Nathan Lively's Blog

Political Event Production vs Concert Tours: Security, Sound, and Short Notice with Ian Mellul

In this episode of Sound Design Live I’m joined by the creative executive & strategic production leader at Resolute Productions and former director of presidential production at the white house, Ian Mellul. We discuss some of the differences between concert and political production, the 2021 inauguration, and running Whitehouse production.

The post Political Event Production vs Concert Tours: Security, Sound, and Short Notice with Ian Mellul first appeared on Sound Design Live.

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New Directory for AV Technicians and Managers

I recently launched a new directory website called AV Technician Hire to help connect AV companies with freelance techs and service providers. Why Should You Care? For AV Technicians and Service Providers If you’re an AV technician or service provider, this platform aims to help you find more work opportunities. It takes less than five […]

The post New Directory for AV Technicians and Managers first appeared on Sound Design Live.

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Why Every Live Sound Engineer Should Embrace the Humble Checklist

Amidst the chaos and pressure of live event production, who has time for a checklist? There’s just no room for paperwork, damn it! Well, buckle up, because I’m about to convince you that checklists are not just for airline pilots and astronauts. They’re the unsung heroes that can transform your shows from “Survived it” to […]

The post Why Every Live Sound Engineer Should Embrace the Humble Checklist first appeared on Sound Design Live.

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How to Buy and Sell Used Gear

Interview with Mendel Rosenberg of Gearsupply about how to get the best deals on used production hardware without getting scammed or violating tax laws.

The post How to Buy and Sell Used Gear first appeared on Sound Design Live.

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Adventures in Alignment 3: Rapid Response

Last week was my second time doing sound for president Biden and my second time for vice-president Harris. The first for Biden was last year at a missile facility and the first for Harris was three years ago at a campaign rally in McAllen, TX. There was an interesting alignment challenge that came up during […]

The post Adventures in Alignment 3: Rapid Response first appeared on Sound Design Live.

Loved this post? Try these:Adventures in Alignment #1Adventures in Alignment #27 Point Sub Alignment Verification Checklist

Adventures in Alignment 3: Rapid response

Last week was my second time doing sound for president Biden and my second time for vice-president Harris. The first for Biden was last year at a missile facility and the first for Harris was three years ago at a campaign rally in McAllen, TX. There was an interesting alignment challenge that came up during […]

The post Adventures in Alignment 3: Rapid response first appeared on Sound Design Live.

Loved this post? Try these:Adventures in Alignment #1Adventures in Alignment #27 Point Sub Alignment Verification Checklist

Adventures in Alignment #2

Are your fill speakers phase compatible with your mains? Does it matter? L-Acoustics K2 + dV-DOSC Today I’m helping setup an L-Acoustics sound system at the convention center for an annual religious meeting. We’ve got K2 in the main array and dV-DOSC as delays. The A1 aligned the system using distance measurements. Normally, I’m a […]

The post Adventures in Alignment #2 first appeared on Sound Design Live.

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Adventures in Alignment #1

The only good reason for uncoupled subs. While teaching Sub School I came across an interesting fact: The only time I split my subwoofers up to cover the left and right side of the audience is when the width is greater than the depth. The beginning of forward aspect ratio (FAR) is 1:1, a square. […]

The post Adventures in Alignment #1 first appeared on Sound Design Live.

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7 Point Sub Alignment Verification Checklist

Picture this: You’ve spent hours carefully setting up a show, only to end up fighting the mix all night because of some annoying thing you forgot to check. Sound familiar? A year ago I worked on a very dynamic show with quiet talkers punctuated by a loud rock band. I did all of my normal […]

The post 7 Point Sub Alignment Verification Checklist first appeared on Sound Design Live.

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Unlocking Precision in Distance-Based Crossover Alignment: 9 essential tips for accurate measurements

Here are some of my favorite tips to get accurate measurements with a laser disto.

The post Unlocking Precision in Distance-Based Crossover Alignment: 9 essential tips for accurate measurements first appeared on Sound Design Live.

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