SAME OR DIFFERENT?
Now, this “homogenous sound vendor” concept may be distasteful to many sound/PA companies, because it could lead to systems with the same loudspeaker type sounding exactly alike.

And any of those unique little “tricks” that we’ve all developed, with the goal of being better and different from others, will be impractical - or perhaps even impossible - to achieve.

Any system-to-system variations will need to occur pre-system crossover. 

I must admit that at first, as the proprietor of a sound system rental company, I was very much against having this franchise concept being applied to sound vendors. “How can we be better if we are all the same?”

Ah, but another viewpoint has emerged as I’ve traveled the world working as a sound/mix engineer: the most frustrating thing I encounter as an engineer is to expect one thing and get something else.

I’ve found, countless times, that I do not want a system to be “better” or have amazing little tricks. Rather, I want a system that sounds just like the one I used yesterday, when that system sounded just like the one I used the day before.

If I can get exactly the same PA every day, then I can build and refine my mix and work on show-to-show consistency. This, of course, is easier when carrying a PA with a tour, but unfortunately, it’s not always possible. 

One-offs, festivals and the need to use different sound vendors on each continent are just a few situations where that PA I had all dialed-in goes away, and I need to start over. Ugh, that gets tiresome.

Oh, I think this processed amp thing is just the tip of a big huge iceberg!

Dave Rat heads up Rat Sound, based in Southern California, a touring sound company that supports a wide range of concert acts and festivals.

Check out more Dave Rat Transmissions:
—When Hearing Starts To Drift
—From The “Wall Of Sound” To Now - A PA Evolution Odyssey

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