Musicians On Tour

FRONT OF HOUSE ENGINEER · SOUND ENGINEER · SOUND MAN

JOB OVERVIEW

The front house engineer is the main sound engineer for live performances. These

technicians gather all the sound information being played and sung on stage, and mix

it to achieve optimal volumes and blends. That is the version the audience hears.

PREREQUISITES

To succeed, you should be well-versed in how to set up and operate sound equip-

ment and have a basic understanding of music. You need an ear for pitch and overall

sound quality. "If you have a guitar player that is a whole step or a half step flat or

sharp, you don't want to put that on the mix as much," explains Fernando Alvarez, Jr.

"You want the end result to sound good, so you have to control certain things like

that. Knowing every aspect of the electronic side helps out a lot: what a console does,

what an amplifier does, what the speakers are supposed to be doing."

A DAY IN THE LIFE

Most bands and crew travel by bus through the night, arriving at a hotel or venue

in the early hours of the morning. The crew then wakes up at the venue, where break-

fast is catered and shower facilities are made available. Smaller bands might rent a

hotel room for members of the crew to shower and change clothes, and then eat

breakfast at a local diner. "The first thing that is done is unloading the trucks," says

Fernando Alvarez, Jr. "Every venue has stagehands [usually members of a local

union]. Everything is put into its proper place and uncased, uncovered, and so forth."

Each crew member is ultimately responsible for setting up the gear he uses. The front

house engineer's equipment may be some of the last to be unloaded and set up. The

lighting generally goes up first and comes down last, and then stage set pieces are

added. (Usually the venue provides the actual stage, although some large touring

artists carry their own.) Sound equipment and gear complete the set-up.

The sound engineer does everything in his power to ensure that the gear and

equipment are working and in place, so that when the band comes in to sound check,

things will run smoothly. Sound check is the time each band member and singer tests

the microphones and amplifiers to ensure proper sound is achieved. They also work

with the monitor man at this time to get proper mixes for each individual. The front

house engineer then is free until show time (which may be in just a few hours) and

often uses the time to eat dinner, take a nap, or watch a movie on the bus. After the

show is over, the equipment is broken down by the stagehands and loaded onto the

trucks, and the crew is off to the next city.

The crew rarely, if ever, sees a hotel room, opting to stay at the venue until show

time and then loading out afterward to hit the road. Sometimes set-up might be done

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