Roadies in the Midst

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To Road or not to Road
2008-03-26 23:22:00
I am back before gone and what better way to keep friends around than to give them free stuff! So, if you are interested and send a letter with a "Self addressed stamped envelope" inside to:Rat Sound - Stickers321 Bernoulli CircleOxnard, CA 93030USAWe will drop in 3 Rat stickers and post it back to ya!So who woulda knew that diving into blogging about roadies would be so read? So read that somehow the Spike TV show "ManSwers" found me and sent a crew out to interview me on some roadie-ish stuff. Don't know when it will be on or whether I will end up on the digital parallel to the cutting room floor, but I must admit that it was really fun and I had a blast. Especially the part where I felt very manly while getting my face powderedThe ManSwers crew was super cool and I realized that in a way, they are a special breed of TV roadies that travel in a small herd of 4 in a minivan. And what do roadies love? Yep, you got it, SWAG!!! So to test whether they were truly r...
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Pretending I am a Real Human
2008-03-13 07:26:00
I tour well. Perhaps naturally nomadic or maybe just that I have spent much of my adult life traveling between hotel rooms. Either was, landing myself down in one place for more than a few months is an incredibly challenging process. First there was the hazy shock of solid ground, the realities of washing my own clothes and figuring out the proper food purchase to consumption ratio. The glory of a full fridge followed by the dread of tossing away piles of rotted food only to be followed by scouring the kitchen for something edible. Then sets in the dreaded weight of repetitive patterns. Drive to work, wash car, clean house, being at various places at certain times. All the while fighting the sensation of collapsing freedoms. I tell myself it will be ok once I get used to, I tell myself that tour looks so shiny from a stationary standpoint and try and keep the downsides in focus so I do not slip away into "grass is greener on the other side" envy.As I navigate the doldrums ...
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Emerging From Hibernation?
2008-02-13 05:15:00
Well, it has been a bloggery while since my last post and not for forgetting, as I truly have been intending. Being in the sound company business is not for the faint hearted and winter time is the toughest of all when you depend on touring bands as your primary income. Way back in 1980 I started Rat Sound with my friend Brian when we both worked at Hughes Aircraft. Prior to that I was recording bands and though we did not adopt the pet name Rat for a few more years, 1980 is really when it began. I had started at Hughes in Radar Systems Group testing components for jet planes like the F/A 18, F15 and F14 fighters. Got bored and worked it out so I was loaned to Space and Communications Group doing a similar but less monotonous gig for Telstar and Telsat satellites. Still bored I applied for a transfer and was picked up by the engineering department of Electo-Optical Group working on TOW Missile systems. Youngest guy in the department and the only one without a college degree, it was ...
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Equilibrium
2008-01-13 03:31:00
**** Special News Bulletin ****As you may have or not noticed, I have all but vanished from the bloggery world and a few other's as well. Though fret not as because I am lost no more than I ever usually am, which is most of the time. Anyway, I have just returned from a full week of audio nerdery bliss, hanging out with the talented humans at EAW. Oooooh, speaker heaven! The days are numbered and soon comes the all new EAW MicroWedge and more as well. New designs, new prototypes being considered. This was the most comprehensive interaction with them so far. I am being welcomed into the inner workings of a machine of mind boggling complexity. Each department has an amazing talent, each also is cared for and run by unique and interesting humans with a true passion for what they create. Maybe I can even do a "Meet the MicroWedge Design Team" bloggery post.So, on my way to EAW I made a 5 day stop in Brooklyn.to hang out with Bart, Niki and Robin and build the super secret prot...
