Sound Engineer Wanted.. possible

NeMiSiS

My band is making a demo in three weeks,and then basically going on a full on gigging and publicity type..situation.

The long and the short of this is after having a lengthy discussion with the singer,we decided we wanted our own engineer..for a couple of reasons

He/She would get to know our sound,and be able to reproduce it at every gig we play,the experiences ive had with house engineers hasnt made them my favourite people in the world..

He/she would get to know our songs,know exactly when to bring guitar levels down vocals up etc..like guitar solo kicks in so they turn that channel up..and then know when its to come down too..
Also be able to produce the kinda sound we have on the demo..live..I know thats not entirly possible..but ya get the idea

What we are after basically is an engineer who wants to become pretty much a member of the band,gets a cut of the gigs,goes out gets pissed with us,knows our sound and exactly how to get it,at every gig...

Its about a month to 5 weeks before we kick off gigging and stuff..if your a sound engineer and you think your up to it..pm me.
If you are only learning sound engineering at the moment too,give me a shout,get you some live experience,and if it works out we will keep you on..

all the best..

Tom

bombidol

Its a great idea but unfortunatly the reality aint too great. a lot of venues wont let anyone near their gear unless they know em. AND yer engineer would have to be fantastic to know the layout and characteristics of every venue and desk in the country.
The layout of equipment and walls affects the way certain frequencys sound so a walk in engineer would sound ten time worse in most cases, than someone who knew the gear and the venue well.

NeMiSiS

A desk is a desk,hell we'd bring our own ****ing p.a. if it came down to it In fact Id rather that than using some of the utterly crappy house p.a.'s Ive seen or heard for that matter.

"The layout of equipment and walls affects the way certain frequencys sound so a walk in engineer would sound ten time worse in most cases, than someone who knew the gear and the venue well."

A good engineer should be able to figure that kinda **** out fast,thats there job like..they go and learn how to use the gear. Or ask the house engineer...jesus man all you have to do is go to the venue the week before and check out the sound..look at the desk..thats professionalism,and common sense.

I think all bands should be doing it,everyones being ****ed round by this whole pay to play attitude,moody house engineers,and **** head promoters who try convince you they are doing you a favour for giving you 2 euro per flier you get in.

People get used to being ****ed over in this country far to easily I think. If all bands were using their own engineers,or say a collection of engineers,who work on the cheap alongside gigsmart,and have the right attitude,what could the venues do?

All you say is 'This is the way we are ****ing doing it,so get used to it'

Im still going with the idea.

All the best
Tom

bombidol

Still wont work , in some cases you might get away with it. But if you are planning on gigging a lot, thats double the work for an engineer. he'll have to run around the week before, convince the venue to let him unpack the PA (They wont let him cause they are usually stored away in flight cases) he can look at it, but he wont be able to check it cause there is no band to test signals.
Then, he'll either have to Engineer the entire gig, or explain to the house engineer what he's done so they can take over.
The quality of most of the engineer's in Dublin really isnt that bad.If you tell them at the start what you want they do it.
I gig most weeks and im an Engineer myself. You dont have to do pay to play gigs if you dont want to. We've never played one.
A good engineer will figure out gear quick, but its not just the gear, its the venue itself. Different shapes of rooms require different EQ balances and they sound different with people in em and when they are empty. Also "Good" engineer's are few and far between. You'll find a few guys and gals that are straight out of college or whatever but they will have very little actual experience most of the time.

NeMiSiS

I dont think you understand me.

Why if I wanted to hear the sound of the p.a. would I go while there was no band playing ? That wouldnt be very sensible.

We are looking for a 'good' engineer or at least someone with enough natural ability,to have the potential to be 'good. I know its not going to be possible for them to engineer every single gig we do. But if its the case where the house engineer,is in a hands-off mood,we send OUR engineer up to him to talk him/her through our set,so they will need good people skills aswell.

Im still willing to have a go at it, and why not? I am aware of the realities and how its not sugar coated and sprinkeld with fairy dust. Our singer is an engineer,buts he's not experienced enough to do the job as well as he wants.

As for pay-to-play,I know you dont have to do them,I dont think it should exsist at all. Its only to do with greed in my opinion,and id love to get my hands on whatever bright spark started the idea.

I think for such a creative country between poets,writers and musicians,our capital city should have a better attitude towards encouraging bands to play (I know there is no shortage of bands willing to play,its the whole 'scence' im getting at) ,and pay them fairly for it. I dont mind being a musician and living on the breadline for the the privilege,its below the breadline that bothers me.

All the best

Tom

bombidol

Theres a possiblity that, the house engineer wouldnt mind your guy working alongside him for your set. i doubt he'd be allowed to take the reigns alltogether for the first couple of gigs in every venue. as they got used to him they might let him take over in a limited capacity.
The scene itself is reinventing itself after a couple of dodgey years. its the best it has been in ages. With collectives like gigsmart and Toxic doing great gigs for free, its hard to complain.
I can only think of a few pay to play promotors, and no one plays for em except their mates and newbies anyway.
The engineer thing is worth a shot, i know of a few bands that have their own engineer who records and looks after their rehearsals and stuff. they come along to gigs sometime, but are mostly told not to go near the gear. You cant give hassle over it either, there are loads of other bands out there that would take your spot. if the venue or house guy says no, just accept it and play. might be worthwhile to organise your own gigs, then your guy can do the whole thing, get some experience from it and you will sound as you like

gar

Smiler

Hey NeMiSiS

If your looking for a Sound Engineer that's straight out of college. Then the Pulse college end of year bash is on the the Voodoo lounge on Thurs 5th. (Tommorow)

You are bound to find someone that is interested in doing a bit of live work for you.

NeMiSiS

Cheers for that. But Im up to my eyeballs at the moment,so I doubt Il make it.

All the best

Tom

Smiler

No worries man.

Were playing at it. So I'll ask around to see if their is anyone interested in a bit of live work touring with a band.

NeMiSiS

Rockin

Thanks

Tom

lethal dose

Hey Nemisis I graduated out of Ballyfermot Senior college in 94 and I've worked inr RTE and live venues for bands and with house engineers but heres's my point. In my relatively limited experience the attitude of house engr's and the like is that anyone coming in cannot possibly know anything more than them! However I've seen people from other countries get on better here because of the fact they were foreign engineers! Silly, stupid but true so a foreigner may the person you're lookin for or at least get over that hurdle. Anyways I think you're right to get your own, best of luck!

Smiler

Just back from the gig. Got some info ya. If your still interested in an Engineer give me a PM