The Victimization of the Sound Guy

2009-01-17T22:10:00.001-07:00

New Mexico Hispano Music Awards. Monitoring the record feed and the playback feed to FOH.

A four hour event. Aye. Turning into five.

Mixing on the amazing analog Mackie 402.

2008-12-24T16:53:00.002-07:00

So here I am in the second of three services. The one for broadcast later tonight. Finding that delicate balance of live and tv mix.

This has been relatively an easy mix. Skip, a short video, solos by Nick , Jenn, and Kenny. A small black gospel choir. A kids choir. The worship band. And a partridge in a pinon tree.

So I am grateful for a job. A staff that is grateful for me. And I hope and pray many lives are touch today and tonite from all over.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-16T08:54:00.002-07:00

So this is my winter wonderland...I know. Not a lot it. But enough to cancel schools around here. Wimps. When I was a kid...2 feet...uphill..yeah yeah. Seriously you don't want to drive around Burque with all these drivers who don't know how drive in the snow. And unfortunately work is only on a two hour delay. Sheesh.

So as usual, everything melted, and I made my way to the chapel, and sound checked a guest band for tomorrow night. Celtic bluegrass folk music. Hammered dulcimer and all. Should be a good night for all. Speaking of HD, has anyone mic'ed up a hammered dulcimer?

No? Oh well. Lucky for me, she has pickups, so I plopped down 2 di's went on my way . I'll let you know how it went.

Later

A few changes....

2008-11-20T21:13:00.003-07:00

Ok. I am going to change the direction of this blog. I want to use this one to talk tech. More gear. Reviews. Rants. Raves. Observations. And such. For more on my personal life and thoughts, I am posting on a new blog call Me Myself I. I know, really original. It will change at some point. So for audio, video, lighting, production stuff, hang out here. For the other side of things, be sure to check out my other one.

Thanks

2008-11-20T21:10:00.000-07:00

I'd like to give a shout out to the man with guit fiddle. Mr. Del Puckett.
Carrying his computer around with a web cam, interviewing me like a rock star. Check it out.

And so it begins again...

2008-11-07T08:43:00.003-07:00

Another weekend of being a sound victim.

Going to Redding California and Gilbert Arizona with Jeremy Riddle and his drummer Brandon McCoy.

The victimization started early. After having to get up early, my door knob came apart walking out the door. Then I ended up behind one of ABQ's finest and couldn't make up time. Check in was smooth. Thank you Southwest Airlines. Security was packed. 4 lines going to 3 checkers. Then I forgot about a pair of wire strippers in my backpack. Under 7 inches got to keep them. My flight is rapidly approaching. Rush to the gate. And waited for ten minutes to embark. Small passenger count. Ahh. Get to stretch out and listen to music. But wait. Ipod out of juice. Oh well. Sit back and watch the Arizona landscape pass by. Definitey the victim.

So what does the media think of our candidates....

2008-11-03T19:49:00.005-07:00

Here's an interesting study about the negative coverage of
the presidential candidates. Wonder who they want to win?!?!

Undecided

2008-10-26T23:19:00.002-06:00

Experts say that this election is going to be decided by the "undecided voters," the seven percent of voters, who after two years of this campaign, are still undecided.

Scary to think that the future of this country is going to be decided by people who just can't make up their mind. Is this wise?

- Craig Ferguson

Protection you can't buy!

2008-10-25T23:10:00.003-06:00

This makes me feel so much better knowing that I am protected. Keep sanitizing america. keep sanitizing.

Great Concert...but wet and cold!

2008-10-04T19:50:00.001-06:00

Out in the boonies from the stage watching Cheap Trick & Journey. Raining. Cold.

2008-10-03T12:12:00.002-06:00

Hmmm...trying to tell me something?

A reason to come home

2008-09-25T18:56:00.003-06:00

This is my town. One the reasons to live here. The sunsets on the Sandias are amazing!

For The Championship!

2008-09-14T10:12:00.004-06:00

The competition was fierce!

Freakin Air Hockey on an IPhone!

