Every time I hit the road with a band I want to make sure I am prepared. Not just prepared for what is on the calendar, but prepared for the unknown. When I was growing up my mother taught me three key words that have saved countless shows: “just in case”. As a child, I thought she was being over-cautious. As an adult, I have learned that “just in case” very often becomes the reality when on tour. Vans break down, gear gets lost, things break, and you learn to really appreciate the smooth days. Being prepared for “just in case” situations increases your worth as a touring musician and can help you get more work. So, thanks mom for teaching me the value of preparedness. It has helped me become a professional touring musician and allowed me to write this neat article.
As I pack my bags to fly down to Austin for SXSW 2016, I wanted to take the time to share some of the items that I pack “just in case” things don’t go as expected. I’m honored to be playing bass guitar with one of Austin’s hometown heroes, the indie-folk outfit, Wild Child. We’re going to be performing at several SXSW events. After SXSW, I will head out on the road with Wild Child for a national tour in support of the prolific American rock band, Dr. Dog. I will be sharing my SXSW escapades (complete with photos and videos) right here, with Adorama. This is not my first SXSW rodeo. I have the experience to experience the SXSW experience expertly. I’ll keep my eye open for new gear, cool gear, cool people with gear, food trucks, BBQ, celebrities, characters, and of course real live music. This festival is so incredibly dense. Every building in downtown Austin that can fit a sound system and a stage has bands playing from 10am until 2am. There are literally hundreds of bands playing at any given time. Many of the downtown streets are closed off to accommodate the pedestrian-hoards of festival-goers. I can’t wait to show you the musical madness that is SXSW in Austin, Texas.
Overhead view of my touring essentials:
I divided my essentials into three categories: tech, tools, and live sound. Below there are labeled close-ups of each category. I will identify and explain each item.
Live Sound Essentials
- Quarter-inch cables. In addition to the ones I need, I always bring a few more of various lengths. It is very common for musicians to lose them or for them to go bad on the road. Having these handy at sound check can save a lot of troubleshooting
- Balanced quarter-inch cable. Having a balanced cable can really save the day when you need to fix a stereo issue.
- One-Spot power supply. This DC adapter will power most pedals on the market and can be crucial when there is a power issue in a pedal board.
- IEC cable. These AC cables power most amps, speakers, and some keyboards. These are very frequently left behind at yesterday’s gig.
- Various adapters. I have a little box with all sorts of audio adapters so that I can solve most problems. In this picture, from right to left, we have a ¼” splitter, two RCA female to ¼”male, two RCA female to RCA female, XLR female to ¼” male, 1/8” stereo female to ¼” stereo male, ¼” stereo female to 1/8” stereo male, and ¼” female to Speakon male.
- ¼” stereo female splitter to dual RCA male. “Y-cables” that allow you to split stereo to two mono lines are very useful.
- ¼” stereo male splitter to dual ¼” mono female. Another “Y-cable” to split stereo into two mono lines.
- 1/8” stereo aux cable. You never know when you’ll need this.
- Short ¼” instrument cables (mono) with right angles of various lengths. These are crucial for troubleshooting pedal board problems. Most of the time when there is a buzz or no sound in a pedal board, replacing the right patch cable will fix everything.
- DI Box. While venues usually supply these based on your stage plot, I’ve run into many issues where they are one short. Having a backup DI box on hand will ensure there is never a problem
- Line selector pedal. This will allow you to plug multiple sources into one amp/line or have one instrument be sent to multiple amps/lines. This can save you when the sound system doesn’t quite have enough inputs.
- Headphone extension cable (stereo). You never know when you’re going to need more headphone cable.
- Shure SM57. While most venues provide all the microphones you need, every once in a while there is an issue. The SM57 is an incredibly versatile and durable mic that can bail you out when there aren’t enough microphones.
Tool Essentials
- Good scissors. These may or may not be TSA safe for air-travel. Usually ones with rounded points are acceptable
- Pocket multi-meter. These can be used to identify bad cables, voltage issues, fuse problems, and more. A multi-meter is a must-have diagnostic tool for the road.
- TSA safe screwdrivers. Small kits of TSA safe screwdrivers are great for touring and you don’t have to worry about them in the airport.
- Contact cleaner. This aerosol-can will fix about eighty percent of your audio issues. Scratchy knobs, intermittent signal, buzzing jacks, and more. Just a little spray of this and you can increase the life of your gear. This is not TSA safe for air travel.
