 In defense of live on air mix engineers!
I wrote this in reply to another thread and thought it should be here.
In rock and roll touring audio is "GOD" and video and lighting are the "red headed step child", but in brodcast and large corporate events audio is and will always be the "red headed step child". These producers are "audio ingnorant" by chioce or by accident.
I've been in full time audio biz since 1978, and for the last 10 years I've owned (and still do) a remote truck as well as doing large corporate events (to pay the bills!) and these producers treat audio as a step child (have I mention that before). They are more concearned about the "visual aspect" sooooo much more than audio........it's become such a joke. "More smoke!, more pyro!, more confettie cannons!", The blacks are crushed!, There needs to be more chroma!", "Can we make the Bally-Hoo more celabrated!?......"Hey how does the audio sound?" "It's ok.......maby you can tighten up the delay in the video a couple of frames.
I just did a large show in Chicago at the "United Center" for Toyota. Robin Williams was the host, Firehouse opened the show, Mos Def and Common rapped with DeKah Orch. a 70 piece band mic'd live with 2 DJ's, and Rod Stewart and band was the close, oh yeah there were 7 car reveals and the CEO from both US and Japan were speaking
Now I say all of this not to toot my own horn but to say that the producers of these large events treat every act as an "eliment" to the show......no more than a "curtin que". We are given one short 10 min. tech rehearsal "to see how the Band wagons are assembled and are pushed on the stage for timming and the look only!
Sound check....Ha! you are lucky to get a line check! and what sound check you get are given to the bands monitor check, so you have to get things in the "ball park" fastttt! and hope you can get a sinse of things when you get to dress rehearsal and hope it's not just a "Que to Que".
Now I say all of this for this reason....You can hire all the best mix enginers in the world and it's not going to help if they (WE) arent given the same amount of time to do our jobs as the Lighting and Vidiots are given! The producers will tech out automation moves, lighting scenes, and video ques all day long.....and need be they will hold 60 union stagehands in "short turn around" into "secret golden triple time" the following day, "Just to get the look right"!!!!!.........Just try to ask for a little extra time "to a mix"!!!!!! Ha! "your just audio!" "GET OUT OF MY WAY and MOVE THAT CABLE BEFORE THE LIGHTING DIR. OR THE VIDEO DIR. WALKS IN!!!!!!!
So in defense of all of those bad on air mixes, stop and think of the things that prevent that engineer from getting that great mix........IT'S TIME!......It's real easy to "arm chair quater back" some one elses mix, "Cain't he hear this!, Why doesn't he do that! .....Stop being so critical! Until you been in that kind of hot seat, just walk mile in there shoes. Believe me they know the mix is sucking........and there pissed to!!!!!!
Craig Penrod
Craig Penrod Productions Inc.
Fort Worth, Texas
| 
New Reply 
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
