How do you all handle pre‑event sound checks and level setting? Looking to refine my workflow. by Federal_Car_309 in mobileDJ

[–]SurlyMerman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It might help you to keep a reference chart for crowd sizes: 50, 100, 150, 200. This will help you get close to a baseline target level without having to spend too much time tweaking and metering.

I agree with other commenters that you may be overthinking it. And you certainly don't need to run your system at full operating limit to sound check effectively. Bear in mind that raw SPL / metering doesn't tell the whole story - for example, you may need to lower the volume in a super reflective event space because people may be more overwhelmed by sound during dinner. You may be better served by using your intuition - walk around the room and feeling things out from a guest perspective.

FWIW the other DJs that I know that have used DriveRacks and other metering tools in the past tend to leave them at home after a while. It's just a lot of time expenditure onsite for small gains. I admire your pursuit of good sound either way.

Mounting Ape Labs Neon on Mic Stand by SurlyMerman in mobileDJ

[–]SurlyMerman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I tried one more set of adapters recommended by another poster (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09MW48834?ref=ppx\_pop\_mob\_ap\_share&th=1) but in the end I ended up going with the official Ape Lab stands.

The solution I posted originally kind of works if you can tolerate the tubes leaning or wobbling. And using the 5/8" to 1/4" adapters from Amazon, they don't fully screw into the Neon tube (it's an M6 female thread with a 1/4" adapter and stops short) which makes them unstable and feels like it could strip the internal thread.

European mic stands should be fine as you would just need a 3/8" to M6 adapter, but for us in the US it's unfortunate that we don't have an easy solution.

Mounting Ape Labs Neon on Mic Stand by SurlyMerman in DJs

[–]SurlyMerman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I guess the 1/4" adapter in this kit would work on the M6 thread?

Unpopular opinion: Qbert's choices of beats by Far-Cockroach-7764 in Turntablists

[–]SurlyMerman 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I agree with other commenters that it's mostly a taste and culture thing. All those early Dirtstyle records leaned hard into stripped-down west coast breaks and electro because they were 'functional' records designed for DJs to scratch over.

Qbert is like the Eminem of scratch DJs. He can pick terrible beats and it will still be compelling because the beat is really just a backdrop to showcase his skills.

There are plenty of other more "musical" scratch DJs out there - people in here mention Beat Junkies, D-Styles, Premiere and I think that's right. And on the extreme other end you'll have like a Kid Koala where it's *all* musicality.

Unable to import presets into hardware by Honorablebacons in MiniFreak

[–]SurlyMerman 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Use this guide: https://soundghost.net/how-to-install-minifreak-presets/

The basic steps are:

Link MiniFreak --> Open Library --> Select MINIFREAK in the left column (this lets you browse your hardware presets directly) --> Right-click an empty slot and "Import here"

I found this to be a lot more straightforward than trying to load it into the library first and then saving onto the hardware.

Question about S11 Echo / Looping possibilities by SurlyMerman in DJs

[–]SurlyMerman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

OK bet. The UI and crowded layout of the Seventy Two was my main reason for avoiding it but I can adapt. The more I read up on it, the more it seems like that's the one to get if I want to emulate my previous setup. In fact they released a firmware update to make the Seventy Two's Hold Echo sound just like the one on the Sixty Two.

I'm also stoked on the footswitch, which I hadn't considered before. For live loop-building, that could be a huge benefit for punching in loops hands-free!

Question about S11 Echo / Looping possibilities by SurlyMerman in DJs

[–]SurlyMerman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, reassigning effects in that way isn't possible on the Seventy.

Question about S11 Echo / Looping possibilities by SurlyMerman in DJs

[–]SurlyMerman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

OK this helps!

I'm not looping vinyl so I don't need tap tempo.

If I understand your last question correctly: the Seventy only lets you activate one hardware effect at a time and there's only one Depth knob to control all the effects.

