SR/Live Sun, September 07, 2008

Dave Rat, founder of leading touring and installation company Rat Sound Systems based in Oxnard, CA, recently led a four-hour discussion at Full Sail University in Orlando that involved well more than 200 students advancing their education in pursuit of careers in live production.

Gene Henry, Course Director/SPPM for the Full Sail University Show Production & Touring Program, invited Rat to address the students. Fresh from several days leading his company’s efforts as the exclusive sound provider for the Coachella Music Festival in California, Rat covered a wide range of topics, ranging from very audio specific to general business, and everything in between. (Dave Rat, is shown in the photo above, surrounded by some of the students he addressed at Full Sail.)

He also relayed some of the unique experiences he’s built up over nearly 30 years of working in professional sound reinforcement, mixing some of the world’s top musical artists and building a thriving company. An extensive question and answer session proved a big hit among the students as well. 

“It is readily apparent that these are extremely bright, motivated students,” says Rat, who is also an audio product inventor, noted for the MicroWedge stage monitor design and several others. “In the interest of better focusing on their specific areas of interest, I began by asking questions and taking notes. This proved very impressive - they requested mixing tips, specifics about double-hung PA systems, the theory behind subwoofer cannons, details about MicroWedge development, how to best pursue their careers, and more.

”It’s quite clear that the future of our industry is being well served by the efforts of dedicated instructors like Gene as well as the university as a whole,” he adds. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to help serve that future.”

For more information:
http://www.ratsound.com
http://www.fullsail.com