Behind The Scenes: The Sound Board
by Oliver St John
Last month, we went behind the scenes at the merchandise table. This month, we spent an evening getting technical with Chris Buford, self-proclaimed "monitor ninja".
Managing a band's sound is a complex job, and for Carbon Leaf this is typically accomplished by two individuals: Buford provides the mixes heard by the band themselves and Clif Hutchinson mixes what the audience hears.
This isn't an easy job, either - both Buford and Hutchinson have been to school for this, Hutchinson in Arizona and Buford in Ohio, and have been in the sound and theater business for some years.
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Buford describes a typical day's work as beginning with the band's arrival at the venue. There can be a lot of driving before this, and everyone takes a turn at the wheel, but once they reach their destination, the "Monitor Engineer" hat goes on. It's about an hour to set up the stage, and as long again to soundcheck. Buford creates a separate mix of the sound for each member of the band, such that each one can stay aware of their specific contribution to the overall sound. During this time, Hutchinson is working on the sound we hear. Carbon Leaf do not yet have separate boards for these purposes, and as such the sound heard by the audience is engineered on the venue's own sound system. A waiting period usually follows, during which the band grab a quick dinner and the opening act plays. Showtime follows, and Buford (now with "Stage Manager" hat) and Hutchinson sweep the stage to ensure that everything is set up correctly: water, towels and setlists are laid out for the band's use. At this point, the show can go on. The band take the stage, and Buford switches hats yet again, becoming "Lighting Designer". "I've usually scoped out the lighting system sometime during soundcheck," he says. As such, he can concentrate primarily on the light board, since the band's monitor mixes are already in place, though he keeps an eye on the situation in case changes do need to be made there. Hutchinson, of course, is forever at the sound board during the show, ensuring a comfortable listening level. "The band is very dynamic, therefore keeping me on my toes." For the gearheads, the band's sound board is a digital Mackie TT24, built to handle the existing setup as well as any new "toys" the band might happen across. The in-ear monitors are Shure PSM600s, with earbuds from Ultimate Ears and Sensaphonics. The microphones are typically Audix and Shure brand dynamic mics. The instruments themselves are, of course, up to the band. Buford says of his chosen equipment, "There's not one particular brand I put my faith in; different companies make different products for different jobs. I will say that the cheaper stuff is usually cheaper for a reason. Most of the best gear isn't just lying around at Guitar Center, it's usually something you have to order." |
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It does help that both are familiar with the other end of the sound; both have played guitar, and Buford also plays bass. This familiarity definitely helps to anticipate and prevent (or quickly fix) any problems that may arise. The greatest challenge, says Buford, is the unknown. "You try to be prepared for everything, but equipment failure happens at random times, usually the worst times. Also, since I'm usually out front at the lightboard and Clif's out at the soundboard, if something goes wrong onstage its hard for me to get to quickly, or sometimes even notice. Usually it's small things, mic stands moving or getting kicked out of position.". There is, fortunately, a backup for the main console. "We've got a small mixer in the trailer that we have for radio gigs. Our monitor board died once and I had to use that for a few shows. [...] Most soundboards are built to withstand the road use, though. I can always hook our InEar system up to any existing console that the venue might have if it's necessary."
Who would they like to work with, if they could? Hutchinson says, "I'd have to say The Deftones, but that's really just because I'm a big fan. They would definitely be a challenge to mix.". Buford, on the other hand, would "love to work with Nine Inch Nails. Their show is as amazing technically as it is musically."
Here's the "age old question": does a sound engineer ever get tired of hearing the same music every night, when he's not the one performing on stage? Buford says, "Part of the beauty of working with a band I like versus a local sound company or club is that I originally liked the music first. Some songs do get old and occasionally the job feels a bit redundant, but all in all I still enjoy listening to the band. Especially times like now when new songs are slowly coming out and its new for the band and me as well as the crowd. Usually I'm just as excited to hear the new stuff as the fans are. One thing that helps a lot is a good lighting system. As a monitor engineer my job is primarily to sit there and make adjustments for the band. There's not a whole lot of artistic involvement in that. As a lighting designer I get to make my own choices (with some direction from the band) about how things look, and with a really good lighting system I have a much larger palette to work with, and therefore I have a much better time. But in the end it all boils down to good music, and the fact that I can continue to hear and enjoy 'The Boxer' and 'Desperation Song' and others after 4 years is a testament to what I think of the band's music."
About the job as a whole, Hutchinson has this to say: "The best thing is that I'm doing what I want to be doing with my life. The worst thing is never being in the same place for long." There's also a little advice to anyone interested in the job: "Give it everything you have or don't do it."
Almost every band has a dedicated crew of people like Clif and Chris, the unsung heroes of a live show. These guys are the reason you love what you hear, and richly deserve their share of the credit.