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This secret weapon will make a Profile sound like no other Profile you’ve heard before

By Nathan Lively

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In this episode of Sound Design Live I talk with touring FOH mixer and system tech Sean Quackenbush about how he got the job on the Brandi Carlile tour, his input and output setup, system tuning process, and secret weapon to make the Avid Venue Profile sound like no other profile you’ve heard before.

phot by Phil Garfinkel

75% of touring is not so much the skill you have, it’s can you get along with these people that you’re going to be in a bubble with.

Sean Quackenbush

Notes

  1. All music in this podcast by Rudolf Smetana.
  2. Roadie Free Radio
  3. Brandi Carlile
  4. Software: Smaart
  5. Hardware: Galileo 408, Venue Profile, Telefunken M60, SIM3, Audix TM1, Telefunken M80, Sennheiser 914, Audio Technica 8300, Radial PZDI, Neve 511, Neuman 105, Sennheiser 935, Shure 901 and 902, Sonic Farm Creamliner 3
  6. Sean’s system tuning checklist
    1. Measure left main solo. EQ to match target curve.
    2. Measure left sub solo. Observe phase relationship.
    3. Measure right main solo. EQ.
    4. Measure front-fill solo. Time align to Main.
    5. Listen at front rows to set front-fill level.
    6. Measure combined systems.
  7. Quotes
    1. 75% of touring is not so much the skill you have, it’s can you get along with these people that you’re going to be in a bubble with.
    2. I came from a company where they handed you a 58 and a DN360 and you just talked into it and just carved it up. That’s how you EQed a PA.
    3. Once everything is phase aligned you’re like, Oh wow, all of that EQ I used to put into the 58 at a graduation is gone. You put on a high pass filter, turn the mic up, and it sounds better than if you had spent 3 hours trying to make it sound like that.
Loved this post? Try these:
  1. 3 Phase Alignment Hacks to Make Your Sound System Tuning Easier
  2. How to Time Align Your Main to Your Front Fill Using Smaart® Live IR
  3. Create a sound system tuning checklist and map before your next show

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Comments

  1. Keith aka DJ KEEFER says

    April 4, 2019 at 12:37

    I LOVE THIS NATHAN, please keep giving us FOH/A1 Engineers the resources.

    Reply
  2. Sven says

    April 4, 2019 at 13:57

    Sonic Farms is Vancouver BC Canada! (Also where Radial is based)

    Reply
  3. James says

    May 16, 2019 at 07:45

    Great interview. I didn’t catch the path for the strings.. is it PZ-DI into Neve 511, or Neve instead of Radial?

    Reply
    • Nathan Lively says

      May 16, 2019 at 13:36

      Yes, I believe it’s the PZDI into the Neve. I believe the Radial is on the Bass.

      Reply
      • Sean Quackenbush says

        May 16, 2019 at 14:40

        Hey all
        The neves are for the strings with the pz-di’s
        The sonic farm and radial are on bass
        Quack!

        Reply

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