I’ve been working in live sound production for over 35 years. I’ve had the pleasure of working with some of the best local, regional as well as national bands. I’m a musician and an engineer. I repair all of my own gear, and am basically a “gadget freak”. If I need a particular device and can’t find it for purchase, I’ll build it!
Here’s my take on running sound:
I believe that a FOH sound engineer is one of the most important positions in a band and shouldn’t be taken lightly. You can be the best player on the planet, but if you’re lost in the mix, not EQed properly, or any of 100 other incorrect things, you will sound like crap out front. I’m not one of those guys that abandons the board to hit the bar, the can, or to go BS with someone. If the band is on stage, I’m behind the board. My job is to make you guys on stage not have to think about anything except putting on a good show from stage, not worrying about how it sounds out front. I take what I do to be just as important as anyone on stage. I also don’t agree with those bands that try to “run it from stage”. Unless you’re an acoustic one-man-show you can’t really “hear” what’s going on out front or have time to actually work on the sound. I come from a musical background and used to play trumpet. I think a good sound guy should be a musician as well as a tech. You need to have the ear for the music and the knowledge to get the sound you want from the equipment you have. A player needs to know his part, but a sound guy needs to know EVERYONES’ parts! I also believe in keeping the people dancing. When the band hits their last note of a set, boom the dance music starts. When I go out to see other bands, I’ve seen so many people leave after a set because nothing was going on. I try to pick the last song of a break that will pack the dance floor. That way when the band starts, they already have a full dance floor. Lighting: I try to keep the lights moving with the beat as it adds to the dance atmosphere. I usually do this by keying the scenes/chase off of the snare channel. That way the beat of the music will run the lights. That frees me up to concentrate on sound, spots and lighting accents and effects. When someone has a lead, boom they’re in the spot light and are the center of attention (as well as being brought up in the mix). Also, on the last beat of a song (depending on the song), boom full lights and an immediate blackout for the most dramatic effect. I’ve run sound/lights all over town and have good relations with several club owners/managers and try to get the bands I work with into some of the better clubs…