Valuable skills for soundystem?
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Category: General
Forum Name: Newbie Discussion
Forum Description: Newbie Discussion/Questions. Look less stupid here...
URL: https://forum.speakerplans.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=109358
Printed Date: 27 March 2026 at 2:15am
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Topic: Valuable skills for soundystem?
Posted By: healingsa3
Subject: Valuable skills for soundystem?
Date Posted: 14 December 2025 at 11:06pm
| Hello all, for the first time this summer I volunteered with a local soundsystem and learned a lot. I hauled a lot of boxes, but did not get too much hands on experience using the equipment. I am not looking to start my own system (yet), but I want to continue to work with this local Soundsystem since they do great work and are so willing to show me around. Recently ive hit a wall on what I can help them with, as the tuning, power distributing and troubleshooting is usually handled by them. I want to be able to be a valuable asset and bring something to the team, more than just a guy who carries boxes (box carriers are still MVP). What is a valuable skillset I can bring to any soundsystem that will be needed? installing drivers/wiring? Knowing equipment and the math to making them sound good on particular speakers? Training my ears so I can tune and set crossovers? Being able to set up a dj desk and cdjs? I have learned a lot of tricks and information from interning but the most I can bring to the table is "plug everything in" (not including powering on). I do have a connection in car stereo where the soundystem guys say, "I can learn a lot from that". I'm not exactly sure what skillsets transfer over between car audio and diy Soundsystem but that is something I would consider. |
Replies:
Posted By: Steve20131
Date Posted: 15 December 2025 at 4:23am
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A sound engineering handbook would help you learn about acoustics and other books will help you know how technology has evolved, transistors, passive and active systems, that's important for your own development, wether this will forward you career with these fellows is not certain, they may just want a stuff carrier
n.b if you lift more than 25kg there you won't learn alot from these guys
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Posted By: monkeypuzzle
Date Posted: 15 December 2025 at 7:26am
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Patience, a passion, humility and an appreciation that you're in it for the long game will get you the trust you must start with. Everything else will come. If you go to hard to fast the sound man might think you're "taking over" their long learnt skill set. Being able to string up though is really valuable as long as you first leave it to them to fault find (or get it right in the first place) fault finding someone else's system is best to keep out of until you have their complete trust and really know the kit inside out otherwise you just become another person telling everyone else how best to light the fire... ------------- blah blah blah blah blah...... |
Posted By: adamb00m
Date Posted: 15 December 2025 at 11:09am
| I just got on with it and taught myself... none of this stuff is hard... but then, I guess you do need your own kit to play with to do that. |
Posted By: cravings
Date Posted: 15 December 2025 at 12:03pm
| Reliability trumps so much. Show up every time on time and ready to work and people will teach you what they need you to do. The day will come when someone else doesn't show up and you'll be there. |
Posted By: healingsa3
Date Posted: 16 December 2025 at 5:23am
| Thank you for the good responses, I will continue to read up! |
Posted By: Earplug
Date Posted: 16 December 2025 at 8:39am
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Learn how to correctly fold away the cables! So many of the kids I've had helping out have left me with a load of knots & total mess!!  ------------- Earplugs Are For Wimps! |
Posted By: Bams
Date Posted: 16 December 2025 at 9:36am
| without any hint of disrespect.. i get the feeling you are on a learning curve for sound in general where soundsystems and the crew around it are more an instrument by itself. might be an idea to stick in the soundsystem scene for the softer and emotional skills but "regular" sound will bring you other skills which help to form your own unique sound. |
Posted By: opus jody
Date Posted: 18 December 2025 at 4:11pm
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Lorry / van mechanics. In fact, forget trying to be a pro- soundy, and become a pro mechanic, and have a sound system as a hobby  If you're determined, then get a pro mechanic as your No. 1 crew. ------------- Improvised Hardware Music http://vimeo.com/user9389813/videos |
Posted By: daavneeq
Date Posted: 18 December 2025 at 9:19pm
| Put together a well stocked tool box/ peli case, with a good selection of decent tools for speaker maintenance etc, a bunch of audio adapters/ problem solvers, cable tester, torches, tie wraps, gaffa tape, spare cables, fuses, pens/ pencils, basic first aid kit, field recorder, spare memory sticks, usb cables. Basically anything you can think of that might come in handy. There’s a YouTube channel that did a series called “what’s in your peli?” (Or similar) for what techies carry to gigs. You want to the be the guy who has the small ‘thing’ that someone forgot or the small thing that keeps the show on the road. Being that guy helps your reputation in the real world at gigs, especially festivals (in my experience) think dj in a panic without headphone adapter, or you need an adapter for a phone to play test tracks or background music etc etc. If you drive, carry a jump starter/ power bank, more tools, gloves, hiviz, spare hiviz, waterproof jacket, tyre seal. I got obsessed with my Peli while building my sound and then working out in the field and doing maintenance at venues etc. Other skills are knowing how to coil cables, how to make cables, soldering, knowing the basics (or deeper) about power & power safety, learn about multicore audio cables, signal path, matching amps to speakers. Other skills, van driving, van loading, building stages, lighting/ dmx, being tidy with gear/ cables/ tape/ not leaving any mess (snipped cable ties and used tape lying around drives people nuts) one of the greatest skills in sound is being organised. |
Posted By: fat_brstd
Date Posted: 18 December 2025 at 11:22pm