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Ramblings
2007-12-10 02:35:00
Oh boy, I feel like finally collected my bags and made it home for real. When flying high peering out the window hurtling through space in a metal tube, it is not till the ground approaches that the true realization of breathtaking speeds traveled comes to bear. When land does arrive under foot, the body stops but the mind keeps going, spirals and jet lag concoct a delirious mixture fading side effects so ingrained that full awareness only occurs in hindsight from a perspective untainted by the jet laggery. Ahhhh, yes acclimation. Reality really does move slower at home or is it faster as I can not comprehend how I fit nearly a blog a day into my life full of rock shows on tour where I struggle to fit a one in every two weeks at home. Oh well!So, in no particular order let's head to Florida where Continue reading "Ramblings"

It's About Time
2007-11-26 05:54:00
Hours fill up faster than new ones can appear and I scribble little hieroglyphic notes of future events I wish to remember in places I hope not to forget. This is either the best time of my life or just another meandering plugging away in some pipe dream direction. I guess both are true and unlike the thrill of exhilarating adventures, at least the' right now' I live in wont have the hangover that follows overload fun excursions. Challenge is the foundation of motivation. The knife that divides the complacent from the relentless. My sour reactions of being caught off guard catalyze into that desire smile of harnessing the energy to overcome the annoying. To try and stop time is to become lifeless. Growth or deterioration take your pick. Stagnation is celebration turned rancid. On some levels I could not be happier as my dreams unfold and my stumbles remind me that I am as disoriented, lost and confused as I have always been. It is amazing how chaos is just one phone ring away from...
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Month Two Home
2007-11-12 05:31:00
Month Two Home Immersed in pondering I I wonder where have I felt this sensation before? The trigger this time is surfing. Or more specifically, the territorial nature of surfers guarding their surf spot. I grew up in LA and for quite a few years lived very close to the beach. Yet at best I am crappy surfer that spends most of my time and all of my energy just paddling out past the waves and then chasing them back in after avoiding the ones that look like doom cometh. I am not one much for being chilly except in the Peppers sense and until the very recent now, I never made a true effort to truly grasp the whole pattern and strategy of timing, preparedness and mental state optimization necessary to improve my surfing skills and truly embrace the art. Though now it has clicked and getting up at 6:30 am to be wet by 7 in 55 degree water for two hours of alternating exertion and waiting has become something I look forward to. So back to my pondering, it dawns on me that the pattern of po...
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October 30th 2007 - Rolling Along
2007-10-30 17:27:00
Well, how about an update on the way of world of being home. I went for a visit to say hello to the Foo Fighters and crew at their rehearsal prepping for the Europe tour. They are one of the greatest bands all the way around. They rock, they are all super cool people, they have fun and their music is awesome, all good. They have a pretty cool tour setup planned out and if you have not seen Foo Fighters live, I highly recommend you do. Next stop for me is AFI. I am trying not to tour and steering clear of mixing shows as best I can to stay focused on other things but when the call comes in to cover a gig, and it is just three shows and not far away, well, I could not help but say yes. Rat has been supply sound gear to AFI for several years now and this was my first real chance to meet and get to know them a bit better and it was all good.**** Sound Nerd Speak ****Next stop in my travels is EAW for some more design work on the new MicroWedge. Every single detail is addressed and I abs...
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Hellooooo!!
2007-10-23 17:05:00
Bloggery UpdateI know it has been a while and as much as posting has been a goal on my mind, the sheer process of rebuilding my post-tour life has been fully encompassing. That is not to say that I do not get to venture out and going down south a few hours to say hello to Muse crew was super cool.Hanging with MC, Muse sound engineer. He mixes a great sound and he is doing some cool stuff. He, like myself, had some issues with diving into digital boards and and after testing the best of the best, went back to analog. Unlike me, he has a much more complex show to mix so he set up a midi controller footswitch tied into the console with all the song names and scene changes on it and can step through settings, not unlike a digital board.One of the scenes:And of course some Rat swag for all. Paul, their production manager made the best choice right off the bat!Oh, and Muse is great music, a great show and all good. **** Other Stuff of interest ****This is a 1976 picture of a 20,000 watt h...

Oct 4th Day 499 - Breathing Fresh Air
2007-10-05 00:13:00
**** Dormant Roadie Babble ****So sorting through some pics and since Leeds was the last show I was pretty pre occupied with wrapping up odds and ends so not a lot of photos. I did find these. The magnetic attraction fire does seem to go quite well with music. Add in some food and it somehow highlights the human-ness of it all.Oh and found this from Glasgow I think. Wow, this is one heck of a facility! "Man and woman make baby in shower." And even the slippery floor warning, so be careful.So I am hanging out and a critter cruises by in the night in the back yard. The combination of curiosity and hunter instinct sets in and so I decide to trap whatever it is and wake up to find this little guy.Cute little baby possum and very stinky as well. Well, I don't mind 'em running around so I did what any considerate person would do, I let him go in my neighbors yard.Been getting a bunch o requests to take a look round the home I occupy so here are a few. I while back I bought som...
