The Sound Couple - Quick Fix #1!

Welcome to our new series of videos where we get straight to the highlights of each gig! Don't have time for a complete gig log? That's what the Quick Fix videos address!
The Sound Couple primarily use PreSonus gear featuring:
PreSonus UC Surface
PreSonus CDL12
PreSonus CDL18s
PreSonus 32R
PreSonus SW5E
PreSonus NSB Stageboxes
PreSonus AVB-D16
Please see our "About" for a more comprehensive list of gear we use.

[@bhsaproduction]

The size, shape and materials of a room are all certainly part of the equation. Shinny, hard, reflective surfaces like glass, polished floors and timber walls vs carpet, drapes and soft furniture always makes a big difference. The number of people in the room and the style of the event all make an impact. The system needed for a 500 seat auditorium listening to someone speak is totally different to an outdoor live band with a crowd of 350. The type of gear is also important. Compare the walls of “point source” speakers used in the 50’s ~ 90’s at large outdoor gigs or inside sports arenas compared to the “line array” systems of today. Focused, individually tuned and positioned speakers compared to simply stacking cabinet after cabinet of overlapping signals. Anyone in the front 25 percent of the crowd would go home deaf, just so the people at the back could hear. Your job is made much harder with the (DJ’s) “house system” being oversized and you are also being asked to provide sound into other rooms on the building that technically aren’t part of the show. (Maybe a smaller delayed system in the back room might help). I bet you the manager/owner also has some hearing issues (loss) if that person is used to 100+ dB running at his venue multiple nights per week for hours on end. What are the legal responsibilities on the owners/operators for OH&S (hearing safety) for venture staff and customers? A loud system can be fun for awhile and feeling the thump on your chest of the sound system (sound pressure/waves) can be exciting, but how long can or should you really be exposing yourself or others to that (potentially damaging) environment?

[@thesoundcouple]

Great insight...this is all you need to know right here! Thank you!

[@florian9220]

In Europe, specifically in Germany, the Din 15905-5 says that the loudest position in the audience can be exposed to 99db(A) averaged over 30mins and 135db(C) peak. Thats what all productions in Germany are basically bound to.

[@thesoundcouple]

In the US, citizens are still free to choose to damage their ears.....wouldn't be surprised if at some point that becomes regulated :)@@florian9220

[@samwhich819]

Each to their own, Personally, I watch your videos for your interaction between each other, It's a great mix of being professional and having a laugh whilst working. That's the whole point of this industry! Supporting each other through the challenges, late nights, awkward clients & performers! I will always watch, even if it's wheeling the same trolley of equipment in and out of the same venue over and over again! Your personalities are what makes your channel great. I hope you continue to make long videos when you have the time to do so!

[@thesoundcouple]

That's great feedback...thank you! We plan to stick with our main format, this just provides us another option for us and all of you!

[@DEWAYNE552]

Thank You Sound Couple!! I have always had issues with sizing the PA system. I have always wanted the full system even if it scares heck out of anyone in the small venue! For exactly what you said, it’s not there for the volume, but the presence. Clean sound. I love your new Fix-It videos!! You guys Rock!

[@thesoundcouple]

That's a great point! Yes, have got the looks the other way when people question how much you are bringing in...thinking it's too much. This is all really interesting in the dynamics of production with expectations and trust....it feels like the "I gotta opinion that I am going to share with you" is how a lot of people think they are entitled to interact to us. It's definitely a different dynamic than even how people interact with musicians.

[@DEWAYNE552]

@@thesoundcouple Maybe a sticker or label on that equipment should read “we do the extra for you. We want your listening pleasure maxed out. That’s why we put in the extra time, equipment, and Heart, is for you”.

[@thesoundcouple]

Yep,...pretty much sums it up!@@DEWAYNE552

[@soundshopvlogs]

Like this series! It's always about the in/the out haha.

[@thesoundcouple]

Ahhhh....it is "wink, wink"!

[@yashvirmahdoo1587]

I wish I could be at one of your gigs, very interesting video.

[@thesoundcouple]

Thank you! We hope our videos make you feel that you are...at least we try to!

[@StirfriedGerman]

Seems to me that running the CDLs as singles with their narrow 15 degree vertical coverage is tricky. 120 horizontal is great though. 4 subs indoors were probably plenty, I'm sure the DJs were jealous 😂 Thanks for your always entertaining videos !

