LIVE SOUND PORTFOLIO
AUDIENCE VIDEOS
It’s tough to hire a mixing engineer for a band “sight un-heard” – while LD’s can preprogram light shows with visualizers, it isn’t the same for audio without being in a room with a large PA system, etc.
In today’s world, live bands are judged via social media videos. This means the FOH mix has to stand up both in person and afterwards, online. In my experience, most people will agree that the “YouTube test” is the harsher of the two – in other words, if the mix works on a phone video, it’s a job well done.
All of the following videos are examples of my FOH mixes from artists who have trusted me on tours or at one-off appearances to represent their music to audiences around the globe.
Corey Taylor
When one of the most well-known frontmen of all time calls, saying no isn’t an option! I was thrilled to be offered the chance to work with Corey, and our time together has been some of the most rewarding parts of my career so far. In a change of pace from some of my previous mixing jobs, this band has zero backing tracks, no click track – and half the band is on wedges! All the guitar amps are live and loud cabs on stage. This means the onstage volume typically sits around 108dBA… that’s loud! It has certainly created challenges for me in smaller club environments as well as in parts of the world where SPL restrictions mean that I’m already nearing or even at the limit before the PA is even turned on – but getting to mix iconic songs that I grew up listening to each night makes the challenge worth it.
Louder Than Life Fest 2023
Festivals presented by the Danny Wimmer team are always a blast!
Pinkpop Festival – 2024
An iconic European festival on a beautiful summer day! It doesn’t get much better than this.
SiriusXM Live In-Studio 2023
Corey was invited to do a feature for SiriusXM Radio and we did a live performance in their Hollywood studio – typically used for acoustic acts – but we brought the whole rock show! I provided the broadcast mix for this that was used on the radio as well as shared around various outlets by SiriusXM.
I Prevail
During my nearly eight years with this band, I handled everything that had to do with audio coming out of PA speakers. In addition to the FOH mix, I designed and programmed all the guitar tones, Ableton track sessions, and my company provided all the audio consoles and accessories in a rental package. I’ve mixed them everywhere from 200-capacity clubs in Montana to sold-out 40,000 person outdoor stadiums.
Blue Ridge Rock Fest 2022
A festival is always an inherent challenge – on this day we did not get a soundcheck and I did not know what things would sound like until the band took the stage. This was the first song of the night.
Oshkosh Arena – 2022
What’s it matter if the middle of the crowd doesn’t sound amazing? This was a great JBL PA system with a phenomenal, energetic crowd – everything a normal day on tour should be.
Myth Club – 2022
There’s always a challenge to take a tour and show that was designed to be in arenas and stuff it into a club… but when it works really well, it’s so rewarding!
Sevendust
I had the great privelege of being brought on to mix the “Animosity” anniversary tour and it was an honor to mix these guys each night. There is some amazing chemistry with a band of over 25 years that still has all of the original lineup together.
Earthday Birthday Festival – April 2023
One of the final chances I had to mix this legendary band, a capacity crowd in Florida absolutely made for an incredible midday performance.
Welcome To Rockville Festival 2022
Again, festivals are challenging – and in the middle of the day fighting inclement weather even more-so. This was my first festival appearance with Sevendust and it was a blast on a large PA system that was dialed in very well!
Animosity Tour – March 2022
Many of these videos are under “ideal conditions” – in this line of work we’re far from those each day. This is a near-front row video from a show with a very tired EV XLC system that should have been retired when I started touring! The ability to make the best of what you have to work with is the most important skill of any FOH Engineer.
iDKHOW
I received a very last minute call to go on tour with the artist Dallon Weekes’s current project, “I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME” – a different genre of music than I’ve typically worked with, but it was an incredibly fun experience and hopefully not the last time we work together!
Despite all the phones in the audience nightly, it doesn’t seem many videos made it on to YouTube.
Orlando – March 2024
Very early on in the tour (3rd show I believe) and a very tired EV PA system (a theme in my life I think) but we had a very fun night with a packed house.
San Francisco – April 2024
Again – if the front row doesn’t sound good then what does it matter? I always want to make sure the fans on the barricade who purchased the VIP tickets get a great experience and that includes working with the band onstage to make sure things are balanced appropriately in club venues. This venue also had me mixing at the back of the balcony giving another challenge – but a really well-deployed d&b V series PA made it work.
Others
Some of the most fun and adrenaline-inducing experiences I’ve had doing FOH work have been with artists that I’ve not been on tour with. Here are some of those times.
DED – Inkcarceration Festival 2022
This was my 3rd time mixing this band, all three times at festivals, and I had a classic Avid Profile console to use.
Atreyu – UFest PHX 2022
This was my first time mixing this band, I had never heard what the sources would sound like until line check – everyone was happy with the results! I also didn’t know the lead singer would go into the crowd and be in front of the PA – but always being prepared for things like that meant everything went smoothly.
Dead Poet Society – ShipRocked 2022
I have gotten to know this band very well over the last few years and mixed them dozens of times. This particular setting is always fun – and this band’s music makes use of some liberal vocal effects.