| DJ: First Wedding [message #321693] |
Sun, 11 May 2008 13:35  |
 Evan Hunter
Messages: 85
Registered: March 2008
Location: Cleveland, Ohio |
Nothing Better To Do |
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So last night a buddy and I DJed our first wedding. I am usually into live sound but i had decided to take up the offer and give it a shot. So anyways its at this beautiful 5 story mansion built in the 1800s, so the first thing im thinking is electrical. But we get our stuff up to the 5th floor ballroom (via extremely small slow elevatior) We are running a computer for the music, a wireless mic, dj mixer, peavey amp, 2 peavey 12" two ways, and some lights. So we get everything setup in the DJ booth and do a full out test for and entire hour and a half. Everythting works out perfect. Wedding goes on downstairs, everyone eats, comes up and then we get started. We got through the bridal party and the cake cutting and all the special dances and a few other songs when pop we were in the dark. We were pretty dumfounded, after and 1.5 hour test at full out, why did it pop now? (blew one of the old glass style fuses) We turned off two of the lights because they were getting pretty hott and just wanted them out of the way, so that should have been that much less draw. I think that it was a decent sized fan that someone plugged in in the corner of the room.... Any ideas? The lady in charge at the venue said that they have had systems way bigger then ours so im not totally sure.
Anyways we got all the important stuff out of the way, and when it first happened we were freaking out, i mean this is this couples wedding! but after a few minutes they both came up to us and said that it was ok and they had a great time and would STILL recomend us to other couples. Many other guests also still said they had a great time and we had done a good job. Now if i could just find who plugged in that fan... (im thinking that had to be it)
Evan Hunter
Foster Sound Studios
Cleveland, Ohio
fostersoundstudios@inbox.com
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| Re: DJ: First Wedding [message #321707 is a reply to message #321695 ] |
Sun, 11 May 2008 14:29  |
Evan Hunter
Messages: 85
Registered: March 2008
Location: Cleveland, Ohio |
Nothing Better To Do |
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fan size? im not sure, i would say 32"s industrial fan. I just glanced over and it was running for a while before it all went out. In terms of lights, all we had actually running is one LED washout light, two chavet Yoke lights (i dont know the exact model) and on other mirrored light. Nothing large at all. The houselights in the ballroom went out, but we still had power in side rooms, We did not get power from another room because they did not have grounded outlets. We were running one peavey amp, not pushing it at all really. The 1.5 hour test we ran it much harder than at the actual gig.
The house did have 20amp breakers, and many of the glass fuse boxes, two of the glass fuse boxes were about 12ft up in the ballroom wall, one was down the hall. I would think that even if the breakers are 20 amps, i would doubt everything else is up to par. I think the room underneath us lost power as well but they got it back up really quick. the kitchen was next to the room underneath us, could be a dishwasher.... Im still guesing the fan.
Evan Hunter
Foster Sound Studios
Cleveland, Ohio
fostersoundstudios@inbox.com
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| Re: DJ: First Wedding [message #321716 is a reply to message #321693 ] |
Sun, 11 May 2008 14:46 |
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Scott Smith
Messages: 1188
Registered: May 2005
Location: South Florida |
Has No Life |
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Food? Cookers? Lights? Coffee pots? These things can draw much more than a sound system. Old house, old wiring...who know what shares what circuit! One coffee pot on the same circuit could have put it over the limit.
Edit: In fact, it would seem that everything that went "out" as you stated...did in fact share the same circuit.
[Updated on: Sun, 11 May 2008 14:48]
"Percussive Maintenance" - Bang on it until it works!
Scott Smith, South Florida
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| Re: DJ: First Wedding [message #321792 is a reply to message #321693 ] |
Sun, 11 May 2008 17:33 |
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In my experience, as soon as someone at the venue starts with the whole "bands play here with MUCH bigger setups all the time....you will be fine" I am pretty much betting on having problems.
