Nathan Lively's Blog, page 19
April 16, 2018
This is why I no longer recommend turning one sub off to fight power alley
Takeaway
Leave both subs on. Turning one sub off in an uncoupled array will create a greater F2B contrast.
You can use standard deviation to help you decide between two design decisions.
Intro
For better or for worse, many of the sound systems that we encounter today still use uncoupled subwoofer arrays placed to the left and right sides of the stage and there’s nothing we can do about it. This creates peaks and valleys of summation and cancellation through the room (power alley). For many years I have used and recommended a trick in these scenarios – turn one sub off.
Audio myth?
In this article I will attempt to prove its viability.
How did we end up here?
If you are now asking why I would ever use an upcoupled sub array, then this article is not for you. This article is for the people who get stuck in this challenging situation because they walk into a room where the subs are either nailed to the floor or are physically supporting the mains and therefore, cannot be moved without moving the mains.
If you regularly work in small spaces, trying to fight this is a losing battle. The client and artist want to see symmetry and you want to keep your job. So how do you give everyone what they want?
Turn one sub off? Let’s find out.
Goal
Why would we ever want to turn one subwoofer off? Won’t that always give us less power?
Yes and no. Less subwoofers will give you less potential for power through summation, but it will also give you less potential for power loss through cancellation. We’re talking about the famous power alley.
But our goal is not potential power. Our goal is minimum variance. Power can be scaled with our amplifiers or system processors. So as long as our SPL requirements and frequency response targets can be met with either two or one subwoofer playing, we are free to pursue a solution with less level variation over frequency.
Research method
How will we figure this out?
Eventually, I would like to experiment this in many different rooms, but for efficiency, I will use a MAPP XT to run predictions.
My first thought was that I could simply compare different prediction plots and see which one had less color variation. When I enabled the wall reflections, this method quickly proved inadequate. I couldn’t tell which had less variation. So I asked my dad for help.
Craig is an expert in machine vision and pattern recognition and is working on a project for EyeLock around iris-based identity authentication. With the exported images from MAPP XT, he showed me how to generate a single number representing standard color deviation from each image.
What is standard deviation?
Standard deviation is a measure that is used to quantify the amount of variation or dispersion of a set of data values.[1] A low standard deviation indicates that the data points tend to be close to the mean (also called the expected value) of the set, while a high standard deviation indicates that the data points are spread out over a wider range of values. –wikipedia
Low standard deviation = Minimum variance.
After running a few tests, I realized that this method was inadequate because it only tested the designs at a single frequency. I could export more prediction images at more frequencies, but that would take forever. Craig suggested that I turn all of those colors into numbers to make them easier to analyze. That’s when I realized that MAPP XT can export the measurement of a microphone position as an Excel file, which I could then analyze for standard deviation.
Brilliant!
Here is my first, completely fictional design. But one I believe represents the dimensions of many small spaces.
[image error]
Here is a prediction with both subs on at 63Hz.
[image error]
Here is a prediction with one sub off. I want the prediction to include as many real world complexities as possible so I have enabled the walls.
[image error]
Which one is better? How will you choose? To me, the answer is unclear. With both subs on there is less blue, but with one sub on there are less hot spots of red.
Wouldn’t it be easier if we could apply a value to each for a more objective approach?
First, I’ll use a 20 microphone approach, export each measurement, and compare the standard deviation between 30Hz and 80Hz. In the image below you can see the standard deviation by frequency with both subs on in orange (AB), one sub off in blue (A), and a single center sub in gray (Mono).
[image error]
Here is the same graph with a few more symbols to help explain what’s going on. The Y-axis is standard deviation from low
March 30, 2018
Download the DiGiCo Session Setup Checklist
[image error]Are you sick of reading the users manual every time you need to set up an SD5?
Me, too!
Good news. Last night I got Aleš real drunk and got him to spill the beans about setting up a session from scratch. There was a lot of gibberish in there, but I was able to edit it down into something comprehensible.
Let me know if this helps.
This article Download the DiGiCo Session Setup Checklist appeared first on Sound Design Live. Sign up for free updates here.
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March 26, 2018
Top 5 Common Mistakes When Using a DiGiCo Console
[image error]Let me preface this article by saying that I absolutely love working on DiGiCo consoles. The sound quality, the simple workflow, the layout of the board, the dual-engine concept of design- all aspects of these boards testify to the fact that they have been designed with the professional audio engineer in mind (apologies for the fan-girl moment). Working for a DiGiCo distributor in Slovenia has given me the opportunity to talk to lot of users, new and experienced ones, about their issues when working on DiGiCo consoles. But the most revealing moments came when I was doing tech support work on festivals and pre-productions for large tours or events. Seeing how engineers with varying levels of experience on these boards approach their work and what were the most common issues we had to resolve made me come up with a few checklist items I am always on the lookout for. Here are 5 common mistakes that you should avoid when using a DiGiCo console.
