Quieter than ever! What a disappointment

[onsitecrew]

Discussion moved to complaints-about-the-sound-glade-2008-t5910.html




so yet again the organisers of glade have ignored the paying punters and made glade festival even quieter than before. Last night the music was so quiet I wanted to cry. What is the point in booking artists to play heavy dance music with fat bass lines if you can't even feel the bass on your chest when you are 2m away from the speakers? I spoke to Noisia backstage and he said it was the quietest gig he ever played. You could tell people weren't happy because they weren't even dancing that much, it simply wasn't loud enough to stimulate people. I went over and looked at some of the amp racks and only the bottom two lights were flashing out of ten... they have massive high end Funktion One sound systems that aren't even warming up at that level. They have tried a bit to spread what limited noise they have around by putting in side and rear stacks, but this really is a poor replacement for the proper volume for a dance music event. Bass needs to be felt and heard to stimulate hard dancing and good times.
While I was wondering around bored and disappointed I ran into a friend of mine who had also given up trying to enjoy the acts he had looked forward to seeing and we decided to do something more fun, so we got a laptop and a projector and made this....

[Sperge]

Gosh, who'd have thought that this one would come up again?

I knew someone would post about it because I heard for myself how low the sound was in certain tents at certain times after midnight. I do think it's utter bollocks to say it was "quieter than ever", it was noticeably louder than last year in all the tents before midnight. But after midnight was a different story, certain tents at certain times did definitely get quiet.

I'll go into the full details when I get back home (I'm in an internet cafe checking on some emails and want to get outta here for The Orb). There were problems with the wind blowing sound towards residential areas on Friday night that led to some complaints being made by the public, which is what led to the sound being turned down at times (but it did go up again, despite what the thread starter says). One particular issue was performers with MCs shouting into their microphones apparently, this triggered a couple of decibel meters. Ironically, so did the chants of "turn it up"...

But one thing I would comment on is that Mr "onsitecrew" appears to have gone to a lot of trouble with his message, posting from a 3g phone and uploading the pic that does appear to have been taken backstage (I don't think this scam could have been pulled off from the public areas at that angle, assuming it's not a Photoshop job).

OK, quite a lot of people have access to backstage, including stewards and stall workers, but it does look like "onsitecrew" is what he says he is and not a punter, i.e. it's someone with an agenda. In that case, it'd be great if he could grow some balls and tell us all who he is. I suspect it's either a disgruntled member (or ex-member) of crew or it's one of the MCs.

[soundclash]

So don't come next year. Bye.

Come on Sperge thats hardly a constructive comment. Im sure the organisers will be well chuffed with you for basically telling people to f**k off if they dont like it. If thats the attitude they have past on to you then they will crash and burn very quickly.

[Sperge]

Soundclash, this is a private forum owned, created and maintained by myself. I'm not a representative of the Glade organisers. As with the Glade itself, people can take it or leave it.

The fact is that unless the licence is taken away, Glade will be at Wasing Estate - with all the restrictions that entails - for the next four years. In other words, the situation with the sound is unlikely to change. I don't fully understand myself quite why the Glade people are so attached to Wasing Estate, but the fact remains that they are.

So the only solution for those who find the sound levels at Glade intolerable is to find somewhere else to go. It hardly needs a PhD to work that out, does it?

[soundclash]

Soundclash, this is a private forum owned, created and maintained by myself. I'm not a representative of the Glade organisers. As with the Glade itself, people can take it or leave it.

The fact is that unless the licence is taken away, Glade will be at Wasing Estate - with all the restrictions that entails - for the next four years. In other words, the situation with the sound is unlikely to change.

So the only solution for those who find the sound levels at Glade intolerable is to find somewhere else to go. It hardly needs a PhD to work that out, does it?

