I was planning to practise using the MIDAS live music mixing desk with the help of one of the technicians after realising that I am on a time crunch. I would have practised using this specific desk because it would be one that is accessible for me to take down to the Darkroom Bar to use for my event.
However, after discussing my plan to the technicians and my course leader, they proposed an alternative to doing my event in the Darkroom Bar. This would be performing in the room M108 in uni, since for my project, there is no need to have a physical audience – the sole purpose of my project is a live recording of a music performance. This would allow me to have more time to prepare for the event, since I can push it back. In addition, there is already a drum kit there that I can use instead of having to bring a kit all the way downstairs. Causing less stress, I can also mix live using the desk that I have been using down in the studios in W107 rather than learning to use an entirely new mixing desk within the small time frame of three/four hours. From W107, I am also able to bring all the microphones that I wish to use upstairs to room M108, allowing me to access more microphones than is available on Orb.
Having changed my event, I will have to contact the Darkroom Bar to say my event won’t be happening anymore. When discussing this new event with the technicians and my course leader, they were able to book the room M108 for me for the whole day on April 25th from 10am-7pm, giving me the whole day to setup, record and pack up everything.
For this to work out, the technicians said that I would need to provide them an input list: stating instrument, mics, mic stands, monitor mix – to be sent to them at least two weeks before the actual event, so they can revise and come back to me about the information that I email them and get the equipment and microphones ready in time for April 25th.
Therefore, my idea of a live recording still remains – just with no audience and in a different space. Drums, instruments, amps, mics are more accessible (can take from the studio downstairs in W107 rather than from the Kit Room) Pushing back the event allows more time for practice within the studios as well, since we can practise when the Easter break ends and uni opens up again. Also, for the set list, the band would only be performing the four original songs rather than a whole set up of cover songs on top of that. This is enough for me to mix and hand in as my artefact for my FMP.