As a technician myself, when I saw the title and thumbnail my first thought was "Ah yes, how to properly coil cables, I see a man of culture"
@POLYFUSIABAND2 ай бұрын
Same here. Cable management is at the top of my list. Label, run clean routes, and for the love of God please wrap them correctly.
@gcam4742 ай бұрын
Coming up in the 70’s and 80’s, showcase level shows were all LOUD. In my later years I find we NEED to know what is too loud. Loud is not as easy to get away with today. Yet I do still miss point source JBL 2440s and bullets. I find that many line array systems are not well done and many actually sound terrible. Even on Broadway fixed installs. Also many digital console scene implementations will literally drive you crazy - Allen&Heath.
@gavinbarrett-hayes2 ай бұрын
if you can't over / under, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
@ReehVerbАй бұрын
Bro same, I've had so many "engineers" ( knob turners) break by cables
@john266602 ай бұрын
I have been a sound engineer at a theater for 15 years. Sometimes I am FOH and sometimes I become SE for the band's FOH guy. I also run monitors occasionally. In my humble opinion, people skills are more important than nearly anything else. The band rolls out of the bus, sometimes tired or in a bad mood. A little quiet intervention and the ability to listen can go a long way. We are constantly sent the OLD stage plot and rider, or they show up with a different setup and different personnel, or they have special needs no one told us about, and we can't provide something they wanted. For the most part, these issues can be resolved with some good people skills. Getting your feathers ruffled does not help anything. Arguing does not help anything. People skills are harder for some than for others. It's worth the time and effort to develop these skills.
@tb12352 ай бұрын
I agree, however from personal experience most SE's have horrible person skills unfortunately. It's like the A/V industry attracts the least personable people on the planet sometimes which doesn't have to be the case.
@tb12352 ай бұрын
I've worked with great engineers who have personality. Most were complete sticks in the mud though.
@qvantize2 ай бұрын
Keep your humble openion to yourself
@stevesheroan4131Ай бұрын
@@qvantizeKeep your misspelled comments to yourself.
@sldaley56922 ай бұрын
I got my start in audio as a young musician in Hollywood, in 1960. I later learned to move speakers around, and even to connect the wires together! Fast forward many decades - many hundreds of gigs later - mixing rock bands, outdoor symphony orchestra concerts, big bands, magic acts, jazz combos, many famous people, etc., and... all I can say is that Michael Curtis knows what he is talking about. Watch these videos! I've learned a lot myself, studying what maestro Curtis is showing us, correcting some of my own bad habits along the way.
@Mtaalas2 ай бұрын
Remember that some of these brands he's talking about are very america-concentric. We in Europe have our own brands for many things that we prefer to use and those are everywhere. Make some research into what are common equipment for the same function here. :)
@daniellozovskiy9849Ай бұрын
Could you name a few European brands? I would be interested in learning more.
@mark12.312 ай бұрын
Word of advice - always, ALWAYS get the tech rider. Even if the person who booked the artist says they are bringing their own equipment and that you, as the house manager, won't have to do anything. Trust me. Have them either provide you with the artist's rider or put you in touch with the tour manager. That way you don't get cussed out by the artist when they show up and things aren't in place where they expected. I mean, so I've heard. 🙂
@CameronMagee2 ай бұрын
Best intro yet? Loved every minute. Strongest: business sense. Weakest: System Knowledge. Thanks again for sharing!
@guitardo100Ай бұрын
This list is as valuable for the tech, as it is for the performer. As a weekend warrior myself, I have witnessed firsthand most of these traits (or lack thereof) working as a labourer on stage and sound production, as well as being a musician/performer. I don't have a "strongest" since I'm always looking to improve at what I think I'm good at... for example, finding the right information to learn from ... such as this video. thanks for sharing your knowledge.
@stephentyler4352Ай бұрын
I quite literally just bought lots of gear this week to start recording in my basement. I’m a long way away from understanding the language I am hearing in this video. I call it ‘tech’. It’s apparent to me that I have many different weaknesses when it comes to audio engineering and production. However my desire to learn rises higher than the heavens. Deeper than the oceans. I deeply appreciate the picture you have helped paint in my head of what a future could look like in this field. Kind regards. This path has been a lifelong dream of mine to realize. Thank you, mate. 🙏🏼
@POLYFUSIABAND2 ай бұрын
This is a simple one, but one that causes tons of lost time, and that is can you wrap a cable properly? Not only that, but will you wrap it properly when it is the end of a long day? I can't even begin to convey how much time is wasted on a set because someone did a half wrap. The other thing is labeling and clean runs.
