In episode 296, Sean and Andy are joined by Garrett Doran, Sean’s director of operations at Audio Engineers Northwest, to get more perspective on how to get hired as a freelancer in the live audio industry. Garrett shares what he looks for in a resume and/or interview, how to impress a sound company you’re new to, and – just as importantly – what sorts of things are immediate red flags for a company like theirs!

They also dig into strategies for keeping the small to medium size festival gigs that are the summer bread-and-butter for many audio providers running smoothly, from keeping lines of comm open to running a smooth and fast sound check, as well as why the patch tech should be the best mixer on your team!

Episode Links:
Episode 241 – Richard Cadena, Electricity for the Entertainment Electrician & Technician
Episode 296 Transcript

Connect with the community on the Signal To Noise Facebook Group and Discord Server. Both are spaces for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments!

Also please check out and support The Roadie Clinic, Their mission is simple. “We exist to empower & heal roadies and their families by providing resources & services tailored to the struggles of the touring lifestyle.”

The Signal To Noise Podcast on ProSoundWeb is co-hosted by pro audio veterans Andy Leviss and Sean Walker.

Want to be a part of the show? If you have a quick tip to share, or a question for the hosts, past or future guests, or listeners at home, we’d love to include it in a future episode. You can send it to us one of two ways:

1) If you want to send it in as text and have us read it, or record your own short audio file, send it to [email protected] with the subject “Tips” or “Questions”

2) If you want a quick easy way to do a short (90s or less) audio recording, go to https://www.speakpipe.com/S2N and leave us a voicemail there

Listener favorite Ryan John returns to the show in Episode 295 to catch up with Andy and Sean about a wide range of subjects, from the recent season of network TV “upfronts” and “For Your Consideration” presentations he worked to presenting at the L-Acoustics 2025 Keynote in his role as the company’s director of product management for software. There’s even a deep dive into espresso machines and the wonders of super light roasted coffee! This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

Episode Links:
L-Acoustics Keynote 2025 | Roundhouse London
Episode 289, Nat Houle on Spatial Audio
Fellow – Espresso Series 1
Tim Wendelboe Coffee
Episode 295 Transcript

Connect with the community on the Signal To Noise Facebook Group and Discord Server. Both are spaces for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments!

Also please check out and support The Roadie Clinic, Their mission is simple. “We exist to empower & heal roadies and their families by providing resources & services tailored to the struggles of the touring lifestyle.”

The Signal To Noise Podcast on ProSoundWeb is co-hosted by pro audio veterans Andy Leviss and Sean Walker.

Want to be a part of the show? If you have a quick tip to share, or a question for the hosts, past or future guests, or listeners at home, we’d love to include it in a future episode. You can send it to us one of two ways:

1) If you want to send it in as text and have us read it, or record your own short audio file, send it to [email protected] with the subject “Tips” or “Questions”

2) If you want a quick easy way to do a short (90s or less) audio recording, go to https://www.speakpipe.com/S2N and leave us a voicemail there 

Picking up where they left off in Episode 293, the hosts continue the conversation Brian Maddox about building a successful freelance career in live events. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

Brian brings the unique perspective of not only being one of the most in-demand freelance mixers in the corporate event market, but having built a new freelance career after pivoting from a staff job at three different times in his life.

Episode Links:
STN Episode 151 With Brian Maddox (Next Generation Audio Professionals)
STN Episode 243 With Brian Maddox (Mixing Corporate Events, Part 1)
STN Episode 244 With Brian Maddox (Mixing Corporate Events, Part 2)
STN Episode 275 With Brian Maddox (Mixing For The 2024 Paris Olympics)
Brian Maddox Articles On ProSoundWeb
Episode 294 Transcript

Connect with the community on the Signal To Noise Facebook Group and Discord Server. Both are spaces for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments!

Also please check out and support The Roadie Clinic, Their mission is simple. “We exist to empower & heal roadies and their families by providing resources & services tailored to the struggles of the touring lifestyle.”

The Signal To Noise Podcast on ProSoundWeb is co-hosted by pro audio veterans Andy Leviss and Sean Walker.

