Way, way back a long time ago, the world was a whole lot different, when bands wore suits to studio sessions and recording engineers walked around in white lab coats. During this era — and for a couple decades thereafter — studio engineers were seen as the real smart guys, and live engineers were regarded as a step or two above roadie status. Of course, there was probably a certain element of truth to that notion, especially when a live “console” often consisted of a bunch of cascaded 5-input Altec 1567A’s that fed power amps wired to a couple stacks of Altec A-7 Voice of the Theatre cabinets. And if you had a rig like that, some paisley pants and a fringed leather jacket, you were ready to rock!
And even during the 1970’s, as both studio and live technologies developed, that perception of the “smart” engineer continued, especially with the evolution and expansion of multitracking, from 16- to 24- to interlocked 48-track sessions. Once DAW’s came onto the scene and brought unlimited track counts, the art and science of studio work actually began declining. Stereo imaging became more of an exercise of summing panpotted mono tracks than decisions about mic placements. And meanwhile, the majority of studio work consisted the engineer of sitting behind the desk doing endless overdubs of mono-miked sources, one track at a time, possibly doing some single-digit “finger limiting” for days and often weeks on end.
Return of the Faux Chinese Curse
If only the life of the live engineer was so mundane. There is an allegedly ancient Chinese curse that’s something like “may you live in interesting times,” — although it may have sprang from a fortune cookie plant in Elko, Nevada. Either way, that particular piece of urban myth wisdom could certainly apply to any live sound gig, anywhere, ranging from the simplest podium mic setup for a city council meeting to a 24-truck world tour.
Here, the size of the live gig doesn’t matter, but you can bet that even the most no-frills, piece-of-cake setup will at some point be transformed into something complex and bizarre. And a remedy will undoubtedly require an individual capable of fast thinking, quick responses and a healthy dose of improv combined with a solution-based thought process.
It’s the very nature of this business. A studio denizen might have to face the crisis of an intermittently operating espresso machine in the lounge. Meanwhile, the live tech deals not only with the mix aspect, but also transportation issues, load-in/out, scoping out the site to find adequate AC, speaker placements, routes for cabling runs and so on. Of course other live job perks include dealing with the acoustics of the site itself and little eccentricities, like an event taking place in a third-floor ballroom with no elevator.
Just Another Day at Work
It’s all part of a day’s work, which would go a lot smoother if the promoter had actually remembered to sent someone to the venue two-and-a-half hours before downbeat. After leaving a dozen unanswered texts and voice mail messages, somebody with a key finally shows up 90 minutes before the show. Now the doors are supposed to open in an hour, but since it’s raining, you get a text reply to one of those messages informing you that since it’s raining, they want to open the house an hour before showtime, so can you get the system ready in 30 minutes?
Even on well-oiled, major league touring shows where everything goes smoothly and there are no mysterious, unexplained RF issues, the gig itself won’t necessarily be a picnic. Those same artists in the studio that required 96 tracks for their production, now want the live show to have an album feel, so in addition to mixing an entire live band, you also have another 34-, 48- or 64-tracks of Pro Tools playback onto your input list. And suddenly there’s little mystery behind the requirement for a FOH console with 96 or more channels. (If you’re in the market for a large-format digital console, by the way, be sure to check out the Buyers Guide on page 54.)
Anyone who really wants an audio challenge should become an monitor engineer. Just the thought of providing four, six, eight or more simultaneous live mixes to satisfy a stage-full of rock and roll divos and divas is frightening, to say the least.
Meanwhile, for a refreshing natural high of an adrenaline rush, remember that live production is all done without a safety net. On the studio side, a less-than-optimal mix (and even some very good ones) will visit a mastering engineer who applies tweaks and fixes in the most controlled of acoustic environments before the product hits the airwaves, or MP3’s.
On the other hand, no such equivalent exists in the live world. Whatever leave those master bus faders is what the audience hears, although given the quirks of most venues — such as hockey rinks that somehow have to become plush listening environments — getting a consistent sound to every seat can be tough. Yet, it happens every day at tens of thousands of performances worldwide, even if sometimes you have to believe in a little magic.
Life in the sound reinforcement lane ain’t always easy, but would any of us give it up for the cushy, air-conditioned indoor life of an espresso jockey? Not in a million years!
Stop By and See Us
October means AES Show month, and the annual audio shindig returns to the Los Angeles Convention Center Oct. 9-12. If you’re in town, stop by our booth #1460 and say hello. By all early indications, it’s shaping up to be a great AES show. We look forward to seeing you there.
Catch George’s editorial commentary at www.fohonline.com/foh-tv.
