LIVE SOUND
This column is an excerpt from a full feature story in Professional Sound magazine, Canada’s top
publication for audio industry professionals. Learn more at www.professional-sound.com.
A Meeting of the Mons
Advice from top monitor engineers on establishing a good
working relationship with the artist on stage
Canadian Musician: How do you go
about establishing a good working
relationship and level of communication
with an artist you’re working
with? What kinds of things can each
party - you and the musicians on
stage - bring to the table to make it
a positive experience for all?
DEBBIE HUTCHINS (Jann Arden): I
have said many times that being a monitor
tech is “more psycho than acoustic”
[laughs]. It all comes down to trust. The
artist has to trust you. You do a great gig
with them, then you do that 100 times.
Musicians usually speak in general terms
or, my favourite, colours. They might say
it sounds “boxy” or “thin” or please make
it sound “full.” Techs think in terms of frequency
or processing, so it’s about how
you interpret what they are asking for. Try
to always maintain eye contact with all
the musicians on stage. Spend more time
looking at the band than at the console.
ROB NEVALAINEN (Bryan Adams): I
always encourage the highest level of
honesty and free-flowing communication
between myself and the artist. Ultimately,
I know we both have the same
goal. Trying to interpret the non-technical
terminology that an artist may use
is also critical. They may feel things are
“too bright” or “too soft,” and it’s up to the
mixer to listen and understand what these
may mean.
MIKE ROWLAND (Daniel Caesar, Marianas
Trench): Listen to your artist. It’s
why you’re there. If you have a certain approach
you think you can apply that will
benefit both of you, then use it; otherwise,
ensure they’re happy. I’m always open to
discussion and want to create the best
listening experience possible for them. I
once worked with an artist who told me
his acoustic sounded too “purple.” I had
to decipher how he expressed sound
with colours in order to achieve the result
he wanted. Once we found a common
ground and way to interoperate, we were
set and had a great tour!
DAVE THIEL (deadmau5, Lights): Let
the artist dictate the pace, and make
sure you follow along. I’ve always found
that if you spend more time listening
than talking, people will tell you things
you would never learn by asking. With
that, making sure that you’re really, really
listening to things not spoken is as
critical as listening to what is said aloud.
That might involve reading body language
or even going as far as listening
to what someone says in a video or print
interview. Adopting a similar attitude tied
in with technical preparedness and quick
problem solving should ultimately lead
to a positive experience.
DAVE DONIN (Alessia Cara): If you can
be honest, level-headed, and attentive
when dealing with your artists, you are
already halfway there. You will usually
see this reciprocated as well. I listen to
what they are asking for from the stage
and I deliver it, even if it requires me to
do things that might not be my idea of
what sounds good. After all, I am there
to support their ability to perform at
their best.
KATRINA GALBRAITH (Walk Off the
Earth, The Tea Party): To start, I like to
talk to each individual artist about what
they’d like in their mix, the type of things
they don’t like, any changes that I should
be aware of... We usually develop some
sort of signals to communicate during
the show. The longer you’ve worked
with an artist, it starts to become second
nature – they give you a look and you
just know what they’re thinking, and
you know what they want. Being able to
take criticism and learning how to deal
with all the different personalities of the
band is going to help make it a successful
working relationship.
60 CANADIAN MUSICIAN