The twilight zone

fingers · #1 05-31-2008, 07:25 AM

Last night I had a wedding gig in a 100+ year old ballroom here in Chicago. Beautiful old room.

The strangest thing happened with my amp though. AI Clarus and EA cab. The speaker was pulsating even when I wasn't playing. I use a Fishman Platinum Pro and a Realist. I freaked. When I disconnected the Fishman the pulsating stopped. I have used this setup many times in other rooms with no pulsating. The stranger thing was that when I had the Fishman connected and I engaged the HPF on the AI the pulsating stopped.

What the heck was going on?

60hz electricity thing?

Ghosts of disgruntled wedding guests of days of yore?

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #2 05-31-2008, 08:18 AM

Dunno, but clearly some subsonic freakage was going on. Didja try it out again once you left the place?

robgrow · #3 05-31-2008, 08:23 AM

Sounds like very low frequency oscillation, evidently from your Fishman preamp, based on your description. You may want to get it checked out by a good tech.

Uncletoad · #4 05-31-2008, 08:38 AM

It was your rig telling you to leave the preamp in the bag.

clink · #5 05-31-2008, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncletoad

It was your rig telling you to leave the preamp in the bag.

Do you need it with the AI?

fingers · #6 05-31-2008, 08:49 AM

I like it for the eq and phase switch. It was fine not using it on this gig. It just puts a swiss army knife in line if things get sketchy.

fingers · #7 05-31-2008, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Fitzgerald

Didja try it out again once you left the place?

Not yet. I left the amp in the car last night. I have another gig tonight so I'll try to get there early and see what's up.

robgrow · #8 05-31-2008, 01:45 PM

Marc,

Try replacing the battery in your preamp, if you're using one. It sounds weird, but it could be the cause of the low frequency instability (oscillation).

fingers · #9 05-31-2008, 02:41 PM

Hmmm. I'll try that. Thanks. M-->

Jaromir · #10 05-31-2008, 06:40 PM

QUOTE] I left the amp in the car last night.

You are a happy guy! I couldn't do this in my country...

fingers · #11 06-01-2008, 01:40 AM

In my garage.

Not possible on the street in Chicago.

fingers · #12 06-01-2008, 08:28 AM

Well. Musta been due to 100+ year old wiring or something. Didn't do it last night. The wedding gig was wrought with other weirdness too. One for the books. Twilight zone I tell you.

Uncletoad · #13 06-01-2008, 10:35 AM

Had another one of those myself yesterday. Wedding in the venue from hell. Staff had poles up their butts.

Bride wants to pay for the band to have a table and eat with the guests. Venue says no, musicians don't eat and can't approach the bar. We watched them pitch two 50 gallon trash cans of fantastic catering while we starved.

I shoulda ordered a stack of pizzas delivered to place. I told the leader to charge double the wedding rate for that venue next time.

Ric Vice · #14 06-01-2008, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fingers

Well. Musta been due to 100+ year old wiring or something. Didn't do it last night. The wedding gig was wrought with other weirdness too. One for the books. Twilight zone I tell you.

Fpr a minute there, it sounded like you had some of those infrasonic Gremlins. I guess it was actually just one of the Haunted Ballroom
Gremlins instead.

fingers · #15 06-01-2008, 11:07 AM

Reception on the 3rd floor. Elevator broken. Had to carry gear up the back stairs, through the kitchen. Dirty looks from the kitchen staff. We were a quartet for cocktails and dinner. Had to dodge a 10 piece jobbing band and waiters going every which way. Worst load in ever. All I could think was "serenity now".

2 Outlets (one circuit) for us and the 10 piece band. 5 amps. 2 pa systems. Lights. I think we're lucky we didn't start a fire.

Cool people but definitely one for the books.

Uncletoad · #16 06-01-2008, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fingers

2 Outlets (one circuit) for us and the 10 piece band. 5 amps. 2 pa systems. Lights. I think we're lucky we didn't start a fire.

That was it.

The bane of digital amps.

fdeck · #17 06-01-2008, 11:58 AM

Were you on a bandstand?

I once had a gig, on a bandstand, where the PA subs were also on the bandstand, and the subwoofing of the subs fed back through my bass.

fdeck · #18 06-01-2008, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fingers

Reception on the 3rd floor. Elevator broken. Had to carry gear up the back stairs, through the kitchen. Dirty looks from the kitchen staff. We were a quartet for cocktails and dinner. Had to dodge a 10 piece jobbing band and waiters going every which way. Worst load in ever. All I could think was "serenity now".

2 Outlets (one circuit) for us and the 10 piece band. 5 amps. 2 pa systems. Lights. I think we're lucky we didn't start a fire.

Cool people but definitely one for the books.

Three guys show up at the gates of heaven. St. Peter asks each one his occupation. First guy is a doctor. St. Peter motions for the gates to open, and the doctor goes in. Second guy is a lawyer. St. Peter motions for the gates to open, and the lawyer goes in.

Third guy is a musician. St. Peter says: "Go back to the loading dock, through the kitchen, up the stairs to the third floor..."

adbass · #19 06-01-2008, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncletoad

It was your rig telling you to leave the preamp in the bag.

Whenever I used my preamp -->clarus-->wizzy10 the wizzy speaker would start pulsing. Does anyone know why this happens?

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #20 06-01-2008, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adbass

Whenever I used my preamp -->clarus-->wizzy10 the wizzy speaker would start pulsing. Does anyone know why this happens?

It's gotta be either a gain-staging issue, or the ghost of Jaaaaaaack from above...