Editor’s Note: Here’s an interesting thread from the PSW Live Audio Board (LAB) forums. It’s lightly edited for grammar and formatting. Enjoy.
Posted by Jim
Does anyone have any advice or stories?
Up here in Canada winter is planning its inevitable return.
I’ve a few out door winter and holiday themed events booked and was making a mental prep list.
With digital consoles and equipment in general, the worst symptoms of extreme cold are screen freeze and cable stiffness.
The very best purchases I’ve made in out door cold weather gear for both the equipment and techs are electric blankets & pads.
Heat reflective camping/survival Mylar “space blankets” are pretty handy too.
The silliest temp I’ve gigged is -48 Celsius…
Screens were frozen…
Cables were all springs…
Mars was only slightly colder… -56 that day
Brutal.
What do you all do?
Reply by Scott
Stay inside.
Reply by Kevin
People came to a show at -48ºC ?
Reply by Mike
We’ve done a few, although not to that extreme. Sometimes there are musicians onstage; they and their gear suffer far more than we do. Personally I can’t imagine playing guitar when temperatures are anywhere close to freezing. Use your Fender Twin for a hand-warmer between songs?
Depending on what kind of program you’re covering, you might want to consider dragging out some of the old analog gear that’s rotting away in a corner of your shop. Aside from stiff potentiometers you have a better chance of the equipment doing what it’s designed to do.
Keep your feet dry and good luck!
Reply by Ryan
-48C is -54F. You would have a very difficult time finding me working in weather that is 100F warmer. If it’s below about 60F we are freezing our tushes off. We did have one event this year where it was right at 32F. We got snow, freezing rain, sleet, hail and rain all within about 3 hours during that event. I feel for all of you that have to work in such conditions frequently.
Reply by Frank
When you first mentioned cold weather shows, I was thinking 28 degrees f. I guess, that’s a midsummer day there. (just kidding)
At -48, maybe your cables will become superconductors. (yeah, I know, not even close…)
As you know, I can see a lot of equipment breakage – especially if everything is cold soaked. I guess also there will be little to no moisture in the air which may wreak havoc on wooden things especially. At 28f, we had standing patio LP heaters on stage – we were lucky, no breeze.
Reply by Matt
Must be a Canadian thing to plan outdoor events in the winter!
Advise technicians to dress in layers, and bring a change or 2 of base layers. Extra outer layers aren’t a bad idea either if the temperature is around freezing and there’s a chance of rain. During set-up/tear down you’ll be sweating but during the event you need a dry base layer to stay warm. During the event is the hardest time to stay warm.
I always bring all of my winter gear: winter boots, snow pants, long johns, winter coat, 2 or 3 sweaters, tuque, balaclava, neck warmer, scarf, a pair of thin gloves that have tips designed for touchscreen/smartphone use and a pair of heavier gloves. Basically I bring anything that I use for skiing, plus spares and a few extras knowing that I’m going to be standing at a console for a good part of the day. You can always remove layers if you’re too hot.
The weather conditions may fluctuate widely, from warm and sunny to cold, snowy and windy. Temperatures from above freezing to below. There could be rain or freezing rain. If there’s an indoor location nearby take breaks to warm up if necessary.
Consider bringing stage decks or plywood to get the technicians and gear off the snow/ice/parking lot/ground. The techs will stay warmer and your cases, cables and subs won’t freeze to the ground. Yes, this has happened.
You’ll want heaters, and heaters melt ice and snow so watch out for “skating rinks” made by frozen melt water. Your gear could get frozen in it and the techs and band members can slip on it.