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Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Sound Reinforcement Or Reproduction? It’s All About The Intent

You are the key to what the audience ultimately hears. So what do you want them to hear?

One of my first jobs in the pro audio business was to make cables, do simple repairs and be a general “tech” at the USC film school audio department. I was one of those destitute students who asked around about “anything I could get” in terms of work. And this was it.

It was a good experience for a number of reasons, foremost of which was that THX guru Tomlinson Holman was one of the main teachers at the film school, and he was often around the department. I had taken a class from him and knew who he was.

One day at the shop, he was hanging around a bit and I decided to ask him about his thoughts on tube vs. solid state amplifiers, figuring that A) he knew a lot about the subject, and B) he would have some interesting insights for a budding engineer like myself. His answer surprised me but gave me something to chew on for many years after that. He said “what you have to think about is the difference between ‘reproduction’ and ‘production’ in terms of what the two different designs accomplish.”

In terms of live sound, I think this same concept is very important to consider. It is fairly common to debate the issue of “reinforcement vs. amplification” and this is close to what I’m getting at. So that these concepts can be more thoroughly examined, I would propose naming three different categories: reproduction, reinforcement, and production.

Reinforcement: The Most Basic Approach
Generally, most music begins with acoustic instruments of one form or another. Even the electric guitar is usually paired with an amplifier which is a very important component of the sound. And thus, the first goal of sound reinforcement is just that: to reinforce the existing acoustic sound so that A) a larger audience can hear the music – i.e. the sound is capable of filling a larger space, or B) that certain instruments can be brought up to the level of other instruments on the stage. This second category is quite common when mixing drums or electric instruments with acoustic sources such as horns or strings. Of course most often, reinforcement is a combination of these two things: some amplification of quieter sources to balance the louder ones, and an overall boost to fill a larger space and project to a larger audience.

An additional thing to consider here is that not all audio frequencies propagate equally. Low frequency sounds generate standing waves and are difficult to absorb, while high frequencies are absorbed easily. Often, along with doing internal balancing between instruments, it is necessary to add or subtract certain frequencies from specific sounds so that the resulting impression is one of “natural-ness”. For instance, you may want to add overhead mics to the drums just to bring out the upper harmonics from the cymbals and hi-hat, even though the drums are plenty loud on their own. In order for this to work, of course you may want to cut everything in the overhead mics below about 400 Hz…

Reproduction or Production?
This is where things get interesting. For certain types of music, reproduction is the goal of reinforcement. In other words, the FOH engineer is attempting to re-create the original event on a larger scale or in a different venue. Exactly what he or she is trying to re-create is an interesting question in itself. If the original event is purely acoustic music such as from an orchestra, an opera singer, chorus, or big band jazz group, then usually the goal is to do what was described in the paragraph on reinforcement. This includes some internal balancing with the addition of greater volume for a larger space. In other words, the original intent of the music is preserved.

A very different situation, but still reproduction in my opinion is when the original event is a recording. In many cases, a touring act wants to present a live sound event that is similar to the recording in many ways. The same vocal effects, drum sounds, basic mix, etc. are all part of this approach. Often times, FOH engineers listen carefully to the recordings in order to glean these specifics so that there is a good starting point.

Where the live sound becomes production, in my opinion, is when the engineer makes choices that take the overall effect in a different direction than either the original acoustic event or the reference recording. The reasons for this approach are many, and include trying to achieve an effect, perhaps the original would be considered “dated” or just the fact that the artist wants to present something unique to the audience. Often this is accompanied with new arrangements or “extended” versions of songs. It may also coincide with other production effects such as lighting or pyro.

In fact, this reminds me of when I saw the Metallica tour in the late 1990s. Although the overall mix was reminiscent of their albums (I’m thinking of Master of Puppets, And Justice for All, and the “Black” ablum specifically), there was a decidedly different element to the live mix that simply couldn’t be captured on the recordings. Some of that effect was just simply that it was friggin’ LOUD.

But in contrast to a lot of shows that I’ve seen that were loud, this one was very clear, punchy, and had the effect of transporting the audience to another planet: the Metallica Planet. The lights, the pyro and the arrangements of the songs were specifically designed to accomplish this goal along with the mix done by “Big” Mic Hughes. I’ve seen a lot of good shows over the years but this one sticks in my mind as being excellent. It didn’t hurt that Suicidal Tendencies was one of the opening acts… they rocked, too! My only disappointment was that Alice in Chains had just fallen apart and thus was replaced by Candlebox, who did not fill the admittedly large shoes very well. But I digress…

It’s All About Intent
To me, it all comes down to making decisions about how you will approach your craft of live sound, and it should be different depending on the various types of music and different audiences. If you are trying to create the illusion of Glenn Miller on stage for the blue hairs, well, I’d advise reproduction so that the audience hears what they expect to hear. But for different audiences and different acts, it’s really up to the artist and up to you how to best approach this question. And it goes beyond mere mixing – it extends into the speaker system design, what effects you might want to bring, and your selection and placement of microphones. Think holistically and realize that you are the key to what the audience ultimately hears. So what do you want them to hear?

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Tuesday, December 13, 2011

The Old Soundman: Songs For Testing A System

You thought you were going to get me to cap on Steely Dan, right?

There’s so much hating going on nowadays! We even see it among over-the-hill yuppie sound guys who have heard songs by a certain band played too many times to check sound systems nationwide. But I’m not going to pile on the crowd of haters! Not even when I receive notes like this one from Tim. No! The OSM is on the love trip!

Dear OSM:

When you’re preparing for a rock gig at your club, what tunes do you like to listen to when tweaking your system? That’s after all’s said and done with the ol’ FFT rig, of course (grin)...

Tell me when your next headlining gig is, at a major comedy club, and I will make it a point to be there! Because you obviously consider yourself to be quite humorous!

You gotta have RAMMSTEIN!

You don’t have Rammstein? Figures. You’re still into Toto and stuff like that, right? Oh, aren’t we wealthy and well-dressed, and aren’t our musical structures so complex, and recorded so velvety-like. That doesn’t test a system! Toto’s music is for you to play in the privacy of your own home, when you’re gulping down that Viagra, and waiting for it to kick in, while your old lady sits there rolling her eyes and watching the clock.

See, I know you, Tim! Even though I don’t know you!

Anything by Dr. Dre is good. That will give your rig a hardcore workout. You don’t like that blunt snare with no reverb? Of course you don’t! But it’ll tell you how healthy your speakers are!  Oh, you say you forgot about Dre! Well, he’s still Dre!

You want textures? Probably Eric Johnson is your man. I would not personally own one of his records, but at least it is better than freakin’ Toto! Eric’s buddy Joe Satriani has made some excellent discs as well.

“Dark Side of the Moon” will never die!

...and how ‘bout this: what tunes are you loath to hear when a BE takes the wheel? I’d love to hear you get all +15 dB @ 2.5 kHz on that topic.

I forgot that I exist to suit your ideas of how I should be, pal! If I give you 9 dB at 1.6k, you will be down for the count! I float like a water buffalo, and sting like a secret agent’s knife made of ice! Yeah!

Every morning when I wake up, I ask myself, how can I best entertain my main man Tim? Not, what is the right thing for me to do today, for the whole universe, or my club, or my family or anything, nope, it’s all about you, Tim! Tou want to see a grown man turn a cartwheel?

Stand back!

Best Regards,
Tim

You thought you were going to get me to cap on Steely Dan, right? Forget it! That’s too easy!

You always want to divide the world into “us” and “them” - don’t you, Tim? I’ll tell you what, maybe I can partially satiate your fiendish bloodlust. The next DJ who thinks he’s being soooo progressive to sneak an AC/DC tune into the middle of a set full of Madonna and the other usual suspects, I’m gonna turn a cartwheel right into his “coffin” full of stinking “skratchable” CD turntables!

Luv,
The Old Soundman

There’s simply no denying the love from The Old Soundman. Check out more from OSM here.

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Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The Wonders Of Feedback

All you have to do is ask...

Like most married couples, my wife Kelly and I don’t always agree on every subject, but when it comes to feedback we both absolutely agree that it’s a good thing.

What? Yes, you read that correctly - I said feedback is good.

Understand that I’m not talking about a 1K squeal that erupts from the PA just as the vocalist starts to sing a big ballad and decides to bend over the monitor wedge and get closer to the fans.

Rather, I’m referring to the process of gathering information to better yourself and your work.

Kelly is a human resources professional who uses feedback daily to analyze workplace communication and performance. This information is shared and helps employees learn and grow in their jobs, in addition to shaping and focusing the business practices of the company.

Most of us who work in audio are not business people, but tech folks. Over the years, we’ve learned to do our jobs well, but sometimes are hesitant to ask others for input on how we’re doing because we might not like the answers. However, just as with business, getting feedback on our audio work can help us figure out what is working and what might need improvement.

We all receive unsolicited feedback at gigs. Sometimes it’s just a simple “sounded good” thrown at you from concertgoers as they walk past front of house after a show. Other times it’s the “I can’t hear the (insert instrument/band member here)” or “it’s too loud” comments from patrons as you’re frantically trying to figure out what happened between sound check and the start of the show.

Let’s return to the example of the people who say “sounded good” at the end of the gig. Do you just smile and say thanks? I do, but then I also ask where they were sitting. Sometimes I also ask them about levels – too much, too little, just right? This usually provides me with some useful feedback from unbiased people, and most folks are more than happy to give you their opinion when asked.

