Thread: Gig with bad sound

I walked out on my gig last night after my first show due to the fact the sound system jumped all over my sword music and then just stopped playing , music starts back up on tip music and still has more problems . Just so you know this was not the only problem last night. The gig got double booked and the other dancer got to watch me try to be my most professional self and do the best i could with the music problem , as i am going around tables i say hi to her and she says oh yes the music stopped 2 times last time she danced . I packed my things and said get it fixed then call me . Not sure what anyone else would do?

Originally Posted by azahara

I walked out on my gig last night after my first show due to the fact the sound system jumped all over my sword music and then just stopped playing , music starts back up on tip music and still has more problems . Just so you know this was not the only problem last night. The gig got double booked and the other dancer got to watch me try to be my most professional self and do the best i could with the music problem , as i am going around tables i say hi to her and she says oh yes the music stopped 2 times last time she danced . I packed my things and said get it fixed then call me . Not sure what anyone else would do?

Well, the obvious question would be was your cd scratched? Even a few little nicks could throw off more sensitive cd players, so I try to make a brand new cd for each show.
I would never walk out on a gig because my music stopped. For all I know, it could be my fault the music is acting up! The only thing I can think of, and what has worked for me in the past, is just to play my cymbals and dance to my own music. That way, at least I'm trying to entertain them and make do with what I have, though this can only go on for a few minutes before the sound gets tiring. Sometimes I'll just chat with a table and make jokes (head over to a table of regulars that you recognize, if you can. It's easier than talking with complete strangers, at least for me!). Often just skipping ahead a couple of tracks clears the problem up. Perhaps you should bring a back up cd, too, in case this happens again.

Oh no this is a on going problem with the cd player has been having problems for a while and he said he would get a new one. I always have back up music and this was a new set burned that day. I do not think zills would work for this one , i was in the middle of a drama sword show .I have worked for this place on and off for over 10 years, so i would say it is just one more breakup.

I usually keep a CD player cleaning disc in my gig bag. It's helped many-a-restaurants (and my sanity). Most of these places don't think to do regular maintenance cleaning on their systems- and half the time the equipment is near the kitchen (grease in the air) or it's a shisha bar (smoke!).
That being said- sometimes they just need to replace.
I had a problems a couple weeks ago- but it was my disc burner that went bad. Luckily I had other discs previously made, but in the meantime while the manager was getting a replacement, I was lucky enough to have first a table full of Arabs sing 2 whole verses of a song while clapping, then a guy go pick up a tabla and play a bit. That was very, very fortunate, though...and ended up being fun despite the stress of having music not working.
If it were the venues fault and continued past a week or two I would not be working there...but first I'd ask them to buy a new one and suggest I bring my MP3 player and plug it into their system if they have the capabilities.

I used my iPod at a gig for the first time last night - it was AWESOME. I've had problems with my CD's skipping there before, and this solved the problem, with the added benefit that I was able to scroll through my playlists and choose which set I felt like doing on the spot.

I'm going to try it again tonight.

Oooo...then it IS their cd player. I can't believe they haven't bought a new one if it's obvious their current one is bad! That's pretty inconsiderate of you and your shows! The ipod idea is a great one. Just buy a Monster Cable (available at any Best Buy), which will fit almost any stereo.

wow...that would be nerve-wracking to have your music stop on you. I remember one time I was watching a bellydance show where this dancer was doing a slow candle balancing dance. Suddenly, her sultry music stopped! I felt to bad for her; she couldn't make any quick movements as she had a candleabra on her head, but suddenly, my husband started clapping slowly. "Clap...Clap...clap." So the lady picked up on it and started moving her hips to the clapping! Suddenly the music came back on and all was right. I was proud of both the dancer and my husband!

Originally Posted by Elianae

wow...that would be nerve-wracking to have your music stop on you. I remember one time I was watching a bellydance show where this dancer was doing a slow candle balancing dance. Suddenly, her sultry music stopped! I felt to bad for her; she couldn't make any quick movements as she had a candleabra on her head, but suddenly, my husband started clapping slowly. "Clap...Clap...clap." So the lady picked up on it and started moving her hips to the clapping! Suddenly the music came back on and all was right. I was proud of both the dancer and my husband!

Good recovery. And quick thinking on his part too. Whew.

Yes the ipod would be the best thing to do i had mine with me just not my cable so i will buy a extra one and keep it in the dance bag.
I think i was looking for the perfect reason to cut and run time to find a better gig anyway.

so the cable for the ipod is called a monster cable? that would come in soooooooooo handy!

the stupid cd player at the studio I teach at f***ing shocked me today when I went to back the cd up.

Originally Posted by azahara

Yes the ipod would be the best thing to do i had mine with me just not my cable so i will buy a extra one and keep it in the dance bag.
I think i was looking for the perfect reason to cut and run time to find a better gig anyway.

LOL! I've had those kinds of gigs, too. Sometimes, it's just not worth it to stick around!