1. Not loading your session after console boots
Probably 8 out of 10 issues I have had with users and their sessions arose from the simple fact that they set up their FOH, boot up a console that has been sitting in storage for a week and then transported to a venue, and dive into their work without reloading their last saved session. There could be a minor chance that the session got minutely corrupted if the shutdown procedure was not completed properly (maybe the power was cut before the shutdown process was completed) and the session will start giving you issues down the road. Or somebody else might have been using the console (especially if this is hired from a rental company) and changed your session by accident. You always have the option of recalling the backup session that the console creates regularly, but it is way better to use common sense and make sure that the correct session is being used. With that in mind – always remember to load your session after a console reboot (preferably from a USB drive that you have) – it is one of the best ways of ensuring that your event will go smoothly.
2. Not saving your work
DiGiCo consoles are built with redundancy in mind. However, you should always save your work as you make changes. Sure, you can rely on the fact that the audio engine is completely separate from the control PC and that the NVRAM chip will keep your audio going in case of major issues, or on the fact that the console creates sessions and backup sessions in the background. But in case something goes really wrong (like a power outage), you always want to have a session that you have saved yourself. It is like relying on the word processor on your computer to save your work – sometimes those auto saved documents are missing the last two sentences you wrote.
I can’t tell you how many times I have seen engineers recall their sessions, realizing that they forgot to save their work at the end of yesterday’s gig and they now have a different starting point than the one they hoped for. There are two things that can be saved: the snapshot and the session. The best approach is always to save both. Make it a habit to regularly save your work every few minutes. The rule is- save your snapshot before firing another snapshot. If you do not, the console thinks you are still making changes and the snapshot you have been working on will not be saved. A quick tip: create macros for Save Session and Update Current Snapshot functions, so you can quickly perform these actions without exploring the menus.
[image error]
Create Macros to quickly save sessions and update snapshots without going into the console menu.
3. Not realizing that recalling a snapshot might not recall your preamp gain by default
If you are using snapshots in your sessions, the preamp gain information might not be recalled, if you do not turn that option on. This is meant to prevent your gain settings to change within a session when you change snapshots. However, you can find the option to recall Input Gain and Trim values from your saved session in your Snapshots > Global Scope menu. If you want to make certain that your snapshot Gain values, I suggest you insert a new snapshot to the first snapshot position, turn on the Input Gain and Trim values in the Global Scope menu, and make sure that the rest of the snapshots have these values turned off (unless you are mixing with gains as well). Then reload your session. You will now have all of your preamp values recalled from your snapshot.
But beware – this setting is off by default for a reason. Let’s say you recall the gain from the first snapshot and then have the rest of the snapshots not recalling the gain and trim. You make a gain change during the show and save your session. When you recall the first snapshot next time, your change will be lost and gain returned to the values stored in the first snapshot. Make sure that you register your changes in the “Gain Snapshot” as well so that you do not lose your work.
[image error]
The default setting does not recall preamp values. Go to Snapshots > Global Scope and press on the red crosses in the Input Devices row (turn them into green ticks) to recall preamp value from your saved session. Remember to re-load your session to finalize the procedure.
4. Using snapshots instead of sessions
One of the common mistakes that I have encountered is a misconception of what snapshots can do. I’ve witnessed engineers trying to change channel types, ganging, or even mono to stereo values of a channel in snapshots and became frustrated when those values would not change when snapshots were recalled. What I always suggest to them is to imagine sessions as all of the information data for a specific band and snapshots all of the data for specific songs of that band. To oversimplify – snapshots are there to change values of the same channels, sessions are there to recall a completely new set of channels or console properties. When those rules are kept in mind, there are usually no more problems with programming and running a show on a DiGiCo console.
5. Using parallel signal paths without considering latency
This is one for the slightly more experienced users. One of the best features of a DiGiCo console in my opinion is the option to route anything anywhere. You can set channel inputs to listen to aux or group busses, merge inputs, run the same preamp channel to multiple inputs and those inputs to various bus combinations – the possibilities are endless. But there is one trade off – in order to achieve that level of freedom and flexibility, there is no built-in delay compensation feature. Still, DiGiCo has made it quite easy for us – every channel strip has an equal time-length. No matter what type of channel it is (input, group bus, aux bus, matrix) and no matter what internal processing you use on that channel, they all produce a fixed time delay of 14 samples (290uS @ 48kHz, 145uS @ 96kHz). If you route an input channel strip to a master bus, it will produce 14 samples of delay. That holds true for all channels with that direct path. However, if you route an input channel to a group and that group to a master bus, the signal goes through two processing channels, each adding 14 samples, with a total latency value of 28 samples. It’s like stacking LEGOs – if you want to have the same height of your tower (equal time arrival), use the same amount of LEGOs. So the engineer has to be mindful of that when doing more complex routing.
The most common mistake I encounter is the setup for parallel compression. A channel is sent directly to the master bus and at the same time to a group bus, which gets treated with heavy compression and then sent to the master bus. So the same signal has two different path lengths and there are audible phasing issues when the compressed bus is added into the mix. Solution: be mindful of the signal path when programing the console. A simple fix to the above mentioned conundrum would be to create 2 group busses – one for clean signals with no processing and one for processed signals. Route all channels to the clean group (and of course not directly to the master bus) and the channels that you want to process to the second group. When you send both groups to the master bus, you have perfect time alignment and no latency issues.
