John “J.C.” Convertino reaches the peak of his workday before most of his industry peers have even woken up. By 7 a.m., he could be mixing U2 live for television, as he did last month, when the band played ABC’s Good Morning America to promote their latest record or any one of hundreds of other acts.
Convertino has been Good Morning America’s mixer for more than 10 years, in that time mixing everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Mariah Carey to classical music, opera and musical theater performances and everything in between.
Coordinating production for up to a dozen performances a month, Convertino counts on technology partner — New York City-based Jim Flynn Rentals (JFR) — to provide artist-specific audio solutions. Flynn himself is also renowned for turning up in the middle of the night to make sure everything is as it should be.
On-Site at 1 a.m.
On a live music day, Convertino and crew are on-site at 1 a.m., loading in equipment and setting the stage for the artist, whether that stage is inside Good Morning America’s street-level Times Square studio, outside on 44th Street, across town at the Bryant Park summer stage, or some other local or remote venue. By show day, Convertino has been corresponding with the artist’s management for weeks in preparation. “We really try to accommodate the artist, so we’ll rent whatever they ask for and whatever we need to get the best sounding results,” says Convertino. “There are always specific things the artist’s crew wants, like for example, Rascal Flatts like Blue microphones on their guitar amps, so I’ll rent those mics they specify.
“I’m talking to the London-based producer of Stomp about their upcoming performance, and he needs Ceducer microphones, which get taped inside the tubes they play to give them a low-end punch,” says Convertino. “He hadn’t been able to find them anywhere, but I knew Jim would have them. I called him and ‘no problem,’ he had what I needed and gave me a list of all the other equipment I’d need for the gig, so I knew I was covered.”
The stage is set in the middle of the night, and artists arrive for sound-check between 6 and 7 a.m. “There’s a noise restriction in New York before 7 a.m., which is when the show starts,” Convertino explains. “At that point, we have the band on stage and ready to do their rehearsal, which I record and mix between 7 and 8. The band will come into the studio and listen to approve the mix so I have all my settings ready and everybody’s happy with how they’re sounding.”
The musical performances air in the second half of the show, starting at 8:30. In the studio, Convertino mixes on an API Legacy Plus console and records to a Tascam X-48, on rent from JFR. Additionally, Good Morning America’s music producer records the rehearsal and shows to a Pro Tools rig for archival purposes.
“When we’re on location, we have even less time to set up and get the rehearsal done, because the band needs to be shot playing at the location for a teaser early on in the show,” Convertino adds. “So the full band needs to be on stage playing for that shot, which happens right at 7. We’ll get to the site at midnight for those location shoots, and we really have to cruise to get it all setup. It feels like there’s never enough time, but we always make it happen somehow.”
On days with no live music, Convertino is in at 3 a.m. and his main responsibility is sending IFB feeds to the show anchors, and monitor mixing for their personal monitor systems. The show ends at 9 a.m. and the crew is booked through 11 a.m., but the day is far from over for Convertino.
“When I get home, that’s when I’m coordinating for upcoming performances, talking to artist management, figuring out all the venue and equipment needs,” he explains. And in his rare time off Convertino also produces the band Miggs from Tampa.
“Working with Jim Flynn lightens my load considerably, in terms of audio systems planning and maintenance,” Convertino says. “Jim’s equipment is always well maintained, and being a live broadcast, if we need a particular piece of gear essential to the band’s performance, they’ll always have a back-up that’s ready to go, just in case,” Convertino notes. “Their inventory of gear is outrageous and Jim incredibly has those hard-to-find pieces of gear on hand when you really need them. If by some chance he doesn’t, he’ll either track the piece down for me and or he’ll actually buy the piece so we can use it.”
On such a tight schedule leading up to that live broadcast, Convertino has little room for error, and having reliable equipment suppliers and technology advisers is critical. “Things can definitely get stressful around here, so it’s very important that I know I can count on people like I know the equipment will always be here and working perfectly.”
