Hey Now, my name is Ric and I'm the house audio engineer/tech at the Backstage Lounge in Gainesville, Florida. When you come to the Backstage please bring all instrument (Line) cables with you as we do not care any in-house to loan you. Also we do not have RCA or 1/8" TRS connectors. Our DI boxes are pro and use ¼" to XLR to send signal to down the snake to F.O.H. so please bring any adapters you need to plug keyboards, samplers, or other line devices into these ¼" inputs. Also, we have approximately 6 DI boxes and that is all we normally need. If you have a large rack of keys/samplers or other line devices, email me or bring a sub mixer (i.e. Mack 1204, etc). One other thing to keep in mind, this is a mono system. It's been that way for many years and will be that way until the entire system is upgraded. Please be able to provide a mono signal without loss of program material as it doesn't make sense to waist two input channels at house just to sum to mono. One other thing, we have 4 power strips around the stage. Please bring your own (if needed) as these are for everyone and not just your gear. See Myspace.com/eddiecstechcrew pic for the stage plot and aditional information. Thanks again and email me if you have any questions. I'm looking forward to working with you and have a great show! --Ric--

Myspace.com/Ric97

Myspace.com/eddiecstechcrew

Skycosound@hotmail.com

PS I don't bring my personal gear so if you show up and don't have it; I most likely will not either. The club is not set up for personal ear monitors however email me if you would like to use them and I see if I can work them in.

And now for yet another of Ric's audio engineers crazy tips to help improve the show...

If you don't already have one, cut a hole in your kick drum slightly off center to the right preferibly with a inside diameter of  3 1/2" so a mic can be place in/up to it. Unless you like that fashonable carboard box sound that was all the rage in the 70's disco era .

That is all....

 We at the Backstage had the honor of working with Officer Corey Dahlem of the The Crown Vics Band. We are very saddened by his tragic passing and feel sorry for his family.  Below is a picture and article from the Gainesville Sun.

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GPD lieutenant injured after UF victory dies.. By ALICE WALLACE and LISE FISHER Sun staff writers