Usually it is the event planner, or the venue staff saying this, and it is obvious that they are saying it to get a head start on covering their asses for when something does go wrong. Some of them even seem to think that the more they say it, the less responsible they are for having crappy power.
A good trick when they pull this line out, is to ask them "oh really? what type of systems?" Of course they have no idea, and it knocks the wind out of their sails on giving you the run around.
I always carry a circuit sniffer (from home depot)....a little plug-in tester to check correct wiring, and a multimeter. I very rarely even ask about power anymore...it is way more reliable to just test and figure it out myself.
Steve Milner
Steve@stevemilner.com
www.stevemilner.com
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| Re: DJ: First Wedding [message #321796 is a reply to message #321791 ] |
Sun, 11 May 2008 17:42 |
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| Tom Reid wrote on Sun, 11 May 2008 18:31 |
Sounds like coffee time.
...just about the time your say your fuse opened.
In older hall-type receptions I always dreaded the cake cutting since that meant coffee would be brewing in those big current sucking urns.
They'll get ya everytime.
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I too have been snagged by the coffee urns years ago, but have learned to watch out for them...
I did a corporate gig a few years back and about half way through the gig we lost power to the amp rack...at the same time that a vendor fired up a cotton candy machine, and a big trolley cart dough nut fryer on the circuit with my amp rack. I didn't even see those sneaky bastards running their cables into my power drop behind the pipe and drape, but sure enough I followed the ORANGE extension cord right to the culprits. Needless to say, they were busted!
S
Steve Milner
Steve@stevemilner.com
www.stevemilner.com
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| Re: DJ: First Wedding [message #321859 is a reply to message #321792 ] |
Sun, 11 May 2008 19:56 |
Evan Hunter
Messages: 85
Registered: March 2008
Location: Cleveland, Ohio |
Nothing Better To Do |
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| Steve Milner wrote on Sun, 11 May 2008 17:33 |
In my experience, as soon as someone at the venue starts with the whole "bands play here with MUCH bigger setups all the time....you will be fine" I am pretty much betting on having problems.
Usually it is the event planner, or the venue staff saying this, and it is obvious that they are saying it to get a head start on covering their asses for when something does go wrong. Some of them even seem to think that the more they say it, the less responsible they are for having crappy power.
A good trick when they pull this line out, is to ask them "oh really? what type of systems?" Of course they have no idea, and it knocks the wind out of their sails on giving you the run around.
I always carry a circuit sniffer (from home depot)....a little plug-in tester to check correct wiring, and a multimeter. I very rarely even ask about power anymore...it is way more reliable to just test and figure it out myself.
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hahaha that makes sense now, at first the event planner was always there very helpful and assuring, once it blew it took 15 mins to track her down..... I will use the line and the equipment next time ha.
Evan Hunter
Foster Sound Studios
Cleveland, Ohio
fostersoundstudios@inbox.com
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| Re: DJ: First Wedding [message #321868 is a reply to message #321796 ] |
Sun, 11 May 2008 20:20 |
Stephen Payne
Messages: 162
Registered: December 2007
Location: Chestertown MD |
Has No Life |
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| Steve Milner wrote on Sun, 11 May 2008 18:42 |
| Tom Reid wrote on Sun, 11 May 2008 18:31 |
Sounds like coffee time.
...just about the time your say your fuse opened.
In older hall-type receptions I always dreaded the cake cutting since that meant coffee would be brewing in those big current sucking urns.
They'll get ya everytime.
|
I too have been snagged by the coffee urns years ago, but have learned to watch out for them...
I did a corporate gig a few years back and about half way through the gig we lost power to the amp rack...at the same time that a vendor fired up a cotton candy machine, and a big trolley cart dough nut fryer on the circuit with my amp rack. I didn't even see those sneaky bastards running their cables into my power drop behind the pipe and drape, but sure enough I followed the ORANGE extension cord right to the culprits. Needless to say, they were busted!
S
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Same with us two weekends ago. Did a Taste of the Town thing, provided two distros. One for "them" and one for us. Still had to guard ours all day.
Steve
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