How did you get that gig?
I’ve been asked this many times over the years. There is no secret formula. It as much as being in the right place at the right time as it is in who you know. It’s also being really good at your gig and being available at a moment’s notice. I’ve had more than one gig come about last-minute- getting a phone call asking, ‘Can you be on a plane in the next 24 hours to start a tour?’ (more…)
By: Michelle Sabolchick Pettinato
Tuning the system and ringing out wedges. There are many different techniques and everyone has their favorite- from simply speaking into the lead vocal microphone to utilizing tools like Smaart. SoundGirls.Org spoke to several engineers to find out what techniques they employ. (more…)
The way things go in this business, even when you make it to the ‘big time’ you always end up back at a bar gig sooner or later. This tour was purposefully booked into smaller, intimate venues but today’s is probably the most difficult of the tour. We’ve had some small stages and some difficult load-ins but 3rd and Lindsley in Nashville provided a whole new set of challenges. Cue the “ we thought this was a couple of guys and acoustic guitars?” We had to bring in two generators since there wasn’t adequate power in the building for our production. We have to fit 11 musicians on a stage that is 14′ x 24′. There is little to no room for the 5 backline techs and monitor world. And did I mention it’s a bar? (more…)
Day 3 of rehearsal
Came in early in the morning to try and program scenes (snapshots) for all the songs- (which I have heard only once). After spending several hours working out effects, various EQ changes, etc… 25 scenes later and one of the video guys shows up and asks me for a mix. I patch a matrix mix to my stage rack so he can pick it up there. Now I realize that it’s only patched in my current scene. Since this is the first time I’ve used any kind of automation on the Pro 9, I pull out the trusty manual and scan the pages trying to figure out how to globally paste this change to all of my 25 scenes. (more…)
I’m currently mixing FOH on the Goo Goo Dolls “The Otis Midnight Sessions” acoustic tour.
When most people hear “Acoustic Tour” they expect a couple of musicians walking in with acoustic guitars on their backs, playing campfire songs. I have yet to do an acoustic tour like that. When I toured with Indigo Girls years ago, I cannot tell you how many times we showed up with our truck full of gear to the local crew shaking their heads asking “ I thought this was two girls and two guitars?” In fact it was 20+ various stringed (more…)
Day 5: Show 3- Dimapur, India
Here we are again, another perilous cab ride winding through a spider web of unmarked city streets to the venue- a stadium.
I had an anxiety attack on the way to the gig, worried that with all the chaos following the last two gigs if I managed to get left behind after the show I’d be so SOL. This isn’t my first third-world country. I’ve been to some dicey places, in some precarious situations, but I am honestly starting to feel like I am never going to see civilization again, like I’m stuck here and there’s no way out. I’d have no chance of finding a U.S. embassy. The closest one is probably five hours away by plane, and I wouldn’t even have a clue how to get to the airport and where the one flight/day could take me. We have no information. Our tour manager has been fighting to get anything out of the promoter since day one. We don’t get our flight info until the last minute, we have no idea where our hotels are and there are no contact numbers. It’s like a bad made for TV movie, “ Lost abroad” , or “Lost, a broad”, it could go either way.
If you missed last month’s blog be sure to get caught up before continuing with part two here.
Day 3 Show day, Shillong India
The local promoter hires several taxis for the crew to be taken from the Ri Kynjai hotel to the gig in the center of Shillong. The drivers speak no English and we all take a deep breath and cross our fingers that they know where we are going, since we clearly don’t. The drive takes nearly an hour, winding down the mountain past miles of nothing but shanties and dilapidated shacks. The poverty here is overwhelming, and the condition of most of the structures and the few actual buildings is alarming. About 35 minutes into the drive, myself and the monitor engineer who is in the car with me, start to get a bit concerned since we were told the venue is about 20 minutes drive from the hotel. We spend the next 15 minutes or so zig-zagging through the city streets which would be impossible to navigate on our own, until we finally reach the venue- an outdoor polo field in the heart of the city. (more…)
Several years ago I was on tour with an American band in Europe. A few weeks before we wrapped up the European leg, the tour was extended to include three weeks in SE Asia and India. This would be my first trip to India and one of the most difficult of my touring career. (more…)
I’d like to talk about assumptions and how they seem to run rampant in this business.
As a touring FOH engineer for over 20 years, I have worked with a wide variety of artists both in musical styles and personalities. Some have been extremely easy to work for and some have been challenging to say the least. No matter what, I have always tried to do my best work for each and every one of them no matter how big or small the gig. I’ve done tours with full production and tours with no production, in everything from clubs to stadiums, with the occasional botanical garden or zoo thrown in. (more…)