@N0B0DY_SP3C14L2 ай бұрын
This is all SOLID advice. Well presented, well explained, and no bullshit. So much good information. To answer your question, yes, I am solid behind the board, extremely adaptable in terms of music stylers and venues, and my tuning abilities excellent. I'm usually the guy folks call at the last minute to fill in or handle extremely challenging acts, venues, and systems, because I keep my cool when things are going crazy and can quickly build a good mix from nothing more than a line check on most any console you throw at me. I'm also very skilled in things like experimental sound performances, immersive sonic environments and sonic containment (endfire, cardioid, and even full containment). My shortcoming would probably be my soft skills, though they have improved over the years, but I have to confess, my patience with folks who ignore my requests for lower stage volumes, especially bassists who refuse to turn down because they can't *feel it* through the monitors, is quite lacking. This is easily attributable to the fact that when not engineering, I am a bassist myself, so I know both sides of the argument all too well, know the outcomes, know the solutions, (like using a bass board) so it REALLY pisses me off when a bassist turns up so loud that his low end is fighting the PA, because I'm the one who the audience blames and as a professional, I can't just get on the mic and say "Yeah, I know it sounds f***ed up, blame the bassist who can't turn the f*** down and is ruining it for everyone. I'm doing the best I can, but s*** in, s*** out!" The other one is electronic acts that either 1) are trying to do too much engineering and not enough performing then mess their show up, and make it out to be my fault when they are say... running their vocals through a ton of processing onstage that they did't work the kinks out of, and what they had planned on being this amazing otherworldly passage turned into unintelligible mush because they inadvertently ran their vocals 100% wet, can't figure it out, and give me the dirty look like I am supposed to fix what I did to them and apologize for it; or 2) only work in headphones or in-ears and don't test their material on speakers ahead of each show, then send me stuff with so many catastrophic phasing issues that I have to mute one side of their mix, and pan the other side dead center, then take the heat for it from all sides because, as we all know, it HAS to be the sound guy's fault. I mean that s*** just sucks because it destroys an engineer's reputation through absolutely no fault of their own, and there's no easy way to fix it. In the best case scenario, you manage to get a few moments with the performers after the show to try your best to calmly explain what went wrong, how to fix it in the future, and hope they listen and take it to heart, but that pretty much never happens, and at no point are they going to make any effort or statement to exonerate you to ANYONE, and if you try to exonerate yourself to anyone except maybe another engineer, you're just a complainer, trying to shift the blame, and they don't want to work with you again, or go to a show that you are engineering. If not a weak engineer, then a hit or miss one, which might as well be the same thing. To solve the first one, after getting bit too many times like that, I insist that the performer's mic line has a split which gives me a dry feed that I can then independently process, and throw in no matter what processing they insist on running their vocals through themselves. However, if you have any suggestions on how to effectively deal with performers sending you F***ED UP signals that you simply cannot fix, and how to professionally, and respectfully address these issues in a way that leaves you looking like you still did a good job, and not some jealous a**hole that is trying to kill the heroes onstage, I would LOVE to hear them. I cannot possibly imagine that I am the only one to ever deal with such issues.
@MichaelCurtisAudio2 ай бұрын
Thanks a ton for sharing here. Yes, coming to grips with "what is outside of your control", but also reflects on your performance/competency is a very tough thing to balance. You have the show's best outcome in mind, but oftentimes egos and poor musicianship can stand in the way. Like you said, it's a tough nut to crack and I don't have a great answer for you other than this - do the best you can with what's in your control.
@jorelrodrigues76722 ай бұрын
Nice...
@N0B0DY_SP3C14L2 ай бұрын
@@MichaelCurtisAudio It's funny you mention poor musicianship because the ones who seem to most frequently throw monkey wrenches into the works tend to be at a similar level of ability with their instrument, where they have just enough flash to garner attention, and just enough presence to be notable, but haven't had their a**es handed to them yet. It's that dangerous level where you know just enough to think you are right but not enough to know when you are wrong. Usually mid 20's to early 30's (though not always), maybe on first or second real tour, or just a large enough local gig to be cutting their teeth as professionals. It really is kind of a thing, and it's something I may have to do a video about myself, as I don't see any others about it yet. If you'd care to take a crack at it, that's cool too. It feels like somebody had to say something.
@manchah12 ай бұрын
Hey Mike, as a hobby DJ (weekends) largely for private functions, I found this video really interesting, informative and inspiring. While not all the 7 areas relate to what I do or situations I find myself in, a fair number do. Essentially, what you have set out relates as much to professional and amateur’s involved in the music and entertainment business, including DJ’s. 95%of the time I use my own equipment, and while very small scale, I face situations where I do the whole set up, including, setting up equipment for musicians, speeches, working with videographers, multiple rooms, indoors and outdoors, crisis management all sorts. One ends up developing or appreciating skills you didn’t set out to learn, but you end up needing to at least appreciate them. Your 7 skill sets has really brought it home to me (I have just woke up having been at a family cultural day yesterday for the local community which started at 3pm and finished at 11pm) so, some of what you have said I found highly relevant and is making me reflect on the event (which went really) in a slightly way; where I was strong/weak etc. thanks again for such informative and inspiring video’s.
