Grumpy sound engineers
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Forum Name: General Forum
Forum Description: Open Discussion / Questions
URL: https://forum.speakerplans.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=93873
Printed Date: 18 April 2024 at 8:08am
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Topic: Grumpy sound engineers
Posted By: supremesoundz
Subject: Grumpy sound engineers
Date Posted: 12 November 2015 at 4:32pm
http://wundergroundmusic.com/sound-engineering-declared-grumpiest-profession-in-the-world/" rel="nofollow - http://wundergroundmusic.com/sound-engineering-declared-grumpiest-profession-in-the-world/  |
Replies:
Posted By: b grade
Date Posted: 12 November 2015 at 5:37pm
| dissatisfaction is the sound tech's greatest tool. It could always be better so we keep trying. |
Posted By: AlmostSalty
Date Posted: 13 November 2015 at 12:19pm
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“The grumpiness of sound engineers almost definitely stems from the fact
that about 99% of them are failed musicians and DJs,” explained Jobless
during his speech. “They’ve hung onto their dreams by staying close to
their desired profession, much like a child will wear a football kit to a
football match hoping that by some fluke of nature they’ll be asked to
come on as second half substitute, and in the process they’ve built a
level of resentment similar to that of fat security guards who didn’t
make the police.” Hang on!!! Who would be doing the mixing then!? Oh wait, nobody.. Ryan Hobbs, a local nightclub sound engineer, what he thought about the latest accusations against his profession, to which he responded, “ 
off we’re not grumpy, DJs, musicians and everyone else involved in the
entertainment industry are just many ladies with flaps .”+1!!  |
Posted By: kevinmcdonough
Date Posted: 13 November 2015 at 12:34pm
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haha yeah came up here a few times now. We're only grumpy because we do our best to get the best possible sound in a venue or gig, and everyone else, including and usually especially the musicians and DJ's, do their best to ruin it and make it hard for us!  k
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Posted By: mini-mad
Date Posted: 13 November 2015 at 1:04pm
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I see the job more as a orcestra conductor.... gettin the best sound out of 1 armed violinist and a pianist with torrets. Its seen as grumpy because the guy who hired the "orcestra" was cutting costs so much you ended up with these twits and told it sounds sh!t because YOUR doing something wrong!!!! ------------- If it sounds like a gorilla is trying to escape, turn it down. |
Posted By: b grade
Date Posted: 13 November 2015 at 1:43pm
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It should also be noted that everyone else would be grumpier if the sound system was always one super compact, light weight sub and two monitors on sticks to cover 6000 people. That always seems to be the sound system that is going to make the band autonomous, never to need a sound engineer again. |
Posted By: midas
Date Posted: 13 November 2015 at 2:08pm
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I would be happy if they didn't need a sound engineer. That way I wouldn't have to listen to half the sh!t some of these bands 'play.' Oh...I mean, I love sound engineering..:) :) ------------- In bass no one can hear you scream! |
Posted By: Marios
Date Posted: 13 November 2015 at 4:01pm
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We always aim to please!!!! I generally try not to be grumpy though ------------- MGS Productions |
Posted By: AlmostSalty
Date Posted: 13 November 2015 at 4:25pm
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Its not grumpiness, its punter grief |
Posted By: 70,s hero
Date Posted: 13 November 2015 at 6:07pm
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Serious stuff that... sound mixing, so serious all the ones ive seen look serious, must be something to do with having hundreds of people turn thier backs on you each nigh ------------- Top banana |
Posted By: njw
Date Posted: 15 November 2015 at 12:02am
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Me; Pull it back a bit fella... Shirtless bedroom dj on K; BUT ITS FKIN LOUD, THEY'RE LOVIN IT...... Me; http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRxqFQoTCOCsj--PkckCFUM5FAodMQ0GRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fimgur.com%2Fgallery%2FiWKad22&psig=AFQjCNHNG_tRdSBmTY54s8ax5Ub06PgYzw&ust=1447632068632946" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: 70,s hero
Date Posted: 15 November 2015 at 9:56am
