It Wouldn’t Be the Same Without Them
Let’s talk about rooms.
In the world of the recording arts, the room where the music is being recorded plays a huge part in how the music is going to sound.
Let’s talk about Motown from Detroit in the 60’s – Much of it was recorded in an attic with longer angled walls thanks to the roof. That room’s shape and what it was made of contributed to the signature sound of the era. Well, just as it is true for recording, it is equally as important for live concerts, but there is a catch.
Unlike the world of recording, and apart from sound rehearsal in which the acoustics are different than when filled with people for the actual show, you get no do-overs.
It’s all in real-time, making the role and importance of the highly skilled live sound technician extremely exciting and in high demand. Let’s take a closer look at what they do, some of the physics that they are working with, and how you can learn the art of becoming a concert technician.
Physics, Music and Training Collide
When dealing with live sound, there are a few key considerations. Here are just a handful of examples, as this hybrid craft and artform go much deeper.
The Sound of the Music
The sound of the music and the intention of it is going to dictate much of what you decide. Let’s go back to the Motown example. Now, if you took that same band to a cathedral and put them through a massive sound system, it would sound horrible, no matter how good the players were.
A cathedral is designed to resonate to the point where you would likely avoid using any kind of amplification and an appropriate style of music. So if you had booked Yo-Yo-Ma, then it would be about finding the proper placement for him and his cello, and possibly employing acoustic treatment beforehand, as the delayed sound can make it difficult to play properly.
The Equipment At Hand
Sometimes the options are plentiful and in real life, sometimes they are abysmal. Knowing your way around a parametric EQ, for example, is a crucial skill, but sometimes you won’t have a mixing board or an EQ and will need to get creative. Many techniques employ the physics of sound to help attenuate or lower it in the frequencies that you need to.
More knowledge that comes with training and experience, for example, is that of the different sound systems themselves. Are the speakers active or passive? Are you using a stereo configuration or mono? Series or parallel? What kind of speakers are they? We’re not even getting into the amplifiers yet! There is so much to learn as a concert tech, which makes it even more exciting and rewarding.
This is the forte of a concert technician, and this is what makes them so incredibly valuable. When you work at a venue, you get to know all of its quirks and the same goes for the equipment.
The Physics at Play in the Live Environment
Sound waves are incredibly interesting. Here is an experiment you can try at home. YouTube a sine wave at a low but audible frequency like 60Hz and play it through your speakers at a reasonably loud level, pointed straight-on to the rear wall of the room. Now, slowly walk to the back of the room, and you will notice that at one point the sound disappears!
This is called a standing wave, and using a sine wave makes a good demonstration. However, the effect is more subtle when irregular waves of real-life and music come out of speakers or instruments. This is just a small taste of what you need to be aware of as a concert tech.
MI College of Contemporary Music
While it may be a somewhat challenging role, it is one of the most fulfilling paths that an audio engineer can take. You are connected to both the music and the audience, making it something of performance art in its own right.
You can learn more about this extremely exciting, rewarding, and fun career by checking out the audio programs at MIU. You will learn the ins and outs of the equipment, the physics, the sounds, and the industry.