How about the “it’s too loud” people? Do you just assume that grandma shouldn’t have sat so close to the PA ,or do you actually try to find out more? I’ve been surprised to learn that it’s often not the volume that’s the issue, but something else that was amiss with our output/coverage. Maybe the point/complaint is valid, or maybe not, but either way it’s helpful to have additional information.

And yes, unsolicited feedback often comes at busy times, but if possible, try to follow up later. The value of this information often outweighs the 30 seconds or so it takes to ask a question and listen to the response.

Co-workers and employees can also be a great source of feedback. It’s important to foster an atmosphere of trust and communication where peers and staff are free to share their input - quite often, they also will offer viable solutions. After all, these folks want events to be a success as well. And if they don’t volunteer information, simply ask.

Clients are usually not shy in providing feedback (especially if they don’t like something), but many are never requested to do so. So again, ask. I find that it not only gives me some good insight about what they thought of the event, but also lets them know that their opinion means something to me, and that I want to improve so I can better serve them. After all, the goal is a happy and repeat client, isn’t it?

Remember, when it comes to feedback, squeals are bad, but information is good!

Craig Leerman is senior contributing editor for Live Sound International, and is the owner of Tech Works, a production company based in Las Vegas.

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Tuesday, October 04, 2011

The Most Important Thing In Audio Is…? The Conundrum Of “Ears Versus Education”

For the best results in audio mixing, context is vital. But can it be taught?

I’ve been thinking quite a bit about the role musical education plays in audio mixing. There have been numerous threads about the subject in several on-line forums, and the responses seem evenly divided between “not needed but it doesn’t hurt” and “it’s actually a hindrance” and “it certainly helps.”

Because I earned a degree in music performance, I’m biased on the subject, with my opinion leaning toward the “it helps” camp. Still, I can’t help but wonder if it really does…

When evaluating the handiwork of mix engineers, there are plenty of guys and gals that indeed do not have formal musical training. An obvious example is Al Schmitt, who’s earned a stockpile of Grammy Awards for efforts with artists such as Frank Sinatra, Toto, Diana Krall and numerous others.

Even though he’s a studio engineer, I think his example can still be applied to sound reinforcement. One thing’s for sure – Mr. Schmitt has never been called “unmusical,” or at least I’ve never heard it said.

My hunch is although he doesn’t have “formal” musical training, he still has listening skills quite sensitive to musical aesthetics, an amazing sense not only for the technical but also for how all of the sounds relate to one another in context.

This leads us to a key point: for the best results in audio mixing, context is vital. But can it be taught?

MATTER OF STYLE
With any art form, there are those who specialize in a particular style and then those who seem to be able to transcend their particular era and become “timeless.” Relating this to audio, I’ve heard mix engineers who seem to meld their style of mixing to the music itself, while others try to force the music into their mixing style.

Back when I was touring as a mix engineer for the Airmen of Note (U.S. Air Force Jazz Band), I found it was important to spend time with the band in rehearsal to get a sense of the issues at hand: arrangement, internal balance within sections and between sections, and the general “feel” produced by the music.

In the process, I came to the conclusion that the drums, along with the bass, generate a certain rhythmic element that actually drove the way the horn players stayed “in the groove.” It was an actual physical thing, where the acoustic wave from the kick drum had an impact on the diaphragms of the horn players. Stand close enough to this type of group while they’re playing, and you can pick up this sensation.

So I set about trying to bring some of that feel to the audience while I mixed, but without making it too overpowering or “rock ‘n’ roll” – which I felt would not be representative of the big band style. The approach involved how I mic’d the drums (three mics – kick, and two overheads), use of EQ (not much, except to bring out certain things and make sure other elements didn’t become overbearing) and setting the drum levels relative to the rest of the mix (supporting the sound).

I felt that the result was a convincing live portrayal of the band, bringing out the dynamics and impact they worked so hard to do attain, but without too much power from the rhythm section. But did my music education help me attain this, or was it some innate musical sense that can’t be taught?

THE INNER VOICES
Another aspect of mixing, and it was clearly important in big band work, is the inner voices. No, I don’t mean the little voices in my head saying, “check out that woman in the third row.” Rather, I’m referring to the relationships of all the instruments between the bass and cymbals.

Any arrangement - rock, jazz, classical, or whatever - relies on specific voicings. I’m talking about the order of notes from the lowest to the highest within a chord. As a mixer, if you’re not aware of this, then you likely don’t realize that the third of a chord determines whether it’s major or minor, that the fifth along with the root make up the “frame” of the chord, and that everything above the fifth is harmonic embellishment but nevertheless important in terms of leading notes, harmony, and what kinds of scales might be used for melodic material.

And perhaps the mixer might miss (or not know) that inversions (chords where the root, third, etc. are stacked out of order) are extremely important to musical harmony, and thus are a critical element of a musical style like jazz. An example is the horn section for a swing band (think Brian Setzer’s Dirty Boogie), where if one of the horn mics is turned up too “hot,” then the wrong note in some chords may be emphasized. The difference might be subtle, but it may also throw a certain amount of “aural sand” into the musical experience for at least a portion of the audience. And let’s face it – it’s just not right.

But these are “rules of thumb” taught by the educational process. Another way to figure out “who’s playing what” might be to listen and think, without cluttering up the works with confusing terminology. In other words, how do you think it sounds?

THE NEW RESPONSE
“The most important tool in audio is… ?” I ask this question often when giving presentations. It used to be that the answer I wanted to hear was “our ears.” Recently, however, I’ve preferred the response of “our brains.”

Of course, good ears are a critical component in mixing, and without them, there wouldn’t be much of a purpose for audio systems. (Although I’m sure that marketing departments would find a way to put a spin on that!)

But my thinking began to change as I realized that without the brain, what the ears are telling us can’t be interpreted and no plan of action can be developed. In other words, we may hear a problem, but if we can’t produce a solution, then what’s the point?

For example, if there’s a buzz in the system, is it at 60 Hz? 120 Hz? 180 Hz? And if it’s indeed at 60 Hz, where to start in looking for a solution?

On the flip side, those without the sense to apply their knowledge in order to generate an aesthetically pleasing mix lead me to question the value of any understanding of things like gain structure and signal flow, let alone voicing and spatial relationships. In other words, it may be technically “right” but does it sound good?

Perhaps their mixes are “good enough,” and certainly any situation involving art and technology must by nature be a form of compromise. However, if you knew of a way to improve your mixes, wouldn’t you want to employ it?

EQUAL VALUE
My resolution to these conundrums has been to settle on the theory that both musical ears and musical education have relatively equal value, and therefore, for better mixes, the focus should be on both. My theory guidelines track along these lines:

- If considering attending an audio school, see if the curriculum includes courses in musical training (ear training, theory, etc.). Purely technical audio training can result in a set of skills, but musical training allows you to “speak the language” with musicians and within your own mind.

- Spend a lot of time listening to a wide variety of music, and try to determine the common elements between them as well as those things that distinguish between different styles. It’s also vital to listen to acoustic music as much as possible – if you don’t know what instruments sound like un-amplified, where is your frame of reference?

- Come to terms with your own mix style and types of music. There are even differences between punk music from New York and L.A., right? (I suppose I’m showing my age with that one.)

- If the music you’re mixing was developed before amplification (classical, big band jazz, etc.), understand the context, both musically and in terms of acoustics. For example, what types of rooms originally hosted these types of performances? In other words, why put major amounts of reverb on a baritone sax solo in a big band performance? It just doesn’t fit. Not only that, but the players and the audience will expect to hear it as it is supposed to sound.

The track record of many successful folks working as mixers in pro audio without a formal musical education makes a persuasive argument that such an education may be largely irrelevant towards enhancing mix skills. Perhaps their abilities and success are a matter of an innate, natural musical sense, along with great ears and a lot of real-world experience.

Yet it also begs the question: would they be even better at what they do with further learning? Aren’t we all usually better for having learned more?

Karl Winkler is director of business development for Lectrosonics and has worked in professional audio for more than 15 years.

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Thursday, September 22, 2011

Analog Rejuvenation: The Joy Of Getting Back To Basics

What is the true essence of what we’re doing?

A few years ago, I was fortunate in joining the sound team for noted country artist Trisha Yearwood as front-of-house engineer, and it was a rejuvenating experience for me as a mixer, to say the least.

In an audio world where technology (in general) and the digital domain (specifically) seem to reign supreme, the idea of using mostly analog gear with an A-List artist might sound downright outdated and ridiculous. Yet that’s exactly the road we took with Trisha.

To put this in perspective, think about how often we use “technology” to “enhance” a performance. It becomes a whole different ballgame, however, when an artist can actually perform live at a high level.

And this has got me thinking: Is it time to take stop being so concerned with new technology and get back to basics? What is the true essence of what we’re doing?

First, we started at the source - Trisha’s vocal microphone. It was an “old fashioned” Shure SM58. Not a Beta, not an 87, not an “A” or a “C” – nope, an SM58. (Not that there’s a thing at all wrong with those other fine models, but this is what worked for Trisha.)

Wireless? Absolutely not! (Sorry to blaspheme…) But we just connected that mic with an “Average Joe” 50-foot mic cable, which ran right to a splitter (or console in some cases).

The snake fed one of my all-time analog favorites, a Midas Heritage 3000 console, but you don’t need one of these to get great sound. I’m also partial to the smaller Midas Venice. To each his own.

Here, we let the mic preamp do the hard work, because, well, that’s what it was designed to do! We didn’t run the faders at +10 and the VCAs or subgroups at +10 just because the input might be weak.

Rather, we grabbed some more gain if it’s needed. (Another option would be to tell the singer about it, but that certainly was not a problem in our case.)

