It is my experience as an observer of human nature that our temperament is never quite satisfied with what we have or what we easily acquire. While this is not an overly profound observation or one that will get me into the philosopher’s hall of fame, it is, nonetheless, a reoccurring theme in my life personally and professionally. For example, as much as I desire to give my children everything, it has been one of my lessons that they will have more appreciation for the things they receive if they are required to work for them.
Satisfaction Is Earned
Similar to playing the popular game of hide and seek, this iconic children’s pastime doesn’t hold much interest if no one hides. Not a lot of “finding” satisfaction can be taken on behalf of the seeker if they should open their eyes and everyone who is supposed to conceal themselves is just standing around. “Found you, found you, found you… OK, this game sucks… what should we do next?” Although there are always some exceptions, I think that most people prefer to earn their satisfaction rather than have it handed to them. After all, it would be great to win the lottery, but then what would you do? I know what you would do. You would buy a couple of consoles, about 72 boxes of your favorite line array, a monitor rig, some rigging, motors, a big truck, all the latest software, a computer, a warehouse and  bada bing, bada boom  you’d be in business and doing all the best work around. Sounds easy, if you hit the lottery and while some companies have started off with a big budget, most of the successful audio entrepreneurs I have met started off with a small investment and built their business one speaker at a time. Back in the day there were no ready-made systems, and these guys just experimented as they went along, creating an industry in their wake.
Most of the company owners with whom I speak love what they do and are extremely proud how they built their business from scratch and made it into what it is today  whatever that might be. Some companies cater to touring bands; others provide audio services for corporate events, while there are those that are known for their DJ rigs. Some companies do huge theatre and house-of-worship installs, and there are those who are strictly a speaker-on-a-stick type of service. A few audio houses manage to do it all, but for the most part, each company seems to find their own niche in the business and is followed by their own loyal clientele, who rely on the service they come to expect and trust.
The Key To Success
It seems that the key to any ongoing success in this business is to target a certain market that one may want to conquer, but then adapt to the market into which the company settles. There is no need to fight it if your company starts off with a rock ‘n’ roll heart, but ends up being a favorite on the jazz circuit. A company is an extension of the people running it, and while many engineers are capable of mixing every type of music, they may have a specialty or a preference, which then makes them attuned to one style more than another. It’s my experience that an engineer is an extension of the band they are mixing. Bands and companies like to know that their engineer “gets” what they are doing and understands how to present their vision in the way it is intended. When other musicians like what they hear coming from the audio system, their tendency is to hire the engineer/company to represent their own sound.
Most likely, it’s in our nature to try and grab a larger market share and to diversify into other areas, but sometimes this “conquer the world” attitude can work against us, as what we have tends to slip away if we try to grab more than we can hold. It seems to be a good business plan to diversify and expand as the need requires  and not just because you’re a lottery winner. Going from speakers-on-stands to even a small line array requires more than just the gear itself. And now your gear, which used to fit into a van, requires a small truck to do the job. In the course of buying a bigger system, you have just expanded your company and now you need more people as well as more space to get the work done. More work hours are devoted to the new and expanded company, but the catch-22 is that while you are able to get higher-priced jobs, due to the increased overhead, you seem to be bringing home the same amount of cash as when you were working less hours with less gear.
Bigger Isn’t Always Better
I’m not suggesting that any engineer or company should avoid striving for something bigger or better than what they may have, but there is a reason that the bigger companies have been around for a while and are still in business. Most of them have built up slowly, or on a “for need” basis only. If you do not have an affinity for a certain music or type of event then, most likely, you won’t be very good at mixing it, your company will not be well represented, and the calls to your company for that style of engineering and system will stop coming in. In the same respect, if the company doesn’t have the right gear for the said event or concert, the calls may stop despite a good engineering job. Being in a niche does not necessarily mean being in a rut and, conversely, grabbing everything one can grab does not mean it will be done well. I don’t think that there is anything wrong with being ambitious, but as a friend of mine  who I will always remember as the Yogi Berra of audio  once said in regard to playing music, “Great music is not derived from the notes you play, but from the notes you don’t play.” Just so you don’t think I’m leaving you with the words of a great sage, he also told me that “years ago, it was easier mixing sound because it didn’t move as fast.”
For more words of wisdom, e-mail Baker at blee@fohonline.com.