DiGiCO consoles are one of the best tools of our trade, that is why they are so commonly used for the most demanding projects. Most of the users in the field have encountered at least some, if not all of the above mentioned scenarios and don’t even think about them anymore, because the console has become so second nature for them. But I always feel we should constantly brush up on the basic – that allows us to avoid major issues and propels us to explore the vastness of options these consoles provide with confidence and ease of mind.
This article Top 5 Common Mistakes When Using a DiGiCo Console appeared first on Sound Design Live. Sign up for free updates here.
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March 23, 2018
I want to build a marketplace for corporate AV techs
There has never been an open marketplace for Project Managers to directly hire AV techs and I think that should change.
Key Takeaways
For Project Managers: Quickly find and hire top AV specialists you can trust.
For AV techs: Get more freelance work with less hassle.
Join the list to be one of the first 10 beta users to get access to the site.
[image error]
I have lived in 8 different cities across 3 different countries and every move has been simultaneously the best and worst thing I have ever done. It has opened me up to many new experiences and people, but being a live sound engineer is not a portable career. Every time I moved I went through a painful time intensive process of rebuilding my business. It takes a lot of time to research contacts, go around to meet everyone, and follow up to get gigs, but there is also the more difficult part of actually finding the right gigs. This you can only do by trying on a lot of bad fits before you find the right ones. Usually 3-5 years after arriving, I would have a business I was happy with.
I have gotten a little faster at it every time, but every time I still wished there was a marketplace where I could offer my services directly to Project Managers, Venue Managers, and Artists instead of needing to meet 100 people to find and persuade the gatekeepers. I originally posted about this back in 2014 and have been thinking about it ever since.
In 2017 I started a more formal pursuit to build my own platform. Since then I have had in-depth conversations with a score of friends and colleagues and I am now convinced this marketplace should exist, even with all of its potential obstacles, challenges and questions. And I am convinced that if enough people share my view we will be able to build something together to truly benefit our industry and help a lot of people in the process.
I am aware that this idea is highly contentious and I want to be clear that my goal is not to break the current system of checks and balances that help protect us, but instead to help skilled experienced AV techs who are new to town more quickly connect with the people they can best serve and that I am completely open to all feedback on how best to do this.
I hope this marketplace will be a helpful service to all as it is grown and shaped by its members.
If you’d like to get involved, please join the waiting list above.
Why should I join?
For Project Managers
Quickly find and hire top AV specialists you can trust (the kind you want talking to your clients and running your shows).
Save 20% by going direct.
For AV Techs
Get more freelance work with your ideal clients without lots of networking and job interviews.
Never say no to another gig. Your calendar is managed for you.
Plus…
Contract: Every job hired through the marketplace includes date, service to be rendered, fee, and terms.
Payment Processing: You don’t have to worry about setting up your own credit card processing solution.
Safety: Unlike direct agreements, payments through the marketplace are protected so you don’t have the hassle of tracking down clients afterwards and checking on past invoices to make sure they were paid.
Communication: Never lose contact with a client since messaging is built into the marketplace.
Community: Join a solid professional network of colleagues working at top level.
This article I want to build a marketplace for corporate AV techs appeared first on Sound Design Live. Sign up for free updates here.
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Where do clients come from?
I want to build marketplace for corporate AV techs
There has never been an open marketplace for Project Managers to directly hire AV techs and I think that should change.
Key Takeaways
For Project Managers: Quickly find and hire top AV specialists you can trust.
For AV techs: Get more freelance work with less hassle.
Join the list to be one of the first beta users.
[image error]
I have lived in 8 different cities across 3 different countries and every move has been simultaneously the best and worst thing I have ever done. It has opened me up to many new experiences and people, but being a live sound engineer is not a portable career. Every time I moved I went through a painful time intensive process of rebuilding my business. It takes a lot of time to research contacts, go around to meet everyone, and follow up to get gigs, but there is also the more difficult part of actually finding the right gigs. This you can only do by trying on a lot of bad fits before you find the right ones. Usually 3-5 years after arriving, I would have a business I was happy with.
I have gotten a little faster at it every time, but every time I still wished there was a marketplace where I could offer my services directly to Project Managers, Venue Managers, and Artists instead of needing to meet 100 people to find and persuade the gatekeepers. I originally posted about this back in 2014 and have been thinking about it ever since.
In 2017 I started a more formal pursuit to build my own platform. Since then I have had in-depth conversations with a score of friends and colleagues and I am now convinced this marketplace should exist, even with all of its potential obstacles, challenges and questions. And I am convinced that if enough people share my view we will be able to build something together to truly benefit our industry and help a lot of people in the process.
I am aware that this idea is highly contentious and I want to be clear that my goal is not to break the current system of checks and balances that help protect us, but instead to help skilled experienced AV techs who are new to town more quickly connect with the people they can best serve and that I am completely open to all feedback on how best to do this.
I hope this marketplace will be a helpful service to all as it is grown and shaped by its members.
If you’d like to get involved, please join the waiting list above.
Why should I join?
