el paso sq

just wondering if any of you guys are going to make it? im sorta freaking out bc ive never done a sq event before and now i have only a week to prepare? oh well im not planning on winning anything but we'll see what happens. i guess now would be agood time to read the rulebook and find a class or 2. to all those not going wish me luck and to all those that are hope i can learn a thing or 2 from you guys

put yourself in intro or intermediate and get your feet wet. and good luck!

Good Luck on your first show.

Here are some suggestions to get the most out of your first time out.

1) Pressure wash your cars' door jambs, wheel well, including the engine compartment and detail your car a day or two prior to the show. Take pictures for future use in your competitors log book.

2) At the morning competitors meeting, find out if there are designated parking for SQ competitors. If its an in-place judging format, it will be to your advantage if you park away from loud, inconsiderate cars.

3) Have a great time showing off your car to everyone. Invite people to listen to your car with a very short demo. Tell people why we do this as a hobby and maybe you'll meet other individuals who might want to try SQ competitions.

4) Stay comfortable. You will be around your car for the most part waiting for your turn to be judged. Bring drinks, snacks, folding chair or anything else you can think of.

5) Be aware of the judges needs. If it's a sunny outdoor event, it might get too hot inside your car if there are no shade. Judges like to sit in a cool car on a hot day. Keep your car cool by putting your car under a folding canopy. Set aside, in your budget, for a gallon of gas to keep your cars' A/C running prior to the SQ judge getting inside your car.

6) As you introduce yourself to the SQ judge, let him know that you value his input and ask him if he can take some time, after the awards are given out, to talk to you extensively about your system. Ask him to give you, in detail, his observation on Staging, Clarity, Definition and Linearity. Do this before he judges your car, otherwise he may forget some important details when he sees you at the end of the show. (Keep in mind that you paid for his services.)

7) It is also important for you to find out what his likes and dislikes are because you will have him as your judge again in the future.

Again, Good Luck and don't forget to take pictures.

any suggestions on the presentation book? I'm thinking of doing intermediate because its a little more in depth over intro audio wise but my install is no where close to being judgable(is that a word?) at this point. If i do intermediate ill need to get that presentation down pact.

Without going in depth into the rulebook i would only get say 70% of the install points, and looking at the specific rules that % would drop a bit.

I'm wondering if i should cut my losses and do just intro sq so i wont have to worry about the install? I'm going to spend the better part of tomorrow tuning since its my last full day off before next saturday and i sorta don't want to rush it just to work on the install more when there's no way i can get it done or close enough to it BUT looking at the differences between intro and intermediate i don't want to loose out on some of the extra audio input from the judge.

Jacob

Your choice in class really depends on where you want your car to be competitive wise at the end of the competition season.

I looked at your car in car domain and I have to compliment you. I think you hold a real high standard for your car and that you are beyond Intro level.

Judges are like you and me. They, too, are conditioned to read a book from front to back weather its a rule book or your presentation book.

Arrange your photos so all your installation pictures are shown in the same sequence, category by category, as how the rule book is arranged. Judges do not have the luxury of spending alot of time looking at each and every picture and trying to comprehend long paragraphs. Most install judges are experienced installers. They do not need to see the same picture over and over.

Keep your sentences to the point, identifying that what you've done is installed according to the rules guidelines. Include things that you've accomplished that went beyond what was required which may later earn more points.

If at all possible, take your pictures using a tripod so images will never look blurred. If you don't have a tripod, you can use solid length of wood and prop your camera against it. Always use indirect flash. This avoids flash reflection that may ruin a detail shot. Don't be afraid to use as much fill lighting to eliminate unwanted shadows.

Your background should not be cluttered with tools and trash. If you take photos during the day, drape a clear plastic painters tarp over your windshield and windows when taking wide interior shots. This will diffuse the horizon outside the car while letting light in. Clean and polish your equipment when taking closeup shots. There is nothing worse than presenting a beautiful system component with fingerprints, dust and stains.

Finally, put your log book together in a rugged binder cabable of taking punishing wear and tear from many shows. A three ring binder can give you the flexibility to change pages whenever you make any changes or improvements to your system.

Excellent Advise from DTSLSC

Jacob, you should listen to this guy. He knows what he is talking about.

Good luck in the shows, and Intermediate is a good starting point, but, I have to say that Intro is better. Not for the quality of your install, but for the experience.

Intermediate has some seasoned competitors in it this year. Best have you game skills honed if you are to be a true competition to them.

after much deliberation i decided to do into, i think it was a good decision overall considering the condition of my install. But i did well competing against myself for first place.... had a few questions thou

the advice i was given by the judge is to try and widen the soundstage a bit along with getting the image a little higher. i sorta noticed this before but not really so brushed it off but after listening again post judging i could definitely see where he's coming from.

any advice on how i would do that? i may swap tweeters with some larger 2" to get a bit more midrange in the a pillar(which should help the height a bit) but I'm just playing with that idea right now

Congratulations J. I guess you can consider yourself an SQ veteran now that you've got your feet wet. hehe

Getting more midrage at or near ear level is always good but I'm sure if you post your question on a separate thread, you will prolly get more responses from the other SQ veterans.


Any pix from the show by any chance?




(9/17)

i think i got a few but not many.... the turnout was much less then i was assuming. really only the local "competitors" and joe labato showed up. i was one of 2 to do sq and i dont know what class the other guy "skip" was in.

overall it was a fun show and i wouldn't have missed it for the world. sadly there was a bit of clash between us usaci people and the show dj because they were blasting music the entire time for the spectators that weren't there and wouldn't turn it off so we could do sq or spl. i barely had time to do my run before i had to leave but i drove around the building and was able to get the noise floor down quite a bit. my fort knox of sound dampening saved my ass big time