Chris Robold, who is currently the FOH engineer for Bruno Mars joins us to talk about the gear he is using, console workflow, and all-around approach to mixing a dynamic fun show. Bruno Mars is very involved with all aspects of his show including how it sounds. Chris talks about how he manages the artist relationship to deliver what Bruno wants. We discuss some of his past work including Widespread Panic, Kenny Chesney, Lady Gaga and more. Many of these acts tour stadiums which can be drastically different than your typical arena, so we discuss how this affects Chris's approach to the mix.

Ken "Pooch" Van Druten an industry veteran and recent guest of ours started a YouTube series with Chris Rabold, where they discuss audio tips and tricks. Go check it out!

A reminder — check out the Signal To Noise Facebook Group. It’s a space for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments! Let’s build a great sound community with a place to learn, discuss and reminisce about the “good old days.”

The Signal To Noise podcast series on ProSoundWeb, hosted by Live Sound/PSW technical editor Michael Lawrence and pro audio veterans Kyle Chirnside / Chris Leonard

Andrew Stoakley is a television audio production mixer with over 25 years of experience in remote mobile work, mixing a wide range of sports broadcasts (MLB, NHL, NBA, NFL, CFL, MLS, curling and many others) along the way. He’s currently the production show mixer for the Toronto Blue Jays broadcasts. We spend our time talking about what goes into a sports broadcast mix, everything from the input list, mic placement, mixing style, effects of the stereo image in relationship to camera movement and more.

We also looked at the similarities and differences in tools and techniques between mixing for broadcast versus front of house. Andrew went into more detail on his ProSoundWeb article entitled: Different But The Same: Talking Wih Broadcast Mixer Andrew Stoakley About The Craft.

Andrew also recently released his own podcast where he talks to eleven different A1’s about what got them interested in the craft and why we love what it is we do. This series is not about the nuts and bolts about the job, it was intended to be a conversation between two or three people who love what they do and why they do it. “This concept was something I had been thinking about doing for a long time. My first love has always been radio and in part of my professional life, I help other people build their own podcast studios. When the COVID-19 pandemic sadly occurred, it allowed me to work on this pet project” says Stoakley. “The title comes from my own issues with idle hands - I hate it! I hope you find the conversations as interesting as I did to record them and I think it really shines a little light into the world of television audio.”
Go check it out: Idle Hands

A reminder — check out the Signal To Noise Facebook Group. It’s a space for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments! Let’s build a great sound community with a place to learn, discuss and reminisce about the “good old days.”

The Signal To Noise podcast series on ProSoundWeb, hosted by Live Sound/PSW technical editor Michael Lawrence and pro audio veterans Kyle Chirnside / Chris Leonard

In episode 38, the hosts are joined by Merlijn van Veen, a noted audio educator, particularly on the subjects of system optimization, array theory, and subwoofers. Currently the senior technical support and educational specialist at Meyer Sound, Merlijn talks about system engineers and how it’s not just about getting the mix right, but also about delivering the same show to everyone. 

The discussion also touches on sound pressure levels (SPL), still a highly misunderstood concept in pro audio circles. Both the hosts and Merlijn have been doing a lot of research on SPL of late, so the conversation offered a great opportunity to dig further into the topic. And it wouldn’t be a complete discussion with Merlijn if the subject of subwoofers weren’t addressed!

Episode Links:
The Merlijn van Veen Article Archive On PSW
Merlijn van Veen Website

A reminder — check out the Signal To Noise Facebook Group. It’s a space for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments! Let’s build a great sound community with a place to learn, discuss and reminisce about the “good old days.”

The Signal To Noise podcast series on ProSoundWeb, hosted by Live Sound/PSW technical editor Michael Lawrence and pro audio veterans Kyle Chirnside / Chris Leonard

Will Miller joins us this episode to talk more monitors. Will has spent the last eight years with Barry Manilow as Monitor Engineer. Prior to that, he spent many years with Josh Groban, Disturbed along with others. Our Co-Host Chris Leonard spent a few years with Will working at Maryland Sound and on a few tours together.  We spend some time talking about how Will got into the business as well as breaking down more tips for mixing monitors. 


A reminder — check out the Signal To Noise Facebook Group. It’s a space for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments! Let’s build a great sound community with a place to learn, discuss and reminisce about the “good old days.”

The Signal To Noise podcast series on ProSoundWeb, hosted by Live Sound/PSW technical editor Michael Lawrence and pro audio veterans Kyle Chirnside / Chris Leonard

Our guest this episode is Eddie "El Brujo" Caipo, who has worked as a studio engineer, producer, FOH and monitor engineer for some of the biggest names in the music industry. 

He is currently the monitor engineer for Enrique Iglesias but has also had the privilege to work as the FOH and MON engineer for a wide range of artists such as Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera, Smash Mouth, Tears for Fears and more. 

 https://www.prosoundweb.com/2019-top-20-2-dialing-it-in-sound-check-approaches-techniques-from-the-monitor-perspective/

A reminder — check out the Signal To Noise Facebook Group. It’s a space for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments! Let’s build a great sound community with a place to learn, discuss and reminisce about the “good old days.”

