December 31, 2004

Welcome Back!

With a new year we're finally back up. We've been offline for three months and i haven't written much in the last six months or so. That will change as I just had the next couple of months open up so as I find new work and wait for the next tour cycle to begin I'll be able to write some. The Roaddog forums are back up at http://forum.roaddog.com/. I'm still very active at the LAB both participating and moderating.

There are a couple of new things and I'll keep you posted over the next week or so.

Posted by Dave at 04:39 PM

The Only Constant is Change

Some things have changed a great deal in the nearly quarter century since I started in this business. Other things have not changed. In 1980 the business of sound reinforcement was one of proprietary gear, music stores and regional providers having to design and fabricate much of the system. Formal education was limited primarily to the "School of Hard Knocks" from which many of us sucessfully graduated, though not without damage to our egos or psyche.

The commitment of even a regional provider was intense. On the low end there were music stores and MI gear, on the high end the proprietary systems of the behemoth providers willing to crush those that attempted to invade their turf. Regional efforts were sheparded by people with a consuming passion for the art and well versed in the nuances of professional sound reinforcement. Back then you had to be well versed. It was pre Internet, you couldn't just jump online and ask others questions. The information resources were fairly limited. You had to be good and know what you were doing because that was the difference between your system working or not working. Prior to the mid '80s there was no such things as purpose built manufacturered speaker enclosures. You had to have saws, a good tape measure, glue and clamps and the knowledge to design an enclosure that didn't sound like warmed over goat turd.

The professional sound reinforcement business is a different animal these days. With the help of globalization and the "world economy" professional audio rocketed toward a model of commoditization. As the pro audio manufacturers learned how to exploit the seemingly near endless supply of cheap labor in China, coupled with government subsidised modern factories in the largest, most populus nation on the planet the prices and availability of professional audio reached a state never before seen in the industry. Compressors that were once nearly US$1000 per channel were now available for less than US$100 per channel. Nevermind if the designs were, shall we say "borrowed" for more established units, the age of the commoditization of professional audio was well underway. If one were so bold, they could completely configure a system to arrive at the first venue of a tour, pre configured, cabling and all, ready to rock.

The ready availability of relatively low cost professional audio goods is not necessarily a bad thing. It allows for providers operating on razor thin margins as it is to be able to upgrade and expand systems without having to sell the kids or rent out the wife. That's not to say there haven't been any drawbacks. Now that pro audio gear more or less widely available at an affordable price it has fostered something that in the long term will damage the industry. That's the dumbing down of the workforce.

Having the barrier of cost and system configuration knowledge virtually eliminated by the commoditization of pro audio has had an adverse effect on the knowledge and depth of experience of local and regional SR providers. Pretty much anyone with a trust fund, fat wallet or good line of credit with minimal effort can hang out a shingle and declare themselves a bonafide PA company. Except for one thing. One very important thing. They have little or no clue what they are doing. I call it "checkbook audio". All that is required is the ability to conect the various parts like it says in the manual. Frightnenly absent is the basic knowledge of audio. Inverse square? Never heard of it. Ohm's Law? Isn't that something the Senate tired to sneak into the last budget bill?

To sucessfully implement a professional sound reinforcement solution one has to have a working knowledge, or at least a basic grasp of electronics and electricity and a cursory knowledge of the physics of sound. Having a good ear and the ear/hand coordination to mix and a love of music doesn't hurt. All is not lost. There is still hope for this new generation of PA providers. Expand your knowledge. Programs like Syn-Aud-Con or Audioseminars.com will enable you to gain the knowledge that the pioneers had to get with blood, sweat and hard work. Join and particpate in the AES. At first glance they may seem like stuffed shirts, but some of the most important developments in professional audio have come from AES working groups. Network with your peers, be it on Internet forums, at trade shows or just having a good meal and sharing camaraderie with those of like interests.

It's the responsibility of all involved in professional sound reinforcement to do what they can. We have to raise the bar. We can't allow the business to become a bunch of dumb roadies plugging in boxes as per the manual. We have the opportunities and gigs of a lifetime. Many people envy what we do and aspire to do that on a professional level one day. We ahve a duty to foster knowledge in our field. We need to mentor the younger, less experienced people that wish a career in professional sound reinforcement. Only by nurturing the entry level folks will we be able to say we've succeded as a mature, stable business.

Posted by Dave at 11:32 AM