@MichaelCurtisAudio2 ай бұрын
Thanks for the kind words and choosing to level up!
@connor.mowery2 ай бұрын
Glad to see more resources for the live audio world. I'm relatively new to the professional world still. Been doing FoH for couple years, and I just started Production Managing in 2024. I'm always looking to go back and fill in the gaps in my fundamental skills and knowledge, as well as improve and learn new things so that I can level up the show and artist I'm working for. Keep up the awesome videos man!
@KaytechGlobalSolutions2 ай бұрын
Thank you for sharing Micheal Curtis.
@dominik31872 ай бұрын
With just twenty years and a passion for mixing and event technology I want to learn skills and new gear everyday. So thankfully to have found your channel which really helps me to choose a new PA System for our Church. I think my most pronounced skill is the nija (have done a lot of management in the past and had to keep whole productions together) The sadly weakest part could be some fundamentals and the feel for frequency’s and loudness levels,… Giving my best to improve this. Thanks Michael and God bless!
@MichaelCurtisAudio2 ай бұрын
Thanks for generously sharing! Keep leveling up.
@47Fruit2 ай бұрын
Just did sound for a music festival this weekend... Quick thinking, knowledge of the equipment and being accommodating can be funny at times. One of the larger bands asked, "Can we just have the main mix in our monitors?" (They usually use their own mixer and send the FOH guy a LR mix so the main mix is their usual monitor, but I had all their inputs and provided the monitor mixes.) I replied through the talkback mic, "Yes, of course." Then I said out loud, "Now how am I going to do that?!", which got a chuckle from the other tech guys. I talked through it to myself for :15 seconds, patched and routed it in :10 seconds and within :30 seconds of the request I replied through the TB mic, "There you go." One of the best compliments came from one of the drummers while he watched me sound check another band. He said, "Dude, you are a black belt at this." Not tooting my own horn here, but confirming that Michael's points are spot on, and when you have the skill set, people notice. Thanks again Michael!!
@issaccartwright7362 ай бұрын
Learning everyone’s names. Simple most effective skill in the world.
@issaccartwright7362 ай бұрын
I say simple, it isn’t. But try.
@bruceusven8372 ай бұрын
Excellent Check-List! for the Professional. Thank you for your Awesome Advise Curtis. Cheers Mate!
@natnaelbekele-lf1ey2 ай бұрын
SO MUCH ! information to learn from you Michael . Always a fan to watch your videos with my mouth open .
@chrisloizou39722 ай бұрын
Great video!! This is a terrific guide for both beginner and veteran engineers. At times i can feel complacent about learning new skills, or equipment standards, or simply am not around other A1 engineers often enough to see what "they are doing." WEaknesses for me: i need to spend time improving my knowledge of networking equipment, and speed of room tuning with SMAART. My colleagues would likely say my STRENGTHS are mixing musically, Soft skills with talent/team.
@tklicki2 ай бұрын
I love your videos! Please don't stop publishing! 🙂
@KevinBrandow8 күн бұрын
You could teach radio communication to the USSS! They are obviously unaware that it exists.
@johanngregory3499Ай бұрын
The one thing that you did not cover were basic audio/stage tech basic fundamentals especially coiling cables properly (over under) the industry standard. NEATNESS, when pinning a stage being neat and orderly with your cable runs is imperative for ease of troubleshooting and it reflects your attention to detail. Which is one of the best ways to gain confidence from crew members and performers. I also think that you need to add a flashlight & gloves for basic tools to take to a gig ( Our Local IATSE chapter requires hard hats) I think you did a good job overall expressing areas that a Sound Tech/Engineer should be proficient at.
@thundersnow8192 ай бұрын
I REALLY NEEDED THIS IM TAKING NEXT TO FREE WORK FOR EXP AND JUST FIGURING OUT WHAT IM WEAK ON.
@gavinbarrett-hayes2 ай бұрын
My major shortcoming is understanding the dB ratio in terms of math, and soundsystem tuning - hope to learn that later. Also a major challenge for me has been / is getting hands on experience with the gear can be a bit of a challenge - for instance I'm Dante V2 L3 trained but haven't had the chance to use it in-person on a show site.
@johnlackner11932 ай бұрын
For me the gear part is easy. The hard part is oral persuasiveness - cold calling people and convincing them that they should hire me. It can be an emotional drain sometimes. One thing to remember - potential clients are not thinking about your mixer or speakers, they are thinking about YOU.
