Posts relating to live audio & music production.
Did you get a loud hum coming through the PA system at your last show? Or is there a persistent ‘zzzz’ sound in your rehearsal room, especially when plugging in certain bits of equipment? If so, you are experiencing ‘earth loop’ or ‘ground loop’ hum. All musicians recognise this sound (especially guitarists) and the way … Read more
Learn how to be a roadie, working with bands on tour, with this step-by-step guide! I have re-written ‘Roadie Inc. – Gain and Keep a Career in the Live Music Business’, and the new book, ‘5 Steps to a Roadie Job – Get Working On-The-Road with Touring Bands‘ is available now. ‘5 Steps to a … Read more
I recommend you read some, or all of these books, if you are serious about starting a career as a concert touring tech, or other roadie-type job. Three of them are written by people who have, or do, tour for a living, and so they are relevant to what you are trying to achieve. “One … Read more
Its taken a while and I am proud to announce my course, ‘5 Steps to a Roadie Job’, is now available. You can find out more in this video and also below. I’m also offering a 50% discount on the course until May 31st 2016; please click here for your discount. The ‘5-Steps to a … Read more
The International Live Music Conference (ILMC) takes place every year in London, and attracts booking agents, concert promoters, artist managers, tech companies and suppliers from all over the world for three days of panels, workshops and networking events. Incorporated into the ILMC is the ILMC Production Meeting (IPM), a one-day conference, where specific concert production … Read more
‘Hey, ‘scuse me. How do I get a job as a roadie like you?’ Ask any tour manager, sound engineer, lighting person or backline technician about the most common question they get asked, and their reply will probably be, ‘something about how to become a roadie’. And how do they answer? Well, after explaining that … Read more
A student recently asked me answer some questions about concert tour management and live sound engineering to help her with a college project. I get a lot of these requests and am always happy to offer answers and advice (time permitting) and have even posted an FAQ to help with this type of research. However … Read more
Playing a show will usually involve some kind of sound check. This check will take place before the public arrive and involves setting up your equipment, having the sound engineers place appropriate microphones and DI boxes, cabling everything into the mixing console and playing a couple of songs in order that the front-of-house engineer can … Read more
If you are curious as to how much money you could be earning from your music, producing other people’s music or working as part of the road crew you should check out the new study from Berklee College of Music, Music Careers in Dollars and Cents. Originally released in 2010, this revised study by the … Read more
Mark Workman, tour manager and lighting designer for such bands as Testament, Anthrax, Megadeth, Slayer, Machine Head, Queens of the Stone Age, Soulfly and Sepultura has written an excellent book about modern concert tour management, called ‘One For The Road – How To Be A Music Tour Manager. I’ve just bought it and I can … Read more