[@thesoundcouple]

Interesting point.....almost curious to try our 328's the next time and see how they do. This room is unique in many ways beyond the choice of speaker we use, but they absolutely love the band, so we are making the best of it! We noticed to that they have since hung there DJ's mains from the front truss which I am sure addresses the similar need of coverage into the back room. Unless they let us tap into their system, there is no way to ground stack any system that high so we are making our system blast through room and walls so the bar can feel it too!

[@StirfriedGerman]

@@thesoundcouple Rattling glasses with every kick 😅

[@makingmusiconline2309]

@@thesoundcouplehow about those wind up stands you used for that large conference/show with the portable barriers around them?

[@thesoundcouple]

That is a great thought, but honestly not doable for this gig and location....@@makingmusiconline2309

[@RegularTennesseeJoe]

Did some research a while back on hazer/fog machines. Apparently the manufacturers of the fluids, have different mixtures and the particles in the cloud is what sets the detectors off. Using the same machine, with different fluids show different results, apparently. I have used different fluids in the same machine and I notice a physical difference in the clouds. I really didn’t notice it until I read and heard about the smoke alarm situations people are having.

[@thesoundcouple]

Interesting....we also have researched that the type of detector is a factor as well.

[@DeanKWilson]

This was a very useful and unique video from our favorite production company, The Sound Couple. Special thanks to Bart and Stacy for sharing the list of designated aspects of this gig with us. We learned that the size of the PA System can affect not only the volume, but the depth and breadth of sound pressure level dispersed throughout the space at a venue. Bart referred to this phenomenon as “presence.” Indeed, the physics of sound dispersion throughout a physical space-including height, width, and length-depends on the density of the air movement created by the speaker system. This is a critically important lesson we all need to learn. Bart and Stacy made this lesson come alive for us in this video. Choosing the complexity of the control portion of a production system does affect load-in and load-out. The Sound Couple made the right decision in minimizing how they would control their system at this gig, to ensure that they could maximize efficiency. As to the lack of hazer: the two rows of lighting fixtures raised to a seemingly higher vertical level above the stage more than compensated for the lack of a hazer. Personally, I think the effect of a hazer has more use in a much larger space, including outdoor spaces. We enjoyed seeing the Angry Audio Bluetooth Gadget at work during the set-up of the system. All in all, this was a very valuable video. Again, a tip-of-the-hat to Bart and Stacy for providing another great opportunity for us to learn through observation of professionals at work.

[@thesoundcouple]

Thanks Dean! The Angry Audio Bluetooth Gadget is a fine piece of gear and serves us well. Thank you for the suggestion! Appreciate your feedback as always!

[@gregstroup549]

Out of curiosity, how do you protect your stage lights during transport. I'm putting a lighting rig together and was going to use hard cases for the t-bars.

[@thesoundcouple]

Great question! For our lighting, we use the Ultimate stands. Our lighting is mostly comprised of the Chauvet 4 bar series which all come with their own case! In our opinion, we have really maximized the benefits of these lights as we can get a quality show up and they pack so nicely in the truck taking up minimal space...space is always a big consideration for us. For the bar series, they already come in cases, so it hasn’t been too much of an issue with our main lights. However for our blizzard Squarodox, Stacy made cases for them.

[@johnmcquay82]

I find Presence varies from system to system as well as from the scale of the system. When I moved from my EV system to Martin Audio, the presence of the system is night and day, and that's despite going down speaker sizes. I was running 12" tops over 18" subs, and am now running 10" over 15". The EV subs were very agile and punchy, and also reached very low. The Martin subs blow them into the weeds. Sure, it's a much more expensive system, but I didn't expect the differences to be so dramatic.

[@thesoundcouple]

Thanks for sharing John. It does seem that "presence" is what manufactures are trying to squeeze out of smaller boxes. We would hope that the more expensive the box is, the more presence it has.

[@johnmcquay82]

@@thesoundcouple It certainly seems to be the case with Martin Audio... And I'm running them off the same amps as I was the EVs. Sadly, I can't stretch to the 4-figure price of the Martin Audio Amplifier, which I would love to do when finances allow. :)

[@BAdams138]

The round lights were not "blinding" the audience, like a previous video. More subdued. Thanks!

[@thesoundcouple]

Aaah yes...we are always refining...but we also got some new Storm Chasers (hanging vertically in the back).

[@jasonlajuene2036]

What are you using for in ears and how do you like them to mix ?

[@thesoundcouple]

We use the following and are happy with them...but we don't have a lot of experience with others: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0894LJRM1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 We would like to highlight that this approach as more mix monitoring....once the mix is dialed in for the room, we can monitor with the ears from there. Because the band is mostly direct and on in-ears themselves, it makes this approach much more doable because the stage is less dynamic (a.k.a., musicians aren't turning up!)

