiness as a guide, I distilled a formula that works well for me.

There are three primary variables forming a triangle that resembles a three cornered pyramid viewed from above. The three poInts are: enjoyment, education and enrichment, with the center-point being healthiness connecting them all. Whenever facing a decision on how or whether to expend a portion of my life in one direction or another, I ask myself "will I learn new and exciting things? Will I have fun and enjoy remembering the adventure? Will I return with enhanced life stability?"

The more "yes's" or "no's" I answer and the more powerful they are, the easier the decision becomes. What I seek is balance, a well rounded mix of 'yes' is better than a huge 'yes' and three solid 'no's.' For example: for me, I have no interest in doing something that pays massive money yet is miserable, mundane and unhealthy.

So to that end, one of the aspects I am embracing on this tour is to try and surf as many countries as possible between airports, hotels and rock shows.

Thank you Paulo, Juano and Harold for the awesome surf adventure in Peru and thank you Joe Ryan for lining it up!

I am a few days behind but next bloggery stop is peru and chile gigs while we get ready to rock Buenos Aires in reality time.
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Dave Rat Porta-Blog - Chaos and Anarchy

One of the more challenging aspects of mixing sound is developing an awareness and compensating for the fluctuating nature of our humanly perceptions.
From the inside out we cannot help but see the world and develop our decisions, preferences and opinions based on comparisons against the reference points we hold within our minds. "Am I Tired? Hungry? Warm? Happy? or Successful? Perhaps all and none at the same time as it really depends on to what we are comparing our perceptions to. Furthermore, our internal reference points shift over time due to numerous factors. The first few days visiting a summer Hawaii are filled with thick syrupy breaths of humid air and sweating in exhaustive heat. Fast forward two weeks and returning home to 70 degree weather has me looking for a hoodie in t-shirt weather.
So let's slide this into a sound perspective. "Where are my ears, at?" I've hear there is no reason grammatically to add the "at" at the end of a 'where' question but I think in thIs case it is warranted as it inquires the perception of the ears rather than their physical location.
Or better, "where are my ears at today, right now." Are our ears honest? Where are the ears at of the people we are mixing sound for? What if my ears are clean clear and crisp from plenty of sleep, healthy eating and exersize and I am mixing for an audience who has drank enough beer to fill Lake Michigan? What will be important to that audience? Subtle perfections or sheer volume.
What about monitor engineers? Where are the monitor engineer's ears at? Where are the band's ears at?
Unraveling all of this into a somewhat manageable and predictable presentation is probably more complex than mastering chess due to the fact that there are no real rules to this game.
Numerous planes crash for loss of a reference point as simple as wind speed. The altimeter is a very useful reference point for a skydiver wishing to avoid splat. Camera's have light meters to calibration for white balance, musicians use 'A' 440 or at least tune to each other as a common reference point.
A complete and total elimination of all reference points would have no option but to result in chaos, anarchy. Gravity is a reference point for all things earthly holding the planet together. So back on audio track. If you agree the lack of reference points is chaos, then establishing reference points is crucial to achieve order and consistency.
For me to try and tackle the ear drift issue, I establish familiar reference points. The constant I use to compare to is a pair of headphones, a familiar song played on a familiar music player. Reference points that are important to the task at hand should be developed, learned, studied and refined over time and once established, they can be of absolute importance.
So why the ramble? Well, because clinging desperately to reference points was how yesterday was spent. On three hours of sleep to wake to a broken shower knob straight into back to back plane flights with a 2 hour layover straight into the gig had my ears numb and ringing, everything hurt and from that hazy state of burry exhaustion, having my ears hear anything close to what all the energetic and heart warmingly wonderful Costa Rican ear would want, was just not going to happen.
The fact is that my ears were fried and no amount of willpower or positive attitude was going to fix them in time for the rock show. Like a pilot landing in a white out, it is all about being using and trusting my hopefully reliable enough, reference points. If I mix the show so it sounds correct to me, it will surely sound like ass to everyone else.
For a bIt more on the methods I use to factor hearing drift and sag out of the equation, check out "when hearing starts to drift" article I wrote a while back either on Prosoundweb.com or daverat.com:
As far as answering the question of whether the methods were successful? I think so, I hope so, sure seemed so and I guess that can only truly be answered by the 20,000 or so rocking Costa Rican's who came to hang out with us.
Oh, so a bit about the pics above in no particular order.
Just imagine my 5am airport line glee upon seeing so many wonderful people all heading the same direction as me!
Who woulda knew Big Daddy could throw down some grooving percussion beats!
The group photo of the our Columbian FOH sound and light crew, super cool!
And the shower handle still makes me smile at the mini mental tanti, turned dispair, turned laughter.
Hey, look at Peppers meals in Bogota!
And finally, my home, my interface, my connection and conduit, my instrument, my unlabeled, unlit 1000 pound bundle knobby joy, my mixing board.
Well all right, how about we go check ourselves out some Peru!
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