Axe-Fx III first live gig

bchulse

bchulse

Inspired
The good & the bad.

Bad:
Brutal hot day, high humidity
Stage in direct sunlight during setup & performance (7 hrs for my part)
No cover over stage
Suffered mild heat stroke
Lost PA & stage power several times during our set. Supposed to play 3 hrs
with one break. Got halfway through 1st song, PA power died. After rerouting power,
got through another 1-1/2 songs, then PA & stage power failed. This time we were down
for 45 min. Started up again, power failed again shortly after. Another long stretch.
Each time power failed, had to reboot my Digital stage mixer & Axe III. Could not see the
screen on the mixer and barely on the Axe (both in direct sunlight).
On each restart of the Axe, I had to reprogram my CC#'s. They will not stick when powered
off (either intentionally or unintentionally). Made more difficult because of sun.

Good
Axe III sounded awesome
The Axe withstood the multiple hard shutdowns and started up ok after each power failure
(except for the CC# issue)
I basically had 2 go-to presets, one clean, one heavy, with 8 preset options total.

I had MFC configured only to select presets 1-4, Scene Inc/Dec and tuner.
The preset change lag was noticeable, so I switched presets a moment ahead of the
needed change. Because of the conditions, I didn't want to use the Scene inc/dec
since I couldn't see the Axe Screen to verify what scene I was on.
Ultimately, we only played 20-25 out of 48 planned songs. Thankfully, I only had a
few CC#'s set, since I had to reset them 4 times. I wanted to keep the setup simple for the test run.
I still don't why the CC#'s get lost on power off. Someone suggested a bad battery.
I need to contact Support.

I had my Axe II as a backup, but the MFC config was set for the III, so if I had to
fall back on the II, the config would have been messed up for the II anyway.

Despite all the headaches, it did sound and feel awesome!
 
Drank lots of water and Powerade, but the heat just drained me. Had a hat and sunscreen
but I nearly passed out twice, then fell and jammed my thumb as well.

Rough day
 
Losing CCs: looks like a loose or missing battery.
Easily fixed.
 
Where were you playing? In day gigs I would never play w/o cover even if I had to bring my own! Yikes. Glad you struggled through but man that sounds rough.
 
+1 on the battery. Shouldn't lose settings because of power loss, which is just like flipping off the switch as far as the Axe FX is concerned. Quick to replace.

I feel for you on the environment and frustration. Living in South Texas I have had a few of those days, and none are good memories! Glad you made it through.
 
Yuk hate outdoor gigs. Have one coming up the 4th however its covered. There is just no winning. pound the fluids. Eat something salty. Lots of fans and bring your own canopy even if it just covers you. I have a mobile AC unit I'm seriously thinking of using at outdoor gigs, Providing there is enough power to run it on another circuit. First gig with the III for me as well yesterday and man did it sound and play great as well.
 
Have now done two outdoor gigs with my III using MFC-101. Both days, 97 degrees, heat index better than 103. Brutal... and first gig was at an amphitheater where the stage had a cover directly overhead - but the sun was directly in our eyes for 60 minutes, so cover was just useless.

Couldn't see my III screen at all on the first gig, then remembered I was wearing polarized sunglasses - duhh. Found out how much I truly miss tuner on my pedalboard tho. Had to tune my guitar several times during each show just from the heat, and to see/read the screen of the III is just not convenient unless its on stage beside me, and we don't do that.

So even with talcum powder, at outdoor gigs my strings still get really sticky feeling - what do you guys do about that? Feel like I am wiping them down between every song...
 
Thanks guys. I'll check the battery. Just saw in the manual it is
a CR-2032 (standard electronics battery).

Oh, and I forgot to mention, my iPad overheated and would not stay on.
So no charts. Had to remember all the lyrics with a fried brain.
Led to some funny moments.

This was in a large open parking lot with a couple small trees scattered,
where the people gathered to get out of the sun.
The stage was pretty large, so no average tent would be enough.

I was using Fast Fret & Finger ease after every couple songs. Nothing worse
than fingers sticking and dragging along the frets.

When the main act came on at 7:30, it was mostly shaded and more comfortable.

As Zionplayer mentioned above, the Tuner was difficult to see in direct sunlight
as would be expected.

In the end, we got through it. Next time, fan for the iPad & Mixer, as well as sun shades.
 
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man that was a tough one... i have a travel size container of baby powder, works great on sweaty hands and guitar neck.

did a show once at a harley dealership, same thing, sun in your face, parking lot, hot as balls. Drank lots of water, still ended up in hospital that night... I hope you got paid well lol.
 
dpeterson said:
man that was a tough one... i have a travel size container of baby powder, works great on sweaty hands and guitar neck.

did a show once at a harley dealership, same thing, sun in your face, parking lot, hot as balls. Drank lots of water, still ended up in hospital that night... I hope you got paid well lol.
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Yep. Been there done that. We had a small stage covered by a tent, but I was at the end of the stage getting the full sun. It was brutal!
 
I booked the gig (based on 4 piece). Ended up w/5 guys, plus
I forgot about sound guy (we usually do our own sound). When all
was said and done, gave the other guys full cut, came away with 50.00.

But I got to use the Axe III live with a nice guitar through a big PA!
 
bchulse said:
...came away with 50.00...
Click to expand...

Exactly! A chance to play with excellent musicians over a big PA in an amphitheater... with my new FX III. Worth every penny... even considering it was a freebee fundraiser for Special Olympics...

I'd do it again, too. My sunburn will heal.
 
yeky83 said:
Cool, it says "100°F ambient temperature with a full solar load, X-naut mitigated over-heating of the iPad." I dunno what a solar load is, is it as hot as direct heat from the sun? Anyway, 100°F ambient pass is still pretty great.
Click to expand...
"Full solar load" sounds like marketing-speak. Maybe it means direct sunlight, maybe not. They don't say. And direct sunlight in Anchorage at 6 PM isn't the same thing as direct sunlight over the Sahara Desert at noon.
 
yikes. i'll play 30 minutes tops outside without cover. sun or rain can damage me and my gear, and i won't take chances like that. of course, most event coordinators think everything is waterproof...
 
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