Get on Board! Smoke-filled rooms. Late nights. Equipment malfunctions. Missing cables. Frayed nerves. Joining the band. Facing new challenges every day. Commanding the mixing board. Achieving a level of audio artistry. All are facets in the life of a sound tech. If you have an appetite for technology, an understanding of music and a good ear, this may be a career path that is both satisfying and rewarding. We asked two Shure insiders, Gino Sigismondi and Gabe Benitez, both weekend warriors, for their advice on breaking into the business. We also talked to the Midwest’s own Gerry Stinson, a top sound engineer who has mixed local and touring acts from Soul Asylum to symphony orchestras. Then, we hooked up with Tonderick “TW” Watkins who has lent his amazing talents to a whole crew of hip-hop artists and recently finished a VH1 film soundtrack. Here’s the good news: With the right contacts, a willingness to swallow your ego in exchange for on-the-job training and the right people skills, you can go far. And you can do it without a degree in sound engineering or physics. A subject as broad and complex as this can’t be covered in a Shure Notes article, but we’ll offer some general guidelines that may help you decide if this is right path for you: Being a Sound Tech Starting Out Basics Gaining Real-World Experience To understand what a sound tech really does and what it takes to get started, we sat down with Shure Associates Gino Sigismondi and Gabe Benitez. What practical experience do they have? Well ... after hours, you can find them at Chicago clubs, handling live sound for local and touring acts. Did they need advanced degrees for these moonlighting gigs? The answer: a resounding “No!”. So, whether you’re in search of a career path – or like them, you want to add another paragraph to your resume and have fun in the process – here is helpful advice from people who have been there (and are there). The Role of a Sound Tech The mechanics can get a little complicated, but the objective is simple and here it is: Working with the band, get the best sound possible using the equipment you have in the venue you’re in. Unless you have the luxury of mixing for a house band, your experiences as a sound tech are going to be challenging and ever-changing. One day, at a sweltering outdoor blues festival with multiple acts and maybe the next in a conference center for a huge corporate event. Either way, you’re going to need basic and advanced skills – in handling technology and managing relationships. Both require patience and practice. Just about everything you’ll ever need to know as a pro can be found in the bible of the industry – Yamaha’s Sound Reinforcement Handbook. But before you crack open this 400+page guide, consider the following as steps along the way to your sound ideals: 1. Get a basic understanding of electronics. Most community colleges offer entry-level courses. A lot what you’ll be doing as a sound tech involves understanding the signal chain and circuitry. If you’re the person everyone asks to hook up their stereo or home theater systems, it’s a good sign. That AV Club experience was a good place to begin. 2. Develop an ear. If you’re a playing musician or you play at being a musician, you’re at least halfway there. Expose yourself to all genres of music – live and recorded – and listen. As a professional, you’ll be expected to make a wide spectrum of performances sound great. Limiting yourself to one style of music is a little like knowing one solo. It doesn’t give you the range you need to perform. And since you’ll be dealing with musicians, it helps to speak their language. 3. Hang out. This is a hands-on exercise, part Art, part Engineering. If you want to find yourself behind the mixing board, watch sound techs at clubs and performances. Talk to them. Ask questions. Offer to volunteer in exchange for real world training. You may find yourself wrapping cable or loading equipment, but you’ll be in the Zone – right where the action is. Try This at Home According to our local experts, there are two skills that are essential to every entry-level sound engineer: cable-wrapping and soldering loose connections. These are the tasks you will be asked to perform with mind-numbing regularity. Fortunately, you can perfect both skills at home. Cable Wrapping Sound companies run on cords and cables. Defective ones impair the audio chain and can be a costly to replace in both time and money. One way to extend the life of cords and cables is to treat them with a little respect. There are preferred methods of coiling and storing the miles of cables you’ll encounter as a sound tech. The most widely accepted is the “Under/Over Method” demonstrated in this diagram. To practice this technique, use any long cord you can find at home. A heavy-duty extension cord makes a pretty good substitute for make-believe instrument cabling. Master this technique and you have one of the first basic skills required of a sound tech. Soldering Solder is a mixture of tin and lead and is used to join metals. It’s a little bit like gluing with molten metal. Soldering is a must-have skill for all kinds of electrical and electronics work. It looks and sounds easy enough, but it actually takes a great deal of practice to solder a good, clean joint. And take care: one component of solder is poisonous lead and if you’re not careful, burns from the soldering iron or molten solder can be very painful. Here are the basics steps: 1. Put the iron in its stand and plug it in. 2. Dampen the sponge in the stand. 