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All-In-One-Tech

 

Sam2I meet a lot of engineers around my age (mid-20s or so) that strictly stick to audio and don’t dare to touch anything else, whether it be to stay focused on audio, or to not get roped into something they don’t particularly want to do. There isn’t anything wrong with this. Laser-focusing on one discipline can yield some great results. I know that my passion lies in audio, live sound especially. I study it, read about it, train myself, and I find it most thrilling. As I’ve been working in this industry, I’ve began to notice a trend: nobody wants to pay an audio engineer properly. It’s an endless undercutting massacre of our income. Something that I’ve done to make sure I get my value is to learn other aspects of event production. It’s hard to justify any less pay when I’m able to do more than someone who only does sound. Again, I want to state that there is nothing wrong with sticking with and focusing on audio. Follow your passions.

Work Beyond Audio

So, I feel it’s pretty established my main discipline is audio. I want to discuss some of the other things I do to supplement my audio work. I work with a band, Funk Syndicate, here in Kansas City. I’m a full-fledged member of the band, which is great. I’m their sound engineer, although I typically tell people I’m their Production Manager. Getting their sound dialed in is my #1 priority. But I do so much more. I’m their monitor engineer, their FOH engineer, their lighting designer, and I run their social media page.

All 8 band members use IEMs, so getting their monitors correct is an on-going and delicate task. As much as it hurts me to admit it, the monitors are arguably more important than FOH (please don’t throw anything at me). I have all gig to get the FOH dialed in. I need to get the monitors dialed in ASAP, and check-in throughout the gig (they often request changes throughout every set).

There are many, many times that I’m trying to fix something for FOH and one of the musicians needs an immediate change in their ears. I need to drop everything and fix that. When their monitors are precise, their performance is better, and it makes my FOH job easier. Musicians finding the ‘pocket’ can take a performance from okay to incredible.

Next, I design their lighting. I don’t do anything crazy because I don’t consider myself a lighting engineer. We’ve got LED bars and some other lights in the works, as well as DMX lighting software. I’ve bothered to learn all I can about the lights and the software so they can have as incredible of a show as possible. I want them to look great, and I enjoy seeing an entire show come together. I also know every song forwards and backwards, who is singing which parts, who’s got solos, and how long each song is. I learn all this because it helps me with not only mixing FOH, but also which FX and lighting presets to use when. I have a real hoot with Uptown Funk (people go crazy for this song, it’s ridiculous). So now my tasks are up to 3 different things at once, lighting, monitors, and FOH. I find it very thrilling to be doing so much at once.

Except then, I add in photos, videos, and social media. I’m not afraid to admit that I’ve been doing video work at the same time as the monitors, FOH, and lighting. I need to add the caveat that I make sure one thing is as perfect as it can be in a certain moment before moving on to the next thing. I don’t give 4 mediocre performances. That’s unacceptable. I give 4 fantastic performances only because I can stay calm and I know my technology as thoroughly as possible. Don’t take on more tasks if you can’t handle them, and don’t sacrifice quality for ego. I see it way too often.Outside of the band, I often do more than just audio. I’m an IT Media Supervisor for a large church and a graduate seminary. I take care of all their media-related needs like chapel production, videos, and large events. I’m my absolute happiest when I get to focus on audio, but I get a lot of fun from other disciplines. Actually, I’m most excited when I’m handling more than one thing because there isn’t a single moment where there isn’t something to be done. Then it becomes a challenge to wrangle every single thing in and see if you can make it all calm for a few precious moments. It’s a game for me. For some of the simpler events, I can set up audio and keep referencing back to it, but then I also run graphics, and cameras, and the streaming switches. I often jokingly say, “Why do one thing, when I can do all of them?”. I also have the luxury of working with the same musicians every week, and mostly the same people outside of the band. I know these people, and thanks to digital boards, my work gets saved for each event so that I’m not starting from scratch every time. Doing 4 things at once may be a little more complicated when it’s total chaos with 3 different bands you just met 2 hours ago.

There isn’t anything wrong with focusing on and sticking with audio. I’m an audio person, and if I needed to pick one thing to do for the rest of my life, it’d be audio. But I have made my value higher and made myself indispensable because I have the skills to do other things along with it that nobody else can do. If you love FOH, learn monitors. You’ll have doubled your possible gigs. Vice-versa if you love monitors. If you love audio, learn how to do some graphics work. If you love lighting, learn some video work. Not only is it fun to learn about new things, but it can up your work value, which is really important. Why, when all other things are equal, would a company/client hire someone who can only do one thing, when they could hire someone that can do two? Or three? Or four?

Never stop learning. Never quit aspiring for more information and more experience. Never become stagnant. Always be moving, and always be striving.

Investing In Your Education

 

Nelson Mandela once stated, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Wise words from someone with extraordinary life experiences.

Continuing education in life is important, and it is vital in any audio professional’s career. The learning curve is large, the technology is always changing, and to continue improving your craft it will be important to keep studying. Surprisingly, there are many avenues to learn and expand your horizons that will make you a well-rounded professional. There are educational opportunities for everyone at any level of knowledge or career, from beginner to veteran.

