SAC at the Myrtle Beach Spring Rally
Myrtle Beach Spring Motorcycle Rally – 2009 was the first motorcycle rally for which I used the Software Audio Console. The motorcycle rally business makes use of some SAC features that I had not had opportunity to use up to this point. For a rally there are typically multiple performances by various acts on consecutive days during the event. There are also two or three bands a day.
With the SAC rig I am able to save the mix for the band, including monitors. The first day I do the mix for the band. At the end of the show I save the mix under the band’s name. The next time that the band plays I am able to recall their mix and setup. This is a great convenience and improves the flow of the event because there is no time wasted on subsequent shows by the same band. The same thing can be done with shows and opening acts. The show artist can sound check and then the show mix can be saved. The opening acts can be mixed as necessary using all channels and when it is time for the main act the show mix can be recalled.
The rally itself was shortened due to local politics. There was a question as to weather the rally would go at all. The venue that I support ran for six days instead of the normal nine days. The overall attendance was poor, more because of the negative publicity than the poor economy. The local people are most unhappy with the current administration. I am hoping that things get better by the fall, as the little bump in income is always nice.
Overall the SAC rig performed flawlessly. During only one mix session there were two slipped buffers, but no audible clicks or pops. I suspect that this was caused by the wireless system. I set up a remote on stage so that I could take care of monitors from stage. In fact, our main act for the rally had a knowledgeable player and he adjusted monitors several times during the shows. This feature also adds to the professionalism of the presentation as there were no calls for monitor changes over the microphones. I think that I have a bad antenna with the new wireless card that I put in the remote computer. I hooked it up to a friends computer and there was no improvement in signal versus no antenna. I will do some further testing to confirm this.
Tags: Myrtle Beach Motorcycle Rally, Sac Live, Saving Mixes, The Software Audio Console