The real battle at AS Productions’ Sound Clash event Friday night was between the sound engineer and the audience’s ears. Technical difficulties and audio problems occurred the moment the first band, Bull Moose Party, strummed their first chord. They never stood a chance.

What started as a weird mix in the first place transitioned back and forth between deafening guitars and vocals that impressively went unnoticed. The band was consequently uncomfortable to watch when they would’ve put on an enjoyable show under normal circumstances.

Esquire Ali and DMT felt the brunt of the technical difficulty when their DJ’s equipment decided to quit at the beginning of their set. The hip-hop duo was forced to jump into a “surprise” freestyle section that was much less effective than it was designed to be. Their wireless microphones conveniently decided to cut in and out, probably forcing more improvisation than expected. They pulled off the performance despite everything, but it’s no coincidence that half of the audience left after the set and the rest slowly fled as the night went on.

The uncrowded BMU auditorium served as a comfortable venue for concertgoers with its seating and standing areas and sizable stage.

AS Productions and the Vibe Tribe held separate raffles giving away free gear, but it was a shame that they waited until the end of the show because hardly anybody stayed that long. Only one person claimed the Vibe Tribe prize during their raffle and after only a few giveaways, AS Productions had to give up for the sake of their ticket-reader’s voice.

If Sound Clash is re-created in the future, it is strongly recommended that the dueling be left to the contestants.

Trevor Whitney can be reached at [email protected] or @nicegrandmas on Twitter.