Fair play, its your baby but it is considered by many to be the Glade forum as they havent one themselves. Im sure that they need peoples views to rectify the problems that people encounter and if sound is one they cant fix personally id hope they would consider moving sites. Wasing is great but slowly but surely they are going to lose the faithful amoung us due to the ridiculous restrictions they are facing. I will go again no doubt but if they are factors that change such as ticket price and more sound restrictions that will be it for me im affraid. And id imagine the same for the other 12 people i went with as they all have the same view and have also been to every one. It just hurts when you know its been so good before to see it slowly erode away. For instance when Kevin Saunderson a couple of years back played you couldnt get near the system it was so loud. Shouldve been the same for Mills but sadly it was nowhere nearthe level. All of the people i spoke to who went to see him felt a little cheated and some came for the first time, will they be back??? I hope so for Glades sake, next years the teller if you ask me.

[onsitecrew]

But one thing I would comment on is that Mr "onsitecrew" appears to have gone to a lot of trouble with his message, posting from a 3g phone and uploading the pic that does appear to have been taken backstage (I don't think this scam could have been pulled off from the public areas at that angle, assuming it's not a Photoshop job).

it was no trouble at all, i use the 3g usb adapter for work every day, and as I had stated, i was bored because my fav artists were too quiete and no one was dancing. I could make comments about how much trouble you go to, to run a forum, but I personally think we all have a deep interest in the festival so commenting on how much "effort" we put in to talk about it is pointless, or was it a cheap attack?

that shot was projected backstage, i posted that one because it was the clearest. we walked around trying a number of different vans/places etc whereever I could plug in. We even turned it in to a power point with one word at a time and put it on the tree's but it wasn't really bright enough for people to see. should have brought my big barco 8k lumens, not so easy to walk round with though. (and i wouldn't want to find out some hidden light level limit as well as sound level!)

OK, quite a lot of people have access to backstage, including stewards and stall workers, but it does look like "onsitecrew" is what he says he is and not a punter, i.e. it's someone with an agenda. In that case, it'd be great if he could grow some balls and tell us all who he is. I suspect it's either a disgruntled member (or ex-member) of crew or it's one of the MCs.

again i don't really see the value in this, just seems like another cheap attack on my credibility (which is pointless as i am expressing the opinions of a group not of myself, as shown by the number of people agreeing) but to clear the record I am not a disruntled MC or whatever else you my dream up. I am a volunteer rigger who risks my life for free to hang shit up in the air. I have done since the begining, because i like the glade, i still do like the glade. what i object to is sticking to the wasing estate and rejecting the idea of compensation (like they do at glasto) and feeding people lies about noise canceling tech meaning there will be no more turning it down (which they stated on there website, so if anyone wants a refund on the basis of breach of contract conact me for the relevant evidence photo's i took of the sound levels)

as for people saying it wasn't quieter, it just simply was, ask vanguardier, they were employed to make sure it was.

the solution as my mate mr gleek states above, is move or bribery.

they can't move because Nick and Ans are bumming the wasing estate hard and they don't even want to discuss bribery.... read the minutes from the latest licence meeting....

council:blah blah blah paid people off last year (one woman who was studying for exams) is this your policy moving forwards?
glade:no fucking way, we gonna turn it down hard and keep all your monies!

all the details you need to back up what i said is free on the net, the limits, the reduction from last year, the bollocks about noise canceling making a huge diff this year (even though they use the same kit every year)

if glade was a blues festival it would be loud enough, but the bang face hard crew deserve more!

i think there is some truth in the aqusation that the organisers only care about a few acts they like and the rest can go fuck. hopefully they will realise that they can't sell enough tickets to subsidise there lifestyle if it involves not caring about the punters.

I'm off to get the wasing estate public accounts to see how much glade pay them for land rental, who's betting it's only £1?

[Sperge]

Christ, we ain't half getting some attention-seekers today.

Good luck with your "breach of contract" case, "onsitecrew". Which court are you planning on being laughed out of?

What was your name again? And have you ever auditioned for Big Brother?

[muppet]

that shot was projected backstage, i posted that one because it was the clearest. we walked around trying a number of different vans/places etc whereever I could plug in. We even turned it in to a power point with one word at a time and put it on the tree's but it wasn't really bright enough for people to see. should have brought my big barco 8k lumens, not so easy to walk round with though. (and i wouldn't want to find out some hidden light level limit as well as sound level!)

