Call me crazy

[Fat Cat Music]

Hello,
SAC was running just fine at home so for my gig Friday and Saturday night I decided to use it - well LIVE.

Equipment list -
HP zd7188cl laptop with a Logitech MX Air Mouse
RME Digiface
dbx 376 vocal channel (Sennheiser 441)
Behringer ADA8000
Digitech RP-1 and Boss Loop Station(Electro-accoustic guitar -Epiphone or Taylor)
Line 6 PodXT (Jordan seven string electric violin).
This was feeding four self-powered cabinets each housing a pair of Morel MW-167 6" Neolin Woofers along with a Morel MDT37 in a D'Apollito configuration. Each cabinet has an active cross-over feeding a 200 watt amp for the woofers and a 75 watt amp for the tweeters (measured cabinet response -3db 28hz to -3db 24khz with a +/- .5db response from 42hz to 18khz at 105db at 1 metre, they begin to need a sub-woofer above 108db at 1 metre)

How it went.

PERFECTLY - four hours each night!

I used SAWStudio plug-ins (compression, eq, reverb and delay) only. Mains on one set of outputs and monitors on a second through SAW (not RME mixer)

I did not mention to my guitar playing cohort that this was a new untested system so that he would not be paranoid. Using the air mouse I was able to easily adjust things on the fly even while playing - once we have the basic instrumental mix set most of the tweaks necessary are for the vocals and I had time to tweak and be back for solos and fills with no problems.

This set up allowed me to actually put the Loop Station on separate channels with different eq and compression which made using it live even more effective.

I also used two settings for the two different guitars as channel pre-sets - Doubled the inputs to two sets of channels and then muted the unused channels. I am sure there is a better way of doing this but I didn't have time to come up with something else yet.

I can't wait to try this out with a separate laptop for monitors on a big mix.

A laptop, a two space rack and four speakers - now that is a dream system - setup time at the gig including guitar and violin equipment - 15 minutes

BOB you are a genius

My hat is off to you. Once again SAW has made my musical life easier. It takes a working musician and creative wizard to create software that is as musical as the instruments and musicians using it.

Thank you,

DRBurroughs

By the way I haven't been able to get it to lock up, burp or glitch doing anything I have wanted it to do so far.

The art of sound has taken another leap forward

[ffarrell]

did you run 2 @ 64 buffers?

thanks
fvf

[IraSeigel]

You guys in Eastern Washington. Always doing such wacky things!...

Congrats. Glad to hear you had success.

I haven't seen a 441 used as a vocal mic in a LONG time. :)

Simply Ira

[Bob L]

That was risky... but... glad everything went well... it is exciting to begin operating this way.

You mentioned SAW a few times in the message... was it all SAC or was SAW also involved?

Bob L

[Fat Cat Music]

Hello,

Yes, 2 @ 64 - I had to go check to see what it was actually.

That was what it defaulted to when I opened SAC up with the RME already running SAWStudio. I shut down SAWStudio for the gig as I did not know whether there could be problems and did not want to take a chance.

It was an audiophile quality sound. We usually use either my Soundcraft Spirit or Ashley rack mount mixers with Furman 31 band graphics, a DBX compressor and Lexicon PCM60 effects.

Some of our regulars immediately noticed the increased clarity and the guitar player I have been working with for years noticed it first on his voice and then by the end of the gig commented that he felt like he could hear everything better and that it had been easier to perform.

So again I say
Thanks Bob

DRBurroughs

[Fat Cat Music]

Hey Bob,
You built it
Therefore - I knew it would work
I used it
Simple eqaution really:) if A (Bob built it) then B (it will work)

Ira - I still think the 441 is one of the sweetest dynamics ever made - detailed but musically forgiving.
DRBurroughs

[IraSeigel]

Ira - I still think the 441 is one of the sweetest dynamics ever made - detailed but musically forgiving.
DRBurroughs

I'm a huge fan of the 431 myself. I cajoled Sennheiser into giving me one a couple of summers back for a Rickie Lee Jones European tour. Sounded great with her, as it does on everyone I've ever used it on.

Ira

[Fat Cat Music]

Hi Ira,
Yes the 431 is wonderful - or rather I should say - was wonderful.

Mine took a dive off a stage onto a cement floor and I have never replaced it. The 441 stays on the stand and I gaffer's tape the stands in place when there can be an issue.

Of the three mics - the 421, 431 and 441 - there is enough character difference that I for one would be hard pressed to declare an overall winner, but for guitar player's vocals it is the 441 (even when I had the 431).

anyway

Back to topic -

Is there an easier way of setting up a pair of channels for two different guitars that is instantly switchable in SAC.

I haven't gotten far enough to come up with a different solution than I used (see post above for details)

Thanks
DRBurroughs

[Warren]

Hi Ira,
Yes the 431 is wonderful - or rather I should say - was wonderful.

Mine took a dive off a stage onto a cement floor and I have never replaced it. The 441 stays on the stand and I gaffer's tape the stands in place when there can be an issue.

Of the three mics - the 421, 431 and 441 - there is enough character difference that I for one would be hard pressed to declare an overall winner, but for guitar player's vocals it is the 441 (even when I had the 431).

anyway

Back to topic -

Is there an easier way of setting up a pair of channels for two different guitars that is instantly switchable in SAC.

I haven't gotten far enough to come up with a different solution than I used (see post above for details)

Thanks
DRBurroughs

You might be able to setup a scene that could switch back and forth to what settings you want. That is if I understand your statment correctly.

[Fat Cat Music]

Hi Warren,
Thanks, I just read a little farther in the manual and see that the scene feature seems to let you do just that without having to do a virtual repatch.

There is so much to absorb about this new program. I am actually glad I only read as far as I did before I did my gig over the weekend. I think I would have tried to do too many things all at once and died of terminal pilot error.

I tried linking a couple of my computers together tonight to try the monitor setup - WOW - this is even more amazing to me than the description.

If any of you fellow Sawyers are on the fence about this program let me advise you to get in on the ground floor with this. I jumped in with SAW before it was even SAW plus and I have never been disappointed. Then I never dreamed SAWStudio to have been possible.

So I would say I am looking forward to a new universe of development and discovery with Bob's newest progeny.

This is the mixer for the Star Trek generation.
DRBurroughs