Jimmy's Blog-o-Sense

Hey everyone,
(Not enough time to read this? Skip to the bottom, but please come back later and read properly)

As normal for conferences, we'll be swapping out the monitor board for something nice and shiny, and that can cope with doing lots more than we normally can (ie, specific mixes for set pieces and whatnot).

So, what does this mean for you wonderful boys and girls? Well, every IEM pack will be running a stereo mix. For most things, it won't make a huge difference, but the keys and drums (overheads, toms) will sound much better. Additionally, the room mics, so you can hear the hoards of young 'uns will be stereo, giving a much better ambient sound for you guys (which I WILL be including at an appropriate level in your mixes).

To avoid me sounding like a broken record during rehearsals and sound checks, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, WEAR BOTH EAR BUDS, ALL THE TIME YOU'RE ON STAGE. If you don't have a set of IEMs with 2 working buds, I have a couple of sets of generics you can borrow (please return them after use...). Also, if you're going to insist on using ipod headphones, please don't expect me to just keep turning your mix up until your ears bleed.

To help me protect your ears, there will be a compressor on each pack so please don't be offended if I say you can't have any more, you're probably already hitting the compressor (or you're already at full volume), and adding more will just make things worse. (As an aside, less is more, so taking some other stuff down will allow you to hear yourself easier...).

I'll probably have a couple of other wise words to convey to you all about your IEMs when we do Tech/Dress, so please listen carefully.

=*==*==*=

Also, while I have your attention, a couple of notes about sound checks:
- The 'sound check' time on the set list is the time we'll start a line check, if you're not ready to go, I'll pretend you're not there, and you can wait til the end to get your mix sorted. Please arrive in plenty of time so you're ready to go and not be faffing
- Vocals, this one is specifically for you, if you're not down on the set list to be singing and you turn up, please let me know ASAP who you're replacing so I can manage the pack / mic sets. If you're an unexpected additional vocal, you're probably going to end up on a wedge

=*==*==*=

Thank you for taking the time to read through this, I want to serve you guys the best I can, but I need you to turn up ready, with the right gear, and a pair of clean ears

Jimmy



Too long, didn't read:
- New desk for RN12 again (same as Cherish...)
- All IEM mixes in stereo, WEAR BOTH EARS
- You WILL have ambience mics in your mix, please leave both ears in all the time
- iPod headphones bad. I have 2 sets of generics and a pair of Ultimates you can borrow, first come first served
- Sound check time on set list is time we start. If you're not there or not ready, you're at the bottom of the list.
- Vocalists, if you're swapping / covering someone, please let us know asap so we can manage packs / mics correctly.

Hey all,

Just a short-ish note to let you know of some changes I've made to the monitors system recently (ie, last week), that WILL affect you when you're playing / singing.

Essentially, I've noticed that for a long time, many of you have only been using one in-ear monitor when playing, and this concerns me, as basically, if you're only using one, you'll end up running it louder and making yourself deaf in one ear before you reach pensionable age...

I also entirely understand why you do this, having both in, it can feel isolating as you don't get any of the congregational singing / applause / etc, which isn't ideal when dealing with something like worship.

So, in order to try and get you to use both (which really means you can have them quieter, and not go deaf too soon), I've put the room mics into the monitor desk, and have put them into EVERYONES mixes. (The room mics are a pair of mics hanging from the delay speakers, about halfway back in the hall, and pick up a general room-y type noise).

Having these mics in your mix will do the following:
- make the vocals sound a bit effect-y, especially during quieter sections
- give you a reasonable congregation sound, some vocals (again, mainly during quieter moments), and applause
- allow you to feel part of the room, even with both in-ears in

Can I please ask that you TRY and have both in-ears in, and have the room mics in, I can understand if you want more or less, and that it can be difficult getting a good level during a sound check, but please bear with us.

We want to serve you by giving you a good mix for your needs, but also to help you protect your hearing so you can play / sing for as long as possible without the need to spend time with the grannies at the hearing aid specialists...

If you have any questions, please ask them, I won't bite...

Cheers
Jimmy

Hey all, me again...

Just so everyone is up to date with the current deaf loop situation (as I'm aware we're not all in the loop...)

So, t'Gov't passed some laws and whatnot to make sure that those with hearing difficulties are able to hear stuff as well as those with fine hearing. These laws affect us, and to be honest, if we're not making it so the HoH can hear the word as well as everyone else, we're doing it wrong.

With this in mind then, in the Main Aud, we have an IR system to broadcast the main mix to a couple of different types of headset, which
the HoH can use. The transmitters are in the main truss, along the front edge, 1 central, and 2 at the corners. These provide coverage to pretty much the whole hall (note: when the place is packed out, those right in the front corners will not have a good experience).

