Comments for Street Musician – Guitar Blog

Comment on Busking : What to Expect – Pros, Cons & Misconceptions by Teni

Teni — Sat, 17 Nov 2018 19:22:05 +0000

Hi,

I was wondering what views are on busking without an instrument? (i.e. using a backing track instead)

I’ve been going through ups and downs with my epilepsy that last few years and so my guitar skills aren’t where i’d like. But i’m trying to regain confidence in performing in general and singing in particular was always my stronger passion.

Comment on Street Musician’s Busking Pot by Holly

Holly — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 20:48:00 +0000

Thank you for this thread and for all the great stories here! I found it last night and really enjoyed them. Yes I shed a tear or two too! I have been busking full time for about a month now, and have had many many beautiful moments with people.

I once had a young, possibly homeless chap and his girlfriend offer me a can of John Smith’s (beer) because they didn’t have any money. I refused it gently, I said thank you but I don’t drink but I’m really happy to play you the songs you’d like to hear, it’s no problem, it makes me really happy.. and after the next song him and his girlfriend were both crying! Worth so much more than cash!

I had never had anything interesting put in my guitar case though (apart from many random and wonderful coins from all over the world!) So I guess this thread opened my mind to new possibilities because today I received a very large (and very delicious) strawberry and two tickets to the circus!! Hahahaaa what fun. 🙂

I will be checking back here regularly to enjoy everyone’s contributions and hopefully will have more fun ones to add of my own as my career progresses!

Thank you all! I feel that I’m learning to give myself completely and that is a lesson I couldn’t have learned in any other way. What an extraordinary gift. Thank you for sharing and for singing/playing/giving yourselves away for free! 🙂

Comment on Battery Calculations – Battery Life Span – Current Draw & Amp Hour Rating by Barry G

Barry G — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 07:00:47 +0000

A lot of really very good practical info Herbert, well done!

Just a small point on your calculations to size the required battery to supply the load via the inverter. You didn’t mention the power factor of the load, which adds to the calculated value.
So if you were measuring the current with a clamp on ammeter (which is what I have done for our busking equipment), and say you measured a total of 1.74 A on a 230 V single phase supply.
Then the result of multiplying 1.74 A x 230 V = 400 VA, not 400 W. It would only be 400 W if the power factors of the PA equipment was all equal to 1 or unity power factor, which it rarely is.
A typical load power factor would be 0.8 or maybe 0.9. Let’s say it is 0.8. Then in this case the load wattage would be 400 VA x PF = 400 x 0.8 = 320 W.

So if you were sizing the inverter then you would use the 800 VA value, as inverters are rated in VA or kVA.
But to size the battery you need to use the wattage value as the battery only supplies wattage, not VA (similar to a generator, where the diesel engine only supplies the ‘real’ power in watts and the alternator supplies the additional ‘reactive’ power in VAr, resulting in the overall ‘apparent’ power in VA).

So in this example when measuring 400 VA for the PA equipment and you want to double this value, i.e. 800 VA, to size the battery, then using the 90 % inverter efficiency figure (1/0.9 = 1.1), the 12 V battery current would be:
IDC = (800 x 0.8) x 1.1 / 12 = 58.7 A
And for a duration of 4 hours you need a battery ampere hour rating of 58.7 x 4 = 234.7 Ah [instead of the 293 Ah size you calculated using the 800 W value].

But bear in mind that this 234.7 Ah capacity value is the C4 rated or 4 hour rating. If you asked for a 234.7 Ah battery you would likely get a battery rated at the 10 hour rate, which is a battery rated to supply a load of over a 10 hour duration, not a much shorter 4 hour duration and therefore you will get a battery that is not big enough to supply your load.

Hope you don’t mind me chipping in on your post like this.

Barry

Comment on Battery Guide – Which To Use To Power Your Set – Deep Cycle, Marine, Leisure, Ni-Cd, Ni-Mh by Noel Watkins

Noel Watkins — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 11:58:34 +0000

I’m going to be doing some dance sessions in a field with a Stagepas 300 system with two speakers and a mixer which I connect to my laptop. we’ve powered it before with a standard car battery through an invertor. I need to figure out what power inverter \I need and where to source it from.