Want to be a part of the show? If you have a quick tip to share, or a question for the hosts, past or future guests, or listeners at home, we’d love to include it in a future episode. You can send it to us one of two ways:

1) If you want to send it in as text and have us read it, or record your own short audio file, send it to [email protected] with the subject “Tips” or “Questions”

2) If you want a quick easy way to do a short (90s or less) audio recording, go to https://www.speakpipe.com/S2N and leave us a voicemail there

Friend of the podcast and returning guest Brian Maddox joins Sean and Andy in Episode 293 to dig into the nuts and bolts of how to build a successful freelance career in live events. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

Brian brings the unique perspective of not only being one of the most in-demand freelance mixers in the corporate event market, but having built a new career after pivoting from a staff job at three different times in his life. This conversation got so in depth with great advice from Brian that it couldn’t fit in one episode, so be sure to tune in next episode for part two!

Episode Links:
STN Episode 151 With Brian Maddox (Next Generation Audio Professionals)
STN Episode 243 With Brian Maddox (Mixing Corporate Events, Part 1)
STN Episode 244 With Brian Maddox (Mixing Corporate Events, Part 2)
STN Episode 275 With Brian Maddox (Mixing For The 2024 Paris Olympics)
Brian Maddox Articles On ProSoundWeb
Episode 293 Transcript

Connect with the community on the Signal To Noise Facebook Group and Discord Server. Both are spaces for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments!

Also please check out and support The Roadie Clinic, Their mission is simple. “We exist to empower & heal roadies and their families by providing resources & services tailored to the struggles of the touring lifestyle.”

The Signal To Noise Podcast on ProSoundWeb is co-hosted by pro audio veterans Andy Leviss and Sean Walker.

Want to be a part of the show? If you have a quick tip to share, or a question for the hosts, past or future guests, or listeners at home, we’d love to include it in a future episode. You can send it to us one of two ways:

1) If you want to send it in as text and have us read it, or record your own short audio file, send it to [email protected] with the subject “Tips” or “Questions”

2) If you want a quick easy way to do a short (90s or less) audio recording, go to https://www.speakpipe.com/S2N and leave us a voicemail there

Episode 293 Transcript

In Episode 292, the hosts turn to a question from the Signal to Noise Discord community and take a trip to Signal to Noise University, where professor Sean treats Andy and the listeners to Marketing 101 with a look at how to make yourself indispensable to clients. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

Whether you’re a small to medium-sized sound provider looking for new business, a freelancer seeking for work from one of those providers, or you’re doing (or trying to do) weddings, corporate events, and concerts — or a mix of all those and more — Sean provides some great advice based on his experience in building his own successful sound company.

Episode Links:
Audio Engineers Northwest
Episode 292 Transcript

Connect with the community on the Signal To Noise Facebook Group and Discord Server. Both are spaces for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments!

Also please check out and support The Roadie Clinic, Their mission is simple. “We exist to empower & heal roadies and their families by providing resources & services tailored to the struggles of the touring lifestyle.”

The Signal To Noise Podcast on ProSoundWeb is co-hosted by pro audio veterans Andy Leviss and Sean Walker.

Want to be a part of the show? If you have a quick tip to share, or a question for the hosts, past or future guests, or listeners at home, we’d love to include it in a future episode. You can send it to us one of two ways:

1) If you want to send it in as text and have us read it, or record your own short audio file, send it to [email protected] with the subject “Tips” or “Questions”

2) If you want a quick easy way to do a short (90s or less) audio recording, go to https://www.speakpipe.com/S2N and leave us a voicemail there 

In the second part of Andy’s conversation with Cody Heimann of Sound Devices (part one is here), the duo rolls up their sleeves and goes deep on the company’s Astral wireless platform that offers 32 channels in a single rack-unit, Optocore integration, and a handheld transmitter that can take almost any capsule on the market without any additional adapters, there’s a lot to discuss. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

Episode Links:
Episode 290 — Cody Heimann On Large-Scale RF Deployment
Sound Devices Astral Wireless & A20-HH Intro Video
Episode 291 Transcript

Connect with the community on the Signal To Noise Facebook Group and Discord Server. Both are spaces for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments!