For the users, there are 2 types of headset:
- For those who simply are getting old and losing a bit of hearing, there are 'in ear' type, these just sit in(ish) the ears, and have a
volume control, and a switch to select mono/stereo/mix, this should be on mix (couple of circles). Volume control is up to the user. This unit has a black lump at the bottom.
- For those with hearing aids, we have a mobile t-loop unit. This has a red lump at the bottom, and a cable out one side, and in the other. This simply goes around their neck, and has a volume control on it. With this on, the user needs to switch their hearing aids to the T position.

For both of these units, the sennheiser logo needs to be pointing out (ie, towards stage), as the IR pickups are in the little black bit at
the top under the slightly see-thru plastic.

Batteries for these units (along with the units themselves) are at reception, under the desk in the second sectoin on the left as you go in.

Batteries should be left to charge when not in use, the charger is intelligent enough to work out what it needs to do, and will hold 10
batteries at a time (either on their own, or in the units).

In the academy hall, there is a loop under the carpet, fed from FoH (LOOP fader). Users with hearing aids simply need to switch to the T
position when they need it. Those simply getting old should sit near the front...

There is no loop system in the Y&C.

That pretty much covers everything, any questions, let me know (don't
reply to all...) and I'll clarify

Jimmy

Howdy all,

Again, I'm emailing everyone, but its probably not all useful to everyone...

Lets start with the AV chaps and chapettes:
You may have noticed that you're 2 eventix's short in the AV rack. This is because they're been removed as we're not using them now, due to only needing one for the centre screen. Similarly, projectors 1 & 3 have been removed from the roof (properly), and should now be making money via Momentum...

In removing the 2 spare eventix's, I've removed a (bucket) load of excess cables, meaning the wiring in the back of the AV rack should be somewhat simpler (and lighter), and a few of the extra VGA and video (BNC) distributors have also gone (due to alot of cables being removed from the blue Distribution Amp, whatever was in the additional dist's has been moved there).

For *EVERYONE*:
There is a habit (not just within the production team, its probably pretty much church wide) that when putting stuff in, either to do a specific job, or as a "Quick Fix", that it ends up staying in. This isn't really helpful on our cable or gear management, or keeping everything neat and tidy.

So, if you put something in:
1 - Check there isn't a cable already in and unused that you can use

2 - If (1) can't be done, put in your new cable / equipment, and LABEL BOTH ends of the cable, and the equipment if its something extra (and the joins where you're having to either extend, or use multiple cables)

2b- If the cable you put in doesn't work, or do what you want it to, take it out before putting the next one in, DON'T LEAVE IT IN... (also, if it simply doesn't work, pop it in the blue bucket, if its a conference, I'll probably fix it)

3 - Make a note somewhere that you've put it in (there is a white board in the sound cupboard on the rack, and one in the lighting cupboard)

4 - Remember to TAKE IT OUT afterwards

5 - Once removed, you can wipe the note off the board.

If you leave something in for longer than a couple of months, and I end up taking it out on one of my 'what's this unplugged cable doing' days, I'll start a wall of shame...

Anyway, hope this email finds you well, I'm looking forward to some snow at the end of the week.

Jimmy

Hey all,

Just a bit of a note to bring some things to your attention that I've noticed post-Cherish

- The motor controller MUST be put away when you've finished using it. Now, while it does have half a dozen off-switches, it doesn't take a genius to turn it on, and I don't want to put anyone in the position of moving the truss if they don't know how to (which would come around from a 'could-you-just'...), it only takes one wrong setting on that thing and we could damage the truss, or make a weak point causing it to be unsafe.

- Wires over the back board - The board running along the back of the stage is there to hide the lights and whatnot that end up uplighting the cyc. We also use it as a handy cable run too, as its easier than running cables under the stage
Now, while I understand that cables run along there, if they need to come out onto stage, please can we use the holes that are carefully positioned near where the guitar amps currently are, and not just lumped over the top in a higgledy-piggeldy manner, it looks horrid and unprofessional (especially if we're hiring the hall out for ALCC stuff).
If you can't get whatever it is through the holes, you'll find that the holes are where boards join, but aren't actually screwed together, so you'll be able to get the wire in there by gently bending the boards apart

Also, while I'm on the back board, if you're going to run wires from there to somewhere, please can they be long enough so they lie on the ground, and not it mid air for someone to trip over in the dark?

