There is no definitive way of setting up gain structure and mixing a show but, after much time and years of practice, we all learn the right way to go about achieving our desired results. While the “art” of mixing may not be an exact science, there are still many precise and defined rules to which we need to adhere as we master our craft and practice our “art.” The rules that define right from wrong are not only imperatives for mixing, but are also the tenets that extend to every aspect of a given production.
Self-Evident Truths
For the most part, these canons are unwavering and do not leave much room for speculation. It is wrong if one should need a minimum of 60 amps to run their show and a venue can only provide 20 amps of power. It’s not right if, when tying into an electric panel, one should cross their ground and neutral cables. It is wrong to expect input signal to go to the speakers unless said signal is assigned to an output channel that is sending to the speakers. It’s wrong to turn the channel input gain up all the way while at the same time boosting 2.5k and then trying to get the channel fader to unity. It is wrong to think that a 48-channel show can be properly mixed on an 8-channel board.
What is right is mixing 10 stereo ears on a console with 24 outputs. It is wrong to think that this same feat can be accomplished on a board with only six outputs. It is wrong to mismatch amplifier and speaker impedance, and it is wrong to send square waves to the speakers. Spilling beer into your console is wrong, and wrapping the microphone cables between your elbow and hand is also wrong. Loading in and setting up the stage and lights before flying the audio rig is right. Bringing two self-powered speakers on stands for a full band in a shed is wrong, as is bringing 16 over eight per side for a solo guitarist in a living room. Attempting to fly a 3,000-pound load with a half-ton motor is wrong. Flying the same load with two one-ton motors is right. Using gaff tape and tie line instead of span sets and shackles is wrong.
All of the above are easy examples of right and wrong. This is this, and nothing more than basic physics. If a piece of equipment runs on electrical energy and there is no electricity, then that specific piece of gear will not function. Oil won’t work, coal won’t help and neither will a good whipping with a stick. There are no gray areas involved with the operation of this piece of equipment, and it is what it is: electricity is right and everything else is wrong. It’s great when you learn the rules, since you then know where you are at all times. There are no gray areas to confuse the matter; something is either right or it is wrong, and if it’s right, it works, if it’s wrong all hell breaks loose. These rights and wrongs are concise and exacting as gravity and are not open to discussion or debate. There are no gray areas to complicate matters and no soul searching required; something is or it is not, period.
Getting our Bearings
I cite these examples of right and wrong because it seems that, on a daily basis, we are bombarded by the moral turpitude of bankers, politicians, celebrities, athletes and scammers from all walks of life. It appears that we have collectively lost our moral compass or, better yet, there is some interference and our moral compass cannot find true North. Oh wait, this is the other right and wrong, this is the right and wrong that can be very messy and confusing with a profusion of debatable gray area. This is the right and wrong that requires us, as humans, to actually make a choice between the two. This is the right and wrong of ethics and morals.
It’s easy to look at situations from a distance, judging them and wondering what the people involved were thinking at the time of their ethical and moral failing, but it seems that the pattern behind these failures is simply explained. These people were thinking about nothing but themselves, and not the greater good. From Wall Street to the hallowed halls of our government, from religious institutions to esteemed colleges, it appears that the moral and ethical fiber of our society is disintegrating. Of course, this is nothing new — neither in the history of mankind nor in the narration of our society. We can cite examples of immoral and unethical behavior from every culture, but while it’s easy to be an armchair moralist — as we watch the evening news — we need to be aware of our own challenges in our daily lives.
Decisions, Decisions…
If a client should hire an audio company for the cost of $5,000 and unwittingly overpay by $30, should the $30 be refunded, or just absorbed into the cost unless the client should notice? On the outset, the question seems pretty cut and dry, and the ethical thing to do is refund the money. But what if the sound company has a payment due for the loan they took to finance the system, and this just happens to be the first gig after a long dry spell? What if the overpayment to the audio company is $1,000? Does that change the moral and ethical responsibility of the audio company?
What if your audio company is one of three bidders on a big job and, just before submitting the bid, you find out that the other two companies have submitted similar bids? Do you lower your bid substantially just to get the job? Can you justify doing so by saying “It is just business?” Meanwhile, you get the job and find out that it will be an extremely long and difficult event, but because you’ve underbid on it, you don’t really want to pay too much money for labor. Therefore, do you tell the hands you’ve hired the kind of difficulty they will be facing, or, fearing that they might refuse the gig for the money offered, do you send them on the show without letting them know what they might be up against?
What Will You Do?
At this point, I’m not quite sure that I have proven anything other than physics is easier to master than ethics, but in light of all the unethical behavior that has been in the news of late and the fact that we are now in the much ballyhooed year 2012, it may be time to try honing our ethical and moral abilities as well as mastering our audio skills. Not that any of us are unethical, I’m just saying.