STAGEPAS 300
Mixing capability
Mixing channels
4 Mono + 2 Stereo
Input channel functions
2-band PEQ, Digital Reverb (CH1-4)
On-board processors
Music/Speech
On-board amplifiers
Maximum output power @6ohms
150W + 150W
General specifications
STAGEPAS 300
Frequency response
-3dB
55Hz-20kHz
Components
LF
8″ (20cm) Cone
HF
1″ (2.54cm) Compression driver
Maximum output level (1m; on axis)
112dB
Total harmonic distortion
Less than 0.5% (20Hz-20kHz)
Hum & noise level
Equivalent input noise
-106dBu (CH1/2)
Residual output noise
-65dBu (Speaker out)
Crosstalk
Less than -70dB
Power requirements
Depend on area of purchase; AC100V, 120V or 220-240V; 50/60Hz
Power consumption
70W
Dimensions
W
275mm; 10-7/8in
H
455.5mm; 17-15/16in
D
255mm; 10in
Net weight
18kg; 39.7lbs (2x Speaker + Powered Mixer)
Accessories
Owner’s manual, AC power cord, 2x Speaker cable

Comment on Street Musician’s Busking Pot by Jenni

Jenni — Fri, 27 Jul 2018 08:37:05 +0000

A friend of mine who is fabulous at guitar gave away all his worldly possessions to go a-busking along the west coast. Inspired, I called him up to interview him about his life. He told me, just go busk, and told me his favorite spots in my hometown. So last night, I donned my cowboy boots and headed downtown (Reno, NV, USA) to play. I earned $3.53 cash AND (more importantly) a green glow stick bracelet. A sweet older gentlemen whom I believe is also a part of the downtown hustle sells them there along the river, I’m pretty sure. Wealthy patrons frequent my day job, and let me tell you how easy it is taking money from rich people. Accepting a gift however from someone who’s just getting by, well it meant a lot more to me. It was better than the money, and my favorite color. It also probably made it safer for me to cross the street in the dark on my way home. I definitely have a LOT to practice before I become a career busker. But singing to the river with the evening breeze in my face was beautiful. Thank you all for your stories. <3

Comment on Battery Guide – Which To Use To Power Your Set – Deep Cycle, Marine, Leisure, Ni-Cd, Ni-Mh by Peter

Peter — Thu, 05 Jul 2018 13:19:25 +0000

I’ve actually found this article while researching article for my own website. You’ve done good job covering a wide range of useful information about batteries. Well done.

Comment on Busking : What to Expect – Pros, Cons & Misconceptions by John

John — Mon, 04 Jun 2018 00:32:36 +0000

Hi Im a busker who plays piano accordion. It has it’s moments and the most I’ve made was around Xmas which was £50 in 4 to 5 hours. Usually it’s around £15 to £20 for 3 hours work with breaks every 45 minutes. I have one set which is around 45 minutes. What I can’t understand is I’m quite good at accordion but struggle to get by unlike some musicians who make a lot more.
Best of luck everyone with busking.

Comment on How To Power Your Busking & Gigging Equipment Outdoors by MARK LUCKY SMITH

MARK LUCKY SMITH — Wed, 16 May 2018 15:43:49 +0000

Hello from Canada!

Any ideas how to ground my deep cycle battery and inverter when i am busking out in the open?
Is it necessary?
Thank you!
Mark

Comment on Busking Equipment : What You Need To Go Busking by Buzzy Whitlow

Buzzy Whitlow — Sat, 28 Apr 2018 17:32:14 +0000

Does anyone know how to use a mic with a Pignose Hog 30 amp and a guitar simultaneously? Do you need a special kind of a mic?

Comment on Top 100 Guitar Blogs : Best Ranked Guitar Blogs Across The Globe by acoustic bass guitar

acoustic bass guitar — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 08:56:00 +0000

This is a great resource for anyone who blogs!!