Oh, and probably a note more for the students who were involved in the stage re-wire than us, but worth pointing out anyway... XLR Cables with a stripe of orange tape or two on them are for DMX (lighting data cables), and should not be used on audio gear where possible, if you can't find a non-orange taped cable, you're not looking hard enough, as we have loads of cables hung up in the sound cupboard near the monitor desk

Thanks everyone

Jimmy

Hi all,

I'm aware of there being a lot of new band members and singers recently, so thought it'd be worth sending this reminder around

As you're probably aware, we use alot of In-Ear-Monitoring (IEM) at ALC, this has several advantages to having a load of monitor wedges around the place, the 3 biggest are:
- Quieter stage for us, meaning we don't necessarily have to deafen the congregation to make everything intelligible
- It helps protect your hearing (and we really don't want you to go deaf before you're drawing a pension)
- It allows you to move around, without tripping up over things, or worrying about not being near the monitor wedge

Having said that, there are alot of the newer guys using iPod headphones, and while they 'work' (in the loosest sense of the word),
they're not ideal. Not all headphones are the same, obviously, if you spend lots of money, then you'll get some really good headphones, and if you spend 50p down the market, you'll get some shockers. There is a great middle ground though.

A couple of sets of headphones I use, and recommend are:
- 50quid (ish) Ultimate Ears UE3 - good headphones, a few singers use these, or the more expensive ones, where they can afford them - good all rounders

- 50-80quid (ish) Shure SE210 - These are similar to the Ultimates, but a little brighter (less bass, depending on fit), used, I've noticed
more by the singers

- Any westones (various prices, ask Joel Green for a contact...), these are good too, a little more than the others, but work well.


The above are good solid headphones, if you don't have that kind of money to spend at the moment, there are some you can use in the interim, a good pair (which I use for my music device of choice) I've found (and a good backup pair, just incase) are the Sennheiser CX300, which, I've found on play.com for around a tenner - http://tinyurl.com/626k8cq

Can I strongly urge you to ask some of the other band / singers as to what headphones they use, and try and get away from the iPod headphones please?

Hope that all makes sense, if you have any questions, please ask someone (doesn't have to be me)

Cheers
James Swallow

Hey chaps,

I've noticed over the past few weeks that those on cam 2 & 3 are starting to get their cables really really twisted up, this really isn't any good for the cables, and while we're no longer using CCZ, which were a nightmare to fix, if you abuse TriAx, it'll eventually die and need fixing.

In order to avoid the inevitable, please can I ask that you do the following couple of things?

1 - When you're setting up the camera, and again, after you're done, please coil the cable up in a figure-8, this keeps the cores of the cable as straight as possible

2 - When using the camera (especially when mobile), please don't just turn 1 way all the time, turn left, and then right, (or vice-versa), this means that whatever twist you put in by turning, you then undo.
- If you do turn one way all the time, the cable twists up, and you then just pull it to 'fix' the problem, you'll end up either making a kink in the cable (making it weaker there, and more likely to break) or twisting the cores unnecessarily.

Also, one last thing, if you do notice a cable not working as advertised, email fixme@alm.org.uk, and mention it to whoever is tech managing the event so it can be dealt with swiftly!

Yours, apparent-cable-fixer-in-chief...
Jimmy

Having sent another lovely email to the band at church, in preparation for our youth conference, Rock Nations, next week, I've realised I've sent a few out to the band and production folk, and they should probably go somewhere public, as they could help the folk out in the big wide world

So, prepare for a mass of entries!

Over the last couple or three years, I've been able to pretty much live my dream, not stuck behind a desk wondering why nothing is moving, and as I'm sat here in another hotel conference room doing another corporate job, I got thinking about what I've done, where I've been, and how blessed I am, not only with this job, but also my amazing family.

About 3 years ago, the company I worked for put me and a couple of other chaps on notice that one of us wouldn't be there much longer. At first I was a little annoyed, there wasn't much communication about it other than what was being used to 'score us'. So, after mulling this over, should I stay (figured that I wouldn't be the one chosen to go), or nominate myself to get the shove? At the time I stayed, but that only lasted another 7 months.

So, while I was on redundancy notice, I was thinking about giving it in, and going freelance, doing sound / video / lighting. But the timing didn't work with those making the decisions. However, when it came to 7 months later, I found myself sans job, which was a huge relief, as I was just becoming a pain in the backside at home, lethargic, and the people I was working with were approaching being thrown out of the 2nd floor window for sheer stupidity, so probably saved me some bother with the plod, saved several broken bones, and made me a happier more delightful person to be with at home.

So, since then, I've put myself out there as a freelance sound / video (and sometimes lighting) chap to various companies around. Some have taken me on for only a couple of jobs, others have had me working in their warehouse for weeks at a time, and I've even travelled a fair bit.

