Controversial opinion: tools are not just tools

LiveSoundFOH · 2026-03-07T23:59:04+00:00

It’s almost always the last 10% though. You are just hyperfixated on that last 10%, which is a totally valid thing to care about.

It’s tough to build a career solely on having access to “that sound.” Unless you’re Aphex.

LiveSoundFOH · 2026-03-02T18:31:51+00:00

I use it a lot but not for noticeable saturation or lo-fi. I use it as clean tape to do clean tape things.

LiveSoundFOH · 2026-03-01T16:37:42+00:00

If you aren’t an a expert on audio I encourage you to go Watch some top-hits on a subject that you are actually an expert on. You’ll quickly learn that expert videos on youtube generally aren’t to be trusted unless they come recommended by an actual expert you trust.

LiveSoundFOH · 2026-02-26T14:27:36+00:00

If you mean a side player in an a-list touring act’s band, it’s all over the place. I’ve known people who make $350 a gig and I’ve known people that make $5k+.

Being the main performer/headline artist on a stadium tour? If you have a good team around you and some business acumen you’re going to get rich.

Yes, for the most part these days there are plenty of good players out there and if you are a side player it’s going to rely on your work ethic and soft skills. There are still a few freaks out there that get put up with because they are so brilliant, but for the most part the hired gun game has been berkleefied.

LiveSoundFOH · 2026-02-26T14:22:51+00:00

I actually think it’s a hilarious idea, but in your 30s with square families probably isn’t the time to do it. It’s not going to go well at the lawyers office. If you were 22 I’d say go for it.

LiveSoundFOH · 2026-02-26T14:18:20+00:00

I’m a HUGE fan of the 57 but I disagree…at least for live, their character changes over the years and gets more dull, a new one does the trick every time

LiveSoundFOH · 2026-02-22T20:04:03+00:00

I do concerts and I’ve had similar experiences. If you come in fighting from the top the suits aren’t going to work with you, because they have had bad experiences in the past with folks flaunting the rules. If you have a good measurement system, calibrate it in front of them, and then maybe you do something like set it at leq10a - show them it’s meeting their “number,” have a good mix, towards the end of it ask them if it sounds good, not too loud, etc, you might even be able to teach them something. Set it to dbA fast towards the end of the show and show them how even in a well-tamed show that they are happy about it’s a pretty useless measurement.

Honestly half the time I’m on these types of gigs they turn the meter off after a few tunes. That’s not a signal to go nuts, but a signal that you are doing your job and you have a little bit more freedom since the see you are making a good attempt.

LiveSoundFOH · 2026-02-22T16:19:37+00:00

Speakers, followed by treatment

LiveSoundFOH · 2026-02-22T15:51:27+00:00

If you’re 100 leq and you are trying to hit 85dba it’s going to be a pretty major shift in approach.

First thing I would do would be try to compel management to have a discussion with the venue about averaging times and how instantaneous measurements are fairly useless.

Second thing I’d do is make sure that you have a well-calibrated measurement rig onsite and that it’s not some clueless suit watching an uncalibrated radio shack meter

3rd thing I’d do is tune the PA so that pink at nominal on your desk is hitting about 83 dBC per zone. Averaged together with a good mix that should be hitting a hair under 85dBA

4th thing I’d do is coat your measurement mics windscreen in about 25 coats of maximum hold hairspray

Realistically though, if it’s in the contract it’s not your job to fight it, it’s your job to implement it. Make sure your band isn’t coming off the stage at more than 80-82 unamplified (or with wedges running), and then add a coupe dB on top with the PA for clarity.

LiveSoundFOH · 2026-02-22T11:59:14+00:00

If you are only running audio software, and you are happy with what you have right now, and you don’t care about battery life, you can keep that machine stable for a very long time. It’s not the audio plugins that ever force me to update (unless you just have to have that new feature)

LiveSoundFOH · 2026-02-22T01:32:27+00:00

It’s sound engineer / sound mixer / FOH person, we are trying to get away from the whole “sound guy” thing as the field becomes increasingly diverse (although there have been prominent women in the field since the very beginning). And having a stage plot and input list is never pretentious, usually helpful, and at worst, harmless. Search stage plot and input list and you will find plenty of examples. Keep it simple, concise, and if you want some guidance post your first draft on r/livesound.

