Sound Design Live

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Why is wireless so hard?!

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Why is wireless so hard?! Even after 15 years of shows, I still don’t get it.

A perfect example is a show I worked on a couple of weeks ago. As far as I could tell, I was doing everything right. I was using a solid antenna and distro from RF Venue, following the guidelines I knew for antenna placement and frequency coordination using Shure Wireless Workbench, but it didn’t work. I was still getting dropouts.

At breaks I would scramble to re-coordinate and war game and increase transmitter power. No improvement.

I hate to call it magic, but sometimes it just seems to work and sometimes it doesn’t. Even after the hundreds of shows I’ve worked on, wireless is the part of the signal chain that I have the least confidence in.

One thing I know is true: just like sound system tuning, there is no magic bullet. A solid signal chain develops at every link.

If I want to stop having these painful experiences on shows, I need to take my skills to the next level. But how?

The best solution would be to hire Karl Winkler to come out on shows with me, but something tells me he’s not going to fly to Minneapolis for a show tomorrow.

I guess the next best solution is to have Karl train me on the principles. I know how to operate some hardware and software, but I have never trained in the basics of wireless systems.

If I could have it my way, I’d also get Alex Milne to teach me about filters, Nick to walk me through the process he developed on tour with O.A.R., and Stephen Pavlik to give me a crash course on wireless for IEMs.

Of course, I’ll have to check my budget. How much is it going to cost to take a day off of work, travel, and lodge myself at the training location? Ideally, it would happen in Minneapolis. But then I’d have to put on pants and leave the house. And it might be snowing! Also, this doesn’t really help Chris in Philadelphia or Aleš in Slovenia.

Wait…

What if we could do this online? We won’t be able to shake hands, but this might be the best compromise. If we do it through video conference then presenters can show demos with their webcams and anyone can ask questions.

I’m not very clever when it comes to marketing, so I guess I would call it something like Wireless Workshop. I really like Guileless Wireless, but that seems silly.

So how much should it cost? Let’s see…MxU is $300. Smaart class is $750. SynAudCon Making Wireless Work seminar is $750. I don’t think this event would need to cost that much. If we can get 50 or 60 people to attend, tickets could be as low as $77 and still pay all of the teachers.

Hmm, some people might not be able to afford $77. Let’s also offer a $30 discount for people who need it.

What do you think?
Should we do it?

  1. No, this is a dumb idea.
  2. Yes, sign me up!

Register here – https://www.sounddesignlive.com/online-wireless-workshop/

Ideas? Comment below. 🙂

Recovering from Burnout and Avoiding Overwhelm

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In this episode of Sound Design Live I talk with Nicholas Radina while he is mixing monitors on tour for the band O.A.R. We discuss reducing stage volume, troubleshooting wireless transmitters and receivers, recovering from burnout, and how to avoid overwhelm on the job.

9-tips-for-easy-in-ear-monitor-setup-nicholas-radina-headshotI found myself driving home one night, burned out, just thinking to myself, this can’t be the next 10 years of my life.

Notes

  1. Music in this episode by O.A.R.
  2. Download the book Get On Tour for free until Sep24.
  3. Hardware: Midas Pro C, Lab Gruppen amps, Red Box, Kemper, Shure Axient
  4. Software: Wireless Workbench
  5. Quotes from Get On Tour
    1. I found myself a bit burned out, without much direction, and looking for another path.
    2. I started declining gigs that didn’t meet some baseline wants for my life and career. That baseline includes work that helps me move forward, is good for my resume, benefits me on a spiritual level, or is financially rewarding. Looking at every opportunity with these things in mind made it easier to respectfully turn down work that would keep me from growing, make me feel stuck, and ultimately lead to a deeper burn out.
    3. Diversifying and being flexible and available have always been the keys to my self-employed survival. When working at home I freelance with several audio companies, tackling festivals, special events, and corporate work. At this point in my career, $350-500/day seems to be the competitive rate. I write articles for Live Sound International/ProSoundWeb.com, and I created and run SoundNerdsUnite.com, which offers products and teaching resources about live sound. I co-founded and program a special 22-week Latin music series in Cincinnati called Salsa On The Square. I also manage an apartment building.
    4. This business is less about your technical aptitude as it is your personal and social approach. People hire you because of what you personally bring to the table: those traits that are inherent, personal, and one of a kind. Choosing you from a pool of equally qualified applicants is a privilege—treat it as such.
  6. Quotes
    1. My job is to make the artist feel comfortable. I’m really careful of letting my own opinions override what the artist wants.
    2. The amplifier on an active antenna is to make up for the loss of the cable. It has nothing to do with distance and range.
    3. Put your antennas up and high.
    4. There are calculators all over the place for cable loss.
    5. I just had one too many angry tour managers.
    6. All tours end. I had to come home and pay the bills.
    7. Eventually I was fired from that job because I wasn’t available. I thought, How could they fire me?! But when I look back, I’m so grateful that they did because it really gave me freedom in my life to pursue other things.
    8. It was difficult, but I knew I was going to do it. I had to do it.
    9. Don’t be a dick.
    10. First of all remember that you’re not saving babies.

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