So you want to stay
safe when it comes to music? Follow these 10 tips and you should be a
lot safer than you were before!
1) Setting up microphone stands
it
is important to set microphone stands up correctly in the performance
space. By wrapping the XLR cable around the microphone stand will
reduce the risk of someone tripping over it. If there is still a lot
of cable left after plugging it in make sure to neatly coil and place
at the base of the microphone stand. If there are other microphone
stands near the PA then run the cable
underneath the legs of the
other microphone stands. This means they aren't in the way of people
moving around the area, so nobody should fall over and hurt
themselves. It might be worth spending a little bit more money rather
than buying microphone stands from Argos.
2) Checking sound
levels on the PA and amps
it's
very important that you're not exposed to sound levels that are
louder than necessary. Exposure to high sound levels can lead to
permanent hearing damage, an example of this would be tinnitus.
Before plugging in your mic or guitar into the pa or amp make sure
the volume is all the way down to 0! then when you turn on the pa or
amp you won't hear that horrible, loud noise and you'll be able to
get the right volume without having to panic or have a headache. An
example of a musician who had his equipment on too loud for too many
years would be Paul Gilbert. He now has to wear ear defenders
whenever he performs on stage! And they're not as stylish as you'd
think!
3) Coiling leads
I
think we all know how annoying it is when you go to pick up a jack
lead and all you can see are knots and tangles! This can easily be
avoided by correctly coiling the leads. DO NOT coil by wrapping it
around your elbow and feeding it to your hand as this will break the
connections in the lead! Hold one end in your hand and do a neat
loop, and then repeat until the whole lead has been coiled. To secure
the lead into place, wrapping electrical tape around it is great
however you can also buy velcro strips which do just as well
4) Taping down wires
there's
no time to be tripping when you're suppose to be rocking out! If
you're in a performance space and you're having to step over a lot of
wires, taping them down is essential to stay safe. Imagine you're
half way through a song and you fall over because your foot got
caught around a cable! Gaffer tape is amazing to use when taping down
wires as it's thick and strong, meaning it wont come off
unintentionally any time soon. Or if you're just running a single
wire around the side of the room like in the picture, electrical tape
will do fine.
5) Putting instruments
away correctly
leaning
your guitar against the amp is not putting it away correctly. It is
very likely that the guitar will fall over which could either hurt
you or really damage your guitar. It could also detune your guitar
which would cause a serious problem if you were just about to go on
stage. To avoid this from happening, if you have a guitar or bass
then equipment such as a guitar rack will ensure your instrument that
your instrument is safe from falling. The picture shows the guitars
being correctly put into a guitar rack where as the other picture is
a bad example of where to rest a guitar when its not in use.
if
possible, try to avoid eating and drinking around musical equipment
as it can be quite dangerous. If you were to spill a liquid all over
some electrical equipment not only does it cause the equipment to
'blow' but it could also hurt you in the process (electrocution isn't
that fun). If you have a bottle of water with the lid secure then
keep it away from the area so nobody can get hurt and you are still
able to have a drink. Do NOT do what is in the picture as this not
only could damage the XLR cable but also make you look stupid
7) Don't overpower plug
sockets
just
look at that picture. You don't want to be that person who has to
sort that all out, do you? So try to avoid doing it in the first
place. If you're not using certain equipment e.g amps yet they are
plugged in it is important to switch them off and unplug them.
Overpowering plug sockets makes the area look messy and could even
cause a fire if left like it for too long. It can also blow a fuse
and that's the last thing you want mid practice. Only plug in what
you need so you are not endangering anyone around you or the
equipment itself.
8) Moving equipment
some
equipment you'll have to move around can be heavy and dangerous if
dropped. If you are moving any large, heavy equipment its essential
that you ask yourself if you're capable of lifting it without help.
If you can't then ask a friend or co-worker for assistance. If given
the opportunity, use a trolley to carry equipment to and from your
destination. Never try to lift it as you could strain your back which
could leave you with permanent damage and health issues in the
future. Also try not to drop the equipment. Dropping it could lead to
it being damaged or even broken and this might not be cheap to repair
or replace.
9) Testing equipment
at
least once a year you should be testing your equipment with a PAT
(portable appliance test) to ensure that your equipment is safe to
use. Even if you think your equipment is fine and that there's
nothing wrong with it, it definitely doesn't hurt to have it checked.
Some venues will not let you use your own equipment if it has not
been tested to prove it is safe as it could end up hurting you and
they'll be the one in trouble. So make sure you get it done once a
year so you and everyone around you can stay safe.
10) Don't go too crazy
on stage
as
someone who gets too carried away when it comes to performing, I can
say that I have ended up hurting myself on stage. At the time I
thought it would be a good idea to prance around the stage, left to
right until of course I got caught in a wire and well, I think you
can tell what happened next. You can still look like you're enjoying
yourself on stage without getting too crazy, but of course you have
to put the safety of yourself, your other performers and the crowd
first. You also don't want to do a Billie Joe Armstrong and smash
your guitar on stage, especially as freelance musicians like
ourselves because a good guitar isn't cheap!
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