From: burris@highspl (David Burris)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.pro
Subject: Re: Sound reinforcement questions
Date: 11 Sep 92 05:12:13 GMT
Organization: Dave's Home PC

From article <1992Sep9.060656.22351@ucc.su.OZ.AU>, by theo@physics.su.OZ.AU (Theo ten Brummelaar):
> In article <H.dkL5ZTYtBvs@jonh.wimsey.bc.ca> jhenders@jonh.wimsey.bc.ca writes:
>>
>>p.s. another quick question: Do sound engineers usually know more about 
>>tuning drums than drummers. ;-)
>>
> SOAP BOX ON
> 
> Unfortunately, this seems to be true. I didn't start to learn how to tune
> my drums until I started trying to mic them up and working with sound 
> reinforcement people. Basically I didn't know what to really listen for.
> By the same token, a number of sound engineershave said they learnt a few
> things by listening to what the musicians have to say.

I have worked with several drummers that didn't even realize you
could tune drums or that there was a "correct" method to installing
drum heads. I generally left it alone unless it was so bad I
couldn't take it and would then should up about 3 hours early to
tune all the drums. I think, generally, that most decent drummers
would know more about their instruments.

> 
> The comment that started this thread was due to my frustration 
> at working with sound engineers who can tell you lots about serial numbers
> but cann't actualy help you get `that sound'. This does not always happen,
> in fact not very often. I place these people in the same catagory as the
> guitar players that know all about the history of their guitar but aren't
> able to keep time.

Part of the difficulty is understanding what "that sound" means. A
good sound engineer must not only understand equipment, power
ratios, and basic electricity, if not electronics. (S)he must also
be a mind reader and interpreter. To be successful, I think you have
to have a basic understanding what works to begin with, what types
of audio effects work with various styles of music. In addition, you
have to be able to interpret adjectives like fatter, meaner,
broader, sweeter, more balls, less grit, etc. all within the context
you are in beacause each of these terms will probably mean something
different, even to different people in the same band.

The mind reader is meant almost literally. You must be able to
interpret facial expressions, head and arm signals, that someone is
playing poorly because they can't really hear themselves, etc.

Granted, there are a LOT of bad sound people out there, even in the
large halls with professional acts.

> People in the music trade should listen to each other as well as know 
> their equipment ;-).

I find that there are two basic types of attitudes about that. One
attitude is that many musicians don't listen to other musicians
because they don't want to be influenced. I know a lot of musicians
that have NEVER been to a live show with any band they haven't been
playing in at the time. Basically an ego trip.

The other types are having fun. They learn by listening to the
masters that have come before them and building to musical variety
by trying variations of tricks learned from the masters. They like
to discover new ideas and to exchange those idea with others. For
them music is more like a journey.

-- 
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David Burris					Aurora,Il.
burris@highspl		           ..!linac!highspl!burris
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