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Tour Managing for Dummies, Part 1

A friend of mine equates the job of tour manager as “herding cats,” which is, at times, an accurate description. Why would anyone want to herd cats? It’s difficult, time consuming, and the cats don’t like it. In these days of shrinking budgets and smaller crews, we are often called upon to do more than one job on a tour. Engineer/tour manager is a popular combination. With luck, you’ll get paid more than you would if you were “only” mixing FOH or monitors while managing to keep your sanity. Hopefully, no cats will be harmed during the making of this movie. If the opportunity comes up for you to TM for the first time, here are some tips.

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Recording the Word

Ever since recording devices were invented, houses of worship have wanted to record some or all of their services. I began my journey of mixing and recording live worship services more than two decades ago. Way back then, recordable CDs were available and affordable, but most of my churches were still using cassettes (I know you remember what those are) to record. My main task, years ago, was to hit the record button and capture every word of the pastor’s sermon. The pastor would be talking into a podium microphone, lavalier or handheld mic, and I would use a record/aux out or mono out from the board to carry the signal to the recording device.

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Illustration by Andy Au

Get a Job!

Most of the people I know in the technical end of the music business got into the profession because of their love for music. A good portion of these people are competent musicians in their own right and have played and toured with well-known acts, recorded records and CDs and possibly even had a deal of their own. In all likelihood, they still play and record when they are not out making a living on the technical side of the microphone. Supporting oneself as a musician is a difficult task, and while there are many people attempting to make a living just playing music, I would venture to say that many musicians have a second job.

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FOH editor George Petersen comments on the May 2013 issue at fohonline.com/tv.

It’s That Season Again

Every season has its distinct harbingers or signs of change. Most of us are familiar with the multihued colors of fall leaves, the first snowfall of winter (except in Las Vegas), the flowers of spring and the sizzling heat of summer barbeques. Equally important — if not more so — is the arrival of the sound season, which traditionally kicks off with school graduations.

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Jon Bon Jovi uses a Shure Axient with a Beta 58a capsule. Bon Jovi tour photo by Steve Jennings.

Mixing Bon Jovi’s “Because We Can – The Tour”

Definitely one of the hardest working bands in the business, quintessential American rockers Bon Jovi kicked off their 2013 “Because We Can” tour to a long string of packed SRO arenas, starting Feb. 10 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. Named for the main single pull from the band’s current What About Now CD, “Because We Can” is perhaps Bon Jovi’s most ambitious live undertaking to date. The tour is appearing on five continents, including two early May dates in South Africa, as the band leaps up to a extended series of summer stadium shows, including a brief return to the States for five stadium shows in July before heading to Brazil and Australia later this year.

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KiAN Concert Sound Services

Long a regional player in Western Canada, KiAN Concert Sound Services has stepped up to play ball by investing in a Meyer LEO system. This because nothing other than a Meyer system will do, according to company president Mark Reimann.

Heck, he didn’t even have to listen to LEO system before he bought it.

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