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The Auto Sound Engineer called ARC

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The one thing that I hate most about preparing a room before doing a concert is setting up the PA to provide optimum sound quality. Trying to not only find a sweet spot, the perfect location that has maximum sound quality (think of the seat that the sound technician running the PA/sound board is sitting) but extending a spot like that to many locations in the hall or room. It is almost impossible to do this if you, the performer, are doubling as the sound guy and in a huge rush to start a show. But what if you had lots of time on your hands?

The only answer that I have run into to date is something called ARC(Advanced Room Correction system). The company that makes it is called IK Multimedia. But will it work when you gigging at a show in a fairly big room, that is the question.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grU81hWU_wE&playnext=1&list=PLE5957135774D2090

ARC is made for artists with home studio’s, working in usually a spare room that more that is not exactly acoustically friendly.

I wonder if you could bring this type of setup into a venue that you would play in and obtain the same results? Sure it would involve a lot of preparation time before a show, no act has enough time to set up their equipment and do a quality sound check before the show let alone a test setup for extend the sound sweat spot!

First off you get the ARC to start measuring the dimensions of the room that you’ll be playing in. You take this high quality mic they call the Measuring Microphone that comes with it out of the box. You then have to plug it into your computer/notebook, turn on the software. The software will direct you to sections of the room to begin taking sample sounds/readings that come from your PA speakers. The software does some adjusting and out of your speakers come the perfect sound?

It sounds a little daunting at first thought, the set up that is, but if it works out ok then what the heck right? I don’t think that I would pick up something like this unless someone has a decent comment about it. So has anyone out there used the ARC system while performing live?

Keep on Jammin’





Open Guitar Tuner

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I got an e-mail from Benjamin, a rep from Guitar Tuners Data Base (GTDB), the other day with this useful alternate guitar tuning application. He wanted to tell me about this simple program that any guitarist can use. It’s simple design is to help guitarist develop a better understand about what is open tuning for guitars and how it works. More importantly, this app will help you find new directions that allows you to explore and expand your playing opportunities while giving you that sound that you’ve been looking for.

When I started playing guitar, there was no Youtube that you could search to see exactly how other guitarists play tunes or riffs. You just had to use your God given talent (and a little bit of dumb luck) to expand what you already knew and bring it to another level. It took me years to finally understand what and how open tunings work and use them to my advantage. Below is simple App that I will use to illustrate what I mean.

In each block you will see a large letter inside it. Each of these boxes represents individual strings on the guitar. You can tell which string the box corresponds to by looking to the upper left hand side of the box. Here you will see the number of string that it represents. ie: 6th (Bottom), 5th, 4th …

Now, start off by clicking the box that is furthest to the left. The note that you hear is what that particular string should be tuned to. The note will be repeated over and over again until you re-click the box again, after you have successfully tuned your string to. Makes sense so far?

Now go ahead and strum downwards on all the strings. When you strum it, it will sound like a chord. Now here is where it gets fun! Now try baring, placing one finger across all strings on any fret, and strum. Once again you will hear a complete chord. The next part is where it gets a little more adventurist for the uninitiated.

Put your finger on any string on any fret and strum until you hear something that resembles a chord. At this point try putting on another finger on the fretboard to create a fuller chord. This is your basic building block on how the open tuning system works. At first attempt, it might be frustrating to you. On my first try, I excelled rather quickly. It instantly exposed me to a new approach/method on how to play the guitar.

I wish you well on your new musical adventure! Remember, the worst thing you could do is learn something?

Keep on Jammin’ everybody!

More on the Carillon

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On my other blog, Guitar Licks, I did a post in 2009 about this really interesting church instrument called the Carillon. The post was titled The Carillon at Metro United Church in Toronto. This classic bell based instrument is located at the Metropolitan United Church M.U.C. in downtown Toronto, Ontario. So the story goes like this …

I had been just been at a doctors appointment across the street from the M.U.C. and I was killing some time before I returned for the second half of my visit. It was a hot July afternoon so I decided to sit in a park right beside the church. While sitting having a smoke, I’ve been successfully smoke free for 3 months now, when I heard the sound of bells coming from the bell tower at the church. Not just bells ringing to tell the citizens what time it is but bells that are actually playing multiple notes creating a real song. I thought to myself wouldn’t it be neat to get a closer look at this thing?

Since I had nothing to do and the doors to the church were open, I waltzed in to take a look around. After chattin’ with a women inside, who was handing out pamphlets, I noticed this guy walking down an old staircase. The women then introduced him to me as Gerald Martindale. I told him that am a musician and have a couple guitar blogs that I love to talk about unique instruments to people on. After telling him of what drew me into the M.U.C.,he said he was flattered. Gerald said the belled instrument that I was listening to is called the Carillon and that he was it’s principle player. He then began tell give me a brief history lesson about it.

After a couple minutes into our conversation he offered to take me up the bell tower for a closer look. He said it would take around an hour or so for a full tour. I thought to myself that if I get up there, there’s no way in the world I’d make the rest of my appointment so I had to begrudgingly declined his offer. He then told me I could come back later and make a little video about the Carillon. So we exchanged e-mails so we could arrange a proper time to met again.

Obviously I wanted to head back there but I never had the opportunity to do so. So today while searching a website from a local college, I came across a video that one of their students made about this exact instrument. Now after going through the video, it takes a couple of minutes to get to the actual piece, I thought it was well done so I just thought that I’d do a follow up on my previous post.

Check out this link to Centennial On Demand and proceed to 18:33 on the video counter to see the whole interview. It’s really neat to see all the moving parts, a little history about the Carillon and watch how to play this instrument. I hope that your enjoy it!

Keep on Jammin’

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