FOH at Large

So, I’m thinking about gear — as I am wont to do — and I start making up a song to the tune of “Food Glorious Food.” The first line comes to me automatically, but then I get stumped, because I use a word that has no apparent rhyme with any word that will make a statement as a final destination for the direction of the first line. By the way, this song is of no great importance other than a bit of brain eruption, but once it got stuck in my head as a half thought it became a puzzle to be solved.

Years ago, I used to remember phone numbers and addresses of all my friends, relatives and business associates. I also had a fairly good internal databank of their birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions. I kept most of my appointments and gigs in my head, and I was fairly adept and remembering detailed instructions and directions that were verbally conveyed to me. I had a good memory for recalling certain movies, music and sports trivia as well as having a decent knowledge of historical fact, which I could recall at any given time. I must admit that I finally bought an address book/organizer when I became really busy, but I still kept the most pertinent information in my head.

According to Wikipedia,  the word “Politics” is derived from Greek, politicos, meaning ‘of, for, or relating to citizens’). “It is the practice and theory of influencing other people on a civic or individual level. More narrowly, it refers to achieving and exercising positions of governance — organized control over a human community, particularly a state. A variety of methods is employed in politics, which include promoting its own political views among people, negotiations with other political subjects, making laws, and exercising force, including warfare against adversaries.”

My friend, a qualified engineer, posted the results of his blind listening test between a Mackie SRM450 and QSC K-12, EAW KF300, Martin XD12 and Martin W8VDQ loudspeakers. Claiming that there were no crossovers, processors or equalizers used in the test, he said that unanimously each engineer involved chose the Mackie as the best sounding speaker. They had to be high!

Let’s face it. For most of us, the choice of a career in audio production rarely involves a traditional nine-to-five week. Travel, last-minute schedules, late (and/or extended) hours and weekend/holiday gigs are typically part of the audio lifestyle, and trying to juggle one’s personal life and career often becomes a delicate balancing act.

As working technicians who do shows night after night, we often become inured to the varied performances that take place on a given stage and, though we can still distinguish the difference between a good and bad concert presentation, our perception of a quality event relies less upon the actual show itself and more upon the excellence — or lack of — the production technicalities.

Every time I answer the phone for an audio call, it’s another adventure in problem solving and — for the most part — I do enjoy the challenge of solving the logistical difficulties of any given event. The concert events in real theatres or sheds usually entail the standard fare of negotiating load in/load out times, labor calls, required gear, bus/truck parking and feeder and snake runs.

Most of the people I know in the technical end of the music business got into the profession because of their love for music. A good portion of these people are competent musicians in their own right and have played and toured with well-known acts, recorded records and CDs and possibly even had a deal of their own. In all likelihood, they still play and record when they are not out making a living on the technical side of the microphone. Supporting oneself as a musician is a difficult task, and while there are many people attempting to make a living just playing music, I would venture to say that many musicians have a second job.

It is generally understood, by most college students and their parents, that the study of Philosophy should be considered as a minor or — at best — an elective credit or two towards graduation. I would think that the prerequisite for any student graduating from college as a Philosophy major would be ownership of a large trust fund or — if that is not the case — a good knowledge of plumbing, roofing, electric or some other technical profession. Audio engineering happens to be a great technical profession for poets, musicians and truth-seekers, as it seems to lend itself better to the artistic and idealistic type than some of the other technical careers available to emerging philosophers.

It’s been said that an audio technician’s job is long hours of boredom and mundane work followed by short periods of frantic maneuvering. It’s also been said that “sh*t happens,” and when that does occur, we have those small bursts of frenetic behavior as we try to stave off a descent into chaos and disorder. We stand as guardians at the gates of hell as we do our best not to allow the doors to swing open and release the multitudes of demons and devilish imps that lay waiting on the other side. We are vigilant on our watch, being aware that even the smallest opening is enough space to allow the devil to escape and unleash a reign of terror down upon our show.

I received an email from a reader asking me to write an article about giving a bid for festivals and club gigs. Other than the few glowing comments he used to flatter me into doing this piece, his letter included other points such as: “How much detail is required on the gear we’re supplying? Sometimes it feels like I’m giving too much information, and in other cases, too little. What format should the quote be in? What should my profit margin be? How should I account for and cost-in the ‘suck fee’ — contingencies for covering things that inevitably change after arriving at the venue, like having the generator moved at the last moment and needing to pull 300 feet of 4/0 feeder cable!”

Back in the early 1980s, I was attempting to make a living in Manhattan playing guitar and I got hooked up with an R&B band by the name of Henderson and Whitfield. Their producer, Jack Levi, thought the group needed to add a “rock” flavor to their dance beats, and that’s how I ended up as the only white Jewish guy in the band. There was never an awkward moment, and as long as I was able to hang with the music and the musicians, then religion and color had no play in the situation. Also, my theological affiliation is more cultural than it is religious and, back in the day, I was young, ambitious and just thrilled to be playing with any good act with a record deal.