While one of my pet peeves is a weak vocal, the other is over-equalization. Too many people mixing these days are “over EQ-ing” everything on the console, and it’s time to stop! (Sorry, rant off.)

If there’s a good source tone (not always the case, of course) and the mic is of good quality, little to no console EQ should be needed. In fact, it often just messes things up. High pass – yes. EQ – no.

A bad source tone - i.e., a lousy guitar amp or kick drum - should be fixed at the source, rather than hacking away at the console EQ in an effort to salvage something that’s probably not worth saving in the first place. If you don’t know how to fix it at the source, ask a “gray hair” for some help.

Next in line was a quality compressor inserted on the channel (we’re talking about the main vocal channel). This is a place where taste does come into play - everyone has a different approach and preference: tube, solid-state, whatever. The one rule never to be broken is the use of a cheap compressor - it can and likely will ruin an entire mix.

Here is the central idea, the overriding purpose to all of this: Vocals are 75 percent to 85 percent of what the average concertgoer hears. Bad vocals equal a bad mix - every time.

Something else we payed more attention to, and it’s vital for anyone working in professional audio to understand: exactly how the signal gets from the output of the console to the loudspeakers.

I mean, we took a detailed inventory of everything in this path, from graphic EQs to crossovers to amplifiers to internal wiring of boxes.

It’s the best single way to recognize how to change the sound of a system to make it “exactly like you want.” Some of the best (console) mixes ever have been lost in bad systems. And then the whole endeavor becomes “what’s the point?”

Finally, we all say it all the time, but it’s time to actually believe it and do it: listen. Don’t just push the faders up without actually hearing what’s going on. I truly believe this is the single most important thing any of us can do to better our ability.

And while we’re at it, let’s quit staring at our laptops for all of the answers. I love Smaart and SpectraFoo as much as anyone, and sometimes they can really save you.

But they’re just tools, not a magic safety net. No single person who wants to truly succeed as a mixer can do it by relying on a machine.

Sorry, just a rejuvenated “veteran” sound person offering some thoughts. Who would have thought revisiting the “old school” could be so exciting?

Wayne Pauley has worked as a sound mixer/engineer for more than 20 years, based in the Nashville area.

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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Install Your Own Church Sound System? Here Are Some Cautionary Tales

While installing a sound system isn't exactly rocket science, it is more complex than painting one's house. That's one reason why you need to do your homework

Audio consultants often find themselves working with people in churches who seem eternally bent on saving money at any cost. This is the kind of church that will call with the seemingly innocent request to have the consultant design a new sound system for them. At some point in the conversation they’ll add that they want to do the installation themselves.

That approach can be a mixed blessing both for the consultant and for the church. On the one hand, at least they’re using a consultant’s seasoned advice to make the best choices of gear for them to use. The problem starts when they begin to think that the process of actually installing the gear isn’t all that difficult.

Momentary Lapses of Intelligence
Here are some textbook cases. In order to protect the innocent, I’ll use their real names.

So one day my friend Warren calls me and announces that his church is ready to renovate their existing sound system, and they want to do it right this time. He invites me to meet with their sound committee, and within a few days I’ve got the project to design the system.

In order to save money, the church plans to use volunteers to run all the wire, hang the loudspeakers, and wire up the sound booth gear. I insisted on wiring up the amplifier rack myself, to be a friend, save them the work, and me the headache of possibly having to fix it later.

A couple of months later the equipment is all sitting at the church, and the troops are ready to proceed with the install. So I arrive with TEF and solder station in hand ready to talk them through the install.

Now right off the bat, I’m scared by what I see. To free myself from any liability in the future, I do what every good consultant does - I don’t give them any advice at all about how to hang the loudspeakers in a safe manner. That’s really the job of the sound contractor.

They assure me that they’ve researched their hanging method carefully, and at my insistence have even had a structural engineer sign off on their solution, but I make a mental note to not find myself standing under the cluster for any length of time.

After a lot of scraped knuckles, sweat, grunts and groans, the loudspeaker wire, microphone snakes and return lines are finally pulled into place. At around 1 am on the third day of the installation, we finally light up the system and start to voice it.

By this time, everyone is toast. I’m so tired I can hardly see straight, let alone hear really well. The volunteer crew is absolutely wiped out, but we’re so close now that they’re not about to leave without hearing the system lit up for the first time, so they’re napping on the pews while I continue to work.

To their credit, there were no polarity reversals anywhere in the system. Bless God, somebody was paying attention.

Don’t get me wrong. The church loves their new sound system. And I’m sure the crew has good memories of the time they invested on that project.

But by the end of the project everyone was wiped out, stressed out, on the verge of being mad at everyone, and just plain in a bad mood.

More Angst
I recently finished another project like this. My friend Duane had his best “ain’t no way on earth that’ll happen” look on his face when he considered the idea of using a sound contractor to do their installation.

So I designed the system, gave them a shopping list, and answered a myriad of questions as the project went from a few pieces of paper to loudspeakers hanging somewhat precariously from the steel.

Here again, the weakness seems to come in not knowing precisely how to safely hang really heavy loudspeakers over people’s heads. Hanging heavy loudspeakers isn’t easy in the first place. Getting them aimed precisely where they need to be aimed is an additional challenge.

But when I saw the loudspeakers hanging from S-hooks and swing-set chain, I knew they had ignored my urging to buy their hardware from a professional rigging supplier. They didn’t have a smile on their face when I insisted that they replace the chain and hardware with the real stuff. And don’t even get me started on the points they wanted to hang the boxes from.

Part of the angst of Duane’s project came through the scheduling. All involved wanted the system to be in place in time for their Easter pageant. Flying the loudspeakers meant having to move scaffolding into the room in order to pull wire and hang loudspeakers.

During the same time frame, the drama and music team needed access to the stage for their pageant rehearsals several evenings each week, so having scaffolding on the stage was a problem. Just try sharing a stage with those two groups.

The installers had to remove the scaffolding and all of their stuff each evening so that the pageant rehearsals could continue as scheduled. That process added undue pressure on the volunteer sound installers.

You wouldn’t make the same mistake?! I’m sure that’s what Duane felt. Happened anyway. Nobody lost their salvation over it, but it’s certainly something they wouldn’t do on purpose again.

Before I continue, please understand. The guys that find themselves in these predicaments aren’t dolts. They’re bright, sharp, astute, focused, detail-type personalities.

But by the time they realize that they’re in over their heads, it’s too late to drop back and do anything else about it. They’ve got to see it through and get on with life.

So what makes such a rational, educated person think that they can install a sound system just as well as a seasoned sound contractor? Contractors have years of hard-won experience they can draw upon every time they hang a loudspeaker or wire up a rack.

As well meaning as they are, churches who set out to do this work on their own are in no better position than that sound contractor on his very first install.

I talked recently with my new friend, Rod, who was just then receiving the equipment that I specified and he ordered. His conversation with me then was filled with the usual confidence that both Duane and Warren shared in their first dialogs with me.

Rod was certain that he could have the cluster in the air and ready to get sound out of it within the next couple of weeks. I tried my best to cool his optimism while still being encouraging. I knew that if his experience was anything like most of the others, he’d be in for a real surprise!

Well, I just spent this past weekend commissioning the sound system that I designed and that Rod and friends installed. I called him last Thursday night before I left to make sure that he was really, truly ready for me to be there, and he assured me that all would be fine.

When I arrived in his town, I called again and his response was, “Well, we’ll be ready, but don’t hurry over here.” As I walked into the church, he had just finished making the final connections in the amp rack. To their credit, our system voicing process wasn’t delayed.

Rod finally realized - just like Warren, and Duane, and others have - that installing a sound system properly isn’t as simple or as easy as many want to think early on in the process.

Yeah, But ...
Look, I know your church is different. I know y’all won’t make the same mistakes that most other churches make during this process. And I know your church will end up with an award-winning sound system that will make every sound contractor green with envy.

But just humor me. Tell me you’re at least going to consider hiring a first rate sound contractor for your next system installation. It’ll make me feel better.

For what it’s worth, I also know that there are some contractors out there who shouldn’t be in business. Frankly, you probably could do the work better than some sound contractors out there.

Even though we’re not professional painters, I think that my wife and I do a more careful job of painting our house simply because it’s our house - we live there every day and care about it more than your typical painting contractor would.

But as much as I know about electricity and electronics, I’m not going to volunteer to wire our next house. I might do some extra stuff - like putting lights in the closets, adding phone outlets in all of the rooms, and so on. But I’m not interested in doing the entire job myself.

While installing a sound system isn’t exactly rocket science, it is more complex than painting one’s house. That’s one reason why you need to do your homework on the contractors you’re considering.

Please at least seriously think through all of the realities before you let your church go off the deep end in their eagerness to simply save some money. They may save a few dollars during the installation, but the toll that the process exacts from the church’s volunteers may not be worth it in the long run.

People are more important than money. And it may be that later on y’all will find yourselves doing the work all over again.

A Quiet Voice of Reason
Now, don’t go around telling everyone that Curt said that no church should install their own sound system. I didn’t say that. All I hope to offer here is a voice of reason in your eager pursuit to save a couple of bucks.

If you’re thinking about installing your own sound system, please determine now that you will sort through every possible issue. Develop a contingency plan for all of the things that are going to go differently than you plan, because they will. Step back and think it through before your eagerness gets the best of you.

For example, what are you going to do when the input panels for the floor pockets don’t come in with the connectors laid out the way you told them to? What are you going to do when you discover - after the scaffolding and scissor lift are long gone - that you hung the cluster two feet higher than it should have been?