- Multi tool. I love having an equipped toolbox, but when that is not an option a solid multi tool will do the job. Some are approved for TSA and some are not.
- Allen wrench multi tool. A large amount of instruments and pro-audio equipment require Allen keys for repairs and adjustments. If possible have one for both standard and metric.
- Zip ties. These simple plastic straps have come in handy countless times. You will understand when you need them. Medium size is fine for travel and if you need to go bigger you can always combine multiple ones together.
- String winder. When you break a string during a performance you cannot change it quick enough. A string winder will shave serious time off of your string changes
- Extra strings. This is a no brainer but make sure to bring more than you think you’ll need. This applies to all necessary disposables for your instrument. For example: drum sticks, drum heads, reeds, rosin, valve oil, etc. No one likes waking up earlier to make a stop at the music store.
- Good screwdrivers. While the travel-sized tools do the job, full size tools are so much easier to use. When you don’t have to fly, bring some real tools.
- Measuring tape. It is always good to get accurate measurements while on the road.
- Velcro. This will help you with pedal boards, cable organization, and sometimes can be used to save the day.
- Electrical tape. If you don’t have time to solder a connection back together, you can twist the two ends and wrap them in electrical tape for a quick fix.
- Gaff tape. Gaff tape is the duct tape of the live performance world. It can fix just about anything and doesn’t leave the sticky residue of duct tape.
- Crazy Glue. You will need this.
- Solder sucker. This tool is crucial for removing old solder joints when making repairs.
- Soldering iron. A soldering iron, and some experience, can help you fix most broken electronics on the road.
- Solder. If you’re going to bring a soldering iron, you are going to need fresh solder to repair those connections.
Tech Essentials
- Car adapter phone charger. There are never enough ways to charge your phone in the tour bus.
- Pro Tools iLok and flash drive. I keep my iLok on a small keychain, so I can do Pro Tools work on the road. On the same keychain is also a 128GB flash drive, which comes in handy for file sharing.
- Multi-card reader. This reader can work with different types of flash and compact flash cards for easy sharing of files on the road.
- Studio Headphones. These are great to get some sonic privacy on the long drives. They also come in handy during recording and radio sessions.
- USB A-B cable. These are used for printers as well as many midi controllers.
- Power inverter. This turns a car power port into three outlets and a USB port. This way you can charge your laptops and other devices during the drives.
- Micro USB cable. You’ve got to have one of these.
- USB extension cable. These are so handy for phone charging. It adds another 6ft of reach to your phone charger. This way you can charge your phone and still use it while lying in bed at the hotel.
- Bluetooth speaker. These are great when the stereo in your tour bus doesn’t work. Also, they’re fantastic for hotel room hangouts and casual listening.
- Many phone chargers. I usually bring about three or four phone chargers on tour. Not only might you lose one, but your band mates certainly will.
- Ear buds. (Not in image) Sometimes you don’t wan to wear bulky studio headphones.
- Headphone splitter. (Not in image). Sometimes you’ll want to watch or listen with someone else.
Wrap Up
I didn’t include all of my tour essentials in the image above. Unfortunately, I couldn’t fit everything else in one shot. Some of the things I left out are no-brainers such as your full touring rig (instrument(s), amp, pedal board, stands, and cables), a laptop with charger, Sharpies, pens, pencils, and a pad of paper. On this upcoming tour, I am tour managing in addition to performing. That means I have to pack some business essentials such as credit card readers, cash box, document portfolio (tour riders, performance contracts, W9’s, set lists, etc), travel printer, printer paper, and hard drives. Every tour has different needs and it is important to spend some serious time thinking about what could go wrong. Unfortunately, some things can only be learned from experience. For example, I have learned that when I am traveling in a Sprinter van I should have a special tool to access the battery “just in case” (or rather when) it needs to be jumped. When you get stranded in the desert because you don’t have one particular star shaped tool, you learn to make sure you bring it next time. Sometimes you can’t bring everything that you would like to bring due to flights or baggage limitations. In those situations, leave behind the items that are the easiest to find on the road. My list isn’t perfect and I’m always learning. Many people would say it is excessive. But, when you pull that cable out during sound check and save the day, you will be glad that you packed it “just in case”.
I can’t wait to share SXSW with all of you this week. Stay tuned for more from Adorama at SXSW 2016.
