Many of our sound systems are autonomous and do not require adjustment nor a sound technician to be present. However, for venues with many participants or a large music section, a trained live-sound technician on premise can insure that you are consistently getting the most from your investment. The operative words are “trained live”.
If the candidate is inexperienced specifically with live-event production, much confusion can arise. This is not the candidate’s fault by any means and, by all means, we strongly encourage education and enthusiasm in your new investment.
The confusion comes from the marketing hype of all consumer audio products from earphones to home theatre. “Digital Headphones” is a contradiction. “Super Mega Bass Boost” buttons and cheap equalizers in the car have ruined every recording engineer’s chances of getting a mix just right. The concept that a home theatre subwoofer can be placed eight feet away from it’s satellite is a myth, and, while very low frequencies can be omindirectional, our brains still localize their source. Put your home theatre subwoofer out in the driveway, and then check how that “omnidirectionality” still allows freedom of placement.
In essence, we’ve been given options like equalizers and bass buttons and subwoofers that falsely empower us to assess sound. Consumer products are rarely designed now for accuracy, but more for curb appeal and bass thump. It has shifted the popular conception of good sound for the worse.
Back on title, I would never marginalize the talent and intentions of recording engineers; they’ve made my world an even more awesome place for as long as I can remember. However, skills learned in the studio do not correlate well with live reinforcement. In the studio one can mic a piano with one microphone from fifteen feet away. I assure you that will never happen on a stage. The studio vocal is most often tracked in an isolated, soundproof booth while the singer wears headphones and employs a microphone similar in appearance to a small sputnik. Unless the engineer has experience putting six speakers and 250 people in that booth, they are going to need training.
We train people how to use their sound system. We teach basic fundamentals and then very specifically how they apply to your venue, whether we installed the system or not. The course is brief, fun, and a sure way to take the mystery out accomplishing great sound reinforcement.
