Theory and Practice

Steve La Cerra’s “Theory and Practice” column picks up this month where last month’s column, “Tour Managing for Dummies,” left off (FRONT of HOUSE, June 2013, page 57). His introduction to the wonderful world of tour managing continues. —ed.

Rule 7: Take Care of Your Crew

One of the more serious issues facing engineers who travel without production is consistency of audio quality — or lack thereof. When your entire audio chain is different every night, it’s tough to maintain a high standard of sound, and that’s not taking into consideration the drastic variations in acoustics from venue to venue. In an ideal world we’d all be able to use our preferred gear every night, but the reality is that when you’re relying upon promoter-provided production, it’s “sometimes peanuts, sometimes shells.”

Many small venues don’t have the budget or space for a separate monitor desk on stage. That saddles the front-of-house engineer with the responsibility of mixing for the band and the audience simultaneously from the FOH console — not an easy task. Here are some suggestions that can help alleviate your pain.

One of the most familiar audio analysis tools for live sound is Real Time Analysis (RTA), also known as spectrum analysis. Many of us are familiar with the process. One reproduces a known signal from a tone generator (typically pink noise), sends it through a PA system and uses a measurement microphone to capture the sound. The RTA displays the manner in which the audio signal has been changed on a graph showing frequency versus amplitude. You then adjust EQ in an effort to ‘flatten’ the curve, thus ‘fixing’ the problem.

In the early days of my freelance audio career (circa late-1800s) I’d have a bit of a panic attack each year during the winter months, which were always very slow. I didn’t have the experience to know that my schedule would pick up again after the holiday season ended, so I’d get a little freaked out — until I survived the cycle a few times. In recent years, I’ve embraced the pattern, typically using it to do things I haven’t had the chance to do all year. Planning a vacation is certainly an idea, although I’m usually so disgusted with traveling that I’m happy to stay home for a few weeks.

Dealing with acoustic guitar in a live environment can be tricky business. A lot of external factors — many over which you have no control — influence your options for getting the guitar into the PA system, producing sufficient volume, delivering tone faithful to the instrument, and avoiding feedback. Your ability to effectively mic an acoustic guitar on stage is dependent on the stage volume of the musician(s); the volume of the audience; the acoustic guitar player’s preferred method of monitoring; the type of guitar (steel or nylon string) and your budget.

A lot of people take DI boxes for granted. After all, what’s the big deal? You plug them in, and they work. If not, you rummage through the utility drawer until you find one that does work, and off you go. Most people never give any thought about whether or not they are using the best DI for a given application. Of course, we’re here to help.

The Matrix is difficult to follow and understand. That’s as true of the movie as it is of the audio matrix built into most pro audio mixing consoles. Luckily for us, the audio matrix is way easier to follow than the film. Take the red pill. The truth shall set you free.

For most engineers and sound companies, microphones represent a substantial investment, and they are a crucial set of tools for getting the job done. Yet they get abused, left out in the rain, dropped, carelessly tossed into cases, stored under poor conditions and largely ignored until something malfunctions. There aren’t a lot of things you can do once a microphone capsule gives up, but there is plenty you can do to prevent damage and ensure it performs up to spec over the long haul.

Where do monitor engineers go when they retire? That’s easy: they go to heaven. After dealing with all of the crazed artists and onstage insanity that comes along with creating multiple mixes for performers with widely varying needs, they deserve it. Yours truly does not fall into either category (monitor engineer or heaven), but that doesn’t mean that we can’t dig out tips and techniques to help you in your quest to create a better stage experience for the artists with whom you work.