What are you going to do when the mic snake you ordered arrives with totally the wrong connectors? What are you going to do when your consultant discovers through his acoustical testing that two of your four main loudspeakers have their woofers wired out of polarity - that they came that way from the loudspeaker manufacturer!?!

No, really. Tell me what you’re going to do. Because if you’re installing the sound system yourself, you ARE the sound contractor. It’s your job to make sure the installation and every device in the project is working correctly and installed properly.

And if you’re like most churches, you’re not only installing the sound system, you’re also installing the video system, and the stage lighting system, and… The size of the task can mushroom beyond your wildest expectations in no time.

I assume you’ll be trying to accomplish this task while gainfully employed in another job, so your installation efforts will be done in the evenings and on weekends. You’ll probably need to take vacation time during the last few days of the project when everything comes together.

And I assume that, if you can find volunteers as eager to help you as you are to take on this project, that they too will be there whenever they can. Be prepared to discover that their available times might not be the same times as you plan to work, or nearly as often.

Do your best to step away from the project long enough to see the big picture and what the process is going to do to you, to your life, to your family, to your friends who are going to help you get this job done, and to your church.

The church as a whole has enough people who have been burned out or hurt emotionally through their service to their local church. We don’t need to add any new people to that list.

Uncle, Uncle
Okay, I’ve beat you up enough. If after all of this you’re still convinced that you need to do the install yourself, get prayed up and go for it. As long as you know up front that it’s not as easy as you think it will be.

The reality is that there can be tremendous value to having church staff and/or volunteers install their own sound system. More important than the money you’ll save is the fact that they’ll emotionally take ownership of the system more quickly.

Also, if anything ever goes wrong with the system - and we both know that will be discovered on Sunday morning before the service - your volunteers will know where every piece of equipment and scrap of wire is in the entire facility, and how it’s hooked up.

They may even be able to track down the problem and fix it before the service instead of sometime later next week when the sound contractor’s audio technician can schedule an appointment. That works of course until the folks that did the install get relocated by their job, or move to another church for some reason.

Remember that, whatever happens, God is still on the throne. So have fun. Or else.

Curt Taipale heads up Church Soundcheck, a thriving community dedicated to helping technical worship personnel, and he also provides expert systems design and consulting services with Taipale Media Systems.

More articles by Curt Taipale on PSW:
Humor Files: Unintended Amendments To The Laws Of Physics

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Monday, August 29, 2011

Seven Habits Of Highly Effective Sound People

In this technical industry, tech skills are a must. But there's more to it than that...

This list of “effective habits” is distilled down from a much larger list as being the most important – based on my experience these 15 or so years in the business.

How these relate to you will depend of course on exactly what kind of work you are doing, but in general, they apply across the board, so to speak.

You probably have your own list but because you are reading this article, it points to the fact that you’re probably willing to learn new things and already have a great attitude.

Without further latency…

1. Excellent Organization
Understanding how to be organized is partly a personality thing and also partly a learned skill. It takes time to gather enough experience to know how to be efficient and organized for your set of circumstances.

Some people seem to just have a sense of timing, priorities, and how to get things to happen. But the other side of this – the tools – take some learning. Now that PDAs, iPhones, various software packages, etc., are out there, in many ways staying organized has never been easier.

At the same time, these tools require learning, updating, and almost constant attention.

My advice is to avoid trying to be “ahead of the curve” and stick with using the simplest tools available that will get the job done. This will help keep you from getting bogged down in using the tools for the sake of using the tools – not that we are gear sluts or anything! Once you have established an effective routine, stick with it.

2. Continuous Learning
Like with the organizational tools mentioned above, audio equipment is constantly changing and getting more complex and sophisticated.

This is good because we always want the best tools and the most efficient ways of doing things. But the bad side is that the barriers to entry are ever higher and it requires all of us to keep on top of the latest technology.

But even without chasing the latest software or hardware solution, we need to be on a path of continual learning in our craft. Although this concept would apply to toilet paper and water pumps, it is even more important in our field where art and science meet to create new experiences.

None of us should ever think that we can coast from here on out. I suggest signing up for a class or seminar once or twice a year. There are some great workshops and panel discussions at the trade shows, particularly InfoComm and AES.

And then good ol’ OJT has never let us down. Ask around to see where you might be able to get in on a job and learn something you didn’t know before. What are you waiting for?

3. Good Attitude
This is one of those universal things that applies anywhere. Without a good attitude, you will make enemies and stunt your career’s growth.

But with a good attitude, you’ll be more able and willing to learn, take direction, and impress your clients, employees and bosses.

Of all the factors that I’ve seen make a difference in a person’s potential career, this is probably the most important one. What are some examples?

Re-filling the paper in the copy machine or fax machine. Not waiting for someone else to change the toner cartridge. Volunteering to fix cables, load racks, replace drivers or any other “dirty work” while you have some down time. Offering to be the one that shuts off the lights, sets the alarm and locks up at the end of a long day. Being willing to admit when you make a mistake and offering to “make it right” then being ready to accept what that means.

I’m sure you can figure out plenty of other examples on your own. Basically, you want to be thought of as the person that just “makes it happen.”

4. Mentoring
This is perhaps not as obvious or intuitive as the other items on the list, but equally important. All those skills you’ve picked up along the way? Be sure to pass them on without fear of others surpassing you.

Frankly, it is inevitable that the young guns will end up knowing more than you do and will eventually replace you. But wouldn’t you want them to think of you as the guy that helped them get there, like some sort of hero?

Instead, many of us hold our “secrets” to our chest and pretend that others should “figure these things out for themselves.” Don Davis, founder of SynAudCon, used to say “two people meet and exchange dollars, so now each still has one dollar. Two people meet and exchange ideas, now each has two ideas.”

Nothing fosters growth of the team faster than sharing the ideas and working to support the best ones. And don’t forget that the best ideas may not be your own.

5. People Skills
This one should be obvious, but nevertheless, I think it can’t be emphasized often enough. The people skills will almost always win out over the technical skills. No one wants to work for the “genius” that treats others poorly.

We’ve seen it in bands, we’ve seen it on crews, and it always ends up badly. If you tend to ever think, “this is everybody’s fault but mine,” (to quote Homer Simpson) you might just want to look in the mirror and figure out how to get some people skills.

Generally, most everyone is trying to do his best. So how will you help them do that? And, of course, people skills are even more important when dealing with clients. Don’t forget that they are paying the bills, and need to be treated accordingly.

Sure, they might have some stupid ideas or an unrealistic sense of “what it takes” to get a particular job done.

And there’s a nice way to tell them those things – a way that will have them eating out of your hand and not calling your competition.

Here’s a statistic to remember – people generally feel more loyal to a vendor when something goes wrong, was corrected, and they were treated fairly vs. loyalty to vendors where nothing ever went wrong. Think about that.

6. Technical Skills
Yes, of course – in our technical industry, tech skills are a must. But how good are your tech skills really? If you don’t think you have anything to learn, check the second item (Continuous Learning) above. We can all learn more.

In fact, it never ceases to amaze me whenever I learn something new how it immediately is applicable to what I’m doing.

Back when I was starting out in this business, I was surprised how some of the basics I’d been taught in school, like how to calculate dB, Ohm’s law, basic power supply design, and signal flow through various systems set me apart from my peers.

Part of the problem with our industry is that anecdotal information is prevalent, but real knowledge is often more rare than anyone is willing to admit. Take the classes, attend the seminars, hit the books once in a while.

Even “old” books like the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook can be an excellent resource. You should have a copy, and you should randomly flip to sections and read what’s in there.

Related to this are things like soldering technique, how to use a Volt/Ohm meter, how to troubleshoot a system, how to solve grounding problems. It’s almost inconceivable that any of us could be in this business without some of these kinds of skills, but you and I both know that indeed it is the case.

7. Listening
Finally, we all have to learn how to listen. First off, we have to listen to what people are telling us, even if we don’t agree. There’s almost always an element of truth to what others are saying. This is true in any business.

The type of listening specific to our business is about sound. And even if our physical hearing acuity is excellent, we must train our brains how to listen critically and then what to do with that knowledge.

Unfortunately, 99 percent or more of the sound we hear is of poor quality in a variety of ways. Mucho distortion. Horrific frequency imbalances. Too loud. Inappropriate for the source or the genre of music, etc.

So what do we do? Well, I always recommend spending time listening to acoustic music whenever possible. Listen to or play an acoustic guitar. Go hear an orchestra or a bluegrass band. Get your ears used to what real music sounds like, without any system and the associated distortion involved.

And while doing so, ask yourself, “how can I tell this is acoustic sound?” This is the great question, and the answers are not obvious.

By now you should have noticed many times before that when you hear a real instrument, you know it’s real. The sound of a saxophone coming out of an open window. A real Celtic harp. A real string quartet.

But how can you tell? Take this question and apply it to how you design, set up and run your sound system. We’ll all be better off for it.

Karl Winkler is director of business development for Lectrosonics and a long-time contributor to Live Sound/ProSoundWeb.

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Monday, August 22, 2011

Old Soundman: Deep Questions & Intriguing Quests

Answers to the questions of "when will I see the worst band ever?" and "is it just possible that I’ve done rock ‘n’ roll too long and there’s no hope of ever becoming a member of the establishment?"

Greetings, Old Soundman, from the Great North Woods -

And greetings to you from my secret location. Dick Cheney’s got nothing on me!

I’m not all that old, only been riding the faders for a few years now.

Ride ‘em, soundman! Yee-ha!! Hey, did you ever hear of the X Bar X Boys?