This is how I feel

2008-09-07T09:36:00.003-06:00

Endorsement???

2008-08-28T08:35:00.007-06:00

I read a post this morning that surprised me. A couple of influential church leaders have endorsed Barack Obama for president. Through a political action committee under the guise of a ministry, they call for social change to bring about Christ's call to take care of the least of these.

While a noble and compelling goal, last time I checked, He didn't call for the government to do this. This is our call as Christians. The church is responsible. And the 'least of these' needs to include the unborn children. The hypocrisy of wanting one thing, but not to include another is blinding. I would love for the government to help out, but not at the expense of adding to our already huge welfare state. Change those rules to help instead of hinder.

I want my church leader to be politicaly involved, but I think it is wrong for this leader to publicly endorse any political candidate. I believe it is absolutely their responsibility to teach their congregation the importance of participating in the election process. As one of the commentors put it, "I think we should spend a lot more time helping people shape their political beliefs from the context of their faith."

When we do this, we enable people to think about what is important to us. To the church. To the betterment of our society. To a friend of mine, social justice is his immediate issue. To another, the rights of unborn babies. Because of these positions, they will vote for the opposite parties. Both are right in their convictions. The most important thing, is to not make it a one issue choice.

2008-08-28T07:31:00.003-06:00

Morning ritual for tests for my boy

Native Roots Festival

2008-08-26T21:30:00.005-06:00

Native Roots Festival @ the Paulo Soleri in Santa Fe.

Worked this festival, and not being a big fan of the reaggae mon, I was definitely out of my element. It sounded pretty good. The Paulo Soleri, is an awesome place to mix.

Load out is hell! Very much a victim.

Photography

2008-07-29T16:47:00.005-06:00

I have always wanted to get into photography. I bought a Nikon D40 earlier this year, and have enjoyed every snapshot. Getting to be creative, and try different things with it. So this photo is of my son. We headed to the park thinking the sunset was going to be spectacular. It wasn't, so I took a bunch of pictures of him instead.

Love is Noise

2008-07-28T22:45:00.003-06:00

The single came out today from The Verve. I was slightly disappointed with Ashcroft's last solo project. Good, but not great. Now I hope the rest of the release lives up to this song. Amazing.

The Who

2008-07-27T22:39:00.004-06:00

So, just watching the last hour of the VH1 Rock Honors for The Who. I missed it the first night they showed. On vacation and all. I have to admit, growing up I did not listen to rock music. I still can't figure out why or how I missed it. So, missed out on the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, the Stones, old school rock. My first album I bought when I was twelve, was Jackson Browne, Running on Empty.

When I started mixing sound, I grew to appreciate what those bands contributed to the genre. I took a trip to England in 1998 , and actually made it to Liverpool. The guys I was with were fanatics of the Beatles, so we did all the tours and such. After that I really started to listen to them, and other bands from the 60's and early 70's and found I liked it. Very much. I had deprived my music soul of some very essential music.

The best part of music, is making sure my son has a chance to listen to the greats.

So needless to say, I can be somewhat of a music snob, but I do try to listen, and give every genre its chance.

Listening to the Who has been great. Pearl Jam's songs rocked. Flaming Lips were amazing as usual, and of course Foo Fighters brought it.

Emminence Front and Behind Blue Eyes have to be my fav Who songs.

So there you go. A post on music this sound guy likes.

Sleep....is overrated!

2008-05-29T02:49:00.003-06:00

So as I sit here in the dark...trying to figure out life's questions...at 2:30am, I am joined by my son (who should be sleeping) and we are discussing those tough questions in life. Latte or machiato, basketball playoffs, or hockey playoffs. Both of these are good for me, because the Red Wings and the Pistons are in the playoffs. We'll see if the Pistons can pull it together or not. We also discussed out doubts. How hard it is sometimes to believe. Came across a quote from another blogger somewhere, who said, we need to have doubt to have faith. Makes sense.

So as we try to go back to sleep, (good thing school is out), we can dream of eating ribs and a good ol #9 at the Golden Pride, with our good friend Colin in a few hours. So till then, zzzzzz.