The Signal To Noise podcast series on ProSoundWeb, hosted by Live Sound/PSW technical editor Michael Lawrence and pro audio veterans Kyle Chirnside / Chris Leonard

When Chris Mitchell is not out touring as the FOH engineer for Umphrey's McGee he spends his free time restoring huge analog consoles with low channel counts, no dynamics, and limited EQ. Chris finds great satisfaction from reverse engineering some unknown past engineer’s brilliant but outmoded work and re-purposing it for a second life. He enjoys resurrecting consoles that have been discarded but still have the potential to create unique, beautiful sounds.

We also discuss another article by Chris Mitchell on improving emotional conductivity. Why do we do what we do? As the producers of live music, we find ourselves in the unique position of helping create fundamental emotional connections between creators and fans. Our day job is their peak experience. The hard question is how to quantify that emotional conductivity in some way. The most important thing we can do is step away from the desk and listen. Listen with the heart of a fan and the ears of an engineer.

Episode Links:
The Days Of Rosewood & Iron: Restoring And Enhancing An Early ’80s Mixer

Chris Mitchell's Articles on ProSoundWeb


A reminder — check out the Signal To Noise Facebook Group. It’s a space for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments! Let’s build a great sound community with a place to learn, discuss and reminisce about the “good old days.”

The Signal To Noise podcast series on ProSoundWeb, hosted by Live Sound/PSW technical editor Michael Lawrence and pro audio veterans Kyle Chirnside / Chris Leonard

Willa Snow talks with the hosts about how she got her start in pro audio and what fuels her passion. Other topics include what house sound techs can expect from touring engineers coming through their venues, how mistakes can push us forward to the next level, where and how to find touring opportunities — and — worst catering stories!

Based out of Austin, TX with a deep passion for the industry, Willa also serves as a chapter head for SoundGirls.Org, an organization dedicated to inspiring young women in the field of audio by providing educational and networking opportunities.

A reminder — check out the Signal To Noise Facebook Group. It’s a space for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments! Let’s build a great sound community with a place to learn, discuss and reminisce about the “good old days.”

The Signal To Noise podcast series on ProSoundWeb, hosted by Live Sound/PSW technical editor Michael Lawrence and pro audio veterans Kyle Chirnside / Chris Leonard

Tyler Walters joins us for a great discussion on the best practices and daily work of a system engineer. This past summer (2019) Tyler was on the road serving as system engineer for the Outlaw Music Festival, an event organized by the original outlaw himself, Willie Nelson. He wrote about the tour and his workflow approach in a ProSoundWeb article. "Staying Ahead Of The Game: System optimization For a Music Festival On Wheels"

A reminder — check out the Signal To Noise Facebook Group. It’s a space for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments! Let’s build a great sound community with a place to learn, discuss and reminisce about the “good old days.”

The Signal To Noise podcast series on ProSoundWeb, hosted by Live Sound/PSW technical editor Michael Lawrence and pro audio veterans Kyle Chirnside / Chris Leonard

We take a listener question today about console workflow. We dig into what that looks like when doing monitors from FOH. We also breakdown some monitor mixing best practices. 

We would love for you to join our Podcast Facebook group. We wanted to create a space for listeners of the podcast to create a conversation around the topics and people we talk to. We want feedback and questions. This podcast is just as much for you all as it is for us. So let’s build up a great sound community with a great place to learn, discuss and  reminisce of the good old days! https://www.facebook.com/groups/243833546641306/


The Signal To Noise podcast series on ProSoundWeb, hosted by Live Sound/PSW technical editor Michael Lawrence and pro audio veterans Kyle Chirnside / Chris Leonard 

Rooted in a passion for the industry, Jeff Hawley of Allen & Heath USA talks about his path in the "music business". It's not always what you dream of as a kid.

In addition, Allen & Heath has a heavy presence in the house of worship market and that’s not by mistake. We discuss what influences that and how the A&H team is heavily focused on the training aspect of it all. And, Jeff also talks about his involvement with updating the consoles in the iconic Viper Room on the Sunset Strip in LA.

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? We close out our conversation with a short thought experiment on the philosophical side of audio and what Jeff is currently studying.

We would love for you to join our Podcast Facebook group. We wanted to create a space for listeners of the podcast to create a conversation around the topics and people we talk to. We want feedback and questions. This podcast is just as much for you all as it is for us. So let’s build up a great sound community with a great place to learn, discuss and  reminisce of the good old days! https://www.facebook.com/groups/243833546641306/

Episode Links:

Church Sound Podcast

http://churchsoundu.com


The Signal To Noise podcast series on ProSoundWeb, sponsored by Shure and hosted by Live Sound/PSW technical editor Michael Lawrence and pro audio veterans Kyle Chirnside / Chris Leonard