The calluses are just about right on my fingers and in my ears.

What a bizarre viewpoint you have. I don’t really like to think about calluses. But, whatever floats your boat!

I was one of those “dumb youngsters” who thought a fancy school was the way to go. Luckily, I didn’t pay my tuition right away and spent it on some crappy gear after dropping out (don’t tell the government).

They’ll have to torture me with old Bing Crosby records before I talk!

My first gig was with a 10-piece funk band with horns, lots of fun. But I made it and they kept hiring me.

You probably worked cheap.

Anyway, after a few years of fumbling through gigs and paying the first of my dues, I have two questions that haven’t been answered. First: What’s the best microphone to use on a sewing machine?

You’ve stepped across the line. I’ve told you people countless times: funny stuff - me, audio and philosophical questions - you.

But to answer your question, use a condenser mic, and crouch there all night, holding it up to the sewing machine. Don’t use a mic stand like the cheaters do.

Second:  When will I see the worst band ever?

Thanks,
Matt

Tomorrow night. If you survive that, you’ve only got 20-some years to go in order to catch up with my main man here…

Hello Old Soundman -

Like you, I’ve been at this for a long time, over 30 years.

Believe it or not, you’ve got me beat, brother!

Remember when bands didn’t use monitors?

I’ve heard tell of those days!

I appreciate and respect your words of wisdom, biting wit and especially your ability to keep doing show after show.

But you have the same ability… Just like Willie Nelson and Blue Oyster Cult!

I’ve toured the world with large and small acts, and even became a dreaded FOH/tour manager to get out of banging gear.

Isn’t that the worst? Every whining musician on your case all of the time. Forgetful bandleaders. Insane agents. Demented wives and girlfriends. Checking everybody in/out of hotels. Waiting at airports. Settling merchandise.

Ah, the devil was working overtime when he came up with the position of tour manager!

After 20 years on the road. I went back to school to get my degree in order to land a “suit ‘n’ tie” gig that paid off with stock options. I got the degree, but never the gig.

How come? Didn’t you ever apply at a Fortune 500 company? How about Wal-Mart? Toys-R-Us? Chili’s? National Public Radio?

Is it just possible that I’ve done rock ‘n’ roll too long and there’s no hope of ever becoming a member of the establishment?

Signed,
JWL

It sounds like it to me. But the good news is that you’ve got plenty of company!

When you come to my club, the drinks are on me, pal of mine. We’ll solve all the world’s problems. And watch the sun come up!

Luv,
The Old Soundman

There’s simply no denying the love from The Old Soundman. Check out more OSM files:
OSM: Lawyers & Open Mics
OSM: A Youngster’s Revolt

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Friday, August 19, 2011

Pop Quiz: Test Your Knowledge Of Bass & Subwoofers

Is your knowledge of low frequency facts & figures up to par?

Welcome to our quiz featuring 10 questions about bass and subwoofers!

Take a read and see how you stack up against the questions, and be sure to check out our other quizzes as well.

 
 
1.) The wavelength of a 40 Hz sine wave is:
A. 18.3 ft (5.58m)
B. 27.5 ft (8.38m)
C. 40 ft (12.2m)
D. 80 ft (24.4m)

 
2.) A bass reflex loudspeaker is also known as:
A. An omni-bass
B. A contra-bass
C. A vented baffle
D. None of the above

 
3.) In addition to its inherent extended LF range, a ported (vented) enclosure’s frequency response:
A. Extends much higher into the HF range than other LF loudspeaker systems
B. Measures 6 dB SPL higher than similarly powered LF loudspeaker systems with identical cone drivers
C. Drops off rapidly 1/2 octave below its resonant frequency
D. All of the above

 
4.) A W-bin is a well-known type of:
A. Folded horn design
B. Sub¬bass system produced by Martin Audio
C. LF loudspeaker design used only for permanent installations
D. Drum-fill/subwoofer system first developed for drummer John Bonham (Led Zeppelin)

 
5.) High acoustical impedance is applied to an LF horn’s throat so that:
A. High frequency output is band-passed
B. Amplifier impedance is lessened
C. Less driver excursion is required to produce high SPL
D. None of the above

6.) Which of the following was a ported (vented) LF horn design?
A. Altec 816
B. JBL Berkins Bin
C. Community Leviathon
D. Cerwin-Vega TurfShaker

 
7.) As an LF loudspeaker’s frequencies rise, its cone’s directional pattern will:
A. Begin to cancel its own output
B. Narrow sharply
C. No longer be measurable
D. All of the above

 
8.) The unique design technology of ServoDrive was:
A. A belt-driven transducer system
B. Coupling of exponential horns.
C. Reciprocating hydraulically controlled transducers
D. None of the above

  
9.) Extended Low Frequency (ELF) technology was devised by:
A. Gene Czerwinksi
B. Al Berkins
C. Tom Danley
D. Ron Wickersham and Ed Long

 
10.) The first commercially available directional subwoofer was the:
A. Meyer PSW-6
B. Electo-Voice Cardioid One
C. ServoDrive BassTech-7
D. None of the above

  
Thanks for playing. Be sure to let us know how you scored in the comments!

More Fun Quizzes on PSW:
Take Our “Real World” Stage Monitoring Quiz
Test Your Knowledge Of Power As It Relates To Sound Systems
Quiz To Rate Your Audio Skills, Knowledge & Personality Type

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Thursday, August 18, 2011

The Beginner’s Guide To Taking Charge Of The Sound Check

A look at the essentials of line checks and sound checks for live performances

The sound check is critical – if well done, it gives the band confidence in you so they can relax and just play. And when you give the band the monitor mixes they need, they perform better.

In this process, first you do a line check. Are all the mics and DIs connected to the right inputs and working okay?

Then you do a sound check: set the levels, EQ and mix, with the goal of everything will sounding great when the performance starts.

I’ll offer some tips to help this procedure go smoothly.

LINE CHECK
Let’s say you have a stage plot and a mic input list. Place one copy of your list near the stage box, and another near the mixing console to label the faders.

Plug in mics and direct boxes according to the list, and listen to each channel one at a time over the house loudspeakers.

Note: In situations such as live music festivals, solo each channel and monitor it over headphones to avoid disturbing the audience.

Should you check each mic and DI as it’s plugged in? Or should you connect everything first, then check each channel?

If you check a mic as you plug it in, you know immediately where any problem lies. If you check channels after all the mics are connected, you have to troubleshoot the channels (mute or solo each channel) if you hear a problem.

Checking as you plug in works best if you have one technician on stage and one at the mixer.

But if you’re doing the whole thing – mic’ing and mixing – plug all the mics in and then do a line check. If you hear a noise over the house loudspeakers, mute each channel one at a time and see when the noise stops. Or solo each channel and listen for the noise.

Before the performers arrive on stage, have a helper talk into each mic and identify it. If guitars with pickups are on stage, turn up their volume control and strum each instrument (with the musician’s permission).

Turn up the channel input trim and fader slowly to avoid feedback. Listen for signals and note any issues.

Here are some problems you may hear during a line check, and some fixes to try:

No Signal
• The mic is plugged into the wrong channel as specified on the input list. Check the connection.
• The snake XLR connector is plugged into the wrong-numbered input. Check it.
• The channel is muted, or is not routed to an output bus.
• Make sure the musician’s volume controls are turned up in their entire signal chain.
• Try other guitar cords and mic cables.
• Replace dead batteries.
• Is phantom switched on in the dead channel? Condenser mics and some direct boxes require phantom power.

Hum or Buzz
• Maybe nothing is plugged into the channel input. This creates an open circuit, and that high impedance input picks up lots of hum and buzz. Make sure the instrument or mic is plugged into the snake.
• The mic cable’s shield might be broken. Replace the cable.
• Maybe the mic is picking up a humming guitar amp. Turn up the guitar and turn down the amp.
• A guitar with a pickup is plugged in and turned up, but nobody is playing it. Touch the strings or turn down the pickup volume to see if the hum stops.
• A direct box can create hum because of a ground loop. Try flipping its ground-lift switch.
• A compressor stomp box is raising the gain because there’s no input signal. Temporarily shut it off and see if the hum goes away.

Distortion
• If the mixer channel is clipping, turn down the input trim until it stops.
• Check the gain staging of the musician’s stomp boxes.
• Replace bad cables.
• Switch in pads in condenser mics (you’ll hear this only when the musicians play).

Crackles and Noise
• Replace bad cables. There might be a cold solder joint. Clean cable connectors with a cleaner such as DeoxIT by Caig Labs.
• Replace weak batteries.
• In some microphones, make sure the mic capsule is screwed fully onto the mic handle.

At this point, you might dial in some levels and EQ based on past experience. You could insert compressors in vocal channels, and so on.

THE SOUND CHECK
Overview
After verifying that all the lines have the right signal and sound clean, you’re ready to begin the sound check itself.

It helps to use a talkback mic. At the mixer, plug a mic into a spare channel and turn up its monitor send. Talk to the band through the monitor loudspeakers - it beats yelling instructions across the room or using sign language.

Before the gig, make sure the talkback mic and its cable sound clean.

I recently did a sound check in which I heard crackles and noise, and wasted time tracking it down – until I found it was the talkback mic’s cable!

Musicians want clear directions from the sound mixer. For example, “Bass guitar: play for a minute and nod when it’s loud enough.” “Lead singer, please get closer to your mic.” “Mr. guitar, please move your mic a little more toward the neck.”

Never allow feedback during a sound check! Not only is it annoying and painful, it can damage hearing and cause tinnitus.

