couple wks ago we did a show about 2hrs north and there was enough smoke in the air that i barely needed the hazer. the lights read without it. the sound tech asked if i'd had the thing on before i fired it up. we weren't even outdoor, we were in a commercial tent lol.
i use MC and i mix early or it won't dissolve. my mix bucket gets covered in nute precipitate. i check against ec though, and i'm almost always hotter than what i want, so i'm not sure it makes a difference with dry nutes you mix. jack's was kinda the same thing if i recall.