Things I'm Learning from Being a Sound Tech

One of my favorite things I used to always say to my friend Kevin when I was running sound for him, or any other band I worked with.  My job as the sound guy is to project the unique awesomeness of any particular band.  Whatever they want to sound like, I make sure that style sounds good, even if sometimes it's not quite my own style.

I think I need to translate my sound tech motto, into my family life.

So how can I, as a dad, make my families uniqueness shine through?  What EQ knob can I turn to make it so that any two "instruments" won't turn each other into mud.  How can I help everyone to blend with each other better.

I need to listen closely to each instrument to see what unique sound they're producing, and decide what "role" they fit in.  If there's a bass player, I make sure no other instruments carry much of their own bass, because the bass is making the best sound in that frequency range.  If there are two guitars, I listen and decide what frequency range they fit into, if they're too close, I change their frequency ranges so that one fits in one spot, and the other fits in another.  If that doesn't work, I'll put one guitar on the left speaker, and the other on the right.  Vocalists work the same way.  The overtones of the vocalists vary, and I try to accent the frequency of their overtone, especially if it's unique to the rest.  If there's a lead vocal, I make sure their voice's frequency is clear from all the instruments, so that everything supports their words.  If there are backup singers, I treat them as instruments, not vocals, as they too are playing the supportive role.

It helps if the band understands this as well, as they can tune their sound according to these concepts.  Backup singers shouldn't pronounce their words as tightly as the lead singer, as well as choosing harmonies, rather than repeating the main melody.  If there are two guitar players, they should choose to play two different parts rather than slamming out the same thing.  If there's a bass player, the piano and guitars shouldn't hit too hard on their lower notes, as that's the bassist's role.

All this is done so that there isn't "mud".  Mud is when there is too much sound doing the same thing, and it causes sound waves to collide, which is extremely unpleasant to listen to.  As the sound tech, I can do a lot toward avoiding mud, however, I can only go so far with EQ knobs and faders.  It's up to the artists to make good choices as a band as well.

The main contributor to mud, is when everyone plays their instrument as if they're the only one playing.  They play in a way that would fill the sound by themselves, just them, their voice and their instrument.  As if no one else is around.  But if everyone fills their sound so much, even if everyone's playing expertly and singing with the voices of angels, it's going to sound terrible.  No one person in the band should think of themselves as "carrying the whole band".  Each instrument has its place, each voice has its place.

Back to being a dad. How can I, as a dad, help everyone find their role, and teach them to not worry about filling the whole "sound" but find their sweet spot, and hit that spot hard.  I can't go around telling everyone what to do.  Try telling an electric guitarist how to tweak his amp… doesn't go so well.  The only thing that can help an instrument player learn this, is to get them to hang out with fellow guitar players that "get it".  Won't happen overnight, but slowly they'll start learning how to fit themselves into the band.

But how do I get Angie to find other moms who "get it" or me to find other dads for that matter.  Most parents are also learning to "get it" themselves, and everyone has unique kids.  So the natural role one mom might find themselves in, will more than likely not fit the kind of role another mom needs to fit in.  In the band world, it's easier to find "experts" as a lot of instrument players have been in several bands over the years, and learning to gel with a new band becomes easier and easier after every experience.  Most parents only do the "parent" thing in one band, ever.  The only experts out there are observers, and mentors who have helped several families learn to gel together. But finding a mentor that isn't completely stuck on the roles they themselves found worked in their own family is extremely difficult, if not impossible. The best I think anyone can do is to try to find a mentor that fits their own personality, and hope for the best.

But is there another way?  I don't know.

Maybe we can learn a few things from this dumb band analogy I've come up with.  Don't play as though you're the only one playing.  That translates nicely.  If there's a conflict, put one person on the right, and the other on the left.  Hahaha.  Learning what "frequencies" each other are best at, and letting people have elbow room where their personal skills flourish.  If someone needs to take a lead role in something, be ok with toning things down and playing the supporting role; not everyone can solo all at once. 

I suppose I can learn a lot from my experiences as being both in bands, and as the sound tech.  Maybe one day I can help others by "projecting the unique awesomeness of their families"  As for now, I need to work on my own families unique awesomeness.