There’s a well-known old Irish saying: “When you are right, no one remembers; when you are wrong, no one forgets.” It’s often quoted and usually rings true. But in terms of sound reinforcement, the version that is something like: “If the sound is great, no one notices; if it’s bad, no one forgets.” And for anyone in the live audio business, that always applies. All of us have faced near-impossible tasks in the audio realm, but we figure out a method or workaround and keep on going. After all, the show must go on.
Just last week, I was contracted to provide a playback system for a movie showing in a local community center. The customer said their sound system was poor quality and, since this was a special evening presentation with the director of an award-winning film, they wanted it to sound good. No problem; I figure it’s a typically boomy room. I was slightly over-equipped for the gig. When I arrive, I find out that they plan to use a laptop to play back the feature film, so my feed is a 1/8-inch headphone out jack. Again, no problem, as I had a Radial JPC stereo direct box in the truck.
Unfortunately, here the issue is that audio emanating from a crappy headphone amp is not on the path of audio spiritual
enlightenment, and garbage in = garbage out, no matter how well you EQ or tweak the settings. It’s the same with clients who show up at the last minute with some MP3’s on their smartphone that are an essential part of their all-important program. It never fails. Someone brings stinko source material and, of course, we’re to blame if it doesn’t sound pristine.
We’ve all had our share of nightmare gigs. I once had to provide audio for some kind of Oakland police officers’ training test in an empty square room with polished wood floors, marble walls and a glass ceiling. Recruits had to listen for subtleties from live recreations of witness accounts, and with vocal intelligibility in that space running next to zero, you’d have to be Superman to be able to understand a single word — no matter how much EQ was applied. Sometimes, try as you might, you just can’t win.
Winners Abound at Parnelli Awards
But there were plenty of winners at last month’s Parnelli Awards — by everyone who attended. (Check out the highlights, beginning on page 20.) Certainly, host Micky Dolenz brought an element of fun, and there was plenty to celebrate among the nominees — both individuals and companies — in the lighting, sets, video and sound departments. However, without the hard work, expertise and dedication of pros in the areas of staging, production/tour management, rigging, pyro, coaching, trucking and freight forwarding, no major production would get past the opening night. Some competition and “the envelope, please” adds to the evening’s excitement, but the spirit of the Parnelli Awards comes from this annual celebration of all of us in these industries where recognition is sometimes too hard to come by.
In that sense, the Parnelli’s also represents a gathering of the tribes, where on neutral turf, competitors shake hands and give each other a well-deserved pat on the back for another year in our industry. Let’s face it, keeping any kind of event technology company afloat in these times can be a major accomplishment that requires fluency in business and technology. But another key element is connections and networking and the Parnelli Awards is a perfect vehicle for that face to face interfacing.
Add in the special award presentations to industry giants Eric Pearce, Mark Engebretson, Mo Morrison and George Travis — with their amazing tales and reflections on their accomplishments that helped shape and mold this industry — and it was a night of magic. I for one was humbled in their presence.
Celebrate!
Speaking of magic, as we wrap up 2013 and look forward to 2014, this is the perfect time for all of us to celebrate. But before you do, snag a few of those extra gigs that crop up around the holidays. It may be cold outside, but inside, people are ready to party and great sound is always part of the equation. But along the way, take some time for yourself as well and experience the joy of the season.
Catch George’s editorial commentary at www.fohonline.com/foh-tv.