Those who knew him say Lt. Corey Dahlem was more than just a dedicated member of the Gainesville Police Department. He was a mentor, a friend, a music lover and - above all - a devoted husband and father. "You always look for the nice things to say when something like this happens," said Lt. Bart Knowles at GPD. "But he was genuinely one of the nicest guys you would ever meet." Dahlem, 45, died at 2:51 p.m. Wednesday at Shands at the University of Florida from injuries he sustained when he was struck by a drunken driver while on duty after the University of Florida men's basketball team won the national title Monday night, according to the Florida Highway Patrol Most of the postgame revelers had been cleared from W. University Avenue when the accident occurred just after 2 a.m. Tuesday. Dahlem and another officer were crossing the road when a black pickup driven by Austin John Wright, 21, of Atlantic Beach pulled onto W. University near the 1500 block, struck Dahlem at the intersection of NW 17th Street, and then continued westward, FHP said. Wright nearly struck two officers on motorcycles before two additional officers were able to box in his truck and arrest him after he turned on to NW 19th Street, FHP said. Breath tests on Wright later indicated his blood alcohol level was nearly three times the limit of 0.08 used to determine a charge of driving under the influence, FHP said. Wright had three passengers in the vehicle with him at the time of the accident: Norman Berry Taylor, 19, of Venice; Jamie Lynn Mullis, 19, of Jacksonville; and Shelly Ann Floyd, 19, of Atlantic Beach, according to the Highway Patrol. Wright could face a charge of DUI manslaughter for his role in the accident, according to FHP Lt. Mike Burroughs. Dahlem underwent several surgeries following the accident, but officers and friends who visited with him and his family after the crash knew he was not expected to survive. He suffered severe injuries to his brain and upper torso when he was struck. A decision was made to remove Dahlem from life support, and throughout the day Wednesday rumors circulated that the lieutenant had died, although the hospital continued to report he remained in critical condition. Shortly after 3 p.m., a call went out to officers from dispatchers that Dahlem had died at 2:51 p.m. at Shands at UF. "Police, by nature, are problem solvers, and right now, we don't have that ability," said Lt. Keith Kameg at GPD. "So our focus will be toward the family. This is not well-traveled ground for us as an agency." Dahlem's name was added Wednesday to the list of Gainesville Police officers who have died in the line of duty posted on The Officer Down Memorial Page. The group is a nonprofit organization that honors America's fallen law enforcement officers and maintains the site where people can send in information and remembrances. Three other officers were already on the list, with Dahlem's name appearing beneath that of Officer Scott Baird, who died from his injuries after he was struck by a vehicle on Feb. 12, 2001. Baird, 23, had been trying to remove a batting cage that had been dragged from a field at Gainesville High School onto NW 16th Terrace when the accident occurred. Dahlem, who was born in St. Petersburg, was a 22-year veteran of the Gainesville Police Department. He started as a uniformed patrol officer in 1985 after graduating from Florida State University with a degree in criminology. Dahlem's loyalty to the garnet-and-gold Seminoles was a well-known fact around GPD, and one that fellow officers ribbed him for regularly. Knowles said he recalls a time when Dahlem trusted him to care for his dog while on vacation. Unfortunately, the dog broke his leg while in Knowles' care, providing an all-too-tempting opportunity to expose Dahlem to some Gator spirit. "My wife painted the cast orange and blue," Knowles said with a laugh. Longtime friend Bob Carpentieri said he was neighbors with Dahlem for many years, and the two families bonded over their love of the Seminoles. He said a group of friends from the neighborhood would get together once a week to talk FSU sports in what they called their "Seminole Klatch." "If you're lucky in your life, you meet a handful of genuinely beautiful souls, and he was one of them," Carpentieri said of Dahlem. "I don't think he had a malevolent bone in his body." Dahlem steadily moved up the ranks at GPD, hitting corporal in 1992, and then sergeant in 1995. Once becoming a sergeant, he spent time as the head of personnel, and then turned his skills toward developing GPD's Data Trac Room, which is used to track crime trends and analyze data. In November 2003, Dahlem went back to patrol, but this time as a lieutenant. And he usually worked the midnight shift. "He loved the midnight shift," said Lt. Will Halvosa, who was hired at GPD at the same time as Dahlem. "He just thought sleep was overrated." The midnight shift also gave Dahlem more time with his family. "His passion, honestly, was his family and kids," Knowles said. "He was one of those kind of guys who would literally do everything to make sure his kids had what they needed." Lt. Keith Kameg at GPD said Dahlem also enjoyed the mentor role that the midnight shift allowed. "Midnight shift is where we have most of our younger officers, so you're always in a teaching mode," Kameg said. Early in his career, Dahlem acquired a nickname that never let go. Knowles said a picture circulated around the station one day that depicted Dahlem as a kid dressed up for Halloween with a group of friends. The theme was utensils, and Dahlem was the spoon. "Instantly his nickname was Spoon," Knowles said. The nickname would later spawn more nicknames for Dahlem's children, such as teaspoon and teacup. And most of his peers knew Dahlem loved to play guitar, which he did on a regular basis with a group of friends in a band dubbed "The Crown Vics" - a play on the Ford Crown Victorias that are commonly used as patrol cars. "The best thing you could say about Corey is he was the guy who would give you the shirt off his back," Kameg said. "If you needed help, all you had to do was ask." Dahlem's family in Gainesville included his wife, Sally, and his two grown children, Brandon and Katie. A visitation for Dahlem will be held Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, 4000 NW 53rd Ave. Funeral services will be Monday starting at 11 a.m., also at Trinity Methodist, with graveside services immediately following at Forest Meadows Cemetery, 4100 NW 39th Ave. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made to the Corey Dahlem Benevolent Fund at the First Credit Union of Gainesville, 412 E. University Ave.

This is from another club in Florida (Larger than the Backstage) which is fustrated with bands whom lack responcibility. Sounds like a few we have seen lately...

--Ric--

Date: 1/16/2007


Read Bulletin
From: Maximum Bands


Date: Jan 16, 2007 11:11 PM
Subject BANDS THAT DON'T PROMOTE, ARE LAZY, AND NOT ON TIME...
Body: It's been close to 3 months now for the Wed. Rock Solid Pressure Showcase night at Bourbon Street in New Port Richey and we have had some great success, bands that come from over 2 - 3 hours away and bring a buslooad of people....
but we still have some miserable failures.

Why?

