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precarius
Member
Username: precarius

Post Number: 88
Registered: 11-2005
Posted on Saturday, April 29, 2006 - 8:34 am:   Edit Post

Here's a good link describing the Grateful Dead's Wall of Sound. Brilliant.
http://dozin.com/wallofsound/#
crgaston
Intermediate Member
Username: crgaston

Post Number: 189
Registered: 11-2005
Posted on Saturday, April 29, 2006 - 6:28 pm:   Edit Post

Can anyone speak intelligently as to how this system would compare to the VDOSC systems available today?
zuperdog
Junior
Username: zuperdog

Post Number: 48
Registered: 11-2005
Posted on Saturday, April 29, 2006 - 8:04 pm:   Edit Post

Cool link. Thanks!
bassman10096
Senior Member
Username: bassman10096

Post Number: 896
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Saturday, April 29, 2006 - 9:42 pm:   Edit Post

There are a couple of threads around here that talk in some detail about the WOS. I can remember the day I got the Deadhead newsletter in the mail (remember the mail?) that contained the drawings and info in your link. I must have been about 19. I sat for a whole afternoon with a friend drooling over the capabilities of that system (which I had seen and heard a couple times over the previous year or so).

I wonder how that monster would really stack up (pardon pun) against today's state of the art? At the time, it far, far outdistanced anything else we had heard.

(Message edited by bassman10096 on April 29, 2006)
lidon2001
Intermediate Member
Username: lidon2001

Post Number: 144
Registered: 4-2005
Posted on Saturday, April 29, 2006 - 10:37 pm:   Edit Post

wall
applejuice
Junior
Username: applejuice

Post Number: 20
Registered: 1-2006
Posted on Sunday, April 30, 2006 - 3:11 pm:   Edit Post

I aways wondered what was in that. Thanks for that link.
lbpesq
Senior Member
Username: lbpesq

Post Number: 1254
Registered: 7-2004
Posted on Sunday, April 30, 2006 - 3:23 pm:   Edit Post

Joe:

You always wondered what was in the "Wall of Sound"? Having experienced it in action on numerous occasions, including the unofficial unveiling (Winterland, Feb. '74) and the official debut ("The Sound Check" at the Cow Palace, March '74), I can attest to the fact that the Wall was full of lots of money and lots of magic!

Bill, tgo
flaxattack
Senior Member
Username: flaxattack

Post Number: 1085
Registered: 4-2004
Posted on Monday, May 01, 2006 - 2:00 pm:   Edit Post

if i am not mistaken - the photo above is a smaller set up than the one they took for stadium shows
bill
i have both those shows- best was when the pa went out on bobby when they went into playin in the band and jerry played the death march as bob explained. the other moment was when they had some issues and bob referred to them having a big cockaroach crawlin around somewhere.,,
bigredbass
Senior Member
Username: bigredbass

Post Number: 764
Registered: 9-2002
Posted on Monday, May 01, 2006 - 4:28 pm:   Edit Post

OK, 2 questions . . .

What's a VDOSC system?

These WOS bins remind me of Bag End. Was there some Alembic/Bag End connection back in those days?

J o e y
dadabass2001
Senior Member
Username: dadabass2001

Post Number: 569
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Monday, May 01, 2006 - 5:15 pm:   Edit Post

Joey,
I believe Mr. Wickersham is the patent-holder for the ELF processor, liscensed to Bag End. The WOS would have preceeded Bag End by some # of years, although the WOS didn't have "bins" per se. The biggest cabinets were single 15" drivers. Check the link in the first post above for a full list of drivers. We'll both have to ask CR nicely to explain VDOSC. Pretty please Charles??
Mike
lbpesq
Senior Member
Username: lbpesq

Post Number: 1255
Registered: 7-2004
Posted on Monday, May 01, 2006 - 5:18 pm:   Edit Post

Jeff:

I remember that they came out to start the second set with "Bertha" and, whoops, NO VOCALS! They went on for a little bit as the band seemed to not know right away the the vocals weren't working. Many in the audience were tripping pretty heavily at that point and also didn't realize there were no vocals. The band then left the stage for an instant, only to run back out and start the second set all over again.

Another memory from that show: Phil holding his cable out at arm's length, pointing at it with his other hand and spinning in circles while laughing. I suspect it was good stuff for the band that night.

Bill, tgo
davehouck
Moderator
Username: davehouck

Post Number: 3741
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Monday, May 01, 2006 - 5:44 pm:   Edit Post

Joey; I actually went and looked yesterday. Here is what I found.
bigredbass
Senior Member
Username: bigredbass

Post Number: 766
Registered: 9-2002
Posted on Tuesday, May 02, 2006 - 10:02 am:   Edit Post

Wow.

Thanks, Dave.

J o e y
crgaston
Intermediate Member
Username: crgaston

Post Number: 192
Registered: 11-2005
Posted on Tuesday, May 02, 2006 - 12:27 pm:   Edit Post

Thanks Dave,

Sorry guys, I haven't been paying close enough attention to this thread. Apparently, V-DOSC systems allow you to have an identical mix anywhere in the room. I'm not really sure how, and I haven't heard one yet, but my engineer friends tell me it's like having the band in your ear without being deafening; just incredible clarity and definition. They are apparently becoming the new standard for some of the really big touring companies.

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