Also please check out and support The Roadie Clinic, Their mission is simple. “We exist to empower & heal roadies and their families by providing resources & services tailored to the struggles of the touring lifestyle.”

The Signal To Noise Podcast on ProSoundWeb is co-hosted by pro audio veterans Andy Leviss and Sean Walker.

Want to be a part of the show? If you have a quick tip to share, or a question for the hosts, past or future guests, or listeners at home, we’d love to include it in a future episode. You can send it to us one of two ways:

1) If you want to send it in as text and have us read it, or record your own short audio file, send it to [email protected] with the subject “Tips” or “Questions”
2) If you want a quick easy way to do a short (90s or less) audio recording, go to https://www.speakpipe.com/S2N and leave us a voicemail there 

Episode 290 goes all in on wireless as Andy is joined by Cody Heimann, RF applications engineer at Sound Devices as well as a veteran RF coordinator for large-scale events. In the first of two episodes, he talks about how his career grew and led to finding a niche as an RF coordinator for events and clients such as Coachella, New Year’s Eve in Times Square, and some of the largest corporate events and conventions in the world. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

In a wide-ranging conversation, Cody shares tips and advice for handling large events, making wise choices about compromises to fit hundreds of channels of RF into tight spaces, and much more!

After starting his career as an audio assistant, he became a stage tech and patch master, moving through the ranks to monitor and front of house engineer, PA tech, and production manager. He’s been involved in all things audio, which has allowed him to build a diverse portfolio in troubleshooting, technical skills and client relationships.

Now, as an RF applications engineer, he’s definitely no stranger to being agile and working in different mediums of the industry. In April of 2024, Cody joined the RF Applications Team at Sound Devices where he largely works largely in product development, technical support, education, and large-scale and complex deployments of the company’s Astral wireless systems.

Cody loves fitness and the outdoors; he was a part-owner of Music City Boxing in Nashville, met his wife rock climbing as well as an avid motorcycle enthusiast and self-proclaimed “once upon a time drummer.” It’s no doubt that music has been a passion of his since his youth and he loves being able to help continue to be a small part in the big shows!

Episode Links:
Cody Heimann On LinkedIn
Practical Show Tech 15: RF Over Fiber, Multi-Antenna Systems & More
Practical Show Tech 23: Basics Of Frequency Coordination Using PWS IAS
Sound Devices Astral Wireless Family
Grownsy Baby Nasal Aspirator
Powered Ear Wax Remover
Episode 290 Transcript

Connect with the community on the Signal To Noise Facebook Group and Discord Server. Both are spaces for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments!

Also please check out and support The Roadie Clinic, Their mission is simple. “We exist to empower & heal roadies and their families by providing resources & services tailored to the struggles of the touring lifestyle.”

The Signal To Noise Podcast on ProSoundWeb is co-hosted by pro audio veterans Andy Leviss and Sean Walker.

“Spatial” and “immersive” audio are buzzwords that we seem unable to escape in today’s world of live sound, but what do they actually mean and how do we use them — if we even should at all? Theatre sound designer Nat Houle joins the show in Episode 289 to provide a “manufacturer-agnostic” take on the topic, benefits and limitations, and much more. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

Houle, a 2025 USITT Rising Star winner for sound design, works as a designer and associate across the U.S. Last year, she launched a website, NMH Spatial, aimed at introducing folks to the benefits of spatial audio, in addition to shedding light on a number of common myths and misconceptions about the technology and how it can enable and impact your art.

Episode Links:
Nat Houle Website
NMH Spatial
Nat’s Blog On SoundGirls.org
Q&A: Natalie “Nat” Margaret Houle, 2025 USITT Rising Star Winner
Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association (TSDCA)
Pat MacKay Scholarships For Diversity In Design
USITT
Episode 289 Transcript

Spatial Resources:
TiMax
L-Acoustics L-ISA
Meyer Sound Spacemap Go
d&b audiotechnik Soundscape
FLUX:: SPAT

Connect with the community on the Signal To Noise Facebook Group and Discord Server. Both are spaces for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments!