Simple

Some Bands don't promote, are lazy, and have a terrible slacker mentaility.
They show up late for load in, have no clue where to be...or how or..when (they are all given explicit instructions weeks beforehand).
Then only 3 people show up for them... and then come the lame excuses!

"It's so "hard" to bring people out on a Wed." (BullS#$@% - you dream of becoming a star, nothing is given to you, it's hard work, beg, plead, work the street, phones...get people there)

"It's so far from Tampa to come here (actually it's a lousy half hour up 75 to 54 to the club)"

"My Guitarist is driving all the way from Orlando" (his problem, you knew weeks ahead of time when to be there)

WAH WAH WAH..SNIFFLE SOB CRY

ALL OF YOU SLACKERS THAT WILL NEVER BE IN THE CLUB AGAIN ARE LUCKY I DON'T POST YOUR BAND NAMES TO EVERY CLUB OWNER IN THE STATE.

I'm amazed! You get paid, you get seen by a label rep., you can get your music on a syndicated radio show, you can sell your merch., you can win recording time, you can get interviews in magazines, you might get in a major label showcase in the fall, you get to play in a great club with a huge stage/light show/2 green rooms....

and you can't get 10 people to show up?!


But there have been bands that have done everything right, kicked ass, brought tons of fans, and now they are getting weekend shows, opening for National acts, are being pushed to labels...


So my rant is over for now.

I do this night because I really care about local music. I am a musician myself and write and play my own stuff. I could care less about the small % I make. I'm more happy about a band like Berwick from last years Gig of a Lifetime Contest getting signed at the RSP showcase than that.

Could be you too this year...

Rich
Maximum Bands
The Best Damn Legal Booking

Gainesville Bands - Post your show flyer (Remember to include GainesvilleBands.com on it)
Rock 104 -WRUF FM radio
100.5 FM The Buzz - Gainesville's Rock Alternative
Alligator Mag - local Mag that goes to the clubs and has 30,000 + readers
Gainesville Sun - newspaper (The SCENE MAGAZINE) section
Satellite Mag - local Mag that goes to the clubs and has 35,000 + readers

Greetings, in trying to educate people like ourselves who strive to have a better knowledge of the workings of audio, I have brought up this topic to dispel some ideas that are believed by many however are not true. Many people in our business, due to lack of experience, believe that if you have a larger "power amp" that your guitar rig/ bass rig or even PA will be louder. This however is just not true. Therefore, I bring you the law of physics in it's scientific form and then I'll break it down to laymen's terms. So without further ado, the Inverse-square law: is any physical law stating that some physical quantity or strength is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source of that physical quantity. This is a physics law that is the rule that helps explain why sound gets softer as it gets further away from the sound source. As the wave disperses from a source, the energy from the original noise keeps expanding over a larger and larger sphere. Since there must be conservation of energy, as the sphere gets larger each point on the sphere actually contains less energy. At 1 meter from the sound source, the sound wave contains a certain amount of energy. At 2 meters from the sound source, that same amount of energy must now be spread over a larger area.

What does this all mean??? Well as you double you're distance from your speakers (i.e., 1 meter - 2 meter - 4 meter - 8 meter - 16 meter and so on) you loose half of your volume (= -3 dB). Here's an easy example, if your speaker(s) are putting out 120 dB 1 watt/1 meter at 2 meters you will have lost 3 dB @ 117 dB 1 watt/2 meters. We as humans hear linearly and perceive this 3 dB loss as half the volume. This means at 32 meters, which is about 100 ft from the stage you will be at 105 dB. Keep in mind that this is in a perfect world with no boundaries. Therefore, you ask, "what do I do to increase the volume?" Add more amplifiers? - NO! You double your speakers. Every time you double your speakers, you add 3 dB of volume. Therefore, you have one left and right speaker cabinet putting out 120 dB 1 watt/1 meter and you add another identical left and right speaker cabinet you have just added 3 more dB to your volume and as I mentioned above we perceive that as doubling the volume. Keep in mind you may need another power amp to run those speakers but it has no effect on the volume. This holds true to guitar rigs. Need more volume, make it a full stack or double it again (yes another full stack would be double) and you have added 6 dB to your volume. By the way, do not bring two full stacks on a stage I'm working. My ears cannot take it. So there you have it, double your distance loose 3 dB, double your speakers, and add 3 dB. Keep an eye on this Blog, as I'll be adding more Tech talk info soon.

--Ric--