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IowaDIY 2016
Hey guys, I wanted to start a project management thread for IowaDIY - for a few reasons. We have some guys here who have not done a lot of DIY event planning, and because we need to get rolling on this. Sooo.....
Due to my work schedule for the foreseeable future I will not be taking as active a role as I have in the past. We have our first expansion event coming up and that will require a lot of additional hours. The good thing? I am hourly and am making some serious bank out of this situation. The bad? No time for play.
This is a condensed list of what we will need for the event:
1. Equipment. I want to go full digital this year, meaning no moving parts in the active chain. If people bring a CD instead of utilizing our upload option, we will rip it on-site. We need a fast PC with (preferably a solid state hard drive). Music files should be stored locally, and not on an external hard drive. We need a DAC capable of 24/192 resolution - I plan on using some material from HD tracks and I know some of the other guys will want to do that as well. A pre-amp with squeaky clean analog in/out, and an amp with at least 200 honest watts per channel. I will not be supplying any equipment this year - I just cannot lug the Theta around anymore.
2. Music. Demo tracks take time to get right. Cutting them into short sections is easy enough - cutting them in a way that offers a challenging passage while maintaining listenability is a learned skill. Additionally, learning how to "read" the files in order to properly interpret frequency content and dynamic range is necessary. I expect people to dislike some of the tracks based on personal music preference - but at our events rarely do we hear a "that track is horrible for demo purposes because dynamics/frequency range" complaints. I am ok with music people don't like but when we read complaints about tracks that have been chosen it is generally complaints about how shitty those tracks are for forcing a system to show its abilities. I like to think Bryan and I have developed a good skill set in that regards and Jason is coming along nicely. That being said, I wouldn't mind involving the members here in that selection process - ramping up the quality of the demo music will have ripple effects outside of our little group.
3. Our venue this year will not allow food and beverage. Suggestions for lunch will be welcome.
Due to my work schedule for the foreseeable future I will not be taking as active a role as I have in the past. We have our first expansion event coming up and that will require a lot of additional hours. The good thing? I am hourly and am making some serious bank out of this situation. The bad? No time for play.
This is a condensed list of what we will need for the event:
1. Equipment. I want to go full digital this year, meaning no moving parts in the active chain. If people bring a CD instead of utilizing our upload option, we will rip it on-site. We need a fast PC with (preferably a solid state hard drive). Music files should be stored locally, and not on an external hard drive. We need a DAC capable of 24/192 resolution - I plan on using some material from HD tracks and I know some of the other guys will want to do that as well. A pre-amp with squeaky clean analog in/out, and an amp with at least 200 honest watts per channel. I will not be supplying any equipment this year - I just cannot lug the Theta around anymore.
2. Music. Demo tracks take time to get right. Cutting them into short sections is easy enough - cutting them in a way that offers a challenging passage while maintaining listenability is a learned skill. Additionally, learning how to "read" the files in order to properly interpret frequency content and dynamic range is necessary. I expect people to dislike some of the tracks based on personal music preference - but at our events rarely do we hear a "that track is horrible for demo purposes because dynamics/frequency range" complaints. I am ok with music people don't like but when we read complaints about tracks that have been chosen it is generally complaints about how shitty those tracks are for forcing a system to show its abilities. I like to think Bryan and I have developed a good skill set in that regards and Jason is coming along nicely. That being said, I wouldn't mind involving the members here in that selection process - ramping up the quality of the demo music will have ripple effects outside of our little group.
3. Our venue this year will not allow food and beverage. Suggestions for lunch will be welcome.
I have a signature.
Comments
In hindsight, yes - ripping on-site is a bad idea. We will make sure to forward my Audacity tutorial to people. It includes some good tips for choosing music in addition to the fundamentals of ripping. Reading between the lines on the various MWAF posts over at PETT it is obvious that people are unhappy with how the music was handled and I am proud that we dodge that bullet at our events. Between the passive-aggressive "can't believe the results" posts and the "some presenters ramble on" complaints, it just reinforces my belief that we have hit on possibly the best compromise for these things. In our announcements etc, I believe we should really emphasize the option of people writing their long-winded presentations down and handing out flyers to interested people. I thought I would die of boredom at Iowa in 2014 during Rory's speech - and there were a lot of "get on with it" looks in the crowd.
As far as lunch suggestions, I was thinking more along the lines of coordinating a group lunch at a local restaurant. There is a Pizza Ranch in Grinnel... The pizza is pretty shitty but they have good fried chicken and a decent buffet and will often do group rates.
In the past. that shitty Mexican restaurant has been the Friday night dinner joint but the last few years, the steakhouse has been my choice. Simply better food there.
http://www.midwestaudioclub.com/events/iowa2016/
Congrats man - two decades!! Much to be proud and thankful for.
We can pump the link to the tutorial on the MAC and IOWA FB pages ahead of the show and shit, even link it on the show info page (I'm on that now). People forget these things quickly, but your tutorial is awesome and will remind folks that anyone can cut a great demo.
Thanks!
As to #3, how close is the Jimmy Johns? We could just invade them for lunch.
Mike, my vote would be for the PS95 in the TABAQ with the Sunflowers being second choice.
Same here.
Absolutely no complaints, other than the size. I'm very happy with the sound and imaging. No sub required. Highs and mids are clear, but not over done. Definitely a keeper, especially if I ever get around to finishing my basement.
Not ridiculously large, but larger than what my family room will easily accommodate. They'll be great in my basement, when I get it finished.