Note: This was written in response to Baker Lee’s “FOH At Large” column (June 2012 FOH) regarding the occasional dangers of technology and whether depending on various devices represented a form of “cheating.” We thought Kip presented some good points and we wanted to share them with you. —ed.
As I sit typing this on my MacBook, I start to wonder if I am “cheating” by not picking up a pen and paper, purchasing a stamp and driving a letter to the post office. All things that, in this economy, I would prefer not to do.
The simple fact is that I do use Smaart on every show that I do. I use an iPad on every show that I do. And I use an iPod for music playback on every show that I do (although the songs are at full resolution).
I have a regular touring gig where I mix both FOH and monitors, due to budget constraints. My results for each show are better than average because of my use of technology. Can I walk up to a monitor and ring it out by ear? Sure. I’ll do it with whatever vocal is placed in front of it… and it will be loud and feedback free. Can I walk back and forth to the Front of House console every time I want to adjust a frequency during sound check? Sure, but why would I want to do that, when I can stand right there and adjust it with an iPad? It’s all about time… and physical wear and tear on my knees.
As I carry a console and use house systems, I would prefer to not re-check everything from a day-to-day basis. I prefer to spend my one hour allotment getting the house system right so I can simply unmute the channels and go. Of course, in live audio, there is no empirical right or wrong — there’s a dozen ways to do anything. What I strive for is consistency each night, so that no matter where we are, my shows sound the same — within reason! The FFT in Smaart gets me there each night, quickly. I can put on my favorite Mark Knopfler tune and EQ the system, but there are things that my ears can’t tell me — how many degrees out of phase are those subwoofers, and exactly how much delay will align them to the mains. Show me a man or woman that can calculate that in their head correctly with only their ears and in the words of Orson Welles, “I’ll go down on him.”
Sink or Swim
I think that we can sum up our industry of live mix engineers into three categorical levels. We have individuals who are right where they need to be in terms of their abilities (the swimmers), those who are working above their abilities (trying to keep their head above water) and those who are working below their abilities, but want to be doing something better (the treaders). In my daily touring life, I run into guys who are trying to keep their head — and their systems — above water. I suppose that there is a fourth group, those who think they are audio gods (and, presumably, walk on water). But no matter what category someone is in — we’re all swimming with the sharks out there!
Being a sound engineer is one of the most egotistical and narcissistic jobs on the planet. No one wants to be told that their functional system has issues. This egotistical trait leads directly to many of us thinking that we know it all and can’t be taught any new tricks. Having a computer screen in front of me to correct the problems and show the house engineer what I have done to optimize their already-perfect system eases the fright. My Smaart rig has become a teaching tool, and most guys that have never seen it in action, but then walk away wanting to learn more about how it works. Over the years, I have put some basic case studies on my webpage (athenssound.com), so I can send people there if they want to learn a little more. It’s become a good way to keep moving, because I often find myself giving an unsolicited lesson when I should be moving on to the next part of my day.
The Technology Trap
I think that the biggest issue with new technologies is that engineers leap to it as “the way,” yet fail to learn to basic fundamentals. I feel fortunate that when I started down this road, we were still in a primarily analog world, but we were on the cusp of the digital era. I only read about the Yamaha programmable mixer in trade magazines, while I went to work stumbling through the odd gain stages of the PM2000, an analog console that I still think separates the men from the boys because of the “clicks.” That console sounded fantastic, but it was a little difficult to use by today’s standards — I’m thankful for it, though. I was forced to learn an approach to audio that made sitting behind other desks a breeze.
I’ll admit it. I might be a little cranky while writing this. It’s Sunday morning and I’m up early from a wedding reception that got me in at 3 a.m. A very expensive wedding in one of the most prestigious hotels/living situations in Buckhead (Atlanta area). The waiters don’t wear white gloves for events — they wear them all the time. There’s a full-time tailor within 50 feet of the loading dock for the employees to have their service attire fitted as needed. It’s that kind of place. At best estimate, this weeding cost the father of the bride $60K. I was hired by a band that charges $10k for their performances. Every detail had to be exact.
Even the detail of high quality audio, while mixing from behind the stage — four feet from a guitar amp. The FOB insisted that he wear a lavalier mic while giving his toast. If I asked the client if they thought that by me mixing from Yamaha’s StageMix was cheating, he would have said: “No, I would expect that for $10,000.”
I think that I’ll put in my calendar an asterisk followed by the words, “Client was very happy with the outcome of the event, would like me to contact him regarding future services.”
Georgia-based Kip Conner is the sound engineer and production manager for Shawn Mullins. Visit him at www.athenssound.com.