For Project Managers
Quickly find and hire top AV specialists you can trust (the kind you want talking to your clients and running your shows).
Save 20% by going direct.
For AV Techs
Get more freelance work with your ideal clients without lots of networking and job interviews.
Never say no to another gig. Your calendar is managed for you.
Plus…
Contract: Every job hired through the marketplace includes date, service to be rendered, fee, and terms.
Payment Processing: You don’t have to worry about setting up your own credit card processing solution.
Safety: Unlike direct agreements, payments through the marketplace are protected so you don’t have the hassle of tracking down clients afterwards and checking on past invoices to make sure they were paid.
Communication: Never lose contact with a client since messaging is built into the marketplace.
Community: Join a solid professional network of colleagues working at top level.
This article I want to build marketplace for corporate AV techs appeared first on Sound Design Live. Sign up for free updates here.
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Opening Up The Marketplace To Sound Engineers
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The First Online Marketplace for Corporate AV Techs Is Alive
The online marketplace for live sound engineers is opening it’s doors to the first 50 beta users.
Key Takeaways
For Project Managers: Quickly find and hire top AV specialists you can trust.
For AV techs: Get more freelance work with less hassle.
Join the list to be one of the first beta users.
I have lived in 8 different cities across 3 different countries and every move has been simultaneously the best and worst thing I have ever done. It has opened me up to many new experiences and people, but being a live sound engineer is not a portable career. Every time I moved I went through a painful time intensive process of rebuilding my business. It takes a lot of time to research contacts, go around to meet everyone, and follow up to get gigs, but there is also the more difficult part of actually finding the right gigs. This you can only do by trying on a lot of bad fits before you find the right ones. Usually 3-5 years after arriving, I would have a business I was happy with.
I have gotten a little faster at it every time, but every time I still wished there was a marketplace where I could offer my services directly to Project Managers, Venue Managers, and Artists instead of needing to meet 100 people to find and persuade the gatekeepers. I originally posted about this back in 2014 and have been thinking about it ever since.
In 2017 I started a more formal pursuit to build my own platform. Since then I have had in-depth conversations with a score of friends and colleagues and I am now convinced this marketplace should exist, even with all of its potential obstacles, challenges and questions. And I am convinced that if enough people share my view we will be able to build something together to truly benefit our industry and help a lot of people in the process.
I am aware that this idea is highly contentious and I want to be clear that my goal is not to break the current system of checks and balances that help protect us, but instead to help skilled experienced AV techs who are new to town more quickly connect with the people they can best serve and that I am completely open to all feedback on how best to do this.
I hope this marketplace will be a helpful service to all as it is grown and shaped by its members.
If you’d like to get involved, please join the waiting list above.
Why should I join?
For Project Managers
Quickly find and hire top AV specialists you can trust (the kind you want talking to your clients and running your shows).
Save 20% by going direct.
For AV Techs
Get more freelance work with your ideal clients without lots of networking and job interviews.
Never say no to another gig. Your calendar is managed for you.
Plus…
Contract: Every job hired through the marketplace includes date, service to be rendered, fee, and terms.
Payment Processing: You don’t have to worry about setting up your own credit card processing solution.
Safety: Unlike direct agreements, payments through the marketplace are protected so you don’t have the hassle of tracking down clients afterwards and checking on past invoices to make sure they were paid.
Communication: Never lose contact with a client since messaging is built into the marketplace.
Community: Join a solid professional network of colleagues working at top level.
How does it work?
For Project Managers
Project Managers may freely search for AV Techs based on geographic location, skill set, availability, and day rate.
They may then submit a request for that AV Tech who then has the opportunity to negotiate the terms of the contract and finally accept or reject the offer.
Once the offer is accepted the fee for the AV Tech is charged to the Project Manager as described in the Terms of Service.
On completion of the contract, Project Managers have the opportunity to rate and review the AV tech.
For AV Techs
AV Techs may post a listing for their service including a description, geographic location, skill set, availability, and day rate.
They may then respond to requests for that service from Project Managers, negotiate the terms of the contract, and finally accept or reject the offer.
Once the offer is accepted the fee for the AV tech is charged to the Project Manager as described in the Terms of Service.
On completion of the contract, Project Managers have the opportunity to rate and review the AV tech.
Reviews are permanent and may only be removed in special cases through requests to the marketplace administrator.
Please see the full guide for AV Techs here.
FAQ
How will you guarantee quality of service?
Short answer: I can’t, but I do.
Everyone wants to reduce risk and guarantee quality. The way most people do that right now is by asking for a personal referral. This way they hope to avoid the wrong fit and also ask you to take some responsibility if things go wrong.
But what about you are forced to work with someone new? How will you make sure they are a good fit for the job?
There are many different answer to this question including a system of merit badges, rating and reviews, and personal interviews, but everyone I have talked to has at least one story about getting burned by someone that looked good on paper and came with a personal referral, but then for some reason, didn’t work out. Maybe they are a perfectly capable tech, but they just don’t operate in the same format as you.
The best thing AV Techs can do to avoid this situation is to provide as much honest information about their experience level and work they enjoy as possible and request all job details from the Project Manager to confirm a good fit. Help them help you! There’s no need to lie. There is plenty of work out there for techs of all experience levels.
