Job Type: Recurring, multi-day, single facility.

Venue: The Jeanne Wagner Theater at The Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, a high-dollar facility that is VERY classy. The stage is cavernously huge, with a full fly-system and a ceiling height to match. The new toy this year was an automated raise/ drop controller for the grand drape. I didn’t get to play with it, but it was cool just being around it.

Load-in: I got in the van to leave, and the danged thing wouldn’t start! Fortunately, my dad has one of those “tiny package, huge current” jumpstart kits, and that got me on the road. Once you get let into the facility, the load-in is actually pretty posh; These folks have big doors that a cargo van can definitely wiggle into. I got the gear indoors, then clambered back into the van to park it, and…click. Nothing. (I had, of course, swiped Dad’s jumpstarter, so I impressed the technical director and one of his assistants by giving myself a jolt and going on my way.) Even with all the drama, I managed to be early.

Load-out: I love the Rose Wagner, but I hate where they put it. Or maybe I hate where they put the things around it? They’re right behind a large, popular nightclub, and that means the back alley – which is already a bit tight – can get even more constricted with VIPs who park there. With Samba Fogo, the approaching end of the show run means that I start silently reciting things like the Serenity Prayer (sometimes with more or less cursing), readying myself to “just deal” with whatever situation crops up in the back. Of course, the last time around was pretty darn okay, as was this iteration, and I had plenty of help getting everything buttoned up and loaded. I’m pretty sure we actually set a record for the elapsed time to pack up and go back home this year. That’s even including my standard, 800-point turn to get the “cargo ship” turned around in the confines of the alley. I got help with that at the end too, which was very nice. Maybe it was only a 600-point turn this time. (Seriously, the van feels very unwieldy in downtown Salt Lake…)

What Went Well

• It’s Samba Fogo!: Who wouldn’t want to work with high-energy Brazilian dance? There’s fire involved, such that the local authorities have to come out and approve the action. There’s a big ol’ drumline that can make a TON of noise without any help from electronic doodads. There are performers in the finale who (I think) are 7+ feet tall in heels and headdresses. Folks are happy to be there. It’s a complete package.
• SC48 Automation: I have mixed feelings about the Avid SC48, but if I’m going to do snapshot automation it’s a great choice. The snapshot system is generally easy to understand, has crossfading available for many parameters, and also features a “scoping system” (defining what is or is not automated at any given point) which is both easy AND very flexible.
• It’s A Snap(shot): I also have mixed feelings about snapshot automation, especially because my style of mixing lends itself to working on the fly. At the same time, snapshots allow the console to keep track of piece-to-piece changes for you, which is very helpful when you’re doing something like working blind: This year, a midstage curtain was closed for certain pieces, meaning I didn’t have visual cues as to what was being played or not. In such a situation, I say, “Let the console do the remembering.”
• Hooray For The ACS: I don’t find the SC48 control surface to be all that great – mostly because I just don’t prefer physical surfaces anymore – but it does have a big, beautiful display called the ACS. The ACS puts a lot of power and information right in front of you, with an intuitive, mouse-driven interface that’s great for getting things done in a hurry. (I will admit to liking the fact that the physical surface is large and impressive-looking, but that only goes so far.)
• Uncompression: Samba Fogo gets the whole prep-time thing absolutely right. We have a full-on tech day for sorting out audio and lighting issues, then another night for a dress rehearsal, and THEN we do the shows. We have time to pick at things and sort them out, instead of trying to just throw it all together at the last moment. I have a very soft spot for people who refrain from compressing a show schedule, because it makes my life so much happier – and helps me to do the best job possible.

What Could Have Been Better

• I Miss MY Console: It might seem heretical to show partiality to a $2000 mixing desk versus a $30,000+ unit, but familiarity is a big deal. I’m unashamed to say that I definitely prefer an X32 to an SC48 when it comes to “features in common,” again, mostly because familiarity stops me from having to go hunting around for things. Oh, and honest-to-goodness remote capability is a big deal for me. Especially in a large facility, I really, really miss having stupid-easy remote control over the mixer. (Troubleshooting gets tiring when you have to run back and forth between the stage and booth.) And yes, the Avid runs plugins, but all I need them for is to engage functionality – like parametric output EQ – that an X32 simply has available as a built-in feature.
• Did You Ask For Directions?: On our tech day, I wasted a whole bunch of time by not asking for help. I was 100% sure that I was running console outputs directly to the patchbay – but I wasn’t! I erroneously assumed that the snake I was running from was connected to the console…when it had nothing to do with the console at all. I would have been told that in 10 seconds if I had asked a house tech, but did I? Nope. I eventually yanked a couple of console outputs, jammed in a pair of short XLR cables, and then ran adapters to the bay. It was an incredibly roundabout way to do something that would have been easy if I just used the patch as intended. The upside is that I’ll probably remember that little misadventure forever, so it wasn’t a total loss. One of my strengths is that I WILL find a creative way to get things done. My weakness is sometimes going that route inappropriately.

Conclusion

Samba Fogo is a high-class gig that I lucked into, and I’m hoping to keep it.