2008-05-07T10:48:00.001-06:00

Mass Media Driven Circus

2008-05-07T09:01:00.006-06:00

So, I Just read Seth Godin's post on how the media likes to drive what we see and hear. It is something I've felt for a long time, just didn't know to how to describe it. He does a pretty good job. So let's get the "actual" news.

What to do...

2008-05-07T08:59:00.002-06:00

This past winter and early spring found me on the road a lot. In the air mostly. Layovers in Dallas Ft Worth, Houston, and even Cincinnati. I was road managing for Jeremy Riddle and his band. I had a lot of fun, but plenty of lack of sleep to help contribute to me feeling like I aged some more.

Part of good times was hanging with B McCoy. A great guy. A great drummer. A great point of view, that makes you think. I had think of a lot of rebuttals, but made me think none the less. He possesses a sharp mind that makes you think he is older than he is. But he also has a naivety that I wish I could have back.

After finding his rants and raves online, it has given me the jolt to make my voice heard (seen). If only to get things off my chest. If only I am the only one who sees this. If I am the only one.

So as this next chapter opens up, grab a pint of Smithwicks, get out the darts, let's ramble on.

The Tigers

2008-05-02T21:05:00.003-06:00

Ok, so the Tigers got off to a very bad start. 0-7. But they have come to life of late. Now they are flirting with going .500. But, that one will have to wait. Minnesota is kicking their collective butts. Oh well. 3rd highest salary payroll, and the payoff is yet to come.

I don't watch baseball too much. I usually save up for the series. Most like the other sports. I'll watch some of the Red Wings games, especially if they go to the finals. I'll try to catch an occasional Tigers game on TV. Mostly, though I will watch football. While I root for the Lions, the team I like is the Broncos. The AFC west, until last year, was the toughest league to play in. We'll see how it plays out this year.

So that covers baseball, hockey, and football. Politics will come later.

So for now, try not to get victimized. Go Tigers!

Continuation of Places I've Been

2008-04-09T20:52:00.003-06:00

This year has taken me to many places I haven't been to yet.

Cleveland OH
went to Cleveland Heights Guitar Shop. Held a 1948 Martin.
Cincinnati OH
ate at the Budakhan downtown. Great Pad Thai
Pensacola FL
Hattiesburg MS
The Keg and Barrell. Black Castle.
Boston MA
Do I need to say more? Majestic Theater was home for a week.
Spartanburg SC
Delany's Pub, Smithwicks, and darts.
Memphis TN
Lake Charles, LA
Two tornadoes touched down right before we got to town
Grand Rapid, MI
Andy Warhol at GRAM

And revisited some places I have already been.
Orlando
Atlanta
Charlotte
Nashville
Houston
Dallas
Chicago

2008-04-09T20:36:00.002-06:00

so with the Student Life Tour at an end, and nary a sound gig in sight at least until June....(yeah right), I can now turn my attentions to.....hmmmm. I don't know what to do.

I could try to find more audio gigs. I could try to put my camera investment to work. I could just find a hobby. To much thinking.

So as end of tour present, Matt the audio guy, "accidentally" saved his settings over mine. So the video timer is ending, the lights come up for Jeremy, Drew (the tech director) is wondering loudly why the playback music is still up, and I am scrambling trying to get a ProTools recording going. All the while Matt is asking me if I can use his settings to start. So up goes Jeremy's fader, the music goes down, and the show starts. Takes two songs to get it close. None of the effects setting were right. The verb I stored was an amp simulator in Matt's world. Jeremy sure sounded good with his voice running through a Fender Twin or something like that. At least I had all the channels, and monitor world wasn't on my shoulders. I probably would have skulked out the back door and disappeared into the wet chilly Tennessee night.

So I accepted Matt's apology, and went on with the show. What a way to have the last night go.

2008-03-30T18:47:00.002-06:00

All right, I have spent the last 3 months of my life on an airplane. I know my way intimately around DFW. I probably been at DFW more than I have been home. I walk into my house and ask why housekeeping hasn't put fresh towels in or made up my bed. (Can you sense the victimization here?)

