I recently got an interesting letter (well, email) here from a reader who had a simple, yet thoughtful inquiry. In the message, he stated that he felt he was a pretty good sound reinforcement engineer, but was wondering if I could offer some advice on making the quantum leap from being “pretty good” to becoming a great engineer. The answer, I’m afraid isn’t so simple — if it was, I’d simply write it out and have it printed up in bags of audio fortune cookies with everything you need to know in a soundbite or two.
I had just returned from NAMM, where promises of instant great sound come easy, whether as new guitar pickups, a cool stompbox or digital consoles, line arrays, plug-ins — you name it. In actuality, if it really were that easy, we’d all just buy a custom shop Strat and suddenly be able to play just like Clapton. And don’t reveal this secret, but that’s exactly what drives a lot of M.I. sales — and probably pro audio as well — and keeps a lot of manufacturers healthy and happy. But if truth be told, the same applies to anything in life, as Madison Avenue gurus devise plans for the next toothpaste, cologne or pricey jeans that — if only you had them —promise instant success in life.
Talent and Technology
For the time being, let’s sidestep the gear question, although, it’s hard to do a decent show on a desk where only half the faders work, or using power amps that sputter and thermal out. Let’s face it, if gear alone was the sole impediment to greatness, then where are all the great recent albums that can match the emotional impact of The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night, which was tracked a half-century ago?
So if it ain’t the gear, the mouthwash or the right shampoo, then it must be you, although that isn’t always accurate either. Because no matter how talented you may be, we all have to deal with the third party issues, whether poor acoustics, dirty AC power, unpredictable musicians and so on. But assuming we’re in a place with cooperative gear/power/artists and a venue RT60 time that’s under the two-minute mark, then it comes down to you and your ability to mix a great, rather than an “okay” show. And on this neutral ground, you can really step up to the plate and hit a home run.
Some of this has nothing to do with technology at all. If you have the luxury of actually hearing the band before you mix the show, you’re way ahead of the game. Obviously this isn’t always possible — say when you’re mixing at a club with a “five bands in one night” policy. Communication is key, but it’s a two-way street: Occasionally when I’m mixing a street fair or small local festival, I’m amazed when an act actually brings me a stage plot or an annotated set list that tells me who in the band sings lead or solos on each song. Of course, with some acts, it also helps if you know the genre, such as getting a blend on a horn section or a string quartet, but the same could apply to a jazz-oriented engineer in unfamiliar territory trying to get the right kick/bass balance on a power rock trio.
From “Good” to “Great”
Knowing and understanding your technology is an essential part of taking your skillset to the next level. Even simple basics like gain structure play a major role in reaching sonic nirvana. Once past that step, you can broach the issue of dynamic range, which in my mind is a major step toward creating a truly great mix. Unfortunately, dynamic range is often bypassed or ignored in the quest for achieving a “powerful” mix. Turning it up to 11 and leaving it up until the end of the night doesn’t cut it in my book. But having the ability of using dynamic range as a creative force, where you have ample headroom to let transients and crescendos pump life into a performance can translate into a powerful emotional impact on your audience in a way that four hours of 110 decibels never can.
Another tool, though often misused, is equalization. EQ can help make the subtle tweaks that allow each instrument to find its own place in the mix and the novice engineer typically looks at EQ as a frequency boosting tool, rather than the more difficult — but often far more effective — “cut” approach, where you attenuate the part of the signal creates the conflict. For example, one of the best ways to tighten up a kick drum is to make a severe notch in the 300 to 500 Hz range to remove the mush. This not only focuses the kick but also keep it out of the upper bass guitar range.
One point that irks me is the “lazy” engineer. There are few shows where the “set-and-forget” approach works. Achieving a great FOH sound is a constant battle of many factors, whether muting unused mics, watching the performers to make sure that the organ fills actually make it into the mix, or that each of the background vocalists are part of the blend, or at least bringing up the lead guitar fader as the solo begins.
These are just a few suggestions toward improving your mixes. Now if we figure out a way to get players to keep their onstage levels under control, that would truly bump the mix quality up a notch or two, but we gotta start somewhere.
Catch George’s editorial commentary at www.fohonline.com/foh-tv.