Here is a quick list of the things I can remember doing…
- Corporate job for a chain in airports
- Bradford Mela rigging
- Working in the Wigwam sales warehouse, including some installation work, repairs, training
- Sound tech on the New Wine conference in Lincoln (twice now)
- Repairing camera cables for a church both in Bradford and their site in London
- Lighting for a corporate awards gig in Bristol
- Several corporate events at church when we hire the place out
- 4 excellent trips out to Nigeria to take part in the Reinhard Bonke / CfaN events, ranging from 10,000 up to 500,000 people (there are photos from these on the gallery)
- A bit of light IT work for small companies that just need a prod in the right direction
- A corporate event featuring Mike Tyson
- An outdoor event in a church car park between the Notting Hill tube station and the carnival route
- Charity dinners for Christians Against Poverty (and excellent charity helping people with debt, Michelle works there now)
- A trip to Romania to train churches out there how sound systems work (just seeing their faces turn from 'eh? whats the strange man talking about?' into 'ah, I see, that makes sense now…' is one of the best things)
- Several corporate jobs around the country for Team Spirit, from the UK-India Business council, to an Oil Company, to a Health Insurance company, an ICT company and now 3 mobiles financial folks
- A rig at the Alton Towers Hotel (and an overnight stay, those rooms are not your usual hotel rooms)
- An event at Manchester Cathedral for the Royal British Legion
- A gig at Doncaster Dome for an African church annual conference
- A job in an aircraft hanger at Luton Airport (I think my sneeze is still echoing in there)
- A school awards evening (twice now, I think)
- Some Christmas parties for several companies

Theres a few more, but I find that stuff an impressive list. In between all that, whenever I've been available I've enjoying sorting stuff out for the production team at church, serving with them on conferences, and taking information I've learnt / picked up on corporate jobs into church, and vice versa. Also, while serving at church, I've worked with some great speakers and bands (Hillsong, Hillsong United, Gungor, ALM:uk, RPM, to name a few…).

So, out of that list, which ones have stuck with me most? Well, the CfaN trips to Nigeria are a definite, just the change of scenery, and everything about the culture, the work style, and the awesome people I got to work with. That, and having a proper Christmas dinner with the CfaN team, in Nigeria, in 35C+ heat, in a container, all cooked that day, on a cooker and a half, it was awesome fun.

Also, the trip to Romania to spend a weekend training the church folks out there how to properly do sound, even with the most basic equipment. Working with a translator was a challenge, but as someone who finds public speaking difficult (you'd never have guessed, given the length of this post…), it gave me a chance to find the most appropriate words Just working through how a desk works, why it does what it does, and how speakers work, etc made a real difference to those guys, starting with the basics, and seeing their faces change as they began to understand it. I hope to go out again, but even if I never get the chance again, I know I've made a difference.

In the last 3 years, Lara has grown up, and is now in nursery, and we've selected the school we'd like her to go to. Boris the cat is still as daft as ever, and treats the house like a hotel, coming and going when he pleases. Also, Sophie is now a year old, and loving life. Having the time to spend with the girls when Michelle is at work is lovely and being able to come home from another different gig to these 3 girls and the cat makes it all worth while.

I'm going to leave this here for now, and probably end up filling stuff out in other posts...

Jimmy

Well, long time no blog, and the site has mostly felt abandoned, sorry about that, I never did manage a decent, regular blog post, and I got twittering instead. I thought I had my feed on here somewhere, must get around to fixing that...

Anyway, been busy / lazy, depending on the time Had a good holiday with the family in Belgium for the F1 in Spa, and then a few days up near the Belgian coast.

Right, on with kicking netgears ass... My brother has been trying to get some sense into the network at the church he works at, so buying a managed netgear fsm726s switch from ebay for 20quid, I said I'd give him a hand. However, this switch had an admin password set, so getting at the console, or web interface was impossible. Also, this stackable switch doesn't have a reset button, unlike the FSM726v2 I've used in the past.

So, after a bit of googling, I discovered that by rebooting the switch with the serial console attached, I should be able to reset it, which you do by hitting ESCAPE while it boots. Now, the most obvious google link told me to do this, then try some 'EmergencyPasswordReset', and then gives a broken link to some search on the netgear site. So, just blindly forging ahead, I tried entering EmergencyPasswordReset, hitting enter, and then, at the prompt (Are you Sure? (y/n)), typing y and hitting enter again. I discovered that it didn't work as advertised... cue much grumbling, and returning to google. Where I happened upon a Chinese page (thankfully, with screenshots) which showed that instead of entering 'y', you should enter 'X'... So, here's then entire process:

- Power off switch
- Connect serial console (9600 8N1)
- Start HyperTerm / Minicom
- Power on Switch
- Hit escape a few times until you get the '> ' prompt
- Enter 'EmergencyPasswordReset' (hit enter)
- At the y/n prompt, enter 'X' (capital x), hitting enter
- You'll see something about the password being disabled
- Back at the > prompt, enter 'g', hit enter
- The device will boot up, dropping you at the menu
- The password setting option is somewhere in the Security sub menu

So, thats that... but why the heck do you give a y/n prompt, and expect a capital X? Netgear, but the 'peace pipe' back down, sober up, and write something properly (I'll whinge about the GSM7212, port trunking and random reboots another time...)