I have been on tour with Jeremy Riddle and his band since the end of January. Visiting locales in the south east region of our fine country with Student Life. Mostly churches with a few civic center thrown in. Mixing on the M7CL. Matt and Ross providing the system and mons. Making my life easy. Be sure to check out Spur 58. These guys are a class act.

I also have provided FOH and Road duties for Fernando Ortega. Going to the Chicago area a couple of times, and visiting Prestonwood in Dallas. Nothing like a 7500 seat church auditorium to make you ask....why?

So I have one more weekend out with Jeremy, and then I get back to a little sanity of being home for a while. That way I can get Colin his Dominicans.

Midwest Tour Swing...

2005-08-01T01:36:00.000-06:00

Suede in Tulsa, OK. John and his system. Midas with and EV Rig.
Jackpot Saloon in Lawrence, KS. Nick and the house system. System ok, Nick a great guy. No a/c.
Chatterbox, Lincoln, NE. Where men are men, and the women....I ended up running sound for the night
Tonic Room, Chicago, IL. Lincoln Park area. Vibey place, but the a/c broke that day.
Rock Lobster, Indianapolis, IN, A music showcase with a system that absolutely sucked. What were they thinking...

Louis the XIV was incredible. The cd kinda sucks. Their show is great.

Then the brutal 22 hour drive home.

I am definitely the victim here!

Flash - Celebrity Fight Club

2005-06-24T00:05:00.001-06:00

Get to kick David Hasselhoff's butt....can't be that bad.

idleriot.com: Flash - Celebrity Fight Club

Where Have I Been?

2005-06-13T22:22:00.000-06:00

I have to complain though, I haven't been enough places this year.

For the sake of music, I have been a lot of places

Early 80's
Utah
Moab, Salt Lake City, Ogden
West Texas
Kermit, Earth, Sudan, Lubbock, Texico, Hereford
Eastern NM
Oil Center, Monument, Dora, Floyd, Elida, Hobbs, Carlsbad, Jal, Eunice, Clovis, House, Field, Forrest
Early 90's
High Q
All over NM
Southern CO
Durango, Cortez, Telluride, Ignacio
Kingman AZ
Needles CA
Denver
Colorado Springs

Late 90's
Southern India
Scotland
Edinburgh, Motherwell, Falkyrke
England
Ashford, London, York, Harrogate

Echoing Green
El Paso, Albuquerque

Pinks
Jacksonville, Atlanta, Lake Tahoe, San Diego, Santa Fe, Monterrey, Verona NY, Farmington PA, Albuquerque

Soular
San Fran, Santa Barbara, Hollywood, San Diego, Tempe, Phoenix, Santa Fe, Denver, Winter Park, Las Vegas, Cloudcroft, Albuquerque

Recording
Santa Fe Center Studios, Shepherd Studios, A Frame Studio, Upstairs, The Living Room, The Closet, The Bathroom, The Kitchen, and any other place I pressed the record button.

The places I would like to go include Australia, Japan, Italy, and Russia. And don't forget Hawaii.

I left my (insert noun) in San Fran

2005-05-31T11:56:00.000-06:00

The tour started out in San Francisco. I had never been there. What an amazing city. I missed the first gig at the Red Devil Lounge, due to a prior gig. My son had a band concert for his elementary school band. Thanks to Eric for all the effort and commitment to helping these kids enjoy music.

So my first gig in SF was on Haight and Ashbury. At the Club Deluxe. A great hole in the wall joint with a 6 channel Sunn mixer and 2 speakers hung in the corners. So we set up the beast rack (the in ear monitor rack- with out wheels- and it was not light). Mixed from that. Then the band after us complained about time, and we had to cut short. What a prick. Oh well. Toss everything back in the trailer, and move on.

So what does that teach us about being a victim?

2005-05-30T12:07:00.000-06:00

San Diego is my town....

