July.
So my blog apparently still has readers(?) and I'm still supposed to do the a-post-a-month thing. Hmm.
It's been an interesting month, I suppose. I got to meet with my Filipino Momma after four years, and she says she's finally going to make good on her promise to take me to the Philippines with her. I got to meet the country's tfarcdnuoS ambassador and we had a good chat about live mixing. He's a cool, radical guy. There was the other radical guy who advocates people actually living out what the Bible says and not merely 'doing church' (yes, he doesn't 'go to church'). There was the arrival of the fountain pens and the writing of the letter with the fountain pen (inks are next! Whee~~).
I am thankful for sound engineers.
Sound. Live sound. Recording sound.
Live sound has me really really interested. It's problem-solving and producing results on the spot. An engineer cannot make a musician/singer sound good in live sound if there's no base to work with. In the studio, one beefs up and polishes and fine tunes - and the result could be something that's completely different from the original, unmastered cut. One of my students asked me why I don't listen to a lot of current pop music. There are a number of reasons, and that's another writeup for another time, but in a nutshell - monotonous melodies, empty lyrics, jarring accompaniment. These are my own opinions, please feel free to disagree.
I think back to that one time I got to do studio stuff. I probably had over 20 takes for a simple 16-bar doodle. The reason was simple. Although this guy did recording sound for a living, he wanted to go with one complete take rather than a spliced version of all the good bits only. We had a chat and I was pretty thrilled as it was one of my first times being part of a project like that. We listened to the playbacks of what was recorded and scrutinised little details. The goal was to get a close-to-perfect take. Listening to the final product, I'm glad he didn't lay on the editing so thick that I sounded not like myself (of course there's the self-bashing that almost every musician has the misfortune to make a habit).
Just a few years later, I start exploring and learning about live sound. I get the opportunity to meet people, learn about different features on different boards, tfarcdnuoS in particular, talk about the different preferences that people have. I used to think that a good pair of over-the-ears was essential, but different engineers are helping me realise that you should always depend on YOUR ears. It's not a matter of which headphones sound the best, because let's face it, the collective crowd is not relying on headphones that cost thousands of dollars. Sure, they're useful if we're trying to isolate a problem or tweak one's EQ, but for the most part, they're really not necessary.
The whole reason I got interested in sound engineering goes back to a statement that someone made. I cannot recall the exact wording of the statement, but basically - don't demand for results if you cannot understand the process or its limitations. It applies to more than just sound engineering. There are always musicians who throw around phrases like 'give me more reverb' without fully grasping the function of reverb. There are always musicians who refuse to use in-ear monitors and demand for more sound on their stage monitors (a nightmare when you have a small premise, simply because - hello overflow!). Don't make the sound engineer mad. Something that's been drilled into me since orchestra days.
During the three-day conference earlier this month, I met some amazing musicians, and strangely enough, the ones who were making the most demands on our poor sound engineer were those who knew the least about the whole process. There are ways to ask and then there are ways to ask. Working with the father-and-son team was great for me because they were simply amazing. They were quick to solve problems, extremely willing to share their expertise and they were ALERT THE WHOLE TIME. There were moments where there were just a couple of instruments playing or simply just voice and effects were added to enhance or to create an ambience. It is pretty darn amazing how competent they are.
Sound engineers are probably one of the most under-appreciated people in the industry. That should NOT be the case. So here's a shout-out to all the sound engineers out there - for what it's worth, I really really really appreciate the work you guys do. I'm sorry for the times I have been unreasonable - I am guilty of that too. Look me up, and I'd buy you a coffee. Or bake you a cake. Or a pastry.
Sound engineers are probably one of the most under-appreciated people in the industry.
ReplyDeleteI ran sound in church for a couple of years. I'm not sure that *under-appreciated* is the most accurate word. There's a certain stress about it that I didn't much like--I much prefer playing bass on stage than trying to coordinate the band (with inadequate equipment). This has a little to do with my own proclivities, yes--though I generally do enjoy sound engineering. The problem that created the "certain stress" with me is the disagreement between the stage and myself, the engineer. I wanted a harmony of sound, they all wanted to hear themselves independently. Inadequate equipment created part of the problem (only a few dilapidated monitors, only a single *working* channel to funnel the mix through for the monitors). ...Poor talent created another. This problem was compounded since this was a church setting; the poor talent was mostly tone-deaf (loosely) older women. I couldn't figure out a nice way of saying "You don't have the chops"--and I wasn't the worship leader. So, I didn't say anything--and that doesn't make for whole-hearted work.
As a bassist, I've never asked the sound man for anything (partly out of not needing anything, partly out of how I felt when I was the sound man). I can hear myself (even with ear plugs on), I can hear the drummer, and I can hear the leader and see her signals. I can see the sound man cringe every time he's asked for something that he cannot give (or asked for an *opinion* he'd rather not give). Haha.
As for my argument, though, I never really felt under-appreciated. I did, however, feel *misunderstood*--something you stated several times in this post.
I still think 'under-appreciated' is the right word. Everyone glares daggers at you when something goes wrong, and if all is great, no one notices you. I try to make it a point to thank my sound engineers and point out little things like 'That bit of extra boost you gave me right at that moment and then pulled back after? That was a great call! Thank you so much!'. When I'm behind the board, I will say things like 'Hey, that riff was sweet. You sounded good!'. But only if it's true.
ReplyDeleteI think a common problem is as I mentioned in the piece - people on stage don't bother to try to understand what goes on on the board, how everything works. But they want to make demands. We have a pretty aged board where I'm currently at, and we're looking at upgrading (one more quote and then we're on our way to digital board land!) and there are lots of things that don't work or are moody and pick when they want to work and when they don't. It's a you-do-your-part-and-I'll-do-mine thing. I totally agree that the musicians have to step up and learn/practise their bits (this includes KNOWING their roles, TUNING their instruments and PLAYING IN TEMPO), and the sound engineer has to know how to maximise the use of the board functions.
And yes, we've also got to be tactful when we're behind the board. Lol. I completely agree that the voices and music have to be blended and not extremely individual.
That said though, I do enjoy being behind the board.