Proms!!!! Never AGAIN

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B

barry stamper

New DJ
Aug 16, 2006
1,613
0
58
West Virginia
I experienced my first Proms 2 in two days. I do believe one was the single most horrible 5 hours of my life. I went in with two 3 way mains 500 watts each two 500 watt subs that thump, and a set of full range down throw speakers. They had this event in the gym and I was to be set up on stage. (per the person in charge). The tables were in the far back of the room and I was what felt like miles from everything. I have to begin at 7 not 8 like they hired us for, because two couples arrive early and my contact starts to freak out. The children start arriving and teacher after teacher keeps comming up (4 in total saying turn it up) I never begin in full tilt especially to a half empty room, I need some headroom as the crowd gets thicker. I am now at full tilt, oh and buy the way I was given two qsc 1450 amps for this set up. Within five minutes of the last teacher comming up, the event planner shows up with 4 students to move me up into the press box and hook into the facilities sound. Now don't think wow cool! cause it was not. They had me pinned in the corner with my mixer on the floor and me in a little chair my music on the floor and I felt like I had a dunce cap on and thats how I was treated the rest of the night. I had no vision of the dance floor due to a ceiling they made of some type of fabric or paper or something. I could not tell if they were dancing or not it was a ****ing nightmare. so Proms oh Hell No
 
barry stamper said:
I experienced my first Proms 2 in two days. I do believe one was the single most horrible 5 hours of my life. I went in with two 3 way mains 500 watts each two 500 watt subs that thump, and a set of full range down throw speakers. They had this event in the gym and I was to be set up on stage. (per the person in charge). The tables were in the far back of the room and I was what felt like miles from everything. I have to begin at 7 not 8 like they hired us for, because two couples arrive early and my contact starts to freak out. The children start arriving and teacher after teacher keeps comming up (4 in total saying turn it up) I never begin in full tilt especially to a half empty room, I need some headroom as the crowd gets thicker. I am now at full tilt, oh and buy the way I was given two qsc 1450 amps for this set up. Within five minutes of the last teacher comming up, the event planner shows up with 4 students to move me up into the press box and hook into the facilities sound. Now don't think wow cool! cause it was not. They had me pinned in the corner with my mixer on the floor and me in a little chair my music on the floor and I felt like I had a dunce cap on and thats how I was treated the rest of the night. I had no vision of the dance floor due to a ceiling they made of some type of fabric or paper or something. I could not tell if they were dancing or not it was a ****ing nightmare. so Proms oh Hell No
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Barry, don't stereotype schools this way. This doesn't mean that every school will be like this.

Now you know to check the facilities before hand and to see where you're going to be setup. Some simple contact before the event can go a long way. You can either contact this school again and let them know of these problems before going into the next dance or write them off. I think you should let them know of the problems and see if they can work with you next time.

Also, why not start with some slow current music for the few in attendence? No reason to start the real music yet. I start playing music as soon as I setup.
 
I work for a multi opp number one.:sqembarrassed: I actually started out with chillout music while the first couples arrived so I could do a meet and greet and the contact lady freeked out saying "They will dance as soon as the come into the room (b****hit) I knew better than this they may dance soon but it still will take a bit to get pictures and finger foods.
 
barry stamper said:
I work for a multi opp number one.:sqembarrassed: I actually started out with chillout music while the first couples arrived so I could do a meet and greet and the contact lady freeked out saying "They will dance as soon as the come into the room (b****hit) I knew better than this they may dance soon but it still will take a bit to get pictures and finger foods.
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I've never been to a party that started out of the gate, provided I arrived on time. lol

Now if you do this school again and they tell you the same story you can tell the lady that the last dance didn't work out that way.
 
Wow...
Don’t Give Up Yet...

That Gig Was Just Crazy From The Get Go...

I Charge More For Proms Because They Take A Tremendous Amount Of Planning...

I Meet With The School Months Ahead Of The Prom Date, I Want To Make Most Of The Technical Calls About The Gig.

I Go Over The Room Size And Layout.
I Go Over The Ambient Room Lighting Needs.
I Go Over The Dance Lighting Needs.
Then I Go Over The Sound Needs & What Formalities & Announcements They Are Going To Have.

Some Of My Schools Have Garter Ceremonies At Prom.
Some Have A Senior March.
Some Have A Big Intro Of The King And Queen...

But My Favorite Prom Gig Is One Of My Largest Gigs, It’s All Out Party From Start To Finish, The Kids Show Up Around 7:00 And They Keep The Doors Closed Till 8:00.
They Take The Photos Outside In The Main Hallway...

So At 8:00 When The Doors Open Almost All The Kids Are There And Ready To Party.
The Schools Administrators Tell Me Play It All What Ever You Have To Do To KEEP THEM HERE AND ON THE FLOOR.


I Love That Gig...
 