The best thing Project Managers can do is be very detailed about the job requirements. Don’t make any assumptions about someone that you’ve never worked with before. Help them help you! They don’t want to end up in an awkward situation just as much as you.
What if someone tries to undercut me?
This is possible, I admit, and there will be some more price sensitive Project Managers, but ultimately more transparency is better and will lead to more trust in the marketplace. My suggestion is that you avoid comparing yourself to others, avoid connecting your personal worth with your service’s price, and set your price based on what you need to operate your business effectively. Also keep in mind that most Project Managers will be coming to the marketplace for the first time because they cannot find a tech to hire through their normal means and are now willing to try something new. Reducing risk is going to be their first priority, price second.
Why don’t you list the skills as filters on the front page?
I might, eventually, but right now I care more about keeping the front page clean and simple so that people aren’t overwhelmed when arriving for the first time. All of the skills are included in the search.
Why do you charge a membership fee?
For the beginning stage, this is the best way to cover costs and attract high-quality members. As the marketplace becomes more establish, I hope to transition to a commission system and lower membership fee, and eventually commission only.
The cost of supporting the platform and administration are about $40K/year. Once we reach 412 members, the platform will be self sufficient and can start transitioning over to a commission system. If the marketplace can attract 50 new member/month, it will reach 412 members in 8 months.
Why not just let the contractors handle payments themselves?
I have considered this and discussed it with other members. This would make the marketplace more like a dating service and simply connect you with potential Project Managers. Unfortunately, it would also disable the rating and review system, which is important for trust and the growth of the marketplace. Payment processing is also one of the feature benefits of using the marketplace
Why is it only for corporate events?
Eventually I would like to expand to support concerts, theatre, and beyond, but for now, corporate events offer a solid combination of demand and simplicity.
What about overtime, per diem, and other fees?
It is possible to incorporate these into the marketplace, and I did at first, but it cluttered the listings, which to me seems unnecessary for something untested. The current workaround is to create an extra listing for any extra fees. If you find this urgent or important, let me know.
Do you do background checks?
No. In the application process I do ask if the applicant has a clear driving and and criminal record, but that is based on the honor system. I don’t see a need for it, yet, considering that every night 150,000 strangers sleep in other people’s homes without a background check (eg. AirBnB).
Are you competing with the union, labor bookers, and other marketplaces?
No. I am not creating the marketplace to compete with established solutions. After looking at the options and talking to many friends and colleagues I honestly believe this marketplace solves a painful problem that had no solution before, which is, connecting Project Managers with top AV specialists they can trust.
In fact, I recommend that you join the union, contact labor bookers, and sign up for all of the available marketplaces. It’s not hard and you can then see where you have the best results. The marketplace is not going to be the best solution for everyone. I know how hard it can be to build a career in the live event industry and I recommend that you pursue all possible paths. I also believe that this marketplace will benefit everyone in our industry. Why wouldn’t a labor booker use it to hire someone if they are short on talent? At some point, the super bowl is going to come to your city, like it did to Minneapolis, and they are going to need to hire every able bodied AV tech for miles around.
What stops me from going around the marketplace and working with clients directly?
Nothing. My hope is that the value of working within the marketplace will be great enough that it will be more worthwhile for you to continue to trade from within it. Some of the benefits include:
Contract: Every job hired through the marketplace has a minimum contract includes date, service to be rendered, fee, and terms.
Payment Processing: You don’t have to worry about setting up your own credit card processing solution.
Safety: Unlike direct agreements, payments through the marketplace are protected so you don’t have the hassle of tracking down clients afterwards and checking on past invoices to make sure they were paid.
Communication: Never lose contact with a client since messaging is built into the marketplace.
Calendar Management: Once you have accepted an offer for specific days, those days will become unavailable for that listing.
How can I help?
If you want to get involved, please contact me. It would be great to have a community manager, training articles, meetups, etc. What’s your idea?
What if I have problems?
I am completely aware that problems will arise. This kind of marketplace is compex, which is why nothing quite like it exists. Whatever comes up, I’m happy to discuss it. Please contact me.
This article The First Online Marketplace for Corporate AV Techs Is Alive appeared first on Sound Design Live. Sign up for free updates here.
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Everything I Feared about Digico Consoles Is Wrong
Support Sound Design Live on Patreon.
In this episode of Sound Design Live, I speak with the Technical Director and Monitor Mixer for Siddharta and System Consultant for MK Light Sound in Slovenia, Aleš Štefančič. We get deep into why Digico consoles have always scared me and why I was wrong all along. I ask:
How did you get your first job in audio?
How did you get the gig mixing monitors for Siddharta?
How did outdoor pyro make you think your sound system had died?
How do you set up a Digico console for DJ Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith?
How do you set up a Digico console for a band you’ve never worked with before?
What were the things that really improved your speed when working on Digico?
What are some of the biggest mistakes you see people making who are new to Digico consoles?
Digico is built to mimic an analog board with one added feature: you get to build the board.
