new venue, no equipment, please help

[Simon West]

hey dudes, heres a question for all you engineers who have started from scratch in the past.

I'm the sound engineer for a venue in worksop, nottinghamshire called (at present) the regal arts centre. My job is to change the venue from a theatre and a cinema to 2 live rooms, plus 3 rehearsal rooms and also a pro tools recording studio. The building is very old and needs alot of work but the only way i can generate the cash is to put on performances.

The organisation is a CHARITY called the bassetlaw studio project. its main job is to teach unfortuanate and not so well off kids and adults musical techniques to improve their lives. Aswell as this we will provide several acts a week for the local areas entertainment plus pro recording facilities etc.

my problem is, to get the ball rolling, i have to raise around 20grand for new equipment before the place makes money in order to progress to what it wants to achieve.

My question is, apart from business loans, has anybody had any exeperience on here on how to raise that kind of cash in a short space of time? yes grants are possible and we are looking at that but does anybody have good solutions? im looking to kit the place out with nexo alpha e's at 8kw. the reason being budget is tight but it must be expandable aswell with quality. Theres all sorts the place will one day do but until i get the live rig there, (just front of house and monitors at moment i need), we cant do much else.

any suggestions from people who's experienced the impossible task before? we do rent but that eats into costing quite a bit.

please reply or contact me via email or phone.
[e-mail]
07734083935

thanks alot for reading and if anybody can help, theres 100's of people who would be greatful

take care
simon west

[John Bell]

Hi Simon,
I am only a small fry hobbyist, compared to the challenge you face. I use venues with no in-house sound or decent stage lighting facilities. I use my own equipment, not only for my band, but for several others as well.
Rather than trying to reach your goal quickly, it may be better to put on bands with their own gear, so that you can eventually purchase the equipment you ultimately want.
There are many superb tribute bands on the circuit, with their own PA and lighting equipment and some even have their own engineer. The bands that try to run their sound on their own, would probably appreciate your engineering skills and pay for the privilege. Charging a percentage of the door, for the use of the venue, can mount up to serious money, if the bands have a good following. Bands are always looking for new venues. John.

[Ric]

Hi iv been in similar situations, what you can do is go to PA companys and explain your situation, then ask if they could borrow you a PA and in return you will let them advertise there buisness at your gigs and that when you come to buy a PA you will use them. Also you could just ask them, as many PA have used aged stock that they dont use so you could ask for a old PA they dont use and state that you could take it of there hand and it would free up space for them selves. But mainly have a word with as many PA companys because they have alot of stock sitting in the warehouse that they would happily like to make a deal on money or no money.

[simon west]

thanks very much for the replies, luckily ive gained the use of an old peavy hi sys system, replaced the bass cones + magnets and a horn in the mid/high unit and its working great for what it is. i will take the advice on percentage of the doors etc, we have been doing most of what you said but money was not coming quick enough compared to expense such as the roof needed replacing.old council buildings are not the best things to take over. and the craziest thing was that the patt tests ran out on the same day we took over the place!!

if anyone else has any great ideas i would be honoured because at the min im thinking of bank begging!!!and thats hard!!!

[Simon Ryder]

Looks like you have got the ball rolling with the Peavey rig, hopeflly you will find that it really helps the cash start flowing in. It is a really good idea to get to know your local PA companies as has been sugested. If you are a regular customer, they will probably do you a discount.
I would suggest you use something other than Alpha E though. In my experience it is very poor for live work as it is almost impossible to get the vocal clear in the mix. This is due to it crossing over from an 18" driver to a 10" mid. Of course its big brother does not share this problem but that's a different story. The Alpha E is very good however for electro and drum n bass, so if that is your market.....
A few more suitable suggestions would be:

Logic Systems X series - good punchy lows and good vocal clarity, comparable to the E in terms of height of stack and power.

Nexo PS15s, LS1200 and PS15bass - this is a truly superb system, capable of going very loud indeed and maintaining crystal clear sound. A lot more expensive than the Logic System though. Also you would need the PS15bass cabinets as well to gain the upper bass thump for live work.

Martin Blackline H3 and 218 subs - good live system, efficient, loud and capable of giving very clear sound. Wont break he bank either.

Nightfire Pulsar is also supposed to be extremely good, exceptionally well made and superb value for money, and is woth a serious audition. www.pa-direct.co.uk

I have real world experience of all these systems except for the Nightfire (which I really look forward to trying as I have heard superb reports but none of the pa companies I work for own any yet) as well as the Alpha E. In fact I am taking a Logic System out in preference to the E on a regular basis - the warehouse has both in it as well as PS15s and Alpha.

Hope this helps,
Simon

[simon west]

thanks for the advice guys much apreciated, the reason i was saying alpha e was because recently i did a festival with the alpha e system, added a pair of s2 for a 4000 people tent. over the weekend theres was everything from metal to soul and it worked really well, especially in a boggy humid tent.

i will obviously grant that most probably have more experience than me, and i am going to look at pricing for the alpha e's big brother.
my main concern, although i dont have the biggest budget in the world, its justifying it. its got to be expandable, teachable to people who arnt musically technical, able to take alot of punishment from mistakes learners will make, and at the same time after a days work with learners, still provide quality for a professional band to perform infront of a good sized audience.

as i said, thats the reason for alpha just cos i used it and it worked. however, if i get a good recommendation, i will find that grants to extend my budget. i was just thinking, personally ive had good and bad experience's with logic, can anybody sell it to me? and meet everything ive said above? i used it for the buzzthingys and it was great, however ive also used it for masterdon and sebastian bach and it was poor. fair enough, two different set ups, but i have known alot of people to say its good but be careful.

who would you recommend for suppliers? at moment i've had very very good quotes from ac lighting. who now do audio. so good in fact i was requested not to say the price to anyone else.

also panda hire in nottingham are giving some good quotes but turning out just a little more than ac.

infact, if anybody wants to help with some advice.
please email me
[e-mail]
or
07734083935 and ill ring you straight back, please leave a message on the answer phone if you get to that

cheers,
simon

[simon west]

buzzthingys? i meant buzzthingys!

[simon west]

ok, every time i try to type buzz c o c k s it says thingys

[ian hasell]

It's the auto filter for bad language!!

Some words will get through.

Ian