Also please check out and support The Roadie Clinic, Their mission is simple. “We exist to empower & heal roadies and their families by providing resources & services tailored to the struggles of the touring lifestyle.”

The Signal To Noise Podcast on ProSoundWeb is co-hosted by pro audio veterans Andy Leviss and Sean Walker.

Want to be a part of the show? If you have a quick tip to share, or a question for the hosts, past or future guests, or listeners at home, we’d love to include it in a future episode. You can send it to us one of two ways:

1) If you want to send it in as text and have us read it, or record your own short audio file, send it to [email protected] with the subject “Tips” or “Questions”

2) If you want a quick easy way to do a short (90s or less) audio recording, go to https://www.speakpipe.com/S2N and leave us a voicemail there 

This week, Andy takes us behind the scenes for a look at how an episode of Signal to Noise is produced and edited. He walks through the recording, processing, and editing chain, sharing tips and tricks on how to efficiently produce an unscripted conversational podcast, as well as some plugins and tips that are equally applicable to live mixes to broadcast or streaming.

Links:
iZotope RX 11
SoundRadix POWAIR
REAPER
Episode 288 Transcript

Connect with the community on the Signal To Noise Facebook Group and Discord Server. Both are spaces for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments!

Also please check out and support The Roadie Clinic, Their mission is simple. “We exist to empower & heal roadies and their families by providing resources & services tailored to the struggles of the touring lifestyle.”

The Signal To Noise Podcast on ProSoundWeb is co-hosted by pro audio veterans Andy Leviss and Sean Walker.

Want to be a part of the show? If you have a quick tip to share, or a question for the hosts, past or future guests, or listeners at home, we’d love to include it in a future episode. You can send it to us one of two ways:

1) If you want to send it in as text and have us read it, or record your own short audio file, send it to [email protected] with the subject “Tips” or “Questions”

2) If you want a quick easy way to do a short (90s or less) audio recording, go to https://www.speakpipe.com/S2N and leave us a voicemail there

Episode 288 Transcript

Veteran mix engineer Wayne Pauley returns the show in Episode 287 to talk with the hosts about his experience mixing RCF’s Ultimate Jam Night showcase at NAMM, and doing it in the inimitable “Wayne Pauley style” — in other words, as analog as possible! This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

Wayne also talks about touring with an RCF TT+ Audio PA as well as his love for ATI Paragon II consoles, sharing the story of his one-of-a-kind custom half-desk Paragon made by FOH engineer and analog console whisperer Chris Mitchell. In addition, he offers some first-class advice on how to make your reverbs sound perfectly subtle, and much more!

Episode Links:
Signal To Noise, Episode 57: FOH Engineer Wayne Pauley On His Analog Approach & More
Analog Rejuvenation: The Joy Of Getting Back To Basics By Wayne Pawley
Measure Six Times, Cut Once: The Process Of Downsizing An ATI Paragon II Console By Chris Mitchell
The Days Of Rosewood & Iron: Restoring And Enhancing An Early ’80s Mixer By Chris Mitchell
Signal To Noise, Episode 35: FOH Engineer Chris Mitchell
Signal To Noise, Episode 46: Mix Engineers Chris Mitchell & Chris Rabold
Episode 287 Transcript

Connect with the community on the Signal To Noise Facebook Group and Discord Server. Both are spaces for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments!

Also please check out and support The Roadie Clinic, Their mission is simple. “We exist to empower & heal roadies and their families by providing resources & services tailored to the struggles of the touring lifestyle.”

The Signal To Noise Podcast on ProSoundWeb is co-hosted by pro audio veterans Andy Leviss and Sean Walker.

Want to be a part of the show? If you have a quick tip to share, or a question for the hosts, past or future guests, or listeners at home, we’d love to include it in a future episode. You can send it to us one of two ways:

1) If you want to send it in as text and have us read it, or record your own short audio file, send it to [email protected] with the subject “Tips” or “Questions”

2) If you want a quick easy way to do a short (90s or less) audio recording, go to https://www.speakpipe.com/S2N and leave us a voicemail there