Notes
All music in this episode by Alee
Most common mistakes made by people who are new to Digico consoles:
Forgetting to save sessions and snapshots
Connecting the redundant power supply to the same power source as the primary power supply
Forgetting that there is no built in delay compensation – each processing channel path has 14 samples of latency. Same channel path = same latency.
Hardware: Behringer X32 and ECM8000, Ultimate Ears UE7 pro
Digico setup shortcuts
Ripple routing – routing channels in succession with one move
Turn on EQ for all channels at once
Set all auxes to 0
Partial load – import specific parts of your session file without overwriting what is already there.
Macros – User defined keys for functions and combinations of functions.
Quotes
Seeing music as equally technique and artistic helped me create really good relationships in the industry.
Studio sound and live sound are merging into one thing.
It’s all about the music and the song and the artist. Once you have that mentality, that’s the key to maintaining a sustainable career in this industry.
I really beleive that doing favors for someone get’s great returns.
Being a human being in the business is an approach that I want to explore further.
There’s a lot of things that need to be done for a gig.
I always employ this strategy when I approach a band: I’ll do one gig for free.
When I set up a console for the first time I don’t use a template.
In the event of a power failure you can get audio through the console in 3-4 seconds.
Once you have knowledge of these few bits and bops here and there, you’re all set to go.
Layers of clothing are as important as anything technical in your bag.
This article Everything I Feared about Digico Consoles Is Wrong appeared first on Sound Design Live. Sign up for free updates here.
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March 19, 2018
Get More Work as a Live Sound Engineer by Doing What No One Else Will
There is a simple way you can get more work as a live sound engineer, which is by doing what no one else is willing to do.
Two words: cat circus! (Just kidding…mostly.)
Key Takeaways
You can increase the likelihood that you will get called for more work by continuing to build relationships with clients and referral sources outside of work.
You can do this through systematic followup in 1 hour/week.
Challenge yourself to build a list of 150 business contacts over the next 6 months.
I don’t need an explanation, just take me to the challenge.
As an example, let’s look at two live sound engineers and their shared client.
Live sound engineer A and B are both great at what they do. They care about delivering excellent service and client C feels good about working with both of them. Every time client C works with A or B, she thinks, “I really like them. I hope I get to hire them in the future.” Cool!
Fast forward to the future
Client C has an important event coming up and needs to hire the right sound engineer. In an ideal world, she would compare all potential service providers and choose the best one for the job based on a barrage of highly accurate criteria. As we all know, that isn’t often how it happens in the real world.
In the real world, Client C is going to call sound engineer B because sound engineer B is the last person she talked to. For better or worse, the audio industry is based on personal referral. And personal referral is a fickle mistress.
You might be thinking, “I guess sound engineer B just got lucky.” Maybe they did and maybe they didn’t. Maybe sound engineer B was the last person client C hired, so they’re fresh in her mind. Or maybe sound engineer B understands that personal referral is a fickle mistress and can only be wooed through repeated memorable interactions, so they put a reminder in their calendar to follow up with Client C one month after the event. At that point she will likely still remember working together, but may have otherwise forgotten B‘s name and the project they worked on together.
Imagine if sound engineer B does that for every client they work with. What if they also do that for every colleague they meet and anyone who refers them for work? Over the next 6 months, B’s network would grow exponentially and they would create enough demand for their services that they can start saying no to some of the work they don’t like and yes to more of the work they do like.
Meanwhile…
Sound engineer A continues to do great work, but hasn’t moved beyond the twice a month gig at a local concert venue while continuing their part-time retail job. Here’s a surprising thing about sound engineer A: they feel like they’re hustling. They have been sending their resume all over town and applying for entry level positions at production houses and posting on Facebook: Hey everyone, I’m available if you hear about any gigs.
This is what one of my students recently referred to as the Baby Boomer Strategy. Think about your parents. When they were your age it may have been enough to simply drop your resume on a few desks and your phone would start ringing. You could get picked up for a tour because you were at the laundromat at the right time (yes, this really happened).
Back then supply was low and demand was high. As the industry continued to grow, so did the supply. Now there are lots of live sound engineers who want the same job. I really feel for sound engineer A. I think it sucks for someone to work hard to develop a valuable skill and not be able to use it.
What can you do to stand out?
If supply and demand have changed and it’s no longer enough to just send your resume around, what can we do? You could focus on improving your service delivery. That’s the first thing most people think of. Maybe you disinfect every vocal mike before putting it in front of a performer. Maybe you are super enthusiastic about helping musicians have a great time. Or maybe you do something more like sound engineer B. Something that no one else has thought of or been willing to commit to.
I’m talking about making repeated, memorable interactions outside of the gig. We all know this works inside the gig. With clients that we see often the relationship grows naturally and we are top of mind with that person. But there is a systematic way for you to become more like sound engineer B, using only one hour each week, and I can guarantee it will get you more of the work that you want.
You already know doing the work that other people aren’t willing to do is a good way to distinguish yourself. If you are willing to push boxes, hang lights, gaff cables, stay late, arrive early, and get coffee, you’ll get more work.
Here are some real world examples:
Mike did this by working all night techno parties that no one else would.