That's a lot of trouble to go to for a supposedly spontaneous act, innit?

The truth is you have a bit of an axe to grind here, haven't you? You have an agenda but are too cowardly to say who you are

again i don't really see the value in this, just seems like another cheap attack on my credibility

You don't have any credibility to attack, Mr Anonymous.

I am a volunteer rigger

i.e. not a sound engineer or a member of the sound crew or indeed anyone who knows what they are talking about.

who risks my life for free to hang shit up in the air. I have done since the begining, because i like the glade, i still do like the glade.

Yeah, you like it so much that you accuse its organisers of cooking the books (as in your remarks about the public accounts) and incite people to sue them for breach of contract over the sound restrictions that they are forced to comply with (a hopeless action that would never get anywhere near a court by the way). Way to go, dude.

what i object to is sticking to the wasing estate and rejecting the idea of compensation (like they do at glasto) and feeding people lies about noise canceling tech meaning there will be no more turning it down (which they stated on there website, so if anyone wants a refund on the basis of breach of contract conact me for the relevant evidence photo's i took of the sound levels)

Yes, I can see how that will be convincing evidence.

That full moon has been bringing them out this weekend for sure.

[onsitecrew]

That's a lot of trouble to go to for a supposedly spontaneous act, innit?

no, i am a technician, it was easy.

The truth is you have a bit of an axe to grind here, haven't you? You have an agenda but are too cowardly to say who you are

yes, i am disappointed, i think i remember mentioning that in the thread title, is that not a valid reason for posting on a forum to start a discussion? or am i only allowed to discuss fluffy fairy shit here?
and WTF does my name matter? I don't see your name on your profile...

You don't have any credibility to attack, Mr Anonymous.

i'm not antonymous, I have an account here just like you, even if I did tell you my name was Richard Sawyer and I live in West Reading, would this really make any difference?

i.e. not a sound engineer or a member of the sound crew or indeed anyone who knows what they are talking about.

can only sound engineers detect changes in volume? can only sound engineers walk up to a guy who monitors sound, look at the level on his metre, take a photo of it and discuss it with him? do you need a degree in sound design to look at public licence meeting minutes?
for the record I have done sound enginearing at a festival, I have done running an internet forum, i have done temporary electrics, I have done air shows, i have done free parties in 7 different countries, i have hung lights for the queen at snadhurst, i have built stages for 70k people touring shows like U2 , i have installed IPTV systems in 4 countries, I have setup countless small business's IT systems, I have installed wireless video links which span 6 miles. So maybe I can consider myself a competent technician, maybe I shouldn't, who can really tell.

Yeah, you like it so much that you accuse its organisers of cooking the books (as in your remarks about the public accounts) and incite people to sue them for breach of contract over the sound restrictions that they are forced to comply with (a hopeless action that would never get anywhere near a court by the way). Way to go, dude.

i didn't say they cook the book, i just implied that the glade may be getting the wasing estate land for free which is why they stay there, try reading things twice if you don't understand the first time.
you will find many people have sued festivals in the past for breach of contract, including the famous Kramer V Mean fiddler case were he sued them for not providing him the shower he was promised, he won. About the only thing you can't sue them for is the line up because they put disclaimers on it. (although there was also a case that was won against mean fiddler at appeal about not putting an advertised act on when the discliamer was only on SOME of the posters, which the claimant had not seen). Please ask a lawyer before commenting on the legality of action, I did, he was there too.