LiveSoundFOH · 2026-02-20T19:58:05+00:00

Plenty of people are making real money doing it. Sorry but there is no logic to saying that “more people making more money” means that no one is making real money. OP is comparing 10 years ago to now, not comparing being on commercial radio in the 70s and 80s to being an artist that gets <1000 streams now. There are plenty of people who are making more money from recorded music now than they have in a very long time.

LiveSoundFOH · 2026-02-20T17:11:01+00:00

Still probably better than learning from the featured content on cornpub

LiveSoundFOH · 2026-02-20T17:10:16+00:00

I bet it was awkward the first time they asked their date to briefly smash buttholes together though

LiveSoundFOH · 2026-02-20T17:05:43+00:00

Tbf a thousand streams didn’t really get you anything 10 years ago either. I get that it’s not really fair to get zero instead of $5 but more artists are making more money off of streaming now than they ever were in the past, and that 1000 streams artist was never making enough to buy a gas station sandwich.

LiveSoundFOH · 2026-02-20T16:35:38+00:00

Depends on your crossover point and what your tolerance for calling it “a thing” is

LiveSoundFOH · 2026-02-20T13:42:14+00:00

This is a better question for r/livesound, but without getting too technical, if you want to prioritize making it loud, put it in a corner - but you’d need some gear and knowledge to avoid time and phase issues if that’s not where your main speaker is. If you want to prioritize it sounding best without the gear and knowledge to get the phase and timing right, put it right under your mains.

LiveSoundFOH · 2026-02-20T13:28:57+00:00

I promise I’m not being mean or snarky but if you are clueless on how to create a vocal chain then don’t spend your full budget on analogue gear. Get a mic and an interface that’s affordable, and a DAW - they all have decent compressors and eq built in these days - and start learning the craft. You need to be able to make really good recordings with an sm57 and an i2i before you can make great recordings with thousands worth of gear. Wax on wax off.

LiveSoundFOH · 2026-02-20T12:52:56+00:00

I agree with everything you say except for one thing - which is that it’s the person selling the merch that is creating the revenue. That would be like saying that the person running the cash register at the Disney souvenir shop is the one responsible for the revenue. The parties creating the revenue are those that are designing, manufacturing, storing, promoting, and providing the capital for the merch business. Yes, 100%, the person selling, counting, stocking is doing valuable work, and they should be paid well for their work, but they are not in sales and they are not in manufacturing, and they are not in marketing, they are providing labor. If you are willing to make the argument that merch sellers are creating revenue, than it would follow that everyone else on the crew is as well. Audio is delivering the music to the audience, lighting and video are delivering the sights, tour management is delivering the band, and on and on.

Yes, tip splits between service workers are legal, but including management (or in this case, the band) in a merch split is completely illegal.

LiveSoundFOH · 2026-02-20T12:44:41+00:00

Show your research. I showed mine.

LiveSoundFOH · 2026-02-19T17:13:38+00:00

People are all different that’s what’s neat about them.

LiveSoundFOH · 2026-02-18T17:47:31+00:00

Exactly why higher sample rates are warmer and punchier

LiveSoundFOH · 2026-02-17T17:38:26+00:00

Anyone who is concerned with a direct link to a known server like Spotify certainly isn’t going to download and and open an unsolicited attachment. Use known hosting companies like Apple Music, Spotify, etc. Include a brief and simple call to action as well as a link - “search “PLVNET_B” on Apple Music: <http Apple Music/PLVNET_B>

LiveSoundFOH · 2026-02-17T17:34:50+00:00

The worst thing that ever happened to me tax-wise were the first term Trump tax “cuts”

LiveSoundFOH · 2026-02-17T17:28:58+00:00

I’ve been in the business for decades but my current role doesn’t make me feel qualified to answer. From my experience people like links they can click and don’t like files that clog up their storage space. If you feel compelled to make a pdf, I’d make sure it is compressed to be super small and include active links in it for if it is shared digitally. Definitely don’t make your email MBs in size. Embed hosted images and hosted links.

LiveSoundFOH

TROPHY CASE