At the Intercon, I hear someone moving my empty roadcases behind me. That’s fine, things often get shuffled around the back halls, I don’t even turn around. Mental note: cases aren’t where i left them.

I pause: In a busy back hallway, carts going back and forth, I notice my empty cases being moved, by their sound. Sure, my job is knowing the audio characteristics of mics and speakers, but also of the casters on my roadcases? (To be fair, I use really good casters)

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I did sound for small concerts outside a stadium before football games. Something fans listen to while waiting in the security line. My contact was the football team’s lead attorney, which I thought strange - wouldn’t some assistant to an assistant handle this - why am I dealing with the team council, the right hand of an NFL owner? I realized it’s because she thought rock band concerts were cool. She’d meet my van and help push cases like a roadie. She booked local bands she liked and would ask what I thought. They were fine, I suppose, I hear lots of bands.
Then she’d return to her office and sign 8 figure contracts with wide receivers.

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We use the nice “push to talk” mics that light up when turned on. The system only allows one live mic at a time. It’s the technological version of the sweat lodge talking stick.

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Use the “Unscientific Method” when troubleshooting during a gig

To review: the “Scientific Method” tests the cause of a phenomenon by changing a single factor at a time, while keeping all other factors constant. One Variable vs. the Control. The scientific method gives a model of causes and effects.

On a gig, we don’t care why a mic goes dead; we don’t need a model for the failure. We want a live mic, now.
To eliminate any possible faults as efficiently as possible change every possible factor at once. Change the mic, the cable, the snake channel, the board channel. Change the mic stand too, to be sure. Draw a wide box around anywhere the problem may be and change all of it. That’s your best chance to catch the fault. Save the Scientific Method for sorting it out in the shop.

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Tips for working with the Talent

• In soundcheck, don’t just ask someone to talk on the mic. They freeze. Don’t say “tell a story”. I’d say “Tell me about your first car” - everyone’s got a story about that & they loosen up and forget they’re soundchecking.
• Some people don’t know how to hold a mic. Mics are directional - they hear what you point them at. Some people hold a mic perfectly vertically. I’d hand them my mini-maglite (back when people carried flashlights) in place of the microphone. It shines up at the ceiling. The mic is listening to the ceiling. Shine the flashlight on your mouth. That’s how to hold a mic that’s listening to you speak.

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Mics aren’t magic, they don’t pick up everything. If you talk on a mic you still need to project your voice. “Speak up like you’re trying to get your kids’ attention.” Teachers have no problem with this.

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I had an interviewee on stage who spoke without opening her mouth. Seriously, it was like her jaw was wired shut, I’d never seen anything like it.

I struggled, near feedback, trying to boost her restrained voice, as people complained they couldn’t understand her. Then the jaw-wired-shut lady made a point by mocking her detractors as being too stuffy -

“we tried but they’d say …”
and in a booming operatic faux british accent she exclaims

“Oh my my, you couldn’t do that! How would the donors react”

I bolted upright from my resigned slump at the board. Her voice rang clear and full in the hall - for a single sentence. This person did not project her voice, not naturally, and not when asked to, but she could mockingly roleplay someone who did.

I’ll leave the analysis to people with advanced degrees, but this person harbored a version of herself with a commanding tone.