Yes, I can see how that will be convincing evidence.

that will be enough to convince a court to call http://www.vanguardiaconsulting.co.uk to give evidence who will confirm it is true and represent the festival. The hard part is providing what was on a website before the festival. Put fortunately they made the claim about no need to turn it down this year in an email too. which is easy to prove if it was sent to a corporate email system with good solid anti-tamper proof policy. (why do you think all corporates have forced a legal disclaimer on all email)

That full moon has been bringing them out this weekend for sure.

hey i was just generally complaining it was too quiete, you and that other user dragged this into stupid argument over the details. bottom line is:

IT WAS TOO QUIET
PEOPLE WERENT HAPPY
MY PICTURE IS FUNNY
NEXT YEAR WILL BE QUIET TOO
SOME MORE PEOPLE WONT BUY TICKETS NEXT YEAR
END OF STORY

[muppet]

Well, you've said your bit. Several times, in fact. **edited by mod**

[onsitecrew]

Christ, we ain't half getting some attention-seekers today.

Good luck with your "breach of contract" case, "onsitecrew". Which court are you planning on being laughed out of?

What was your name again? And have you ever auditioned for Big Brother?

come on then mr aren't-i-clever-i-started-a-forum, my name is up there now, you happy? i don't see your name anywhere on here, you even lie about your age on your profile. those in glass houses shouldn't start up internet forums to big themselves up when all they can say is that other people suck but can't back it up.

i fail to see how a name makes what i say any more or less valid, this is the internet if you hadn't noticed, he who shouts loudest gets heard even if he is talking shit, then those that read it use common sense to decide what they agree with. and at glade, you didn't have to shout at all to be heard!

[shakyjane]

Well, you've said your bit. Several times, in fact. You can fuck off now.

excuse me, but i do believe that this person is entitled to their opinion. I faced exactly the same last year when I couldnt say that the sound was shit without being told i was a moaner or something. People only say because they actually give a shit. Perhaps the people who dont give a shit that the sound levels were fucked up are actually causing more damage than the ones who try and express their honest opinion.

Can't they reverse the liscence somehow? I really think they should. It's a clear sign that there was less than half a tent full of people during deekline yet it was full the next night and the sound levels were'nt as bad as the friday. I personally thought the organisers recognised this and said to themselves 'fuck the council, we're no turning it down like that again'.

Oh, and i told you so

[Sperge]

Christ, we ain't half getting some attention-seekers today.

Good luck with your "breach of contract" case, "onsitecrew". Which court are you planning on being laughed out of?

What was your name again? And have you ever auditioned for Big Brother?

come on then mr aren't-i-clever-i-started-a-forum, my name is up there now, you happy? i don't see your name anywhere on here, you even lie about your age on your profile. those in glass houses shouldn't start up internet forums to big themselves up when all they can say is that other people suck but can't back it up.

I see, so I'm both hiding my name and bigging myself up at the same time. My real name, Paul Gardner, is on the main parts of the site and is known to most regulars on here. The very fact that you don't know my name, even though it is in fact on here, shows that I've not been "bigging myself up" in any way.

I have said myself that Glade should either move or make individual settlements with those who are unhappy, as Glastonbury does, no problem with that. It's the attention-seeking aspect of your rants (e.g. "look at me, I projected statements on vans, I'm so cool" and "I'm going to sue the Glade for breach of contract over the sound levels, I'm a top legal brain I am") that were being mocked. But you've had your say on that now, we're level. Let's stick to discussing the sound levels at Glade from this point on.

[Chopper]

Wow.....whats been going on?

Firstly I have to agree with What Shakey said, those that have any negative feedback with regards to the sound, tend to get shot down, but the vocal ones who really give a shit are the ones who are most passionate about glade, and generally these are the peopl who will speak up.

As Shakey said last year her and I very openly criticised the sound levels, and were basically given a similar kind of reception as onsitecrew has.

Some of you on here want to actually listen to what the guy has to say, and discuss it like adults rather than telling the guy to fuck off, I fail to see where that gets anyone tbh. And at the risk of a ban I dont think your attitude has helped here Paul.......like it or not, the guy has a point to make, maybe he has done it in rather a bad way, or in a way you disapprove of, but its his opinion and he;s entitled to it, as is anyone on here.

