The Intergalactic Cowboy

I just completed my sound job for the childrens’ musical at the church. I can’t be sure how it went because the conditions in the sound booth made it difficult for me to see or hear anything ! The soundbooth for the fellowship hall is on a loft area, which is behind the back wall of the room, opposite the stage. There is a small window which allows hardly any sound to enter the soundbooth. So, in order to soundcheck, you have to make an adjustment; walk down the stairs; and then go into the hall to hear the results of the adjustment. It is like doing sound in solitary confinement ! The lighting man was up in the booth with me. The small window that has been cut out of the back wall of the hall is obstructed by a chandelier. So, in order to see anything on the stage you have to look through the arms of the chandelier. There is a ceiling speaker in the soundbooth; the kind of round speaker that you see in the lobbies of buildings; the kind of speaker that muzak is often pumped through in office buildings. But the sound that comes through the speaker is totally different from the mix that the audience gets in the fellowship hall itself. On top of all this, I had four wireless mics on and two lavalier mics on, creating a situation in which the propensity for feedback is extremely high. On top of that, add an audience of parents and grandparents who want to hear their children and grandchildren sing, loud and clear, and who don’t want to hear any excuses from the soundman. Tonight was a true test of The Intergalactic Cowboy. I maintained relative calm throughout the event, reinforced by the knowledge that I had devoted four hours of soundcheck to the project and had done the best job that I could.
The audience seemed to enjoy the musical.
I put the microphones up in a safe place and said my goodbyes.
With resolution,
I.C.