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Sept 26th - Alien Environment Only Lasts till Normal Sets In
2007-09-26 09:38:00
Uh oh! No call sheet under my door! What time is lobby call? Oh, that's right, lobby call today - whenever, Ha ha! Reality shift as my life slips back to the other way. Way too much to do and every time I cross off something from my list, three more things jump on. Ahhh, but the timelessness is dreamy. Up at 7 am every morning and in bed by 9 pm or 3 am or up in the middle of the night all depending on what I am not sure. The EAW adventure is moving along and if I can just remember to go to the grocery store I would not be hungry all the time. Oh well, eating is over rated any way. So stepping back to my notes and pics of the past.......Day 457 - Aug 24 - Leeds FestivalLooks like Ozzy Osborne has a novel concept for solving the innate human nature to battle one another for no good reason. check out whateverittakes.org if you need one of these fashionable wristbands. Gotta love the Ozzy!Ok, so here we are.Leeds Festival is known for many things. One of which is being the sister fest...
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Day 24 Post Tour - Monday Sept 18
2007-09-19 00:05:00
For all y'all in the industry and even if you are not, who would like to nominate lighting, audio, trucking, staging, bussing and other entertainment entities for the annual Parnelli Awards, go to this link and rock out, vote for some, vote for all or none! http://www.parnelliawards.com/nominate.ph pDay 456 - Aug 24 - Reading FestivalSo as we approach the our last hurrah, Scott and I decide that we can not end without one last adventure into the roadie wilderness known as the crowd. Shhhh, as we lay low and creep off into uncharted lands the sensation of danger is imminent. Quickly we discover that to wander astray could have dire consequences. Hmmm, I wonder if this is the right way?After a brief pow wow, Scott and I decide that we will heed the words of the yellow sign and follow a less ominous path. Stealthy we blend.It appears that the natives posses a certain fondness for an effervescent yellowish liquid called beer. It also appears that warm beer is some sort of criminal act s...
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Day 22 Post Tour - Monday Sept 16
2007-09-17 06:28:00
First of all **** Kudo's to all that have been rocking out on Roadiepedia! Awesome to see it growing and I check the recent changes every day and chip in when I can. I love the mix of serious, informative and sarcasm developing. All good!**** Dormant Roadie Babble ****Slowly the layers of tour habit peel a way as I re-acclimate, sometimes begrudgingly, to the world of home. I love my own bed but changing and washing sheets, well, not so much. My fridge 'food to consumption' ratio is way out of whack and I buy way too much of the wrong things and not enough of the right ones so I end up hungry as toss I out things gone rotten. I do a short run to the beach and back each morning which definitely makes my day better, I would love to get some serious exercise but instead I run around from project to project still feeling a sinking sensation that I think is for the most part illusionary as I know I am making headway, I just have so much catching up to do that the progress is not readi...
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Day 15 Post Tour - Monday Sept 9
2007-09-12 23:25:00
Though I vanish at times, I rarely disappear and if all runs smooth I hope to stick around in this bloggery world for a while. I woke up pondering and about how cooperative efforts of multitudes of humans with a common direction, makes me happy and I came up with a new interactive project that requires help from y'all, my bloggery friends. So after after thousands of hours of sharing my world and adventures and no advertisements, no strings attached and free for fun free, I have a favor or task or adventure to ask from all of you. Perhaps view it as the final exam, the beginning of something with no end or an interactive group public extension of the blog. Either way, if you go to http://www.ratsound.com/mwiki you can freely add edit and generally mess around with the evolving content of Roadiepedia. I would very much appreciate a bit of your time throwing some of your view, knowledge or personality into the mix and helping build what I hope to be something fun, funny and informati...
