Audio Hooligan

Audio Hooligan Sound Control Accrington Soul Club Tuesday 14.05.19. Sound check Accrington Town Hall. The house sound system performed well at the last soul night but it was operating near it's limits. The sound was good at the front of the hall but deteriorated towards the back. 14.05.19. we trialled an additional 3.2 KW of top quality, state of the art audio equipment at the opposite end of the ballroom. There was some apprehension in the club regarding some of the finer details beforehand but it was needless worry. The additional 3.2KW just filled it out nicely. The combined sound of the two systems perfectly satisfied the requirements of a soul night in a large venue . The clarity was amazing, the bass immense. I frequently did a surreptitious manic laugh at the sheer delight of listening to music of that quality with that much power. No bass hum. No mic feedback. Soaring highs, chest thumping lows and a beautiful mid range. Almost an audiophilic dream. I really, really liked it. There was much more depth, detail and colour to the sound due to the house system not pulling it's tripe out and working at the periphery of its operational parameters as last time. And that bass! This is a massive step forward for the club sound. The power is palpable, the quality undeniable. . The supplementary system was running at 3/4, just right in its comfort zone. It's not quite as powerful as the Italian Dragon system but is much more controllable. The day's work went to plan and the sound system exceeded expectations. I hope it works as well with a room full of dancers. I think I've tamed The Dragon! Many thanks to Blackburn Oldies Soul Club. Accrington Soul Club is indebted for your cooperation, help, assistance and friendship in achieving sonic goals.

I was very pleased with the sound system performance at The Oldies. No complaints about the volume this time. Though it's a difficult task to get it right every time. There is such a huge variation in the quality and playback volume of the records that I have no control of. Some technical details... We started the day with 5.2kw of power available, but as the day progressed I cut back on the 2kw amp and increased the power to the Yamaha tops and sub until the amp was off. My reason for doing this was to capitalise on the clarity of the Yamaha's. The tops had a filter engaged that meant they only dealt with the part of the signal they work best at (above 120Hz). Conversely, the sub had another filter engaged that cuts off the signal above 120Hz, so it's only dealing with the signal it is designed for. Furthermore, selecting low frequency extend enhanced the bass response further. Though at this stage we were reproducing bass beyond what the human ear can actually detect. You can certainly feel it, though. I think I succeeded in achieving a crystal clear sound that was powerful but not too loud. Most of the time. The clarity of the combined signal was as pure as a mountain stream, an absolute delight to listen to. I love my job.

Sound is my passion. I can hear a blown tweeter from fifty paces and it irks me terribly when something isn't right. So many venues plough money into their system, then fail to set it up correctly. Makes me despair, sometimes. My days and nights out are precious commodities to me. I don't want to waste them being irked and despaired. I want to listen to the best sound system the club can afford. I want clarity, I want hi fi, I want bass response less than 40Hz (oops, slipped into jargon), bass I can feel. You won't see a lot of difference in the sound system at July Oldies, but it's there nonetheless. While Sharon has been watching Coronation St, I've been researching the acoustics of bass apropos speaker placement. It would appear we all do it wrong. I now have documented evidence and plan to implement changes toute suite. I received four complaints at the last event that it was too loud. This has been addressed by adding another speaker and yet another amp (5 amps, 7 speakers at last count). I hear the nay sayers scoffing and thinking " The damned fool! How can adding more power possibly make it quieter?" I'll tell you. It's the cheeky monkey DJs who crank it up. The extra amp and speaker are purely for them. It will be pointing at the DJ, set to a level where they will be made fully aware of how loud it is in the room. Fair play, really guys. Generally speaking, if I think the sound is good, then so does everyone else. I have my volume Guru to advise me if I become over exuberant. It should be powerful and inspirational on the dancefloor, but quiet enough to have a conversation at your table. If you aren't 100% happy with the sound, please tell me and I'll do my best to fix it. This event never stands still, we continually strive to push the boundaries of what is possible to deliver one of the best sound systems you'll hear anywhere. Don't take my word for it, come and listen to the awesome, floor rattling, vaulted ceiling sound played from vynil by experts. Sample the delight of the cavernous space and perfect floor. Socialise with like minded people. Bring your own drink and food for a cheap day out. Alternatively, you could stay at home and listen to MP3 on your own onYouTube. I know what I'll be doing. My thanks to Garry and Shaun for indulging in my passion and continuing to invest, experiment, push forward and have faith in me and my ears.

