Stevie C’s Blog.

What I’ve been up to…

Roadie: lighting tech, stage crew, spot-op, sound engineer, DJ.

L is for Live

July - Sept 2018

With the best will in the world, I’m writing this - yet again - in retrospect of the fact. By about 9 months. Call it procrastination, call it work/health/life getting in the way, call it whatever you want.

audioWave & WMT

Summer started (or continued) with a gala day in the Hilltown Park (I had no idea where it was, despite walking thru there on the way home from work). I had a quick liquid lunch in Cookies Bar up the Hill, accompanied by some live local bands. I was also back at the Webster Theatre for a George Michael tribute show - Fast Love. It goes without saying, but it was as good as if not better than the real thing. I can’t remember what the third gig was.

audiowave.co.uk provided a PA system for a gala day in the Hilltown Park in Dundee.

George Michael tribute show Fast Love playing the Webster Memorial Theatre Arbroath.

A live music event at The Webster Memorial Theatre Arbroath. I cannot for the life of me remember what gig this was.

AML

Things have gotten busy with AML. I’ve been hiding in my office/workshop repairing things, such as: dmx cables, power cables, bubble machines, PAR cans, power inverters, star cloths and moving head lights. I’m now a qualified PAT testing technician (that’s more help in 5 hours from AML than in 5 years from the DWP).

Diagnosing and repairing a broken LED RGBWA PAR can for AML (AM Lighting)

Cool photo of a sideways view of an LED PARcan PCB, showing the lenses and diode-beads.

Diagnosing and repairing a blown power inverter circuit in an all-in-one car accessory kit.

Repairing a chauvet Bubble King machine for AML. Weeeeeeeeeeee :)

Diagnosing and repairing a broken LED RGBW PAR can for AML (AM Lighting)

PAT-testing a reverse widow maker. Not really, only joking.

We supplied outdoor-rated LED floodlights in a variety of colours and beam-patterns for a private garden party, festoons and a PA system for a wedding in a marquee, an LED dancefloor for another wedding in another marquee and a video wall (courtesy of Catalyst) as well as PA and DJ services for a private client’s garden party to celebrate the golf.

AML Event Hire Dundee supplied and installed coloured LED floodlights for a garden party

Some of AML Event Hire’s new hire stock: Infinity IS-740 moving head

AM Lighting, now AML Event Hire hired and installed festoon lighting with paper lanterns for a wedding in a marquee

AM Lighting, now AML Event Hire hired and installed LED dancefloor for a wedding disco in a marquee

AML Event Hire installed an LED video wall for a private client in Broughty Ferry.

I don’t mind saying the golf party was not my favourite DJ gig; the playlist I had to stick to was a bit restrictive, and I was asked to play the same songs over and over all day - until they wanted silence to watch the golf.

AML also supplied and installed uplighting/mood-lighting, PA, stage lighting and black drapes (for both aesthetics and sound-reduction purposes) for the Scottish Ensemble Orchestra in West Ward Works in Dundee. I wasn’t needed during the gig, so I went for a wander around the basement of the venue, some of which gave me deja-vu despite never having been there before. Oh, and there was an empty ledge that I passed in the basement, on which had appeared a novelty skull and bones when I came past on the way back out. Odd.

AML Event hire provided a PA system with sound engineer, LED up-lighters, conventional stage lighting and black drapes for aesthetics and acoustic treatment in West Ward Works (Dundee) for the Scottish Ensemble.

During the performance, I went for a Ghost Walk around West Ward Works and this novelty skull and bones appeared when I passed its resting place on the way out

During the performance, I went for a Ghost Walk around West Ward Works and got a cool photo of a burned out fluro tube

Music at the Mill 2018

I was asked to supply lights for Music at Barry Mill again; so in turn I asked audioWave to supply power and distro. We had a few LED floodlights from AML Event Hire too. It was weird that audioWave weren’t doing audio, but they seemed more than happy running cables and installing LED floods, festoons and fairy lights - leaving time to enjoy the gig while I ran lights with MyDMX on an iMac; oh, so much better than Windows.

AudioWave and Stevie C provided LED stage & decorative lighting for Music At The Mill - an annual live music event held at Barry Mill in Carnoustie

AudioWave and Stevie C provided festoon & flood lighting for Music At The Mill - an annual live music event held at Barry Mill in Carnoustie

AudioWave and Stevie C provided LED flood & decorative lighting for Music At The Mill - an annual live music event held at Barry Mill in Carnoustie

LITD 2018

Having finished an Oasis & Stone Roses tribute/fundraiser in the Nine Maidens pub in Dundee with audiowave, we returned together with DD8 Music to Live In The Den in Kirriemuir.

audiowave provided PA and LED stage lighting for an Oasis & Stone Roses tribute/fundraiser in the Nine Maidens pub in Dundee.

audiowave provided PA for a day of free live music in Kirrie Den with DD8 Music - Live In The Den

Secret Rave with AudioWave

audioWave supplied sound and lighting for a secret Rhumba Rave, only I’m not allowed to say where (and I’ve scrubbed the EXIF metadata from the photos). We had the chance to utilise ArrayCalc and a sub array whereby one sub is physically the wrong way round in the stack (leading to several punters asking if we knew it was the wrong way round). The phase difference cancels out sound waves to the rear of the stack, minimising spill into undesired surrounds - such as people’s houses.

audiowave supplied a complete package for a secret garden party/rave: a pop-up stage and marquee, stage/rave lights and full PA and monitor system

In addition to all on-site power and PA, we supplied festoon harnesses for the main bar and food tents, LED floodlighting for the surrounding trees and greenery, festoon and flood lights for the entrance pathways, a mini disco rig for the support DJ tent and for the main tent: PARcans, strobes, UV cannons, lasers, LED bars and LED moving heads. It was tremendous fun installing the festoon harness (on hire from AML) - but nobody believes me.

audiowave supplied a complete package for a secret garden party/rave: festoon harnesses and LED coloured flood-lights for the forest pathway

audiowave supplied a complete package for a secret garden party/rave: festoon harnesses for the bar and food tents

And now for some photos courtesy of audiowave.

Audiowave supplied a complete system for a secret garden party/rave with The Rhumba Club: D&B PA system, Logic monitors, CDJ decks & turntables, stage, a marquee, generators, power distro and a lighting rig comprising LED moving heads, a xenon strobe, lasers, LED UV & RGB PARcans and LED Battens with DMX control.

Audiowave supplied a complete system for a secret garden party/rave with The Rhumba Club: D&B PA system, Logic monitors, generators, power distro and a lighting rig comprising LED moving heads, a xenon strobe, lasers, LED UV & RGB PARcans and LED Battens with DMX control. Additionally, festoon harnesses and LED floodlights for the forest pathway.

One More Thing…

People often ask why I hate Windows so much (actually they ask “WTF is your problem?!?”). Why would I hate an operating system that crashes, swallows my credit cards, hangs, plunges my stage into darkness, locks up, loses my settings, doesn’t find my printer (and blames said printer when every other ’puter on my LAN finds it) and generally infuriates me every time I need to use it? I have no idea, I must be a Mac fanboy…