I have done the clapping thing too when the music has been a problem and it went over well. I just set the pace, then get them to go faster or slower. I have seen other dancers just keep on going even though you can't hear their music at all. Clapping seems a better alternative. ;) Have also clapped for other dancers along with audience when their music stopped working. I think the audience can sympathize.
Have been using my ipod for shows lately and it has worked very well. Sorry you had such a bummer of an evening.

I had similar problems at a place I used to dance at. The CD would skip or stop in mid-routine. Also, the sound level wasn't great. The owner kept telling me it was my fault, somehow. That it was just my CDs that this happened to. So I would go home and burn new CDs, try different brands of CDs, play with the sound levels, etc, etc, etc. Then I find out that, no, it's not just me... this is happening to all the dancers there!

I think some owners are just too cheap to buy a new CD player, so they play it off like it's your problem and not there's.,m::

I keep a loud boombox in my trunk, just in case (I'm not an ipod person :-( )

I've had to use it at gigs where the client thought their band would have a cd player, but the band didn't, and at gigs where the client's cd player was sooooo quiet!

A friend of mine and I use to dance at a Jazz Club/Lebanese Restaurant (I know, it was odd but seriously fun times). We did our sets during the live musicians breaks but we danced to CD. We were there long enough to get to know most of the regular musicians. Anyway there was one duo that for some reason when they hooked their equipment up to the CD player it ALWAYS screwed it up. We have no idea why but the CD wouldn't play more than one song at a time. So I ended up sitting next to the CD player hitting play after each of her songs. It was one of those random things that we didn't really get mad about but was still frustrating.

Last night she and I and another dancer did a benefit for an opera guild, which was fun but half the time the music was so soft that when we played our zils, we couldn't hear the music. I'm never sure what to do in situations like that. It's not a regular gig where I need to fix it for next time but it makes me look bad when the song changed but I can't hear it.

When I have used an ipod with a powered speaker system, the ipod didnt have enough "push" into the speakers - as it is not a powered device and runs on battery, so the sound was just not loud enough even though the speakers were more than up to the job. I have started using my laptop while it is plugged into the wall with the powered speakers and the difference is dramatically better than ipod into speakers.

LOL Oh gosh, with restaurants--especially some of the older, family owned places--audio problems seem to be omnipresent. All the grease and smoke and food and beverage in the air--electronic equipment just isn't made to be surrounded by that and in use for 12 or more hours a day 7 days a week. And yeah, they'll replace them sometimes, but restaurant margins in the family restaurant biz aren't huge and the sound system isn't usually top priority, so...

I always have multiple CDs/sets with me. And I usually keep a boombox in my car and a pair of audio cables in my suitcase, just in case. On more than one occasion I've plugged my boombox or my walkman CD player into some venue's amp/speaker system using the cables. On plenty of other occasions, I've been mid show only to have the CD player start freaking out on a perfectly clean, freshly burned CD...so there I am dancing as best I can until I can get the attention of someone behind the bar... (Hey, Ahmad, can you give that thing a whack?) ,r:;

Yep, that's the glamorous side of the job....

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

I used my iPod at a gig for the first time last night - it was AWESOME. I've had problems with my CD's skipping there before, and this solved the problem, with the added benefit that I was able to scroll through my playlists and choose which set I felt like doing on the spot.

I'm going to try it again tonight.

Oh my God! I love this idea. Do they plug into most CD players? What do I need to make that work? It's the new wave in belly dance music! ..l;,

IPOD are great, but beware ! Sometimes the place you have to plug the cable in is at the back of their sound system, and if they have a really chunky system that is housed in some box, it can be a parlarva to yank it out and plug your cables in. Also, I tried in one place, and the sound was really bad - the bass sounded like a crackly radio station. I also have a radio transmitter for my IPOD, so if the place has anything that receives radio, I can transmit to it. I think the transmitter are illegal in some places for some reason. Once everywhere is set up for IPODs life will be a while lot easier.

The other half of this problem is that most older CD players won't play CDRs reliably. We had a venue for a while that had a VERY high end, but older CD player - it was a constant problem.

NOTHING, and I mean *NOTHING* sucks like sound problems...

Also, I tried in one place, and the sound was really bad - the bass sounded like a crackly radio station.

This is the effect I was talking about. The small ipod battery doesnt have enough power to transmitt into speakers thus the major low note distortion. This was the conclusion I arrived at with a consult from a local theater sound tech. Swithching to my laptop (while plugged into the wall) solved the issue and I am still able to create all the playlists I want and plug it into a DJ's board if available. I just really prefer to travel with my own sound. I use 2 powered speakers made by Audioengine. They were designed by break off Apple guys and were designed to be used with the ipod. Way better than Bose and almost as portable. I just use it with my computer rather than my ipod. It fills a 2000 sq ft room with glass tables and a ceramic tile floor and 12ft. ceilings and sounds great.