In reference to the mixing desk being at the rear of the crowd....... nothing wrong with bumping out a mix on your own ------------- Top banana |
70,s hero wrote:Posted By: Dub Specialist Sound
Date Posted: 15 November 2015 at 1:56pm
Give um one oh these, to the old grumpy's ------------- Musical Roots Reggae Vibration is Life! for music is sound...sound is vibration...vibration is energy... and energy begets life. Therein lies my passion!...MUSIC IS LIFE... |
Posted By: Dub Specialist Sound
Date Posted: 15 November 2015 at 1:58pm
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------------- Musical Roots Reggae Vibration is Life! for music is sound...sound is vibration...vibration is energy... and energy begets life. Therein lies my passion!...MUSIC IS LIFE... |
Posted By: jammin75
Date Posted: 15 November 2015 at 2:03pm
put her on kick duty ------------- feel the vibes !!! "Who Feels it Knows it" Strong like Lion |
Posted By: Earplug
Date Posted: 15 November 2015 at 6:19pm
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Last night gave me all the reason I needed for grumpyness: 3 groups, 2 sharing drumkit, the other with no kit - just loads of percussion. So logic would say: put the 2 groups using the kit on first, or last in order to limit changes. So guess what - the kitless group gets put on 2nd, so I have to do 2 stupid mic changes. And on top of that, the stage was too small to work around the kit (percussion group were 11 people), so whole kit had to be removed to allow them to fit. Motherfückers!! ------------- Earplugs Are For Wimps! |
Posted By: Dub Specialist Sound
Date Posted: 15 November 2015 at 11:05pm
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lol ...she got some wack man..hitting hard lol ------------- Musical Roots Reggae Vibration is Life! for music is sound...sound is vibration...vibration is energy... and energy begets life. Therein lies my passion!...MUSIC IS LIFE... |
Posted By: mitchiemasha
Date Posted: 17 November 2015 at 11:01pm
It's funny how I'm a DJ because I'm a failed sound engineer. It's speakers, decks and lights that got me into it. Making the sound side of the business work always took the most effort. Most DJ's are numpties and know nothing.
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Posted By: MattStolton
Date Posted: 18 November 2015 at 12:00pm
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I think we (me at least) are grumpy for any number of reasons: (Here are my most recent) 1) The person asking you to do something, has no idea of the implications of what they are asking. (Can you just move that amp rack, the Vidiots can see it in shot...etc) 2) The acoustic guitarist main talent of the night asks you for a PP3, 5 minutes before they go on, as they think their battery is flat. Ends up battery was least of problems, and the built in pickup was FUBARed. She then accuses the XLR/Jack lead and DI laid out, despite the act before and after her plugging into it, with no issues. 3) People asking if they can do an outdoor event for 800 people, with RGB LED uplighters and staging, at 1pm, when the event starts at 7.30pm that same day. (We managed to do it, it was a Monday!) 4) Can we sponsor an event, from which we may get some work. £5K please, and we need your artwork within the next 30 minutes. ("Spin on" was roughly the response to that one) 5) Aforementioned Vidiots moving mics "Out Of Shot", after soundcheck. 6) Vidiots asking for a stereo mix, somewhere very far away from anything, 4 minutes before curtain up. 7) Vidiots rocking up with comms or some form of Radio link, 5 minutes before curtain up, all clashing with your carefully planned channel allocation of the 12 radio mics you need to use. 8) Any gig without a cue caller, or even a script. I would settle for a vague written running order TBH. Anything to let me know what the f*$k is supposed to be happening, when. I do need to have half a clue as to what is happening..... 9) Nervous lectern speakers, or just idiots, who decide to give your mic a clump, just to see if it works, despite you paying attention, seeing them step up to mic, so you opened the channel 4 seconds ago.... 10) Client blaming you and your tech ability, when their in house system fails mid set, and there is nothing about to lash up a bodge with, and then they get miffed when you still invoice for the labour for baby-sitting, despite trying everything possible to fix it. I don't have a problem with "talent" taking all the lime-light and glory, as long as I get paid for what I quoted, I am happy to be in the shadows. Always a bonus when the client shakes your hand at the end of a night, which is thankfully regular, but we are hired mercenaries at the end of the day. Not getting thanked over the mic, or getting glory and fame, 'kinda goes with the territory. ------------- Matt Stolton - Technical Director (!!!) - http://www.wildingsound.co.uk" rel="nofollow - Wilding Sound Ltd "Sparkius metiretur vestra" - "Meter Your Mains" |
