Everyone likes to go out and listen to live music, and they should. There are a multitude of bands that are extraordinary in our local music scene alone. However, as good as these bands are, none of them would be able to do what they do best without a quality soundperson in their corner. Soundpeople are rarely celebrated, but they should be. They are the difference between a great live experience and a horrible one.
And you can all recognize the difference. There are nights when you go out to a club or bar and it just feels like magic. The band is on fire and the sound is perfect. Then we have the opposite reality. You’ve seen this happen too. You get those nights where the sound is just muddy. Feedback squeals throughout the building and both the band and the fans are left frustrated.
Soundpeople are faced with many obstacles in their choice of occupation. They constantly must upgrade their equipment and knowledge to be prepared for any situation that might occur. On certain nights, they will experience arrogant or inexperienced musicians that either refuse to listen or think they know better. As a person who has run sound myself, I can tell you that it is frustrating when a musician or band repeatedly ignores direction and then tells you it’s your fault when they don’t have the sound they want. Did I mention that a soundperson also needs to have the patience of a saint at times?
In addition, a soundperson deals with every room being different, and some of them were not built to make sound a priority. There are times when you have to mic on an exotic instrument that you’ve never encountered before. All these things are taken into consideration by a quality soundperson and dealt with on a moment’s notice in a professional manner.
Much like the musicians themselves, soundpeople are constantly searching for new venues and opportunities. Their work must be impeccable, as word of mouth is a great advertisement for them in looking for new gigs. If you show apathy or indifference, the musicians, and in some cases the fans, will tell people you don’t know what you’re doing and are to be avoided.
In RI, we are fortunate to have a good crop of soundpeople. I’m not going to list them all here, but names like Brian Cabral, Dan Baldwin, Erik Gharaee, and Gregory T. Rourke come to mind. All these men have taken time to learn their craft. The stage is their domain. Precision and care are taken with the setup and soundcheck, and there is constant vigilance during an artist’s set. This is the way it should be. Whether a soundperson is working for a particular venue or is using their own equipment for a private function, you can tell the level of professionalism by how they treat the tools of their trade.
A good soundperson is efficient. He will find out from the artist what their sound consists of and react accordingly. They move with a purpose, setting up microphones, threading cables, and checking each aspect of the sound before the show starts. All the gear is meticulously arranged beforehand, so they know exactly where everything is when they need it. If you see a disorganized or sloppy soundperson that shows little regard for their equipment, then most likely they will have little regard for how you sound in front of an audience.
Recently, I played a show in Connecticut for a band that needed a fill-in guitar player. They had been hired by the town to perform, and they in turn hired a “soundperson” who will remain nameless. Right from the beginning, the guy was a nightmare. He showed up late, took his time unloading his gear, and then took over an hour and a half to get all of the microphones set up. He shuffled along in his dirty t-shirt and sweatpants, not giving a damn about how long he was taking. The show was supposed to start at seven o’clock. At seven thirty, he was still checking the sound on the drums. The host of the event kept trying to make a statement to the crowd, and the soundperson kept telling her to wait. Finally, when we played, I called him over to let him know what was wrong with the sound to which he replied, “I’ll fix it at the end of the show, that way I’ll know how to do it better next time.” To add insult to injury, he walked away with one of the band’s mic stands at the end of the night. Needless to say, the band will never hire him again and I’ve spent the better part of the last few weeks warning other musicians about his ineptitude.
By the same token, if you are a young band with limited experience, listen to your soundperson. He is there to help you sound as good as possible. If you treat him like an idiot or a slave, you will be the ones who suffer for it. When you find a genuinely good soundperson, you should be grateful. They do NOT grow on trees.
People are paying their hard-earned money to come and be entertained. That means both artists and soundpeople need to be better than they’ve ever been. Folks deserve that in these uncertain times. If you see a band that treats their soundperson like hell, walk away. And to play Devil’s advocate, if you see a soundperson who abandons the board to drink at the bar or flirt, avoid them like the plague.
If you are in need of quality live sound, do your homework. It will make your life much easier, and both the bands and the fans will thank you. By all means, contact one of the gentlemen I mentioned above or contact an agency like Production Hub Sound Mixers. The difference between a successful event / show and an unsuccessful one, hinges largely on the quality of the sound tech you employ. The ears of your patrons deserve a quality listening experience and fortunately, in RI, we have a number of quality options available.