I'm very pleased with sound performance today. A few complaints it was too powerful. I made adjustments and pulled it back but it's very difficult to please everyone. I tried my best and hope someone noticed just how good that was.

Dubbin your shoes, pin back your ears and commence your warm ups in preparation for the sheer audio delight created by the sound system of dreams, custom built and professionally set up it in a vaulted hall of hallowed soul. Oldies is coming! I really do look forward to this event. It's like a collection of all my favourite things, rolled together and served up as one delicious, mouth watering feast. I get to go out with my beloved and our friends, have a few beers, engage in idle banter, natter, chat and discourse, tell some stories and do some laughing, listen to some good tunes and wave my arms and legs about in vague time to the music. I'm also in the very fortunate position of being responsible and in full control of the sound system. I've been working on this music reproduction system for some years now. Garry and Shaun have been great to work with. They've listened to everything I've said, invested thousands of pounds and given me authority to set up in a text book manner. You would seriously question my sanity regarding the hours I have put into creating this sound. It doesn't just happen. There's far more to it than just wiring a pile of electronics together. And, sound engineering can be hazardous. One time I was running tests at home and wearing ear protection when a sizeable chunk of plaster plummeted from the ceiling. When those bass bins are 21 years old, I can make them blow out all the candles on their cake, such is the ferocity, velocity and volume of the air they shift. It's been a labour of love for me that has blossomed, borne fruit and damaged buildings. Every fault and bug has long since been identified, eradicated and is now just a distant, hazy memory. The sound has been perfected. This system, built with care, knowledge, love and money will perform to the very limits of its operational parameters with ease, grace and beauty. It could also loosen your fillings. I'm now into the phase of pragmatic experimentation and research and I strive to extract just a little more sweetness. I've applied forty years of audio, electronic and acoustic experience to provide this hall designed for audio performance with the most shit-kicking soul sound system I can muster. Though I have been involved in an advisory capacity with other sound systems, this is the only one I put my name to. But hey, what do I know? Come down, give it a listen, see what you think. You won't be disappointed and your ears will love you for ever for the sonic gift bestowed upon them.

Looking forward to seeing our Soul Train friends again. This was our all time favourite event of 2014. Not staying over this year though, as the Grant Arms (Faulty Towers) is fully booked. However, we had such a good time last year we're planning on coming twice this year. Afternoon warm up and evening burn out! Hopefully, we've got a lift in the evening. Still recall the evening of the second anniversary in '13 when I spun the car 'round on The Grane while homeward bound due to listening to the free CD and driving a little over exuberantly in the wet. Safe journey's, my friends, see you there! Dan & Sharon.

No more sleeps, Keiron, not even time for a quick nap! Setting out in an hour, see you soon. Looking forward to an evenings entertainment and possible reuniting with Shaz's missing jewels.

Thanks for a great night. Good to see everyone again after our enforced absence over the last few months. Enjoyed the banter in the chill out/smoking chamber, particularly the music/poetry/literary interchange with Mr. Shoes. Looking forward to the October all dayer which was our all time favourite event of 2014.

Had a great night, sound system fully deserved praise. EQ, power and balance all perfect, sweet spot in exactly the right place and stayed constant all night, no buzz, hum or distortion even when it was approaching full chat. I appreciate the effort, time and attention to detail that goes in to choosing, buying, maintaining and setting up a quality high fidelity music reproduction system. Your hard work pays off in the beautiful sound on the dancefloor. Thank you.