Posted By: MattStolton
Date Posted: 18 November 2015 at 12:05pm
As we are "Engineers", common sense should be our by-word. When you see someone acting with no common sense, which then makes you have to work hard to make up for it - that creates "grumpyness". I would just say we "don't suffer fools gladly", and, sadly, we tend to be surrounded by those of an artistic temperament, who don't have that common sense gene.....That is probably the crux of it. ------------- Matt Stolton - Technical Director (!!!) - http://www.wildingsound.co.uk" rel="nofollow - Wilding Sound Ltd "Sparkius metiretur vestra" - "Meter Your Mains" |
Posted By: Earplug
Date Posted: 18 November 2015 at 1:13pm
Yes, when I found out what was happening, I tried to reason with everyone, but the said group refused to move. The other 2 groups were happy to change. It´s the 'we don´t want to open, or go on late when less people are there' syndrome. Egos.  Also, you forgot the dance act that dump a CD on to you 5 minutes before going on and expect you to do all the cueing and change-overs for them. Haha. ------------- Earplugs Are For Wimps! |
Posted By: studio45
Date Posted: 18 November 2015 at 8:22pm
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^The late-arriving CD is better than the late-arriving phone with intermittent, loose headphone jack, containing a playlist of 64Kbit MP3's, in the wrong order... ------------- Studio45 - Repairs & Building Commotion Soundsystem -Mobile PA |
Posted By: AlmostSalty
Date Posted: 18 November 2015 at 8:39pm
And lectors you've told a 100 times how to use a mic properly, but still ends up slowly moving the mic further and further away from there mouth making the promoters sending confused angry looks your way! Even though your signaling with your hole body for the lecture to put that mic back up there making you look like a pervert.. |
Posted By: AlmostSalty
Date Posted: 18 November 2015 at 8:40pm
And not set to flight mode ending up ringing halfway through the set.. |
Posted By: mitchiemasha
Date Posted: 18 November 2015 at 10:41pm
Totally... For 7 years we ran a lil successful rave, could of DJ'd at any point, built some fame as that. I was more than happy not to, thank you, lol!
Making sure the venue and sound was right was quite enough! |
Posted By: mitchiemasha
Date Posted: 18 November 2015 at 10:48pm
That spelt the very end for me. Never been so embarrassed in my life. Things went wrong, was it directly my fault no... But ultimately it was as it was my responsibility to make sure nothing went wrong. I'm just not willing to put myself in those positions any more. Especially as I'd refused the gig multiple times already.
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Posted By: Earplug
Date Posted: 20 November 2015 at 10:34am
That´s just crazy. If the act needs precise cueing etc. they should bring someone to do it for them. Your job is to control the sound, not f-around with the backing muzak. If things go wrong, it´s totally their fault. ------------- Earplugs Are For Wimps! |
Posted By: njw
Date Posted: 21 November 2015 at 11:20pm
I know exactly what you mean, I've provided sound for more nights than I can remember locally and have had plenty of chances to get on the decks but have always preferred being the guy in the background making things sound nice! I don't know why but it just felt far more rewarding. And saying that I always enjoy getting on the lighting desk, fetching the lasers in or hitting the strobe at exactly the right moment is always good fun but no one thanks you for it!
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Posted By: AlmostSalty
Date Posted: 21 November 2015 at 11:31pm
I prefer to be climbing around back of rig, making things sound nice!  |
Posted By: Earplug
Date Posted: 22 November 2015 at 1:06pm
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Fame is ephemeral. A good rig lasts forever. ------------- Earplugs Are For Wimps! |
Posted By: mitchiemasha
Date Posted: 23 November 2015 at 1:30am
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Don't get me wrong, dj'ing is still what I do, just at these kind of events, no thank you, lol!I prefer the late bar thing.
I've pretty much retired from everything else. No money init and everything has to be bodged, done on the cheap and it's soul destroying. Too many things can go wrong.
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