Some studio engineers, placed in a live situation without prior live sound experience, can inadvertently create feedback when they turn a knob too quickly, or un-mute a channel when its gain is way up.

They are used to turning knobs with no harmful consequences. Slow and deliberate is the key.

Here’s a suggested order of events in a typical sound check:
1. With faders and monitor sends set very low, set the gain trim for each instrument/vocal.
2. With faders up, set the monitor level for musician #1.
3. Set preliminary EQ for musician #1.
4. Repeat steps 2-3 for musician #2, and so on.
5. Set up a drum submix and vocal submix if applicable.
6. Ask the entire band to play, and set up a house mix.
7. Touch up the monitor mixes as requested by the band members.

We’ll go over each step. Let’s say the lines are checked and the band is on stage.

Set Gain Trims
First, set the faders and monitor sends very low to prevent feedback as you are adjusting the gain trims.

You might say to the band, “Okay we’re ready for the sound check. I’m just setting levels now, not monitors.”

Ask musician #1 to play or sing as loud as he/she will during the performance. Slowly turn up the gain trim until clipping occurs, then back off about 10 dB to create some headroom. (There are other methods). Repeat for each musician.

Important: Remind the musicians not to change their volume-control settings between the soundcheck and the performance.

Set Monitor Levels
Turn up the faders to design center (but watch out for feedback). Use full-volume house levels if possible so the monitors don’t need to be turned up so much.

Ask musician #1 to play. Slowly bring up that channel’s monitor send until the musician says the level is okay.

Say something like, “Terry, play your bass and let me know when it’s loud enough for you.”

Of course, some musicians do not want to be heard in the monitor loudspeakers.

Set EQ
Now ask musician #1 to play or sing non-stop as you set preliminary EQ for that channel. Make sure it sounds reasonably accurate.

If an acoustic guitar is boom-y, move the mic away from the sound hole or turn down the low-frequency EQ.

If an acoustic guitar pickup is too bright or electric sounding, turn down 2 kHz and/or 12 kHz. If you hear vocal pops, switch in a high-pass filter at 100 Hz or so. It’s a good idea to high-pass everything except maybe the bass, kick and synth.

Set the monitor level and EQ for each musician. A typical checking order is drums (each part of the kit), bass, backup instruments, lead instruments, and vocals.

Do The House Mix
Once all the instruments and vocals are set individually, ask the drummer (if any) to play. Set up a drum sub-mix.

Then ask the singers to perform at full volume and set up a vocal sub-mix.

Ask the band to play a song all together as you set up a house mix. Then ask them to play a short section of a few different song styles.

Touch Up The Monitor Mixes
You, or the monitor mixer, will set each performer’s monitor mix so they can hear themselves and any other parts they need to hear. That’s not necessarily the same as the house mix.

Ask each player what they want in their monitor. If the monitors seem “hot” overall and are starting to ring, turn down the master monitor send a little.

Some musicians comment on the monitor tonal balance. They may want less bass, less mids, more highs, or whatever.

If your monitor sends do not have EQ, you can tweak the graphic EQ that is feeding the monitor power amp.

Note that the musicians are hearing the bass-y sound off the back of the house loudspeakers, so they may not need much bass in the monitors.

That’s great – then you can roll off or filter out the lows in the monitors, which also reduces rumble and feedback.

Controlling Stage Volume
If you turn up a vocalist’s mic in the monitors, and the instruments are very loud at that mic, you also turn up those instruments in the monitors.

You need to get more vocals and less instruments at the singer’s mic. So ask the vocalist to sing with lips touching the mic’s foam pop filter, and don’t place the vocal mic right in front of a guitar amp or drum kit. Turn down the instruments if possible.

If the guitar amps’ stage volume is too high, suggest that the guitar players place their amps to their side, aiming up at their ears so the amps will sound louder to them.

Then you can turn down the amps. Other tools for reducing stage volume are in-ear monitors, clear plastic drum baffles, and electronic drums.

Muting
Make sure that musicians with DI’s alert you when they want to unplug or plug in. Mute their channel when they signal in order to avoid loud pops in the sound system.

Caution: some mixing consoles do not mute the monitors when the channel is muted. In that case, temporarily turn down the monitor send for that channel, then reset it where it was.

Warm-Up Acts
If there’s a warm-up band (support act), put them on different faders or a different mixer than the main act if possible.

Note which channels the monitor mix cables are plugged into. If you shift the monitor mix cables from one mixer to the other, you’ll need to put them back where they were.

After sound checking the headline act, do the same for the support act. The concert starts with the support act, and when they finish, it’s time for changeover.

Remove the support act’s gear and set up again for the headline act. Do another line check to make sure nothing has changed.

No Soundcheck?
What to do If you have no sound check, say at a festival or “open mike” with short changeovers?

First, it helps to dedicate each snake channel and mixer channel to a specific instrument. Don’t change that assignment during the festival.

Suppose input 2 and snake channel 2 are always kick drum. The kick-drum settings that worked for band #1 might be in the ballpark for band #2. So when band #2 comes on stage, you’ll already have them roughly dialed in. Allow some extra channel assignments for larger groups.

Now, how can you get a quick monitor mix and house mix for the first band with no sound check?

At small festivals or open mics, you can set monitor levels ahead of time as you talk into each mic on stage. Listen to the monitors on stage and make sure they are loud enough and sound good.

As the band is setting up and you are placing the mics, ask them what they want in their monitors so you can pre-set that. Do a line check over headphones.

Even if an audience is present, see if you can set the monitor level quickly for each instrument and vocal before the band starts. The band members need to hear themselves clearly just to play, and you don’t want them to sound incompetent!

You’ll need to set up a mix quickly during the first song. Some engineers employ the following method.

Before the band plays:
1. Start with all the gain trims halfway up, maybe lower for condenser mics and loud instruments, higher for dynamic mics and vocals. Or set them based on your experiences at previous gigs (take notes). If you have a digital console, just recall a preset.
2. Set all faders down.
3. If you haven’t already set the monitor sends, turn them halfway up, or as the band requested during setup. Watch out for feedback.
4. Switch in high-pass filters and set them to a reasonable frequency for each instrument and vocal.
5. Set EQ either to flat or to “typical” values for each instrument and vocal.
6. Bring up the faders for the vocals or quiet instruments – slowly to prevent feedback. If there are no lead vocals, you might bring up all the faders equally.

When the band starts:
1. Touch up the mix.
2. If any channel is clipping, turn down its gain trim until clipping stops, and simultaneously turn up that channel’s monitor send by the same amount in dB.
3. Watch for the performers’ cues on stage, and touch up the monitor levels.

Some engineers prefer to set all the faders to design center (or up to 12 dB lower for large mixes), then mix with the gain trims.

Note: adjusting the gain trims will affect the monitor mix, making it similar to the house mix. Watch out for monitor feedback. The claimed advantage of this method is that it tends to create optimum gain staging in the mixer.

Good luck in running a professional sound check. The talent will thank you!

Bruce Bartlett has mixed sound for concerts, jazz festivals and folk festivals. Bruce and Jenny Bartlett are the authors of Practical Recording Techniques 5th Ed. and Recording Music On Location.

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Tuesday, August 09, 2011

Old Soundman: Chuck It All For A Sound Career?

What’s wrong with this Steve guy? He has a lifestyle that 80 percent of humanity cannot even dream of achieving, and he wants to throw it all away to be a soundman?

Dear Old Soundman:

I’ve been asked to be the “sound dude” (or “concert operations manager” as I prefer to call it)...

That’s kind of funny, but also kind of silly.

Don’t get me wrong, when I was a young pup like you, titles meant a lot to me too.

...for a local band, since once upon a time I was a “roadie” for the likes of Brooks & Dunn, Randy Travis, Sammy Kershaw and others.

Hey, what’s Randy Travis really like? Why’d he marry that old babe, anyway?

I’m sorry, do you have an audio-related question, or are you just here to drop names?

However, I did not work as a sound tech. (I was a “lighting/video dude”.)

I guess the band thinks that l would just automatically know live audio because I’ve been to a lot of concerts.

Aren’t people great? Like maybe I should be a cop, because I’ve gotten so many traffic tickets.

Or maybe I should be a cow because I’ve consumed so much milk! Mooooooo!

You’re probably too young to have heard the old saying ­ if my grandmother had wheels, she’d be a truck!

I know the basics of mixing live audio…

As do I, Stevo, as do I. See? We’re really buddies, total brethren, hail fellows well met. Workers of the world unite ­ we don’t need no stinking line arrays!

...but would like to acquire a serious working knowledge of pro sound…

As would I, Steverino, as would I! Did you ever see the old clip of Steve Allen interviewing Lenny Bruce? That rocked! Now, what are you babbling about?

... and perhaps pursue a career in the field. (The telcom company I work for is bankrupt, and my job as a video tech is getting boring.) Oh wisest of the wise ­ where do I start?

- Steve

Dude, if you’ve got a salary and benefits, do not, I repeat not, walk away from it! You must not be a parent. See, me, with the wife and the young soundman, I don’t have the option of spitting in the face of my salary, and running away to join the rock circus all over again.

I do have to admit that you get some points for addressing me as the “wisest of the wise.” The old soundwoman has a few other terms she uses to describe me, with wiseass probably the only one that can be used in a family publication.

Here’s the big question, Stevie boy: do you really enjoy coiling XLR cables? Because you’re going to have to ­coil about a million of them over time.

The shows are a bitch, and then you coil cables. You’d have to be clinically insane to choose a lifestyle like that. I know I was!

Here, just bite down on this rubber block, and let me smear a little conductive paste onto your temples, this won’t hurt a bit!