[@deewizzard598]

why the angry audio Bluetooth? its pretty expensive. what are the highlights compared to other cheaper devices that transmit Bluetooth signal? if its worth it i will pay . i got ne a pecron because i saw you 2 had one and you showed the use. in Hawaii as a full time dj it's lots of locations on the beaches with no electricity where the pecron is essential 👍🏾

[@thesoundcouple]

We decided to go with Angry Audio for the following reasons: 1. Rack mountable. 2. Quality made and reliable - the range is good and it just works and sounds good. 3. We can pair/drop on demand. If someone connects with their guest device, we can disconnect them when they are done. Can you get by cheaper? Yes, but we wanted easy, reliable, and quick since besides being our backup, we will get last second requests to support some sort of audio need. Hope the Pecron is working for you!

[@deewizzard598]

@@thesoundcouple thank you very much for the info. very informative. the Pecron is the best thing I purchased in a year. keep the great gig logs coming Bart and Stacy 👍🏾👍🏾

[@thesoundcouple]

Awesome! We plan on it!@@deewizzard598

[@djrickysmith]

Yes, you hung a set on the trussing above the stands

[@thesoundcouple]

No...not it! The truss and lighting on it belongs to the club...we didn't use it. Our question may be misleading after looking at it again....but we did "upgrade" our back lighting with new Storm Chaser Super Cells (they are hanging vertical).

[@djrickysmith]

@@thesoundcouple Oh.. I'll rewatch and look

[@thesoundcouple]

www.blizzardpro.com/products/stormchaser-supercell@@djrickysmith

[@intoxicode]

What does a haze or fog machine have to do with sound system tuning and fixing...

[@thesoundcouple]

Our videos cover many elements of production. We do the best we can as all of our content is subject to the situations that are presented to us on the fly- we don’t produce our content to make the video nor can we predict and control the outcomes like other channels can . Sorry to disappoint you so then maybe this isn’t the channel for you.

[@XIIMonkeysMusicGroup]

I use a Denon Bluetooth receiver, in my rig, and a Technical Pro Bluetooth receiver at church.

[@thesoundcouple]

Bluetooth is a great option, but we do see it as a backup role for critical applications, such as wedding ceremony duty. In this case, the band manages all music, including break music, so the role of laptop is minimized.

[@georgecristea7287]

woauuuuuuuuuuuuu super i like it!!!!

[@thesoundcouple]

Glad you like it!

[@ben81]

❤❤🌹

[@Baxter2005]

I think there's two types of hazers water and oil

[@thesoundcouple]

Yes...ours is water based and can still set off smoke detectors.

[@XIIMonkeysMusicGroup]

I hate the oil type! Never knew there's a water type. My experience with hazers/foggers is the oil type, and it leaves residue over everything! Not good for electronics or woodwinds!

[@MissKarenB]

Actually there are three types. Water which has the largest particles and of the three is most likely to set off a smoke detector, Oil based which has a smaller particle so is less likely to set of the detector but can leave an oily film over everything (also not as good to breath) and the third is a very expensive system that I read about a couple of months ago (but can't remember what it's called) with a very fine particle that is the least likely to trigger a detector. All of this is also dependent on the amount of fog or haze in the air, the type of detector being used and what it's looking for that will trigger it (size of particulate matter in the air (most common), amount of CO2 etc.). Heck I've tripped the detector in my Apt. just broiling a steak. Talk about a royal PITA when you're trying to fix dinner. LOL

[@thesoundcouple]

Thanks for adding more detail on this matter!@@MissKarenB

[@MissKarenB]

Found the video mentioning the third type of hazer. It's CO2 and here's the link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4qpfaupa61lfbM The video gives some of good advice about fog, haze and the different types of detectors used in the home and most venues. Personally between ADJ, Chavuet and Antari I've found the Antari machines to be the most robust with the least problems of any of the Hazer/Fazer machines.

[@Velkus96]

The drummer of Rhino really needs to learn to tune/damper his snare/cymbals according to the room.

[@thesoundcouple]

The snare wasn't in the mix for this room so that is a compensating measure that I can do to help with the mix....playing to the room is its own topic that involves several factors that cover a spectrum of sometimes competing forces. All in all, this band is one of the easiest and most mixable bands we work with.

[@intoxicode]

Pretty horrible video overall since you don't stay on topic, and didn't show the problems or how you were going to address them and fix them..

[@thesoundcouple]

We are clearly not on the same page so we hope that you are able to find similar content that is up to your standards. Please don’t watch our channel if it makes you unhappy.