185
in June 1998 and says of the experience, "It's
been incredible. I've learned quite a bit,
seen a lot, and done a lot."
www.gsdpro.com
ROB OWENS, SOUND ENGINEER, GLENN SCOTT DAVIS
PRODUCTIONS (GSD)
Rob Owens' future was cast in eighth grade when
he saw a local high school
theater production. "As soon as I saw that
play, I knew I wanted to do this [produc-
tion]," he says. By the time he reached high
school, he was playing piano in the pit
band and running sound for his classmates'
theatrical productions. After graduation,
he attended Nassau Community College and got
further production experience with
the Nassau Concerts series at a 600-seat venue,
working with such artists as Jeff
Healey, Meatloaf, and Melissa Etheridge. At the
time, he was studying to be an
accountant, until a guidance counselor asked
him the question that changed his life:
"Do you want to wear a suit and work at a desk,
or wear a tee shirt and meet famous
people?" It was an easy choice. "From that
point on I devoted myself to music."
Accompanying his piano teacher to an Aerosmith
concert, Owens got to hang out
backstage, where he struck up a conversation
with the sound contractor. This chance
meeting led to a job as a laborer at Eastern
Stage Productions. As is typical with New
York production companies, new employees have
to prove themselves by working
their way up the ladder from the bottom. "I
started out just pushing cases. I always
carried the attitude--I still do--that I'll do
whatever has to be done to make sure the
show starts on time and that everybody is
happy." Over time, Owens built a reputa-
tion for his work ethic and reliability, such
that artists asked for him by name.
In 1990, he returned to his roots, running
sound for a small Long Island theater
company for two years. While there, he met his
future employer, who was handling
the theater's lighting. Owens worked freelance
jobs for the company for six months
before joining Glenn Scott Davis Productions
full time in 1992 as a sound engineer.
He assembled and operated the sound system for
touring artists' gigs at major venues
and coliseums. While working, he continued to
attend college, and graduated in 1993
with a degree in music business with a
concentration in audio recording technology.
JOB OVERVIEW
During a live show, the vocalists and musicians
require different mixes of music in
order to achieve the best overall sound. For
instance, the rhythm section may want
the drums and bass mixed hotter so they can
hear one another to keep the beat tight,
while the background vocalists may require the
lead vocals and guitar mixed louder
so they can harmonize and stay on pitch. The
band's overall sound would be dis-
torted if they heard only the feedback from
their live performance, with no monitor
playing a mix back to them. The monitor
engineer gathers all the sound produced
onstage, mixes it to each performer's
specification, and feeds it back through their
CASE STUDY:
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