Gigging 4.0 Observations

Akstrat

Akstrat

Experienced
Just a couple of notes from last weekend. I gigged 4.05 Beta last weekend and had three shows. I can say the the unit performed flawlessly. The Saturday afternoon gig was in the direct 85 degree sunlight and never had an issue. My tones were spot on. I played covers and used only about five amps. Two Fenders and about 3-4 Marshall types. The sound guys all gave me the thumbs up during the short sound checks, very little tweaking from the FOH. I did update yesterday to the official 4.00 release.

I do have one issue that is not necessarily a Fractal one. The Saturday gig in the sun presented a bit of a problem seeing the LCD readouts and colors? Those of you who play in the sun know what I'm talking about, especially if you wear polarized sunglasses. I have the FM3, FC6, EV2 and GLX wireless mounted on a board. Had anyone built a hood to use for their boards to see better in the sun? I will say that the FC6 tuner readout came in very handy and I was able to see that much better than the FM3 screen. I have this idea of a hood that folds under the sides of the pedal board, up the sides maybe 16 inches and angled up towards me (up four inches in the back and 16 inches on the player side), open in the back to allow cords to come out? Not sure that makes sense? Needs to be strong enough to hold up to windy days, but not too much to haul around to the festivals??? Cardboard would breakdown after a few gigs. Most all my shows are outside this summer.

Anyone built anything like this, care to share pictures or other ideas???? TIA
 
You might e-mail/PM Chad Boston who runs the big "original" Fractal & Helix groups on Facebook; he also runs gearbyceba.com and makes all sorts of protection, accessories, and cosmetics for modelers.
 
The sun does make it difficult to see the FM3 screen. I had the same issue with my digital mixer. I made a hood out of black corrugated plastic board, seams are black gaffer tape allowing it to fold and bottom edge has velcro to attach to mixer case . It helps, as long as the sun is facing the back of the hood. I was thinking of making another for my FM3 board.
 
Polarized sunglasses are a no-no when you have to read LCDs. Pilots don’t use them for the same reason — you have to be able to read your instruments. These days, drivers shouldn’t wear them, either.
 
The FC6 , colored rings, and the mini displays is about all I need to see. Those you can see fine with polarized glasses. The sun is the killer. You can actually see the tuner fine on the FM3 as well, as long as the direct sunlight is not there. I like the idea of constructing something from black corrugated plastic board. With all the different sized boards, I doubt you will find any manufactured product, a guy will need to build for his dimensions. I'm going to work on a proto today from just cardboard and see what it look like?? Wish me luck.
 
This is not a Fractal issue, this always happens when you play a stage in the afternoon and don't have a large covering. When the sun goes down a bit, I can put the top of my case on the side and block the sun. It's just certain gigs in the summer that really take the fun out of it, when the sun is shining, it should be a fun gig! Damn!
 
First gig I played outdoors in the direct sun I thought my gear was broken. I was panicking because I thought my MIDI controller wasn't working. It was working just fine but the LEDs were completely washed out by the sun.
 
FractalAudio said:
First gig I played outdoors in the direct sun I thought my gear was broken. I was panicking because I thought my MIDI controller wasn't working. It was working just fine but the LEDs were completely washed out by the sun.
Click to expand...
Sun is not a gigging guitarist friend. It’s still workable though.
 
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