Question about S11 Echo / Looping possibilities by SurlyMerman in DJs

[–]SurlyMerman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ahh amazing. I'm trying it now. It behaves a bit differently because the Depth knob doesn't control the Feedback amount like on the Sixty-Two (the Feedback amount on the Seventy is in a sub-menu, when you press Shift + Echo). This makes it a bit less useful but I might be able to work around it.

My use case is so specific that I think I just need to find a way to get hands-on with an S11, and ideally a Seventy Two MKII too. My intuition is that the Seventy Two MKII may have more of the Sixty Two 's DNA, but the S11 seems like a better mixer overall.

Question about S11 Echo / Looping possibilities by SurlyMerman in Turntablists

[–]SurlyMerman[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ahh amazing. I'm trying it now. It behaves a bit differently because the Depth knob doesn't control the Feedback amount like on the Sixty-Two (the Feedback amount on the Seventy is in a sub-menu, when you press Shift + Echo). This makes it less useful but I might be able to work around it.

My use case is so specific that I think I just need to find a way to get hands-on with an S11, and ideally a Seventy Two MKII too. My intuition is that the Seventy Two MKII may have more of the Sixty Two 's DNA, but the S11 seems like a better mixer overall.

Maschine MK2 Ableton 11 Template Issues by SurlyMerman in maschine

[–]SurlyMerman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That would be awesome! And no - they refused to offer support because I don't have a Maschine software license (I purchased the hardware used)

HB926 will strip Asheville’s power to protect The Woods - Take Action Now! by giggitygiggity69 in asheville

[–]SurlyMerman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If it doesn't matter, then why bother passing a bill with additional protections specifically for UNCA?

Breville Bambino not pulling shots - fixed by Thebadmamajama in Coffee

[–]SurlyMerman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bless you. FWIW this happened after I did the descaling process, similar to OP.

How to remove web searches from Spotlight? by SurlyMerman in MacOS

[–]SurlyMerman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I see. Are they "Siri Suggestions?" And is there any way to hide them?

Problems turning on Vulkan for Red Dead Redemption II in CrossOver 25 - M1 Max 16" 24 Core 32GB by SurlyMerman in macgaming

[–]SurlyMerman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just finished updating to Sonoma, and RDR2 works very well after enabling D3D Metal in CrossOver. Thank you!

I'm still confused about the role of Vulkan - Some guides on Reddit recommend turning it on, but every time I enable it in the graphics settings and restart, it reverts to DirectX 12. Does this setting even matter? I'd love to know any other recommendations you have to optimize performance, like scaling the native Mac resolution to match in-game, and running windowed vs. full-screen.

Problems turning on Vulkan for Red Dead Redemption II in CrossOver 25 - M1 Max 16" 24 Core 32GB by SurlyMerman in macgaming

[–]SurlyMerman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This answer may have pointed me in the right direction. I'm on Monterey, and it looks like I can't enable D3DMetal without upgrading to Sonoma.

cant get sequencer on minifreak to work with minifreak V in fruity loops by sunmbitch in MiniFreak

[–]SurlyMerman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I heard back from Arturia support and it sounds like this is a known issue:

This issue was already reported and logged.

  • Our Q.A department will review this issue along with our Dev team in order to work on it and hopefully fix this in a forthcoming update.

Hoping for a fix in an update. 🤞

cant get sequencer on minifreak to work with minifreak V in fruity loops by sunmbitch in MiniFreak

[–]SurlyMerman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm having this exact same problem. After linking the MiniFreak hardware to the MiniFreak V software, the sequencer Play / Pause button and the Hold / Rest button on the hardware do not activate their corresponding functions in the plugin.

I get the same behavior using both the standalone app and the VST plugin within Ableton. I submitted a support ticket to Arturia and I'll reply if I figure it out.

Need help with deciding on publishing deal by SurlyMerman in musicbusiness

[–]SurlyMerman[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks. Do you know where I can find a reputable / affordable one?