The Dickens Inn - Middlesbrough

I volunteered to work a gig for Middlesbrough college, they put on a night at The Dickens Inn, to which the Music Practice kids got to play in this great local venue. I helped one of my lecturers by operating and packing up the system, he even have me some valuable tips and tricks in live sound which I didn't know!  

A picture from the mixing desk of the band playing

I got to operate the legendary Yamaha LS9, it was only the smaller 16 channel model but still! Encase you don't know, I LOVE the Yamaha LS9!!!! It's the desk that made me fall in love with the digital realm of audio, even though I can't afford one and will probably never purchase one sadly. This desk is just a great piece of gear (and a fun toy to use). My lecturer was using the Ipad app to control it, setting the input gains and fdfstage monitor mix from the stage whilst talking to the bands quickly to provide the optimum mix for them, as I got to fly the desk and control the FOH levels, effects and EQ.

I have my eyes on another mixing desk though, The PreSonus Studio Live 16.4.2!!! In recent months, I have become somewhat of a PreSonus fanboy, to the point where every time I mention the word in class, my classmates playfully and lightheartedly make fun of me. When I get it, I'll probably die of sheer joy... just as if Emma Watson walked in the room, right now and kissed me! Yes, the two things are comparable, THAT'S how much I love PreSonus!!!!

The Dickens Inn is a really nice venue, I had never been there before but had heard it was a nice place. It had some great lighting, a nice bar (even though they didn't serve Carling) and just a fantastic classy vibe in general. The stage area was ace! It had the perfect amount of space and the perfect layout for the type of gigs that I like to do at the moment (not too big and not too small that everyone is squashed in). I felt so relaxed in there compared to some other venues in Teesside, it was my kind of place.

We had a little lighting rig setup and a dedicated desk but we left it be and didn't really use it that much because the stage was already well lit, thanks to the guys that designed The Dickens Inn, makes my job easier and allows me to concentrate on the audio side of things.

Because it was a Middlesbrough college event, the place was packed full of people I know, some old teachers, some friends and some randomers I don't really know. I loved the experience though and I'd leap at the chance to do it again. Next time it would be great to record a multitrack of all the artists playing and get some video footage to go with it.