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Day 14 Post Tour - Sunday Morning
2007-09-09 17:50:00
Good morning sunshine! I can't say it exactly a haze I am emerging from. More accurately it feels like "velocity differential acclimation" sort of like when I look outside the car window at world around while driving and all is smooth and normal. I sit in a comfy seat watching it slide behind me yet if I were to step out of the door while traveling 60 miles per hour, the "velocity differential acclimation" experience would be quite life-disruptive. In fact the velocity differential would be so great great that rather than acclimate, I would most likely end up absorbing the 60 miles per hour in a flailing arms tumble to an eventual big owie stop. That is how these last two weeks feel except without out the big owie part.So before I work my way up to now, how about a bit of catching up on then......Day 455 - Over the Pond, Again The final bit. Three shows, one our own and then two mirror image festivals. For me as a sound engineer, today is the last real day with ...
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Day 289 - March 8 - Mexico City - Off
2007-03-10 15:10:08
Mexico City , you can feel the altitude when you breath and welcome to one of the largest cities on the planet earth rating somewhere between 10th and 3rd depending on your definition of city. What do we love about Mexico? Well, the food, the people, the weather, the oceans and the very human feel to everything surrounding. It is ok to be happy here and ok to have fun. So what happens when you mix a bunch of roadies, stir in some tequila and ship them all to Mexico, well....they take pictures of course!But all is not perfect and that brings me to**** Issue of the Day ****Ok, as y'all are quite aware, I am not renown for being the best keeper of things. Items love to escape me and like the boy who called wolf, when I lose something, I am rarely afforded much more than a smile and when I claim "I swear, it is not my fault, someone has captured it, I did not lose it." Well this was one of those times. I am at the hotel bar chatting with fellow roadies. time to head to the roo...
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Day 288 - March 7 - Houston, TX
2007-03-08 21:08:01
Say bye bye to the stage set as the world of presentation will be evolving and changing to new "looks." Our make up date Oklahoma City will be close but as our travels to far away places yonder and beyond, new things are brewing. Sound wise, well, for the most part I will hold it together as close to what we have now as feasibly possible. One thing for sure, you all will get an inside glimpse of the parts most people miss as this big musical contraption continues it's global adventure.And also say bye bye to Gnarls Barkley, bye bye! Wonderful to have them out and they will be missed. Though the present slides into the past never to be repeated, a bit of sadness will be replaced by the curiosity of the new and yet to be known. For the last song of the last show, hey look!It's Josh Klingenhoffer rocking with the Peppers.For an awesome grand finally.Next we have a purely gratuitous photo of some sexy wires, ooooooh!!Why anyone would need so many blue wires, I have no idea, ...
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Day 285 - March 6 - San Antonio - Show Day
2007-03-08 09:07:02
Wow! The fans were crazy loud! So cool and ouch, my ears. Being surrounded by so much energy is an instant thrill that flows excitement through everyone fortunate enough to be immersed. The band can feel it and reacts with their music, the crowd reacts to the band's spinning of the wheel with more energy and round and round it goes into a spiraling frenzy. Meanwhile, I am wedged firmly in the middle amongst and amidst the masses with the auditory blast of the band at my finger tips. Oh my, what is one to do when the audience's exuberance begins to drown out the band? Well, I turn it up of course, and so I did and so it was and so that spinning wheel spun even faster. Fun show!! Loud show! and just as in last blog I laid focus on the grumpy, greeders and other human feeders of Texas, today I would like to highlight the other side of the natural balance shared a glimpse of the amazing and magical energy of experiencing a massive clustering of humans on an adventure of smiles. Which ...
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Day 286 - March 5- San Antonio - Off Again
2007-03-06 21:05:05
Some times life can be a blur and while sliding back and forth in bits of time as we take a look out the window of a jet landing in San Antonio through the eye of an open shutter camera, proof of that blurry life concept is confirmed.Texas is a proud state that is not only large but there are also a lot of cows and steers. I have a theory that it is the generational teachings of ranching which involves the corralling of fairly dim witted animals by scaring them a little bit with dogs and cowboys with hats on horses and then putting some food in a fenced area that is equally effective for turning four legged critters into dinner as it is for corralling votes from the idiot American public that makes up a high percentage of our country. Hence, the only logical reason we could possibly have babbling corrupt lying dumb ass running our country. Anyway, Texas is proud and big and was home of Davey Crocket and Jim Bowie (the knife) and past famous wars. Hey, the Alamo! Remember the Alamo!H...