Here are some continuing educational opportunities to keep you at your audio best!

Attend a conference or convention

Usually a weeklong or so, InfoComm and NAMM offer seminars, courses, vendor booths, training, networking, and so much more.  These are some of the biggest gatherings of audio professionals each year, where the vendors introduce many new pieces of equipment and you can learn about the next big audio trends.

Take a class online or in person

Classes are a great way to get some advanced hands-on training. Groups like SynAudCon and Harman have many online and in-person courses available. Many companies also offer in-person demos by partnering with sound companies to showcase their newest products. Demos, like DiGiCo offers, are a great chance to learn about the product directly from the developer.

And don’t forget the awesome opportunities that Soundgirl provides, like the Live Sound Camp for Girls, Live Sound Workshop, the Resources page, and articles by fellow bloggers.

Do some casual reading to brush up on your skills:

There are many places online to find quality articles and information to start or continue your education. Yamaha offers a great beginners guide; FOHonline and ProSoundWeb offer a wide variety of articles and update their content regularly.  There are also webinars like the ones offered at Live Sound Advice and books such as Paul White’s series that covers topics such as MIDI, studio design, mastering, mixers and more.

Learn one-on-one or network with colleagues in the field

Another way to learn is through hands-on training and watching others work. Opportunities to experience all of these options are to shadow someone at an event, develop a mentorship, and network with colleagues in the field.  Attending the classes and conventions listed above is an excellent way to network and develop relationships that could lead to mentorships and shadowing opportunities. You could also consider joining an association such as the Audio Engineering Society (AES)  or the Production Music Association (PMA).

Expand your knowledge to other show topics

knowledge2You can also continue your education by expanding your horizons through gaining knowledge in other areas of event planning and technology by taking courses such as CM Entertainment Training or by reading about or attending an Event Safety Alliance event.

With so many opportunities to continue learning, we can keep ourselves forever young and employable by keeping up with the times. For each opportunity we take, we invest in ourselves, build our skills (and resumes), and put ourselves one step ahead of the competition. So keep learning, because as Benjamin Franklin said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”

 

 

Safety First: A Few Basics to Working on a Catwalk

When you hear the term “catwalk”, you probably think of a fashion show. The deep house music beings to play in your head (which I’m actually playing as I type).  You can almost see the bright lights and picture the fashionably dressed models “cat walking” on the narrow runway, dressed in the clothing and accessories of different designers. The full picture of a high fashion show comes into reality, I know.

In a sense, you can keep that vision. In this piece, however, I am referring to the catwalks you find in some venues. They house a great amount of equipment: loudspeaker systems, work lighting, house lighting, truss and motors controls, videos hubs, venue sprinkler systems, and more. Most of the time a catwalk can be found simply by looking up before or after a production. Some are hidden above ceiling clouds, which are mostly located within worship centers or theater-type settings.

As an audio technician, you’ll probably have to take a trip up to the catwalk a time or two. Why? Because it comes with the job. You might have to feed power or microphones down onto the stage, or you might need to bring some truss in to hang your line arrays. Here are a few things to keep in mind while working on a catwalk.

The catwalk is located at one of the highest part of the building.

As I mentioned, you can usually lookup to locate a venue’s catwalk, which can range anywhere from 25 feet to 200 feet or more off the ground. When working that high in the air, the best thing to be is mindful. Be in the moment and pay attention. You don’t want to be the one to make a bad decision when working that high up off the ground.

Place Your Gear to The Rear

Once you make it up to the catwalk to begin a task, make sure your walkie-talkie and all other tools are clipped towards your rear before you begin. You don’t want anything falling over, or accidentally getting caught up on a railing or cables.

Feeding and Pulling Cable

Whether dropping cables in or pulling cables out, CALL IT OUT. You must communicate with all workers in the air with you, as well as below, for everyone’s safety. Keep cable management front of mind. Loose cables can be dangerous when working and walking the catwalk. You don’t want to trip yourself or anyone else on the team.

When feeding cables in, secure them with a rope by tying it with a bowline knot and slowly dropping the cables in until a member below lets you know you’re clear. Be sure all cables being fed in are clear of any other hanging objects. Pull your rope back up and out of the way. Then secure additional slack on a railing with tie line in a bow knot (or shoelace knot).

When pulling cables out, be sure to properly roll the cable (over, under). If doing in-house work, you should be able to properly coil the cable and tie it in place with a bowknot to secure the cable. If not, strike what needs to be struck and continue on to the next task.

Never Go Out on the Beams

Most of the time, beams are extended from the catwalk across the facility floor layout. These beams will house motors, which you use to hang truss. Truss can hold lighting, line arrays, or large projectors screens. DO NOT go out on the beams for any reason, unless you are rigging certified. Here you can find certified riggers nationwide, as well as full details on how to become certified yourself. You will need proper training and specific gear to go out on these beams. I suggest you take one step at a time and let the riggers handle that part for now. I also want to encourage you to become a certified rigger if you want to do more work within this part of the field.

These few basic guidelines will help you stay safe while you strut your stuff up on that catwalk.

 

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