3. Wipe the tip of the iron to clean it. 4. Melt a little solder on the tip of the iron to help     the heat flow from the iron’s tip to the joint. 5. Hold the soldering iron like a pen 6. Touch the iron to the joint 7. Feed a little solder onto the joint 8. Remove the solder, then the iron, keeping the     joint still 9. Inspect the joint closely A good joint is shiny and has a volcano shape. If your finished job doesn’t look like this, reheat the gun and solder and try, try again. Learning to Solder: You can get a good-quality pencil soldering iron (perfect for electronics) and a stand for well under $15. There are numerous step-by-step “how-to” soldering guides on the Internet to guide you. Better yet, find someone with good soldering skills to show you how to make perfect joints. Then, practice, practice, practice – but remember to be careful. Now that you’ve studied all the components of the signal chain and you’ve spent countless hours in the basement, wrapping cables and perfecting your soldering chops, you’re ready for that first paying gig. But wait a minute! According to our Shure insiders, those skills will only account for about 15% of your success. Before you enter the world of the professionals, you have to remember that it’s the world of people. Develop People Skills Never forget that your job is to support the musician. No matter how knowledgeable you are, be helpful, flexible, accommodating and communicative. (Without performing artists, there’s no need for you.) Avoid power struggles by: Knowing the artist and his/her/their music Making sure that the audio picture you have in mind – live or on tape – matches the performers’ goals. Be Willing to Do Just About Anything (Legal) Your ultimate goal is to sit behind the mixing board. But whether you find yourself on the staff of a large touring company or working at a small sound company or venue, you are going to find yourself performing entry-level tasks to get your foot in the door – anything from fixing cables to transporting gear. Listen and Learn You can only proceed with confidence in knowing which knobs to turn when you’ve paid attention to what your mentors have done in past performances. This is not a darkened lecture hall where you can sleep through class. And don’t be afraid to ask questions. “Over the years, I’ve been able to hang out with some really great engineers and pick up tricks and techniques from them. I spent countless hours in a rehearsal room with a mic and PA, making the mic squeal so I could practice finding feedback frequencies.”         - John Mills of Roadies LLC Learn a Foreign Language Say what? If your career aspirations run to signing on with a touring staff for acts that perform beyond these 50 states, knowing a second language doesn’t hurt. If your people and technical skills are at parity with others, but the tour is headed for South America and you speak fluent Spanish, you may find yourself first in line at the passport office. Develop an Action Plan Your professional career can take one of several forms. You can:     Work with a local band     Work with a local sound company     Work for a local venue     Work for a national sound company A local or national sound company can represent a salaried full-time job (remember though, that you may start out repairing connections and loading equipment). Being the sound tech for a band or club, on the other hand, is a pay-by-the-gig affair. Depending on the size of the venue or the popularity of the band, you can expect to earn anywhere between $0 and about $125 a night. Look at the available options. If you can live without a salary for a period of time, offer your services as an intern. Just be clear that in addition to making a run for deli sandwiches, you expect real on-the-job training. Be realistic about your goals and be persistent. Also in this issue: So You Want to be a Sound Engineer One Man's Story: Sound Man Gerry Stinson Chaka Kahn to Outkast: Sound Man TW Product Spotlight   Shure Notes™ Archive Letter from The Editor Change My Preferences    E-mail to a Friend     Privacy Policy

The Number One reference for technical guidance is Yamaha’s Sound Reinforcement Handbook. Whether you are new to pro audio or you’re a seasoned veteran, this is a comprehensive manual you will refer to again and again. It’s available in music stores or at Amazon.com. Brand new is another resource from Yamaha and this one’s in DVD format. Exploring Sound Reinforcement shows you all the gear of a sound reinforcement system in various applications, along with helpful hints and advice. A must-see DVD for anyone planning on operating a sound system. For more information, click here. The Audio Library Here’s a bibliography developed by our own audio experts for audio pros, weekend warriors or the just plain curious. Organized by experience level – Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. Download it right here. As always, be sure to visit the FAQ section of the K-Base on shure.com.