Think that sound engineering might be the music industry job for you? Sound engineers to be there for the all the good times – at the end of a really great show, chances are that the sound crew will be buzzing just as much as the band. But for all the good times, sound engineers also have to carry a lot of responsibility (not to mention putting up with more than a few cranky bands). Here, veteran sound man Simon Kasprowicz, aka Kas to his friends, shares some insight into the job of a sound engineer and tons of good advice for getting started. A connsumate professional and top notch sound engineer, you name a type of show or size of venue, and chances are Kas has worked it and worked it well. His words are definitely worth taking to heart:

First things first – what exactly is a sound engineer?

Sound Engineers come in many guises and none of these are mutually exclusive, a good sound engineer will have a balance of most of these skills.

I tend to work as a live FOH sound engineer; when you go to a concert and see the big desk and racks of gear at the back of the room. I’m the guy standing behind it operating it all, mixing the Front of House Sound (FOH).

This is what the audience hears. Every instrument on stage has a microphone pointing at it or is plugged into a DI box (Direct Injection Box), i.e. Kick drum, snare drum, hi hat… bass, guitar… keyboard, violin… vocals… Each one of these corresponds to a channel on the mixing desk, and it is my job to balance the sound (make sure everything is audible and pleasing to the ears) via use of gain, EQ, compression, effects (FX) etc.

There is also Monitor Sound, which will either be done at the FOH desk or on a separate desk at the side of stage. This is what the band hears. Each member of the band will have a set of monitors either in the form of wedges on stage or In Ears (ear phones) and the monitor engineer will send individual mixes to each of these as the band requires. This is not always a balanced mix like out front as the musician may only want to hear key things, i.e. the singer may only want their vocals, as they can hear the drums and guitars loud enough already. The musicians will instruct the monitor engineer to what they individually require.

Then there is the System Engineers; these are the guys and girls that set up the PA system, rig all the speakers, set up all the amplifiers and system processing and make sure that everything thing is working as it should be. A good system engineer makes your job as a FOH engineer much easier.

Then there is the Stage crew who place and cable up all the microphones and do any repatching the may be required.

On some gigs, especially smaller ones, all of the above may be done by one person.

What kind of training do you have?

I started out working weekends in a small jazz club in Edinburgh (Scotland), learning on the job as I went along, then moving on to bigger venues such as King Tuts Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow (Scotland) and festivals, to working for the bands directly touring Europe and the States.

What is the pay like for your job? How do you set your prices?

Pay varies greatly and is totally negotiable depending on the job, hours conditions, etc. but I normally get between $200-$500 a day.

How do you find work?

I get work mostly through word of mouth and reputation, with bands contacting me through friends, tour managers and directly, with some regular work at venues and for PA hire companies, doing bands, festivals and corporate events (conferences, award shows etc).

What separates a good sound engineer from a bad one? What are some bad habits some sound engineers have that bands should watch out for?

This is such a difficult question. Who’s the best record producer? George Martin, Phil Spector, Steve Albini, Butch Vig? It’s totally subjective and depends upon individual taste. What some will think is fantastic others will find fault in. Bands need to work together with their engineers and find a style that is suitable for them. A good engineer will be able to mix a variety of different styles well. I started in a jazz club, then did a load of folk festivals and worked in clubs doing funk, dance, rock, indie and metal so am well versed in many styles of music and completely adaptable to what the situation requires.

The main thing is to have a good attitude, remain calm under stress and keep a smile on your face.

What can bands do to make life easier for their sound engineer?

Bands can make the sound engineer’s job a lot easier just by following a few basics, especially when they are starting out. Be organized about how you set up for starters, i.e. if you have a lot of FX pedals, don’t take 20 minutes plugging these up have then pre set up on a board so it only takes you two seconds, the quicker you can set up the more time you’ll have to sound check. Listen to the engineer. In small venues he may ask you to turn down your back line (guitar amps , bass amps etc); he’s not being malicious, it could be that they are drowning everything else out. If need be, tilt your amp up towards your head or stick it on crates, you’d be amazed by the number of guitarists who think that their ears are in their knees. If you don’t have them already, buy tuning pedals and tune when you are not playing, the number of sets that are ruined because the momentum is lost as the band spends five minutes between songs tuning up. Also know what you are trying to achieve, in a sense good bands almost mix themselves. By this I don’t mean they have a mixer on stage and ride the faders, but that they’ve thought about their sound and levels and the songs are well arranged so that everything has a place and sits in the mix.

