Preparing for a Gig

There's nothing worse than coming to a gig unprepared. Electronic gigs usually happen late at night and if something goes wrong and you're not prepared for it, there's little you can do. Stores are closed, your friends might be asleep, and you're left to deal with the whole problem yourself. That's why it is best to come prepared. This is the reason for this write-up of mine.

I've had my own share of makin' a fool out of myself because I forgot this, or this won't work, and lots more. I don't want any of you to learn the hard way. I've been your guinea pig already! hehe

I've learned a lot through the numerous gigs I've done to always remember stuff and be prepared for whatever mishap that may happen. Coming prepared can turn out to be the best thing that can happen to you more than the gig because a simple problem in your set-up can lead you to play the worst set of your whole life. It can happen.

There were three people who have highly influenced me and have taught me how to survive and work things out and anticipate problems and prepare for it to avoid the encounter itself. Today, I can say I have become a better, more professional artist because of them. Since they've been instrumental in my development as an artist, they are definitely worth mentioning here. Houseboy, and The Rubber Inc guys; Noel and Malek. I'll be forever grateful!

Of course, as I matured, I've also come up with my own checklist that I'd like to share with you. So what you'll be reading is everything I've learned from other people and my own input.

This is in no particular order. Treat each number with equal importance.

1. Gear checklist - Even if you gig occasionally, your mind will always slip once you're packing your gear if you're late for the gig so, be sure to have a checklist of your gear and use it as a reference when you start putting your gear inside your car or in your bag.

2. Essentials - when I mean essentials, I mean essentials! These are your adaptors. Without these, your gear won't work right? I've been stupid enough to show up at a gig and forget one of the adaptors that I needed for the box where all my songs for that night were in. So, my gig didn't turn out that good. Don't forget! Include them in your checklist as well.

3. An extra supply of your cables - your RCA or PL cables also wear out in time so be sure to bring extra cables in case one of your cables give up while setting up. If possible, get all your cables together, count it, then multiply it by two. That's how many cables you should bring to a gig.

4. Plug/PL/RCA Converters and extenders - You'll never know what type of system you're plugging in so it's better that you come prepared with converters. Small to big, big to small, RCA to PL, PL to RCA, stereo RCA to baby PL and your extenders in case you need a longer RCA to plug in to the mixer of the venue.

5. AVR - You have invested so much in your equipment that missing out on bringing your own AVR can "burn" your investments once a power surge happens and you simply plugged all your gear into the main socket. Having an AVR balances the voltage distributed to your gear or as it is defined, "regulates" as it is a voltage regulator. It is one heavy thing to lug around but it can save not only your set but your money!

6. Extension cords - Some venues are crappy when it comes to providing you with ample sockets for your gears so, be sure to bring your own power strips/extension cords so you won't have to worry where to plug all your gear. Once you bring your own strip, all you have to worry about is where to plug your AVR! I'm sure they'll provide you with one socket at least! hehehe

7. backup set list (if applicable) - If you're doing a long set and you have a lot of songs lined up, it is best to have a back up of your original set list where you have written the song numbers or whatever because, if you lose your list and fail to make a back up, you'll have the worst time playing and you won't enjoy yourself because you'll be busy trying to figure out what song is in bank number so and so... Believe me. This happened, and I spent all my time figuring out what song should come next and where did I put that song in the first place!

8. Pen and paper - This is for autographs or the phone number of the girl you talked to hehehe kidding... This is for simple sparks of inspiration that may hit you while you're playing or setting up. You never know when you'll need to write something down for future reference.

9. Mini Flashlight - I think this is self explanatory. When venue dark, light needed! hehe It'll save you valuable set-up time when you can actually see what you're doing.

10. CD - Learned this from Malek... to save you from the hassles of doing a sound check in a venue who won't turn on the air conditioners for the artists sound check, prepare a CD instead of your set or one that's tailored for the sound check itself testing out the balance, low end and highs of your sound.

11. Stand - One main problem of electronic acts is set up time and where to set up. So, to lessen the hassle, bring your own stand so you can set up ahead of time and have a place to actually set up rather than put your gear on low tables that will eventually tire your back while you're doing your kick-ass 6 hour live gig. This saves you time, back pain, and the hassles of lookin for a table for your set-up.

12. Rag - It's good practice to wipe your gear before and after you play to keep your gear clean and shiny! :)

13. RCA to baby Plug - This is if one of your gear output acts up. This happened to me recently. My main output was damaged so I only had mono out. Good thing I had an RCA to baby plug cable with me... we were able to play with stereo using the headphone output instead.

These are, for me, the key points to remember when preparing for a gig. You may have more and that's better, to ensure a worry-free set. If you have less, try to check what's not in your personal list and it may help you on your next live gig.

NOTE:

Don't dismiss some of the tips I gave if you think you have a minimal set up like a laptop or whatever. This tutorial isn't just for those who have big hardware set-ups. I have prepared a basics guide for all things to consider to have a worry-free gig so, take note! :)

Hope that helps!

If you have questions or you want to read something new, email me!

God Bless

Cy