As I stated before, last years sound was a major negative for me,and I had made a decision after last Glade to give it a break for at least a year and see if things improved. In the end I couldnt have gone due to family matters, its not fair for me to comment on this year, other than to say throughout thr live broadcast on nsb I could hear chants of turn it up.

IMHO the only way this will change is a different venue, which will never happen!!!

Now can we all kiss and make up, at least you were all at Glade!

[Gand]

Be nice to know what saint acid thought about the bangface night.... when he emerges...

as i said before, we talked to him after his set and he was gutted...he said he couldnt even hear himself on the system...

~Gand

[soundclash]

Be nice to know what saint acid thought about the bangface night.... when he emerges...

as i said before, we talked to him after his set and he was gutted...he said he couldnt even hear himself on the system...

~Gand

Now where would Glade get the extra punters if Bangface pulled out of next years festival???
Faithless on the main stage anyone??

[Sperge]

Chopper, I have already said that I agree there was an issue with sound at times this year, that I don't really understand the organisers' willingness to stay at Wasing Estate no matter how draconian the licensing conditions are, that Glastonbury-style settlements should be made with local objectors if they stay. So you're wrong: it's not what was being said, it was how it was being said.

I do disagree with the guy about levels this year being "lower than ever" and I think his rants about suing the Glade are just plain silly. But, you know, opinions are like assholes, everyone's got one and they all stink. Nobody has been prevented from giving their opinion.

However, I've already stated in my last reply to onsitecrew: "But you've had your say on that now, we're level. Let's stick to discussing the sound levels at Glade from this point on." So I really don't appreciate you sticking your oar in on that aspect of the thread when I've already tried to draw a line under it, or dragging up issues from other threads from last year. Please stick to discussing the sound levels from now on, thanks.

By the way, although you may feel "the vocal ones who really give a shit are the ones who are most passionate about Glade, and generally these are the people who will speak up", the people who post on message boards are a very small minority of Gladegoers - and not always a very representative sample either, especially when the same old IP numbers keep cropping up again and again with a number of usernames on these topics. If they were a representative sample, the main tent would have been emptier than Paris Hilton's head for Pendulum, for example, instead of it being rammed as it apparently was (I didn't see them myself btw). So being the 'majority' on a forum is of little consequence in reality.

Having said that, there is a poll on whether Glade should move from Wasing or not: should-glade-move-from-wasing-t5889.html Have you voted yet?

[discopete]

But one thing I would comment on is that Mr "onsitecrew" appears to have gone to a lot of trouble with his message, posting from a 3g phone and uploading the pic that does appear to have been taken backstage (I don't think this scam could have been pulled off from the public areas at that angle, assuming it's not a Photoshop job).

This was no effort at all. The projector belongs to me, we were watching futurama on it on thursday evening on the side of the beer truck by the Origin stage. I'm sure the rest of the powerpoint files exist somewhere - custom animations dont translate well into photos.

I know mr onsitecrew personally and without his presence the house tent, origin stage and rabit hole would have not been able to hang their lights 20/30 ft up. Our crew worked emensely hard all weekend as riggers, lighting board ops, caterers, drivers and sound engineers- mostly without pay, music is our love and passion; to hear a lot of it ruined by people who don't know how to use a compressor to comply with council restrictions makde me cringe. I spotted a 33:1 ratio with no side chain in the overkill with no soft knee enabled a zero headroom hard limit. Similar to shooting Mark Knopfler and Terry Williams in the head and still calling the result Dire Straights.

Oh and if you want to question my credability or tell me to set up a website, you'll find I already have one with 30k unique visitors a month, 140,000 topic and 2,800,000, posts [and thats since our 3rd upgrade]

[Sperge]

Ahem. Didn't I say Please stick to discussing the sound levels from now on, thanks?

I meant it. I'm unimpressed by all the willy-waving about "credentials" that has no relevance whatsoever to a discussion of the sound levels. Onsitecrew was asked to identify himself, which he did, so that's the end of that particular exchange.

Thread locked, we'll start again. Discussion has been moved to complaints-about-the-sound-glade-2008-t5910.html