I got asked a seemingly simple question recently: are sound engineers universal in their knowledge or are they specialized for specific sound applications and music genres? Can you call any professional sound engineer to do whatever type of an event?
Read MoreEveryone wants to get ahead in their line of work. It’s how we have been raised, it’s what life coaches, motivators, influencers, social and mass media are telling us - if you are not bettering your career and making new opportunities for yourself, then you are not even stagnating, you are being left behind. So we all keep pushing for the next big tour, the next bigger band, larger production, better gear. However, the funny thing in the live audio business is that although being proactive when finding work is desirable, sticking out when you are actually doing your job might be counter productive.
Read MoreIn one of my previous articles I was discussing the question of whether or not anyone could learn sound engineering skills. But the feedback I got raised another musing: WHY would anyone want to become a live audio engineer?
Read MoreEverything you do can be utterly satisfying, if it excites, intrigues and fuels you. That one thing for me is audio. The entire field, from music creation and production, studio work, live sound mixing to just enjoying a great piece of music is something that fills me with joy and energy. But as with everything in life, it can never be just fun and games - there are always a few situations or moments that can slightly spoil your mood and get under your skin. Nothing drastic or severe, just more of a nuisance that rubs you the wrong way. Welcome to my current list.
Read MoreFrom my own experience, and that of fellow engineers, this perfect world is about as common as a unicorn dancing on a pot of gold underneath a rainbow. In the real world we have the exact opposite - wrong or no information and everything needs to happen 5 minutes ago. Mixing in such an environment, where you are forced to react rather than prepare, is what I call “guerrilla mixing”. And chances are you are fighting the same petty warfare as well ...
Read MoreDuring my talk at the Live Sound Summit (thanks again Nathan Lively for organising this great event) I received a question from on of the participants, who wanted to know if anyone can learn how to become a sound engineer. And it is not an easy question to answer, but I will try to break it down as I see it.
Read MoreIf you can influence the sound source in a way that sits better in a mix and supports the entire sonic image without ever touching the processing part of the console, that might be the best option for minimising work for yourself down the line. Here are some tips to help you accomplish just that.
Read More“It is going to be an easy gig, we only have 3 vocal microphones and an acoustic guitar.” A sentence I’ve heard many times from PA providers who hired me to mix was surely meant to comfort me, but it had the exact opposite effect. Let me tell you why I still dread intimate acoustic events to this day and what techniques I have developed for dealing with them.
Read MoreThe focus of live mixing for major shows turned from focusing on single channels to the master channel. Sure, you have to be a mixing engineer during the preproduction stages, and you might still go back and tweak some channels on various cues and snapshots during setup, but when show time comes, you are zeroed in on the master bus, mostly taking care of snapshots being fired at proper moments. From a studio point of view, you are not a mixing engineer anymore, you are tweaking the summed results of a mix - you are now a live mastering engineer.
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