5 replies to this topic

[Jim Besser]

Gave the Behringer Eurolive a real-world test Saturday night...a crowded dance hall, very lively acoustics, a loud band.

Hooked the Microvox to a DI box; one output directly to the house board, the other to the Eurolive, so I was the only instrument in the mix. Put it on a mic stand right next to me.

Expected to have feedback problems, but it worked like a charm. BEing able to hear myself was very nice - until I had to shut down my channel because of some very loud crackling. Thought it was the Microvox going bad, but it turned out to be one of the house XLRs.

Highly recommend this unit for concertinists in loud band situations.

Whoops...typo in topic title. It's Eurolive.

Edited by Jim Besser, 07 May 2012 - 10:43 AM.

[Ken_Coles]

Yes, that was quite a dance! I saw that setup Jim was using and wondered if it was new. Indeed a big-sounding band, you guys could have played without mikes at all (for me at least!).

Jim also played for all sorts of Morris and other groups on Sunday at the local May festival (Shepherdstown, West Virginia). I have the impression some of it was impromptu, but he knows every tune. I sat in (stood in, actually) for the May pole dance music and enjoyed it a lot.

[Since no jokes are tied to it yet, I'll fix your title]

Ken

Edited to add: My wife saw Morris and Rapper dancing for the first time Sunday and was impressed and entertained.

Edited by Ken_Coles, 07 May 2012 - 04:06 PM.

[Jim Besser]

Yes, that was quite a dance! I saw that setup Jim was using and wondered if it was new. Indeed a big-sounding band, you guys could have played without mikes at all (for me at least!).

Jim also played for all sorts of Morris and other groups on Sunday at the local May festival (Shepherdstown, West Virginia. I have the impression some of it was impromptu, but he knows every tune. I sat in (stood in?) for the May pole dance and enjoyed it a lot.

Thanks for the fix. Great to see you, your better half and your unusually appointed Morse instrument.

We can't go acoustic because we can't get any kind of balance; the sax, trombone, drums, etc, would overwhelm the concertina and maybe even the accordion.And certainly the bouzouki, which is the engine behind this band. Soundmen groan when they see us coming because of the difficulty of getting a good mix.

And the reality is that younger dancers want it to be loud and expect it. A new generation of contra dancers is being weaned on "techno contras," which use DJs and incredibly loud techno music. Not my cup of tea, but it's drawing lots of new dancers into the contra world.

I've been playing for Shepherdstown Mayday and for the two MOrris teams there for a lot of years, so I should know the tunes!

Edited by Jim Besser, 07 May 2012 - 04:10 PM.

[CrP]

Yes, that was quite a dance! I saw that setup Jim was using and wondered if it was new. Indeed a big-sounding band, you guys could have played without mikes at all (for me at least!).

Jim also played for all sorts of Morris and other groups on Sunday at the local May festival (Shepherdstown, West Virginia. I have the impression some of it was impromptu, but he knows every tune. I sat in (stood in?) for the May pole dance and enjoyed it a lot.

Thanks for the fix. Great to see you, your better half and your unusually appointed Morse instrument.

We can't go acoustic because we can't get any kind of balance; the sax, trombone, drums, etc, would overwhelm the concertina and maybe even the accordion.And certainly the bouzouki, which is the engine behind this band. Soundmen groan when they see us coming because of the difficulty of getting a good mix.

And the reality is that younger dancers want it to be loud and expect it. A new generation of contra dancers is being weaned on "techno contras," which use DJs and incredibly loud techno music. Not my cup of tea, but it's drawing lots of new dancers into the contra world.

I've been playing for Shepherdstown Mayday and for the two MOrris teams there for a lot of years, so I should know the tunes!

Thanks, Jim for some good real-world advice. My wife and I played for a wedding this past weekend that wound up needing two portable amps instead of one -- one for announcements, reading of the ceremony, etc., and one for the musicians, so I had to cobble together at short notice a second set-up. My old (vintage 1980s) "Mighty Mouse" battery-operated portable did well, but I could surely find something better and more technologically up-to-date than that. I'll certainly take your endorsement of the "Eurolive" unit as high praise.

Craig

[Jim Besser]

Thanks, Jim for some good real-world advice. My wife and I played for a wedding this past weekend that wound up needing two portable amps instead of one -- one for announcements, reading of the ceremony, etc., and one for the musicians, so I had to cobble together at short notice a second set-up. My old (vintage 1980s) "Mighty Mouse" battery-operated portable did well, but I could surely find something better and more technologically up-to-date than that. I'll certainly take your endorsement of the "Eurolive" unit as high praise.

Craig! Happy to see you here. I do have a full sound system, if you're ever in need. You know where I am!

THis Roland, suggested by Jody Kruskal, is also very nice. I chose the Eurolive because of the diminutive size and the way it fits on a mic stand.

Edited by Jim Besser, 09 May 2012 - 09:22 AM.

[CrP]

Thanks, Jim for some good real-world advice. My wife and I played for a wedding this past weekend that wound up needing two portable amps instead of one -- one for announcements, reading of the ceremony, etc., and one for the musicians, so I had to cobble together at short notice a second set-up. My old (vintage 1980s) "Mighty Mouse" battery-operated portable did well, but I could surely find something better and more technologically up-to-date than that. I'll certainly take your endorsement of the "Eurolive" unit as high praise.

Craig! Happy to see you here. I do have a full sound system, if you're ever in need. You know where I am!

THis Roland, suggested by Jody Kruskal, is also very nice. I chose the Eurolive because of the diminutive size and the way it fits on a mic stand.

My son recommended the Roland (if I were able to find it locally at, let's say, Chuck Levins' music store). However, the "fits-on-a-mikestand" feature of the Eurolive I think would be particularly useful.