Generally be nice, polite, punctual and friendly to the people you meet at the gig.

When you get to a venue, what do you want to see there waiting for you? What do you see that makes you think “uh-oh?”

A nice hot cup of tea.

Friendly efficient house engineers and good PA that has been set up correctly and is suitable for the space, with good well maintained equipment.

I think uh oh, when the gear is clearly falling apart and hasn’t been looked after and in some cases blatantly not working with an in house engineer who is passed caring.

What are you working on now?

I’ve recently finished doing production for the Gilded Balloon, running nine venues with other 90 shows a day at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and tomorrow I set of on a seven week tour of Europe doing FOH sound for http://www.scopitones.co.uk

What’s your best advice for someone interested in becoming a sound engineer?

Ha, get a real job.

Na, work hard, try and get a foot in at some local venues, listen to a variety of different music, go to a lot of gigs and chat to the engineers there, and contact the local PA companies and see if you can help out there.

Any one with any questions or looking for a good touring engineer can contact me at kasnoise@gmail.com

Written by Heather McDonald

For more education on careers in the music industry, check out: http://www.music-career-guide.com

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No matter what type of music you record or how simple or complex your studio is, there are a few tips to keep in mind when you’re starting your recording project. Remember, these aren’t just beginner’s tips; I know many recording engineers who’ve been doing this for years who live by these same rules!

Tip #1 — The Better the Source, the Better the Recording.
Think of your microphone as your ear. If something sounds bad to your ear, chances are it won’t sound great in front of a mic. Making sure your source is the best it can be is the first thing to remember whenever starting a new project. That could mean a new set of strings, fresh drum heads, or having your vocalist do warm-ups before tracking. Remember that there’s a lot you can edit out later on down the line, but there’s a lot that you can’t add if it’s not naturally there. Always remember to tune all of the instruments in your studio session before they track, as well.

* Get The Best Sound – Check Out Microphones 101

Tip #2 — Save Your Work Often.
Nothing is worse than losing something you worked for hours on, especially when you’re running your studio as a business and you have a paying client. Always save your work between takes. It also doesn’t hurt to have an external hard drive that you backup your sessions to nightly; if something happens to your hard drive, you’ll at least have a copy to start over from, and you won’t have to waste blank media backing up every night.

* Back Up – Check out the Maxtor OneTouch III Review!

Tip #3 — Always Keep Spares.
Keeping basic items at your studio will always help keep things going smoothly when the inevitable happens. Stock a set of guitar strings (both electric and acoustic), some drum sticks, and always keep spare instrument and microphone cables on hand. You never know when your session will be saved because you came to the rescue! It also helps to be able to kindly suggest a new set of strings to the stubborn guitarist who showed up with old, dead strings on his axe.

* Stock Up – Must-Haves For Home Studios

Tip #4 —
This tip applies only to the Home Studios that record for profit, not your simple project studio, but it deserves a mention of its own. Don’t ever, ever let any mixes leave your studio until you’re paid in full. This includes mp3 copies you send out via email, and CD-Rs you let leave your studio with rough mixes. At any point during the recording process, a financial dispute of some sort may arise, and if so, you might not get paid and your client still has a usable product. This is rare, but it happens; in fact, every recording engineer has had something similar happen at least once. Making it clear to your client that they won’t get anything from your studio until after they’ve paid you for your time in full makes it easier to avoid complications later.

* More Information: Running A Studio Business

Tip #5 — Keep It Simple.
I can’t stress this last tip enough: keep it simple. One of the biggest and most common mistakes a new recording engineer can make is being too fancy. You’ll waste a lot of time — and your client’s money, if working for profit — by overdoing it in the studio. Examples of this include recording an instrument in stereo when a mono (single) track will do, doing too many vocal overdubs, or laying down too many guitar layers. Let the band’s music speak for itself; your engineering should be as transparent as possible while still helping the magic along. A mark of an exceptional engineer is the ability to work with the music and allow it to retain the original tone and sparkle without compromising clarity on tape.

Written by Joe Shambro

For more education on careers in the music industry, check out: http://www.music-career-guide.com

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