@pablogonnet60242 ай бұрын
Hey, Michael. Great video!! Its really nice to have an experienced guy teaching as clearly as you do on this platform. Keep it up!!! And also I'd like to know how/when/why is it useful to monitor on headphones or a pair of close field monitors when you're doing live sound. I tend to think bleed would be a huge problem in that situation. When I see a pair of monitors above the desk I think "how on earth are you going to make good use of those in a venue this big sounding this loud". Thanks!!
@richardlynneweisgerber25522 ай бұрын
thank you for the best advice, "slow down a sec."
@fierybones2 ай бұрын
I haven't watched yet, but I saw your cover shot and thought, "Yep. You should know how to coil cables" :)
@MichaelNatrin2 ай бұрын
Excellent info! Thanks for making this.
@RobStill2 ай бұрын
Excellent!
@MichaelCurtisAudio2 ай бұрын
Thank you so much!
@meaviad2 ай бұрын
Thank You Michael!
@hulisesavila121Ай бұрын
I am an audio engineer in training and there are many things that I need to know that I do not know. Where can I learn and feel confident in these areas? I’ve been trying to develop a good understanding of these but nothing is sticking with me.
@KenFreemanProduction2 ай бұрын
Very nice and concise.
@JA19962014Ай бұрын
Very great video! You have a new subscriber!
@mltdnmattheАй бұрын
Misleading information about the dB scale: +10dB = double the percieved volume, +6dB = double the power. If somebody wants something twice as loud, give it +8 or +10 dB. That's btw how the dB scale is defined: 1 Bel = 10 deci Bel. + 1 Bel = double the percieved volume.
@MichaelCurtisAudioАй бұрын
Your definition is exactly how I describe it in other videos. Sorry if my description here wasn't as accurate.
@curtmarsh2396Ай бұрын
Other lessons, have a good pair of headphones, good ears when ringing out the rooms, don’t be a diva, help with the load out
@pasionpornada2 ай бұрын
Greetings Mr Curtis. Thank you for all the work you do to help us the novices. Off topic question. Hope you can help. When it comes to Opensoundmeter, I want to download the Macos version but there are 2 choices ( x64 and arm64) I don't know the difference and I'm not sure whichone to download... Hope you can help.
@appleguyforeternity2 ай бұрын
x64 if your Mac is from 2019 or earlier (Intel CPU). arm64 for anything later
@pasionpornada2 ай бұрын
@@appleguyforeternity Thank you kindly!
@bri94982 ай бұрын
Okay, I'm just gonna take out my boombox and blast it loud bro 👍🤣
@robendj2 ай бұрын
Nice guitar collection sir
@mrboom457016 күн бұрын
Graduate of a dozen SynAudCon classes and I still consider myself a bit of a hack.
@inipivisionstudioАй бұрын
I know MJ! Cool dude.
@Macwall74Ай бұрын
Tip #1 shoulda been know how to properly roll cable. if you cant over under in your sleep then tips 2-7 arent where your focus should be
@richardlynneweisgerber25522 ай бұрын
knowing the weather & the speed of sound in it helps. ;-) are there any instrument tuning adjustments needed performing a mile or more above sea level vs. sea level? thanks
@XxMicroNinjaxX2 ай бұрын
Any suggestions on courses or training for the covered topics?
@laszloturi96332 ай бұрын
Hi! I recently bought a Audient Evo 8, but sadly I found that when my laptop is charging it has buzz when i engage 48V and max gain, Like i normally would for measuring, how can I fix this problem? If I touch the xlr connector from the outside just the palstic it makes buzz and also if I bring my phone close to it same plusz extreme digital crazyness, like if I could hear 4G :(
@smpmusiclinksstudio2769Ай бұрын
You should make alot of money knowing all this because it's serious knowledge/ work.
@diiegopc2 ай бұрын
weak at acting after reading people, strong at keeping things neat
@dennislester93952 ай бұрын
Good info. I'll order The Green Bible.
@MichaelCurtisAudio2 ай бұрын
Let me know how you like it!
@fattyma42 ай бұрын
uS, sOU ND eNGINEER Guys, are QUITE a RECKLESSS LOT!!!!
@winship78912 ай бұрын
ACOUNTING. I DONT EVEN KNOW HOW TO SPELL IT OR NOT WRITE IN ALL CAPS
@davidstevens78092 ай бұрын
The industry is gone. Unless we can fix the economy and price of fuel..none of this matters when nobody can afford to see live shows.
@VinceMcLennon2 ай бұрын
Bizarre take. Many many major tours out currently and selling out every night since pandemic rules let up.