Luv -
The Old Soundman

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Wednesday, August 03, 2011

Don’t Come Unglued; Bake A Tape!

Baking has gotten myself and many a colleague out of a sticky (ha ha) situation...

In late 2008 I was called out by a friend to repair a Studer tape deck; an A827, which I had never used before.

While I was very fortunate that the studio owned both the original alignment tape and tentelometer, the original (rather aged and unused) tape shed like crazy because of its storage conditions, and our inability to bake the tape before use.

Baking has gotten myself and many a colleague out of a sticky (ha ha) situation. However, I’ve run across my fair share of engineers who either don’t know what baking is, or who don’t have a tried and true method.

So, I thought I’d pass along this great article by Eddie Ciletti, If I Knew You Were Coming I’d Have Baked A Tape!  It’s a remarkably thorough read, and full of information about tape baking for both novices and professionals. It has been cited as the definitive source of information in all manner of posts across the Internet, and even an Electronic Musician magazine feature.

While you’re there, check out some of his other articles on tape machine maintenance, which have all appeared in print, and include some great advice.

All in all, what a great resource!

What do you think about tape baking? Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned pro, share you thoughts or experiences in the comments below!

Kyle P. Snyder, is an audio engineer with innumerable credits in the public and private sector, writing about audio engineering, recording technology, and a multitude of other tropics for ProSoundWeb.

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Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Old Soundman: Beware Of The Evil DJ Invasion!

Helping a young buck deal with some local talent that just doesn't get it...

Hello Old Soundman:

Greetings from the shore, where the clams and oysters are fresh but the local celebrity DJ’s gear is not.

Then throw it out like you would do with bad seafood! But I guess that would get you in trouble. You probably want to keep your job – it sounds pretty swinging by the ocean.

I normally don’t have a problem with visiting DJs when I put them on stage to spin tunes. I set my channel EQ flat, give them enough juice to power their mixer, and then sit back, thankful I have an easy night ahead of me.

This was the norm for me for quite awhile – until recently.

What happened recently? I sense that it wasn’t nothin’ nice, as they say in the pen.

The club recently booked a well-known local DJ to bring in some extra paying customers to help pay the bills on slower nights.

Did they ever consider half-nekkid young ladies prancing around? That has proven to be quite profitable in some establishments in my neck of the woods.

This particular DJ is famous for drinking, blowing out speakers, drinking, insane fader and gain maneuvers, drinking, and last but not least, his mixer was state of the art 15 years ago.

Then put him in the way-back machine! He needs to do his drinking somewhere in the past and not bother you any more!

I put this guy on a limiter, he freaks; I play the house EQ game, he freaks; I refuse to turn up my mains, he freaks; I stand there and shake my head no, he freaks.

You are an excellent torturer – I’m very proud of you!

I actually get enjoyment out of doing all of this, but I’ve been told to help him out because, once again, he is “the guy” that people come to see. He also has a sidekick who “helps” him (setting up his gear, booze and lights).

That is the problem. You need to eliminate that guy. And then the DJ will be helpless.
Like the Lone Ranger without Tonto.
Like Batman without Robin.
Like Conan without Max Weinber… Well, you get the point…

I know you’ve dealt with this in the past and would appreciate any advice. I’ve tried every trick I know to appease this guy, and he doesn’t realize that job security is a two-way street when it comes to performer (sorry, DJ!) and the house sound tech.

Thanks for letting me vent,
Greg

I find that a compressor with a brickwall limiter allows you to resume your relaxation.

Also if you happen to have an ex-con friend who is about as big as a house, with tattoos on his neck, he can be really helpful in dealing with guys like this DJ and his buddy.

Luv -
The Old Soundman

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Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Old Soundman: Witty Phrases Designed To Tame A “Rack Monster”

Helping to dissuade a moron from breaking the sound crew's backs...

Dear OSM:

I’ve read your articles with great amusement, and have always admired your witty yet direct prose.

Go to the head of the class – flattery wins, every time!

I hope you can help me with a small predicament. I’m the monitor engineer for a reasonably successful rock band that uses in-ear monitoring systems…

If you’re working, that’s always good, compared to the alternative.

…and I’m fortunate enough to be able to carry my own console and a small complement of outboard gear: a quad gate, two compressors and two reverbs.

Sounds to me like you’ve got everything you need!

I’m quite happy with this equipment, as it’s all of good quality, and with it, I’m able to keep the mixes consistent and the band happy.

That’s the name of the game. But I get the feeling you’re going to tell me everything is not quite as copasetic as it seems.

I don’t need any more gear…

Nobody needs any more gear! The universe is perfectly balanced, right now! Everything is exactly as it should be!

…but one band member thinks I do.

Oh, and if he wrecks the precarious equilibrium that exists at this very moment, and destroys humanity’s hope for world peace, he doesn’t care as long as he gets his new toys! Nice guy! I can see why you killed him and buried him in the cold, cold ground.

Despite the fact that he’s quite happy with the mix I’m giving him, he seems to want me to have what would end up being a 24-rack-space monstrosity, full of comps, gates, mic pres and whiz-bang digital “thingies.”

And, he wants you to carry this balanced on your head like someone from a primitive civilization, right?

I’m not an old soundman yet…

Be grateful for that, my friend! Do you have any idea of what my feet feel like at the end of a show day? Believe me, you want to postpone those terrifying sensations as long as you can.

…but I’m no longer thrilled with the prospect of wrestling yet another piece of gear in and out of a bus bay or trailer.

Amen, brother! That’s what the stagehand kids are for, with their tattoos and their shaved heads. Last week, one of them was bragging about meeting Bridget the Midget – you know who she is, right? Maybe it’s better if you don’t!

I have what I need and am quite happy with it. Perhaps you could recommend some witty phrases that will help me dissuade this person from further damaging my back, or the backs of our stagehands.

Thank you,
Less

Wow, witty phrases! Hmmm… here are some you can use on Mr. Smarty:

“I stick my neck out for nobody.” – Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca

“You’re not too smart. I like that in a man.” – Kathleen Turner to William Hurt in Body Heat

“What we have here is a failure to communicate.” – Strother Martin in Cool Hand Luke

“Klaatu barada nikto.” – Patricia Neal to Gort The Robot in The Day The Earth Stood Still

“Fat man, you shoot a great game of pool.” – Paul Newman to Jackie Gleason in The Hustler

And here’s one that seems particularly applicable to your current situation: “Until you do right by me, everything you think about is going to crumble.” – Whoopi Goldberg in The Color Purple

I’ll try to think of some others, but I hope these will tide you over for now, Less!

Luv –
The Old Soundman

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Monday, July 25, 2011

What To Do If Clients Can’t Or Won’t Pay Their Bills?

A wide range of views and views offered by experienced sound company owners and managers

The following is a very useful “thread” from the Live Audio Board (LAB) forum on ProSoundWeb.

Question posted by D.D. Pawley
I know most everyone has had to deal with this sort of issue before. Two sides of the same coin.

What is the generally used policy on deadbeats? Do you wait for em’ to pay? Take them to court? Arrange a mob hit? Give them bad press?

What do you guys do? (I like he mob hit thing, but I don’t know the local mafia chapter.) How is this sort of thing written into a contract?

Second thing. A month ago, a renter dropped my older Peavey board that was out of warranty. He’s a great guy and paid for the minor repair. Works like new.

But what about the guys who break stuff, and don’t pay for replacements? How much of a security deposit is usually asked, and how flexible should our policy be, if the renters are trusted people and they can’t afford rental and security deposits.

The reason I ask, is because I’m having a friend of mine (paralegal) draw up a contract. The info on the workers liability a while back sure helped. But what if your friends help you? Can you be held responsible if they get hurt? Should I make sure they have their own insurance?

I know they can’t sign anything, but is there any way of getting around the union help? I mean, I never have union grade loading/unloading, but it does take time to unload and hook up our usual stuff, and I can’t do it w/only my little bro when the other guys are working.

Reply by Simon Adams
When we did hire (for 30 years) in the later years we simply got a credit card slip signed if they broke it or didn’t bring it back they owned it on expensive things we got a clearance from their bank before letting it go. This made some customers walk away, but we lost a lot less stuff, and if their integrity was solid, they didn’t mind We still do this on appro gear like camera, wireless, etc.

Reply by Hasse Queisser
I had to think I while about this, but here’s my two cents. I have just been in this situation this spring when I lost a rig (don´t count on the police doing squat for you if it happens). I also had a couple of gigs where the client blew a fair amount of speakers.

The best thing is of course to never get any deadbeats to hunt down for money. It takes I while in the business to learn to spot them before they do any harm. I have had my company for almost ten years now, and I´m just getting a hang on it now.

Our policy right now:
1. Cash up front for everyone except official institutions (government, state ...) and loyal customers who have never been late yet (this is especially true for clubs and restaurants).
2. If someone is late on payment, cut the credit at once. They will have to earn the trust again.
3. If someone is late, let them know you will hunt them until it´s paid, no matter if it takes you 10 years. Let them know you´ll never drop a debt, EVER. That can make some pay up, understanding they will not get away with it.

The mob thing is tempting indeed, but it will get you in trouble instead. Not just legally, what if they get back at you the same way.

Badmouthing someone can also kick back at you. Warning other sound companies is a good thing though, they will eventually return the favor.

How is this sort of thing written into a contract?

Like someone else said, the contract can only help if the client HAS money at all.