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Day 285 - March 4 - San Antonio - Off
2007-03-05 21:05:02
So the Champaign show was in this little round arena that left me finding the FOH mix area at around 65 feet from the front of the stage. Personally, I am really easy going about how far I mix from now a days. I did not used to be that way though. I used to have a miserable time mixing if I was too far from stage or I was not exactly the same distance every show. Too far away and I would mix too loud and heard too much room sound, too close and it sounded too loud and I would have troubles keeping things balanced as you can get away with a much sloppier mix when you are close and still have it sound good, but only to other people that were close as well. Those days are long gone. I do like to be centered but sound wise, heck I am fine being 100, 150 or even 200 feet away and letting more audience humans have a better view. That does not come without a bit of a cost though. I miss seeing the band up close and clearly. So in Champaign, it was refreshing to be so close and I took the o...
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Day 284 - March 3 - Champaign, Il
2007-03-05 21:05:02
Good morning! So on our day off a few days back in Des Moines, we went on a roadie adventure called bowling as world saturated in outdoor ice inspired us to have an indoor group field trip. Here you can see a us roadies piled into a hotel shuttleWhere we headed toward the fierce competition of the lanesto roll and bowlFollowed by a most fun adventure with our dreamy Des Moines, Ashley, Heather and Katie and joining Salim, Scott and I for blizzardy hike to a closed bar. But wait, like light in the darkness (literally) we found the curious place called The Blazing Saddle filled with fun and friendly people having way too much fun. Instantly, Scott joins in as he was filled with exuberance and joins in the gaiety of the festivitiesOK, off to go see what's inside the world called gig,Dave Rat
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Day 283 - March 2 - Des Moines
2007-03-05 21:05:02
Good morning world of coldnessBlizzards are both cold and windy. Furthermore, they tend to heap a big pile of inconvenience onto this contraption called life. While slippery is an asset for some things, when blankets of snow form a slippery layer between car tires and the earth on which they travel, the likelihood of a less than optimum outcome is considerably increased. Being that our roadie lives are spent a midst a traveling road show, it is safe to say that we are not overly thrilled that this blizzard has decided to showcase it's capabilities in the same city and time that we are attempting to rock. The treacherous blizzard attempts to unrockify us but to no avail as we will persevere sally forth and onward ho.**** Electric Inside ****Something so magnetically wonderful about the going inside where the electrons flow. Ooooh, she is electric inside! and in we go as a piece of gear has found the desire for some special attention. This time it is the CD burner that records the re...
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Day 267 - Feb 14 - Valentines Day
2007-03-05 21:05:02
Happy Vale nti ne s Day to all my bloggery friends!Thank you for joining me on the travels far and wide and making the adventure so much more enjoyable!Love,Dave Rat
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Day 282 - March 1 - Des Moines - Off
2007-03-02 09:02:02
Bus ride to Des Moines , ice storm outside and doing a bit of bus bunk computing.Back and running and all just seems to pick up where it left off. Currently the biggest challenge with these tour stops and starts, lays in the band's laps. Production wise, the trucks are loaded and still how we left them on the last gig, business as usual for us. Whereas the band guys take playing every show the best they can to heart and are caught balancing well needed breaks with hitting the ground full speed. It kind of reminds me of athletes in a way but rather than training for an event, they need to stay constantly in shape. To much push and they burn out, not enough and they become unsatisfied with the shows. The constant self pressure to strive, is an impressive trait and those that have it, often end up in amazing places and lives, like our our musical Peppers friends have.And here is something I have been meaning to do for a while, have a look around Milwaukee gig from FOH perspectivehttp:/...
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Day 280 - Feb 27 - Rosemont, Il
2007-03-01 09:01:01
The delays were delayed. We were told that our flight was delayed but when it was time to board, it turns out that the delayed boarding was delayed as well. Right before heading out on towards the runway, the pilot informed us that there is a bit of a delay so he shut the engines back down and we stayed parked for 1/2 hour before being delayed 15 minutes more and heading out. Other than the further delay in getting a take off slot, we took to the skies without further delay. Landing only two hours late, it turns out that there was delay getting into the gate because of another aircraft parked there. Unfortunately the "alley" where our gate was is only wide enough for one plane at a time and we are at the end of a line of planes with the same plan as us, no problem, it will just be a minor delay.So we land, the backline threeand I, gather our luggage and then push it around in circles as none of us have clear info on what to do now. If it was not for a few text messages fro...
