Study Hall

Climbing The Sound Mountain: A Fictional (But Highly Instructional) Tale

Part 1 of a multi-part fictionalized series on trying to build a career in the sound reinforcement business...

It Begins: Anticipation

Ben awoke at dawn filled with hope and excitement – this was the day he was to kneel before the audio gods at Frank’s Sound Company and Show Rentals.

Ben had been waiting for this day for two years while he worked his way through the daunting challenges placed before him at the community college audio program.

He was ready to prove his worth and show his mettle to the gods, and he knew they would be impressed. There wasn’t a knob he didn’t know. There wasn’t an audio formula he couldn’t recite. There wasn’t a cool-guy piece of equipment whose alphanumeric name he couldn’t rattle off like machine-gun fire.

But even more impressive, he thought, would be his system test CD. Yes – he had IGY, Babylon Sisters, Toy Matinee, and some Diana Krall. He knew the gods would recognize one of their own when they saw this.

And last but not least, Ben would have a Sharpie and a greenie subtly placed in his right rear pocket in just a way that these gods would see, without being too obvious. He was ready.

Ben poured himself a bowl of Captain Crunch, doused it with 2 percent milk, and sat down to fortify himself for the coming gauntlet. Through the rhythmic munching and the heaping spoonful of goodness brought to his mouth every 6,500 milliseconds, he thought about the things he would need to know today.

In his mind’s eye, he visualized the Inverse Square Law in three dimensions. He silently calculated the impedance of a series/parallel loudspeaker cabinet loaded with six 8-ohm drivers. He recited to himself the resistance, both ways, of a 12AWG loudspeaker cable that was 50 feet long.

Ben’s education had been a good one – his teachers made every effort to ensure that their students understood the fundamentals.

But Ben was even more excited about mixing. He knew that the experience he’d gained by working on everything from that recording project with the reggae band to being an assistant system tech at the Spring Fling festival at his community college had perfectly prepared him to “mix the big time.”

Looking for a great position in pro audio? Seeking the most qualified candidates? It all starts with the ProSoundWeb Jobs Center.

And this is where Ben saw himself – up on the big platform at the big show with the big artist. “The Big Time” Ben said as a few drops of peanut butter-tainted milk dribbled down his chin and visions of thousands of screaming fans echoed in his head.

He was ready to take on the world as he grabbed his resume and CD, heading down the staircase at his apartment complex to his car, starting out on his way to Frank’s Sound Company. It was only a few miles away – just enough time to hear IGY again in the car.

“I wonder what this CD sounds like on Frank’s best sound system. Probably a line array,” thought Ben as he pulled into the parking lot at the sound company. It was 9:54 a.m., right on time for the interview at 10.

Study Hall Top Stories