Try to protect yourself from having to hunt them for money at all. (Following goes for dry rentals):
1. If it´s a rock show, take a deposit for the cost of replacing diaphragms in the HF drivers.
2. If it´s a Rave, take a deposit for the cost of reconing the LF-drivers.
3. Invest in some good limiters for all gear that goes out on dry rentals. Make sure the client can´t get to them. One pretty cheap unit with sense-return function (also x-over) we use for small rigs is the Master Audio VP-2 (www.master-audio.com).

Now for the most important thing, protect yourself against theft (I learned this the hard way):
1. When you get the booking, take name, address, social security number, landline phone number. Then check everything out. If some of the information doesn´t match, skip the gig, chances is he´s hiding something. Also try calling the number to see if you can reach the client at that number.
2. At pickup (if he passed the test). Take ID (if you want to be real sure, make a copy of it). If you are not sure if it´s the guy on the picture, get ID from one more person (they are almost always more than one guy picking the gear up). If there is only one and you´re not 100 percent sure, skip the gig.
3. Help them load, and write down the license number of the car. If they used a phony ID or skip for some other reason, this will help you track them down.

We had a client lose a wireless mic at a pretty high profile gig not long ago. The guy who introduced the artists never came back with it, probably just left it lying around and someone picked it up. This time I did not hustle the client for payment, because it was good pay for the gig and there will be more like it. It´s a judgment call when to claim payment and when not to. For dry rentals I charge for every cable and light bulb.

Some years ago I also had a guy disappear with some stuff (used a stolen ID and managed to fool me). What I did was get on the phone and warned other companies in town, and asked them to look for my gear. Three days later I got a call from a company not far away (that we work with from time to time). The guy called them and was coming to pick up gear in a couple of hours.

So I called the cops, they came down to the shop and waited for the guy to show the ID, and then THEY NAILED HIM. He got four months in jail and had to pay me for the gear he stole (it was never recovered), although I haven’t seen one cent yet.

Reply by Teri Hogan
You’re asking a lot of good questions and most of the answers aren’t going to be palatable, but step into the real world of sound rental, and it’s an ugly place where you have to cover your butt from every angle.

What is the generally used policy on deadbeats? Don’t let them become deadbeats. Get your money up front. We get 25-50 percent on contract signing (depending on the client) and the remainder before load-in. Our regular customers are an exception and you have to use your own good judgment about that.

You might ask “Why insist on your money up front if you have a signed contract?” Because the contract isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. If you take a defaulter to court, the judge will probably rule in your favor, but (at least in the State of Texas) he will also turn right around and tell you his court is not a collection agency and it’s up to you to collect the money.

So you’re right back where you started, right? Get the money up front!

We work closely with a backline/lighting rental company. Their policy, evolved from hard experience, is no credit card, no rental. Anyone renting anything from them produces a credit card. They swipe the card and hold the paperwork until the gear is returned.

If the gear is not returned or is returned damaged, the charges go straight on the credit card. Period. If your customers don’t have a credit card, it’s most likely that they can’t get one. How secure do you feel about that? Don’t let wanting to be a nice guy cost you your livelihood.

But what if your friends help you? Can you be held responsible if they get hurt?

Of course you can and will be. You ARE responsible. It’s your job. Forget about trying to verify insurance on individuals. They won’t have it.

You have two choices:
1. Hire professional labor. This can be union or (I believe you’ve said you live in LA) there are professional stagehand companies outside the union (sorry IATSE brothers but you do have competition) that are usually a little less costly, but if you think about using them, ask for a copy of their current liability certificate and ask for and check out their references before you employ them.
2. Get your own liability insurance. You should do this anyway, no matter what else you do. The premium is usually based on your past year’s payroll and gross income. If you hire and pay the labor yourself, you count that in your payroll. If you hire professional labor, you don’t include it in this figure. Here’s a tip. If you join the American Federation of Musicians, they offer a group liability policy that is half what you will pay for it on the open market. Most regional companies cannot take advantage of this because you can’t get “Also Insured Certificates” with this coverage, but at your size, you probably won’t run into the need for these, so this coverage would be just fine and you’ll be surprised at how cheap it really is.

We finally wised up to good business practice. This was the first year we went “bad debt” free and I intend to keep it that way!

Reply by Tim McCulloch
We have several clients that get production on credit. We bill “Net 10.” Most of the time our check is there. We get a 50 percent deposit when the contract is signed, and (depending of the client) get the balance upon arrival, or before the show.

If a client doesn’t have the money at the agreed upon time, I won’t do the show. The advice in this thread about legal action and bad press apply. You have to attempt to collect the debt before you can sue - how long and how hard depend on your local laws.

Be very careful about what you say to others. Don’t “characterize” a non-paying client. Calling them a ‘no-good, child molesting, non-paying…” will get you sued. Stick to the facts, i.e., “he is 30 days past due” or “she didn’t have the money at the end of the gig as promised, and I’m still waiting.”

As for contract language, you can ask for almost anything. Whether or not its enforceable depends on where you live or work or the contractually stipulated jurisdiction. (“This contract is made under the laws of the state of ________, and in the event of litigation it is agreed that the court of competent jurisdiction is the ______ court of ________.”)

If you do sue, remember that judgment is NOT collection, and you could be tied up for years chasing money that loses value every month after judgment.

As for the mob hit - dead clients can’t pay. And somebody would have to owe you huge amounts of money to get you indebted (even if you paid cash) to the mob for a broken leg or arm to “convince” your client to pay up. It sounds like fun, but you don’t wanna go there. Trust me.

Our rental contract specifies that equipment be returned in the condition it was given to the client. We test (in front of the client) every major piece of gear in their package; amps, speakers, mics. Most of our “carry-out” rentals are powered mixers, speakers on sticks, etc. so its pretty fast.

We have them initial a checklist indicating working status and physical condition (just like renting a truck from Ryder). WE test each with the client when it comes back.

Discrepancies are noted on their contract and arrangements for additional monies are then made. Security deposits depend on our comfort factor with that client… we’re going to a credit card based system where we will get an “authorization” for up to the total value of the equipment if we think we might need it. If the card won’t go through, we tell the client they can’t have the gear.

Our contracts state that all rentals are conditional upon credit approval. Some existing clients are not required to do this. You are the person granting approval, so as long as you don’t withhold that approval based on race, religion, national origin, etc. you should be OK.

The info on the workers liability a while back sure helped. But what if your friends help you? Can you be held responsible if they get hurt?

Your friends are employees unless it is explicitly agreed they are volunteers, which makes them free to come and go as they please, even not show up. If you require them to do anything, they become employees.

You also have to pay them at least minimum wage for every hour or portion thereof that they are “permitted or suffered to work…” And “waiting for work is an integral part of working.” (from Department of Labor docs) You’re damn right you can be held liable for their injuries, and if they do something (or fail to do something) that results in injury or loss to a third party, you’re on the hook for that, too.

As for union labor, the major deterrent for you is that you probably don’t need the minimum number of hands that might be required for a call. And it can seem silly to have (and pay for) a four hour call when you need help for 45 minutes.

But you build this into your bid as a separate line item. You can have your client directly pay the Local’s business agent or the call steward (however they handle it), and you won’t have to do anything but make the phone call. My experience is that on church gigs and community festivals I need the paid labor on the *out* because the volunteers who were so eager to help set up suddenly have more pressing things to do…

Reply by Bob Cap
First, I always go with my gut feeling. That feeling means I’m hungry and I like to eat. Hence, I like to be paid for the work I do.

If I have a client that wants me to bill them for services rendered, I have them fill out an application for credit and I pay to have the credit check run. The same thing happens when we want to buy gear on credit. Credit checks are a normal part of doing business and are factored into our charges.

If they are a promoter, band, etc, there is no such thing as a deadbeat in my area. The word is deposit and final payment when we arrive. Deposits can be in check form if there is enough time to clear the bank before the gig. Balance in CASH only. (Certified and bank checks can have payment stopped.)

Same thing with rental gear. Credit check first. Or large cash only deposit. I’d rather lose the rental than lose the gear. I’ve had people come in to rent gear that I didn’t feel good about. Deposit covers cost of gear, final.

Trusted people can be just that until something happens and you’re left holding the bag. If your friends help you, you’re the person that assumes the liability, period. If somebody gets hurt while “helping” you you’re the “employer”.

CYA, liability insurance is really cheap when compared to a lawsuit. Of course, my uncle Bruno used to say, “If I got nuttin’ to lose, they can’t get blood from a turnip.”

Reply by Chris Kathman
I mixed a show for the Hell’s Angels once in S.F., and the person taking money at the door (it was a benefit) left without understanding that the club did not pay the sound company. The head of the chapter listened to me, and promised to show up the next day, and did, on his bike, blowing the minds of my co-workers at the shop when he roared up and walked in wearing his colors and gave them the dough - in a brown paper bag.

One small piece of advice - don’t make threats, make promises. And carry them through. If you say the gear doesn’t roll off the truck until cash is in hand, then it is important that the gear not roll off the truck. Irresponsible promoters may really love music, but field production people have enough to do without having to spank them. But it’s part of the game.

A friend of mine held up two concerts a year apart for one of the biggest rock stars in the world when the artist’s manager did not come across with the contracted balance in cash. The first time, when the artist found out that his management was jerking around the sound company, he was furious and ordered them to pay the bill so he could play his show. The second time, he went BALLISTIC on his manager.

Gigs that I do as a designer/mixer, I make the client pay half of my bill and the sound company’s up front.

I read a funny quote once by a guy who was the agent for the novelist William Burroughs. Someone stiffed them for the fee for a reading, and then smugly told the agent, “You can’t get blood from a stone!”

The agent asked quietly, “What makes you think you’re a stone?”

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