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Day 278 - Feb 25 - Home, CA
2007-02-26 08:59:02
OK, I fly tomorrow and will get back on the sound and travel thing and in the mean time, since I am trapped in a ponder, I may as well share it.**** Ponderings ****Jack of all trades versus master of one. Whether to be the specialist or the multipurpose man. It seems I constantly find myself cycling between round and around I go like a tennis ball caught in the spokes. Left to my own devices without outside influence, curiosity so easily draws me into hyper focus on projects that I drill into to the point of satisfaction or frustration, where I set it aside till a time when returning will bring further results. A way I have learned to tear myself away to maintain a grasp on my surrounding life, like trying to keep a multitude of spinning tops in motion. All too many times I have lifted my eyes from an immersion in the timeless sensation of being meditationally lost in a project, only to find my body starving, bills unpaid and loved ones pondering where I have wandered off to. Self i...
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Day 262 - Feb 21 - Ventura, CA
2007-02-23 08:57:02
Please pardon my pauses. Oh the reality of overload tumbles in in an avalanche kind of way. Broken I have been broken, body stopped working properly and oh so many un alterable adventures surrounding me so on I go while trading naps and rest for time previously spent sharing. Work, meetings, interviews and all things pull in all directions endlessly. Sunday sees another tour leg and I fully intend to be fully up to speed by then. In the mean time before catch up time here are a few pics from a stop ar Red Rock Canyon on the way to Mammoth snowboard adventure I bask in solving problems and the satisfaction of fixing things broken. Right now the my repair efforts are focused on fixing me!The not so chipper,Dave Rat
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Day 268 - Feb 22 - Home
2007-02-23 08:57:02
**** Sound Nerd Speak (with a little bit of Drum Nerd Speak) ****A little bit about resonance and damping. There are many types of speaker enclosure designs but for the most part they can all be distilled down to two basic types. Loudspeaker enclosures that have a hole somewhere in them that leads to the outside world and enclosures that do not. Some of these designers can be very complex with maze of chambers while others are truly just a hole in the box or a hole so big that there is not even a box per se. Secondly, speaker boxes can be made out of a wide variety of materials ranging from woods, plastics, metals or even concrete. Finally, inside of these loudspeaker enclosures, the creators often put some sort of filling like fiberglass or foam or felt product. While there are many other factors, all of the above choices have significant effect on the low frequency response and how damped or resonant the enclosure/loudspeaker combination will be.To visualize what is meant by reson...
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Day 268 - Feb 15 - On Da Plane
2007-02-16 08:52:02
Boeing 747 - 400 seat 18N Aisle, Business Class, British Airways. Comfy chair, crap food. Hey good news! I am proud to announce that I am relatively confident that I made it through this tour without losing a single item that I intended on keeping! Life is good, my days of losing things may be over forever, hurray hurray! Now all I need to do is just apply this same functional lossless life living pattern to tours longer than four days and I will be all set.The Peppers did not win the award they were up for but no condolences desired. All good and you all already know the deep love and appreciation hold for award shows and as much as winning is an artificial thrill tossed in from the peanut gallery, to lose is an affirmation that one has not fully achieved Mcdonalds mass appeal generic status. My priorities and focuses lay elsewhere and from the reports I have received thus far, the sound aspects of the gig were a success. **** Welcome to the Awards Show ****A few people have asked ...
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Day 260 - Feb 7 - Home
2007-02-16 02:51:01
Starbucks office again. I failed!!! After waking up to see that Dan had posted this comment:__Great blog (and I don't say that about many!), it's kept me suitably entertained for the past few months - but I've got to call you up on one thing: Starbucks? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Pseudo bohemian corporate scum - there must be somewhere better just round the corner or have they already put them out of business. http://www.ofb.net/~epstein/sl/0412/20041 210-starbucks.jpg(contains swearingly altered merchandise.)dan mac___In my delirious morning state, I decided he was right. Why support some corporate conglomerate when I can support a smaller local entity. So I set off to find an alternative, drove around for 20 minutes looking and then after getting jammed in local traffic decided it will have to wait for another day. I don't hate Starbucks nor do I feel any alliance to them. Though I must admit that the grungy mix of homeless people, local starving actors and business people on morning...
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