Aleš did this by doing the first gig for free to test the relationship and generate good will.
Mauricio Ramirez did this by showing up early to test the polarity of every driver in the sound system before sound check.
Maybe you are doing something like this already, and that’s a great start. Now think about all of the time that you are not at work. If you are not seeing Client C regularly, they will forget about you. Why? Because you can only really manage 150 social relationships at a time.
Dunbars number
Have you heard of Dunbar’s number? Robin Dunbar is an anthropologist that has done research into the cognitive limit on relationships that humans can effectively manage. In short, you may have 1,500 “friends” on Facebook, but there are really only 150 humans whose names and qualities you have memorized and will come to mind quickly when you need them.
You need Client C to be one of your 150 social relationships and vice versa. You might think it’s magic, but it’s not. It’s a numbers game. The more meaningful contact you have with someone, the more likely you are to enter their top 150. You might still think it’s all luck, and I’m not going to fight you about it. I’m simply going to suggest that you do whatever it takes to expand your luck surface area. And one way you can do this is by putting in a little more work on the business side.
The two step process
Create a list of 150 of your most valuable contacts.
Make sure that your latest contact is never more than two months.
Let’s look at a couple of quick case studies.
Anthony M. dreamed of being on tour but he was stuck in a warehouse sorting cables. Starting in the fall of 2016 we embarked on a systematic process of research and relationship building, and six months later he was on tour with Cirque du Soleil.
Freyja L. was doing some pretty big one-off gigs hanging sound systems for tours coming through London, but she wanted to take it to the next level and be on tour herself. She had built a great network, but was waiting for the phone to ring (and hustling like sound engineer A). Through our work together she started following up with the people in her network in a systematic manner. One of the first people she reached out to offered her a gig, and this summer she’ll be on an international tour with Pearl Jam.
Building your list
Our industry is flooded with a lot of wanna-be rock stars. I’m going to suggest that you adopt a more pragmatic view of your career and go after what you really want. Maybe get excited about being a kick-ass entrepreneur instead.
Whatever you decided to pursue, you can do it by setting aside an hour a week to work on your list. That’s it. You’re not going to build a thriving business overnight.
Start by going over all of the events you worked on during the past 4 years and highlight the ones that you truly enjoyed. Identify who hired you for the events, who referred you to that person, and any colleagues, artists, and management you met along the way. If your answer is “I don’t know,” find out. Then reach out.
Up until now you have relied on chance to bring you together with these people again, but I want you to have more agency over the opportunities coming your way. I’ve been helping people adapt this system to their own business for a few years now and I can tell you this: when you start getting close to 150 contacts, things change. Not only do more opportunities start coming your way, but you start to really understand how the whole machine works. You’ll have created a system that you can tweak over time until it delivers results that matter.
The Challenge
Build a list of 150 valuable business contacts over the next 6 months.
Let’s review our assumptions:
The audio industry is based on personal referral (for better or worse).
If everyone in the world knew about you and your great work, you’d be booked solid.
You can increase your likelihood of getting rehired and referred by continuing to build relationships outside of work.
You’ve already been doing this on accident your entire life. Now all you need to do is figure out a way to repeat it regularly. I’m not talking about turning into a robot. Don’t waste your time with fancy automation solutions and CRM software. Just set reminders so that you no longer rely on happenstance to bring you together with your most valuable contacts.
Choose your own adventure
Now you have a choice to make. You can either set out on your own, or I can help you. You have all the tools you need to go it alone. You’re smart. You know how to make a spreadsheet. You know how to pick up the phone. You don’t need me for that.
Here’s the entire plan laid out for you: over the next 24 weeks, once a week, spend 1 hour adding another 7 people to your list and following up with anyone you haven’t connected with in 2 months. You might write out a schedule for yourself like this:
Week 1 – On Sunday March 14 at 11am add contacts 1-7 (past clients) and follow up.
Week 2 – On Sunday March 14 at 11am add contacts 8-14 (colleagues) and follow up.
Week 3 – etc.
If you are going to go it alone, you can go ahead and get started and I will be happy to hear about your progress by commenting on this post.
But what if you have a question?
Who exactly should I add to my list?
How do I ask for someone’s contact without seeming creepy?
Once I have it, what should I say?!
Exactly how often should I follow up?
Does follow up mean email, phone calls, sky writing, or what?
What potential pitfalls will ruin a relationship?
How soon should I expect to see results?
How can I grow my network exponentially?
What do I do next?
And maybe more importantly, what if you fall behind or give up?
Most of us know exactly what we need to do, but we lack the support and accountability to do it. It’s not your fault. It’s really hard to be your own manager. The key is to predict your own weaknesses and set up support structures to get you back on the horse as quickly as possible.
This is where I come in. I specialize in helping live sound engineers make big transitions in the audio industry using one-on-one coaching, accountability, and an online community of dedicated peers where you can ask questions and get 24/7 support without being criticized or judged. Imagine being able to run a business idea or email by a group of people who have been where you are today so you can save time by avoiding common mistakes. Plus, these will be among the first colleagues you can add to your list.
