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Anklebiters

Turn It Up! No, Down! No, Up! No. . .

A friend and I went to a concert recently to hear a very popular band. But it was so loud that it was impossible to make out individual voices or instruments. We put cotton in our ears, which seemed to help. On the break, we went to talk to the sound guys and discovered that they all had ear plugs in their ears!!! Hello? Get a clue! How can you get a good sense of the proper volume level for your audience with plugs in your ears? Was the problem that the sound system was bad or was it dufus/already deaf sound people?

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The Tax Men

Dear Anklebiters,

After working with other people's sound systems for a number of years, I decided last spring to invest in some equipment of my own. It's all decent gear, and with it and my existing contacts, I have been able to slowly build up enough clients to keep busy almost every weekend. But now it's tax time, and I'm wondering what I need to do on the business end of things to stay kosher and keep in good favor with our friends at the IRS.

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Managing Monitors

Dear Anklebiters,

When you are mixing monitors for musicians (regardless of whether you mix them from a dedicated monitor desk or from FOH), isn't it really up to the engineer to decide what the musicians should hear in their on stage monitor mixes?

Thanks,

Clayton Bennett

Lincoln, NE

Brian Cassell: While it is physically up to the engineer to make the adjustments, I don't think it's really up to him or her to decide what should or shouldn't be in a musician's monitor mix. An engineer really needs to communicate clearly with the musicians to know what they need to hear. And from my experience, the musicians are the only ones who really know what they need to hear. After all, they are the ones who need to stay in tempo and stay in pitch with the other performers onstage. Now, an experienced engineer may have a rough idea of what each musician may need to hear in their monitors, but I find this to be no more than a good starting point.

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Moving On Up

Jamie Rio: Since the very first edition of Anklebiters, I have attempted to answer your questions and share my real-life, seat-of-my-pants experience of the sound biz with all of you. And with the help of some very capable fellow sound techs and anklebiters, I think I have done a good job of it. Well, after seven years of working my own small niche company, I am graduating to the next level. That means I have grown from a local guy to a more regional organization. This will be my last installment of Anklebiters and I would like to share some of my experiences of taking "the next step."

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The Latest and Greatest

Dear Anklebiters,

I operate a sound company that is currently healthy and making money. My concern, however, is that sound reinforcement technology is moving too fast to keep up with. How can I compete in this rapidly changing market?

Thanks,

Pete Hampton, Spokane, WA

Jamie: Pete, the first thing to remember is: You do not need to have every new toy and gizmo in your arsenal to be competitive. You already have a clientele, and the fact that you are making money tells me that you are satisfying your clients. Right? But is it a good idea to keep up on tech and equipment trends, and of course, the latest and greatest innovations out there. Look, dude, you're already reading FOH. Need I say more? Paul, what do you think?

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Breaking Away

Dear Anklebiters,

I read your column every month and I fall into the category of a lot of your letter writers. I work for a fairly large sound company and I want to go out on my own. I have been in this biz for some time and I have watched the market and my company go through a lot of changes. My question is, do you think this is a good time to start my own company? I mean, in this current economic environment, would it make sense to you? I look forward to your input. Thanks,

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…I'll Be There?

Dear Anklebiters,

A friend of mine asked if he could rent some equipment for a small gig at a very reduced price. The band he is mixing is very loud, and I am concerned that my monitor rig may become damaged due to excessive sound levels. How can I prevent this?

Thanks,

Vince Simmons, Phoenix, AZ

Jamie: Vince, the obvious answer is to not rent the gear to your friend. However, I am an anklebiter and sworn to give out as much information as I can on any subject that crosses my desk. So, before I take off on one of my typical tangents, I have some questions to ask you. First, how good of a friend is this friend of yours? Because nothing can ruin a friendship faster than one of your buddies blowing up your gear. Second, why a "very reduced" rate? Did you buy your gear at a "very reduced" rate? Are you renting your friend a bunch of crap? In which case, does it really matter if he blows it up? Is your pal getting paid a "very reduced" rate for his work? Third, do you know the band? Have you heard them live? Are they friends of your friend?

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Ring My Bel

Dear Anklebiters,

When doing a permanent install in a small room, how big is too big for speakers? Is it not detrimental to the human ear to have too high an SPL in an enclosed space? Does one simply judge decibel levels relatively with your ear?

Zack, Lakewood, CO

Jamie: Well, Zack, let me start by saying that I like your name. My dog is named Zack. And hopefully, this answer will get to you before you put too many decibels in that small room of yours.

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New Kid on the Block

Dear Sirs,

I don't have my own sound company. I don't even have a job working for a sound company. I am currently graduating high school and volunteering at my local church, but I have aspirations of one day owning my own company. However, I currently have very little experience and would appreciate any advice you can give me on what are the most important things to consider when mixing live sound. I am an Anklebiters fan and I want to thank you for considering my request.

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Letting Your Crew Stand on Their Own

Hi Guys,

First, I want to say that I read Anklebiters every month and have gotten tons of insight from your experiences. So thanks. Now here is my dilemma: I have more work than I can personally handle. I have enough gear to do multiple shows on a given day, and I have a crew, but I am afraid to send out my guys on their own. I know this is the next step in my businesses evolution. However, the fear of my techs blowing it at a show is stopping my forward movement. Got any suggestions?

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Mix & Match Gear

Dear Anklebiters,

After years of working for other outfits, I am finally on my own. The one issue I have run into a few times, however, is not having enough of my own gear for a show and having to rent additional equipment. This in itself is not so bad, but occasionally I have mixed and matched amps, monitors and Front of House speakers. What is your take on this practice?

Charles Leighter

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Taking Business Into Your Own Hands

Hi Guys,

I've got a question and a complaint. So maybe you can help. I run a small sound company, but about half of my work comes from working for larger sound companies. The problem is that I am getting almost no work from the mid-sized companies I usually get gigs from. This has been going on for some time now. Are things just slow, or am I a bigger loser than I thought? What's your assessment on the state of live sound?

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