Power was not the issue. The Teachers were the issue. You should hve been more forceful (and diplomatic by saying "NO...This is what I need to do my job." You let them dictate to you how to run your show. Granted, most of this should have been worked out in the pre-event planning but once you showed up in the gym, it should have been ALL your show.
Some times you have to bew firm and just tell them like it is.
I think you gave in too easy to try and please everyone that thought they "Knew" how it should be.
And as for 2000 watts? That was plenty. But Hey! What do "I" know?
I've only been doing professional live concert sound as well as DJing for over 30 years! :) ( I once did an outdoor 2500 person concert with only 2100 watts. 2 18 inch subs and 2 15" 2way tops and had plenty of headroom and volume to spare. Don't tell ME I need more. LOL)
 
Scott, it amazes me that you, doing live audio, believe that wattage is the only measurement of sound. Not only is 2000 watts not adequate enough, but even if it "was" you don't know the quality of sound nor sensitivity.

30 years means nothing.

Microsoft has been doing security for almost that long and they've been doing it wrong.. to this day!
 
getting back on track.... being an employee not the boss I would bet puts the DJ is a strange position. But still, I would never let someone put me in the box and basically say that my system sucks...

I would do the gig, if there is a lack of system it is your boss' fault for sending you out with not enough sound...

I'm not a techie guy, and don't know all the numbers but it does sound like you could have used a more "umphy" system.... :)
 
I know, if it were myself doing this event, in a gym this size......

I'd be using TWO powered 800 watt (8 ohm) subwoofers
and FOUR 15" mains (with 450 watts at 8 ohms per box)

for a total of 3,400 watts RMS at 8 ohms.
 
It was a large gym and I expressed my concerns to JK and he felt I would have plenty of sound. I did speak to my contact at the school and had the list of events and how they wanted them conducted. I spent the week getting updated on music selections and felt I was ready. I do feel they had a knee jerk reaction to the sound level. I have only told you a small portion of this nightmare. They had me wired into a sound board and every so often the connection would losten (not do to me) and it would create static and then no sound. This loss of connection would be followed up with "YOU SUCK", At the end of the night no one would even speak to me and I heard the Principal tell the janitor not to help me. I was loading back in (no roadies for these two proms) and kids would drive by with more words of encourgement like you suck *uck you ect. As I was driving home I considered giving this whole thing up, I was tired and beat up and humiliated to a level I have never been.
 
don't lose heart.. I once had a kid write on the request list "you're old, you're white and you suck!"

It hurt me for along time... but I'm still here making da cash, where is he?

Something I never do is patch into someone else's sound board, no reason to for the exact reason you showed, if something goes wrong with their gear, you look like ****!


Again, take what you learned, or experienced and turn it into a positive learning experience..... you are in for the long haul,,, everything that doesn't kill you, makes you mix better! LOL
 
DJCraziAce said:
Barry, I am confused. This happened at both proms?

With all due respect, this looks to me like lack of preparation... too many DJs here think they can just JUMP into the school game. :(
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Why do you feel it was a lack of preperation? Only the second Prom was a problem. The first prom the principal wanted to book us asap for next year and I got a few hugs from students and thank you's but it in no way made up for the second one. Ace. I have tons of respect for you and I know Proms are your thing.
 
well Chuck, you know how dem locals just love us kind Haoles no!
 
They had this event in the gym and I was to be set up on stage. (per the person in charge).
Not your fault, but this will piss off a lot of students. Now you can't start at 0, you have to start at -10 and get these students' moods at 10. Wow. Hard, yes, but it can be done!

The tables were in the far back of the room and I was what felt like miles from everything.
Your table or the dinner tables. If it was the dinner tables-- I love that, it makes for a bigger dance floor. I never have people sit anyhow. ;) If it was YOUR table that was that far back, this is the reason why I draw a floor plan every time.


I have to begin at 7 not 8 like they hired us for, because two couples arrive early and my contact starts to freak out.

Had this happen once, but they gave us the wrong date! (We came in a week early, thank God. Yes, we verified this up to the day before we actually came-- with a written contract. Having a contract helps you keep the upper hand.

The children start arriving and teacher after teacher keeps comming up (4 in total saying turn it up).

Turn it noticeably up right then and there... slowly turn it down in 1 minute increments. It works, trust me.

I never begin in full tilt especially to a half empty room, I need some headroom as the crowd gets thicker.

You get the Thanks button for that. :)

Within five minutes of the last teacher comming up, the event planner shows up with 4 students to move me up into the press box and hook into the facilities sound.
Do you have insurance? Tell them that because of liability, you cannot d o this.

Now don't think wow cool! cause it was not.
Yup.

They had me pinned in the corner with my mixer on the floor and me in a little chair my music on the floor and I felt like I had a dunce cap on and thats how I was treated the rest of the night.
Which I would've help up the bird finger.

I don't see how this caused students to say F*** you and YOU SUCK. Perhaps the music you played was not they wanted. Do you have a playlist?
 
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