For the 150 Contact Challenge I am putting together a special course where I will send you a short, 5-minute lesson every week to help keep you motivated and on track, and tell you exactly what step to take next. That way you can make sure to not only complete the challenge, but do it in a way that will actually produce results. To learn more click one of the links below.
Just gimme the spreadsheet and I’ll figure it out.
I’m interested in guaranteed results and I want your help to make sure I get there.
This article Get More Work as a Live Sound Engineer by Doing What No One Else Will appeared first on Sound Design Live. Sign up for free updates here.
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March 16, 2018
5 Pro Drummers Explain How to Make a Drum Kit Quieter on Stage
Support Sound Design Live on Patreon.
In this episode of Sound Design Live, I speak with five professional drummers: Go-Go Ray, Jason Willer, Jonathan Ulman, Russ Gold, and Zil. We talk about how live sound engineers and drummers can work together to control the sound level of shows in small rooms and a lot of psychological and technical hacks to make a drum kit quieter on stage. I ask:
Is it true what they say about drummers?
What is the most important thing you do to get great sounding live drums at every show?
What is the most important thing that the sound engineer does to get great live drums at every show?
What can sound engineers and drummers do to control the sound level in the room?
We’re all in this together. It’s not about how my drums sound. It’s about how my drums sound in the mix with everything else. –Jonathan Ulman
Key takeaways
Everyone wants the same thing: to have a great show and get more gigs.
Although the simplest solution to make a drum kit quieter on stage might be for the drummer to play quieter, not all drummers are going to be able to change the way they play at a moment’s notice. So as sound engineers we need to have a diverse set of solutions to adapt to the player just like drummers need to be able to adapt to a diverse set of rooms.
Bonus: Download the show notes as a PDF.
Notes
Music in this episode
Nike Turner – Fallen Angel
Homiopathy – Rosebud’s Wild Ride
Holly Miranda
When Your Lonely Heart Breaks
Golden Spiral
Hardware: Sennheiser e900 series, Moon Gels, True Tone, Hot Rods, Whip Sticks, Drum Tacs, Roland vDrum,
Tips for drummers
Bring your own microphones and IEM.
Tune your drums.
Make sure you have a good working relationship with the sound engineer.
Get someone else to play the drum kit while you walk around the room.
Ask, “In this room, what works best here?”
Tips for sound engineers
Be careful with gates, especially when feeding IEMs.
Let the drummer finish setting up his drums before you set any mics. Ask, “Will this mic be in the way?”
Say, “This is what works really well in this room.”
Give the drummer a microphone so they can communicate with you.
If it’s your first time working with someone, try to create a very orderly soundcheck. Be a strong organized leader.
Not every drummer is going to be able to adjust their volume on the fly.
The drummer should be able to bring it down. It starts with the drums.
You can say, “This is a listening room.”
To tell someone to adjust what they’ve been doing for months and months, on the fly, is not really going to happen.
Volume level is a very difficult thing to master especially when you are used to playing a certain way.
You’re my eyes and ears out there.
In order to get repeat work you have to be able to adapt to the environment and whatever the show calls for. You can’t have an ego in this industry and expect to progress or make friends.
This is the situation in this room. How would you adapt?
My goal on every gig is to have my instrument be transparent to me.
A lot of musicians are really oppositional to the sound people and I think that’s ridiculous.
If you don’t have an orderly soundcheck, people are going to be pissed. If people are inexperienced, they are not going to know how to ask for what they want. They might not even know what they want!
The most effective thing is to put up a shield.
The better your relationship with the musicians, the more you can ask of them.
What I would do in a perfect world is put an absorption gobo behind the drums.
User thinner sticks.
Drums are loud. There’s no way around it.
It may not be loud. It may be an irritating frequency.
Drummers at work
This article 5 Pro Drummers Explain How to Make a Drum Kit Quieter on Stage appeared first on Sound Design Live. Sign up for free updates here.
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March 13, 2018
Review of Live Sound Basics
Key Takeaways
Live Sound Basics covers important fundamentals normally taught in the first year of a university program.
Instant Feedback-Killer Battle Plan will get you started on the right foot with thinking about stage layout for better gain before feedback.
Check out the Great Church Sound mobile app for a free soundcheck checklist.
Live Sound Basics comes with three packages: Live Sound Basics, Live Sound Survival, and Soundcheck Checklist and EQ Chart. I have already reviewed Live Sound Survival in another article so I will be focusing on the remaining two packages.
Live Sound Basics
This is a collaboration between Björgvin Benediktsson from Audio Issues and James Wasem from Great Church Sound: a guide for the volunteer.
Video 1 – 42 minutes
Video one starts with a nice overview of system components and interconnections. The slides are clean and easy to read. If you are brand new to live sound, this is perfect. It covers a lot of the stuff I paid $36,000 to learn in college.
Wasem suggests downloading the Great Live Sound mobile app, but all I could find was the Great Church Sound mobile app, which includes the Sound Check Checklist. I really like checklists and this one is no exception. Although I don’t see myself actually having the patience to use it on a live event, it is a good overview and could be used for planning purposes.
I was happy to hear Wasem advise against using ground lift AC adapters.