I finally got to victimize someone else. After days of driving and playing, it was nice to just chill out and hang out, and take easy. Jared, Ian, Brian and I went bowling in El Cajon. It looked bad for the home team. Just a measley 79 the first game. Is that a good score? then, the carnage began. Steadily I picked them off. Bowled a 239 (personal best). So beware of the come-from-behinders. No lube allowed.

2005-05-30T12:05:00.000-06:00

So on to San Luis Obispo...

Wow! It took 8 hours to get from San Fran to SLO. The view was awesome. We took the PCH, Highway 1. Stopped in Monterrey for a clam chowder bowl on the wharf. Then saw a glimpse of heaven outside of Carmel. Amazing. At a roadside stop later on, we heard an earthquake. I guess the only victimization going on, was the slow winding drive. Worth the time though. The next day found us at Questa College doing a radio interview. The guys did great, and I got to just hang out and not do too much. Then we drove on to the holy site of the Santa Maria In and Out Burger. Scroggins and I had to have it. I was driving, so I got pull in and declare "We have arrived at a most sacred place, let us partake of the goodness that lies within".

Been a While...

2005-05-30T11:36:00.000-06:00

So...
Since the last post, the victimization continues. In my field, you encounter a lot of different types, with one common thought...I am better than you at this sound thing. While I know I can throw down a mean mix, I also know, there are people who are lightyears ahead of me. Once, I realize one's skill level is above mine, I sit back and take notice, and most of all listen to what that person is doing, and ask questions. Most of them will answer without a condescending tone, and will be helpful if you don't come off as a snot nosed punk out to take away his job. So my advise is to sit back, help where you can, and most of all, listen. I will talk to you, if you don't treat me like an alien. The band hired me to tour with them for a reason. I know it's your system, and will take care of it, if you help me with its limitations.

Ok, that being said....

More on the tour and the victimization to come!

What's New?

2005-02-01T10:34:00.000-07:00

Hmmm, Good question. More victimizing happening. Christmas and New Years have come and gone.

Ever get the feeling you are in too far, and can't climb out? Between getting the work done for my paying gig, and getting the work done for my non paying gig, the line of reality dimmed quite a bit. I needed about 4 more hours to pull off the gig for Soular. Great show. Great performance. Forgetter opened. Ian, James, and Moose. Great bunch o fellows. I'd like to forget the next band, Simple. The lead singer was a (insert appropriate explicative) jerk. My son was in the audience, being an all ages type of show, and he dropped at least 10-12 f bombs. Very nice.

I love planning out an event, and having the wrong gear show up. Since this event was somewhat of a freebie for the sound company, we were on the bottom of the totem pole when it came to gear. While everything was usable, it wasn't quite enough. Needed an extra 5-6 channels, more inputs on the snake, a bigger console with more aux sends, better effects. The Meyer MTS4's are amazing. Needed a few more MAC 250's for lighting, and at least 2 more days planning on the video side of things. But alas, I learn.

Are you catching the theme here? I am the Victim.

I really enjoy doing sound. And I really enjoy working with all these guys. Soular and Forgetter. Even my maybe future brother in law complemented me on the sound. Thats a hard sell right there. All I want is when a band I work with gets to the podium, that they don't forget me

Remember, you are not responsible. You are the victim.

new ipod models!

2004-12-23T11:00:00.001-07:00

OH yeah, Choose the Hootie!

ipod

I am a Victim

2004-12-19T18:01:00.000-07:00

Another victim. An over-zealous client abusing the good nature of the organization I was doing sound for. Hey can you do a dinner set? Then take a break? Why don't you keep playing, and take a break later...I'll get up and talk. The guy never got up and talked, and the band played until midnight. We started at 7:00. 5 hours of mixing. 2 hours of sound check. My ears are still closed after that. Fun night though, great people in the band.

I will say, it was my first time in upstate NY. Pretty dismal. Not a lot of snow. Very grey. I hope the Catskills and Adiroindaks look better than that when it's warm....Remember, I am the victim!