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The number 1 thing is wrapping cables properly using the "over/under" technique. Buy yourself a 30m XLR cable and practise until you can wrap it with your eyes closed. The next thing is learning what all the cables and connectors are so when someone says grab some nl4 you know that is speaker cable. Things like XLR, TS, TRS, RCA, BNC, NL2/4/8, Cat-5/6 etc etc and knowing the difference between balanced and unbalanced cables. Other than that the thing that makes me keep on working with someone is having genuine enthusiasm but that comes naturally, its not something that can be taught/learnt. If you want some "light" reading then I learned a lot from the "EV PA Bible". It might be old but the laws of physics haven't changed. ------------- Melbournes Rootical Warrior Roots - Dub - Steppers http://www.facebook.com/adrians.wall" rel="nofollow - facebook page |
Posted By: Earplug
Date Posted: 20 December 2025 at 9:14am
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"If you want some "light" reading then I learned a lot from the "EV PA
Bible". It might be old but the laws of physics haven't changed" +1 A great read. And I'm pretty sure that you can still find that on the EV website. ------------- Earplugs Are For Wimps! |
Posted By: KDW32
Date Posted: 20 December 2025 at 6:36pm
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I learnt a hell of lot from the Yamaha guide to sound reinforcement back in the day https://share.google/c977ctyPu8wcS00Wo" rel="nofollow - https://share.google/c977ctyPu8wcS00Wo
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Posted By: Robbo
Date Posted: 21 December 2025 at 10:01am
| Very important item that you missed off your list above is a PP3 battery as they can be used for quickly checking that speakers and drivers are working OK and also checking that drivers and cabinets are in phase with one another----also handy to have a couple of short NL4 to four tails and NL8 to eight tails for using with the PP3 |
Posted By: jacethebase
Date Posted: 21 December 2025 at 1:53pm
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My 2 pence. It sounds like you aren't far away from the right path at present. You really have to pay your dues unless you are very lucky. When I was 18 and starting out I used to contact the production company's coming through the local big venue. Mainly all night dance events. Started off helping with the lighting as theres always more to do labour wise on that side. Then stacking speakers unloading / loading speakers on trucks and vans etc. then opping rooms and running patch. Last thing that you will get trusted with is tuning systems, trouble shooting etc. I am very much on the other side of the coin now and I need to know someone has a great amount of experience before I put them on an Audio role that isn't humping and bumping. It’s one of those roles thats easy to blag your way on too but you can come unstuck very fast! So in short, pay your dues, stack the boxes, sap everyone around yous knowledge. But be patient it. You are not going to get trusted quickly. And as said above, Reliability! From the point of view of someone running a company its better to know that no one is coming than get let down by someone. If I get let down once with no valid reason thats it. Be on time every time. You dont have to be the best but you have to be there. This is the events industry not the building industry tomorrow wont do!
------------- www.wedding-production.co.uk www.stage2sound.com |
Posted By: fatfreddiescat
Date Posted: 21 December 2025 at 2:37pm
And stay sober for the load out
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Posted By: madboffin
Date Posted: 21 December 2025 at 4:03pm
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It's not clear from your original post whether you are getting into general audio tech work or Caribbean style "Sound System" although most of the answers apply to both. One thing I always did was to plan to arrive half an hour before a call time. That way, if you are delayed by unexpected traffic etc you will (hopefully) still be on time. Timekeeping is very important in the events industry because all jobs have to be completed to strict deadlines. If a technician arrives late and delays the fit-up, it's not just their job on the line (probably lost for good) but also the sound and production companies' jobs. And maybe the promoter's too. Keeping an audience waiting for a late start is bad enough but most events have a curfew and the show can't over run to make up for it. |
Posted By: Earplug
Date Posted: 22 December 2025 at 7:55am
Do you mean load in at the end of the night? That is usually more of a problem!!  ------------- Earplugs Are For Wimps! |
fatfreddiescat wrote:Posted By: Earplug
Date Posted: 22 December 2025 at 7:57am
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"a PP3 battery as they can be used for quickly checking" +100 A very useful bit of kit that has a dozen uses.  ------------- Earplugs Are For Wimps! |
Posted By: fudge22
Date Posted: 23 December 2025 at 9:39pm
To put the above more succinctly, if you are fitting in with an established team you should try to fit in with their workflow. No one on this forum can tell you exactly what that is. The best people to learn from are those you are working with. Even if you already have some experience, there is always more than one way to do something, and presumably theirs is working, so you need to adapt to the team. Random tips off the internet won’t get you far. That is all you really need to know. As for the rest. At the moment, you won’t need a tool kit. The people you are working for should have everything. Plus, you are at gigs to provide sound, not repair badly maintained equipment. You will not be able to fix a faulty amplifier, so it comes down to mending cables. It is easier and quicker to have some spare, which you can just swap out. It is impossible to completely eliminate stuff going wrong, but with good preparation it can be minimised. It may be worth getting some decent footwear and gloves everything else, you can acquire over time as and when/if you need it. With regards reading and theory. If it is something that you enjoy go ahead, but it is not critical. Based on an admittedly small sample size of several, the average DJ gets by with very little technical knowledge. If all you want to do is set up some audio equipment and playback music, an in depth knowledge of audio theory is not essential, except perhaps the user manual of the gear that you are using. Re: The EV PA Bible Earplug is correct, it is old (1979), and the laws of physics haven’t changed. Unfortunately, it contains very little physics and the systems it describes have changed. I’m not sure how many here are doing sound as a hobby, but the stuff about punctuality, reliability and being sober applies to any job.
Can we infer from this that the income from the audio business is not sufficient to afford a reliable vehicle? |