Muse-ings

2004-12-16T10:08:00.001-07:00

I get the joy of taking my son to school every morning. So with that, I've been able expose him to music he probably wouldn't listen to with others (my wife). She likes some alternative rock, but mostly mainstream ClearChannel. My son's musical tastes have ranged from The Backstreet Boys and early PopTart stuff when he was a little younger, to more recent power guitar chords stuff like, Nickelback, Trapt, Skillet, and POD. He really enjoyed the new U2 album. But the biggest surprise is Muse. That's what we have been listening to for a few weeks now. He has his favorite songs and they're not the main ones. So I must be rubbing off on him. Let's hope he doesn't turn back to the dark side (pop).

I wore out the first Absolution CD I got, and hadn't really listened to it much since until now. It is an amazing album. I saw them in concert in Oct. Jaw dropping performance. So if you haven't ever listened to Muse, you must. To bad no grammy nominations. We just have to listen to Green Day, Usher, and Alicia Keys. Oh Well........

The day after....

2004-11-26T15:33:00.000-07:00

So the day after turkey day has come. Left overs, driving from some destination a few hours away, and in my case, getting over a nasty bug that is not giving me any slack. So while the past month has been interesting, with politics, both personal, national, and even on the international front, we all must continue to run the race put before us. I feel like I have a hamstring pull though in my current race.

As far as abusing the soundguy, I worked in Phoenix last weekend, and while the gig was pretty easy, an interesting note...Sam the keynote motivational speaker was onstage. I asked him to check his wireless handheld mic. So the stage manager hands him the mic and he proceeds to talk. He's holding the mic against his stomach, and proceeds to ramble in a soft tone. I start making adjustments. I pick up the talkback mic and ask him if he is going to talk louder, or with intensity. He said yes, but he wasn't feeling it. He didn't know how to explain, but just that he couldn't feel it. All the while holding the mic down at his sternum. I really almost told him I knew a way he could really feel the presencse of that microphone. But being the "pro", I withheld my comments. The Tech Director or the show, looked at me and knew what I was thinking and laughed. So all the General Sessions went off without to many distraction.

Kudos to the guys and crew at the Dodge Theater. Class facility. Pretty decent inhouse system. And most importantly, easy going people to work with.

forgetter

2004-08-08T10:55:00.001-06:00

So, one of the bands I have priviledge to work with is Ian, James, and Ethan from the band Forgetter. They are working on a new project that has evolved over the past year. If you take music from Radiohead, CTC, the Verve, these are among the influences of this band. But they are definiteley in a category all their own. Be sure to check out these guys. Let 'em know.

forgetter.com

2004-08-01T21:47:00.001-06:00

Time to start again. Just wonderin' after all the hoopla in Boston, how the Dems can claim values Reps hold so dearly, as their own. Every four years that seems to be the case. Iraq is a mess and only Dems can fix it. The intelligence situation is a mess and only the Dems can fix it. The education system is a mess, and only the Dems can fix it. The military is understaffed and only the Dems can fix it. My life is a mess and only the Dems can fix it. But wait, I am OC. Overly Caucasian. To make matters worse, I'm just north of the middle in middle class. So no help there. I'm screwed. Oh well.

I think I'll vote....?

2004-08-01T21:45:00.001-06:00

Jared says "Welcome Earthlings"!

2004-05-12T00:04:00.001-06:00

When I saw the news today, oh boy....

My heart sank. Can we just get along? is the the battle cry of the misinformed. Just Anger, and righteous indignation are the emotions of the day. But why a man just trying to get home... Why a man, or a woman, or a child trying to survive in this world, with the memories of a loved one executed by a radical extremist, whose only mission in life is to kill or be killed by the sword, or suicide bomb. Will there ever be peace in this world for my son? To give him hope is all I can do, and what my mission in life is. To give hope, and a reason for living in our messed up world we live in. Please consider searching for that hope. And don't be afraid to ask....

2003-07-11T22:35:00.000-06:00

Mr Soundguy...how are the four voices blending...? are they oK?

After 3 hours of listening to off key and out of time, what am I supposed to say...!

Yes, they are fine.

Have a good night!

2003-07-11T00:50:00.000-06:00

How can I resist the temptation of telling people they are crazy if they don't like the way I mix....