Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1259912
C A S Q U A R T E R L Y S P R I N G 2 0 2 0 77 THE BEGINNING My career in audio began when I was 13 years old and got my first four-track tape recorder. My late father was a big fan of music and my family encouraged me to be creative (my grandma was a lifelong piano teacher). I remember feeling a rush of adrenaline when I learned how to bounce three tracks down to one, allowing me to free up more tracks. My apprenticeship had begun. And even today, whenever problems start to multiply at work, I think about that four-track—in some form or fashion, I've pressed RECORD every day since I was a teenager. After briefly studying psychology at the University of Kentucky, I graduated from Full Sail University in 2002 with a recording arts degree. I had dreams of becoming a songwriter and music producer, so I decided to move to Los Angeles. With four suitcases, seven guitars, one cat, and my digital audio workstation, I loaded up my Cadillac Deville (yes, it was like riding in a boat) and drove across country. On the way, I was offered what I thought would be my big break—an unpaid internship in Santa Monica for an Oscar-winning composer. I arrived with high hopes, but within three weeks, was let go because I transferred the right media onto the wrong hard drive, thus sinking a late-night scoring session. Also, it was my job to get In-N-Out for everyone at that session. Needless to say, the burgers never made it. I was D.O.A. Eager to prove myself, I took a job as a runner at Paramount Recording Studios. I was a sponge, but was particularly interested in picking the brains of sound engineers and learning about miking techniques. One day, a music producer pushed the faders up on an SSL and Freddie Mercury's voice came belting through (isolated vocals from "Bohemian Rhapsody"). I was electrified. However, at the end of the session, the assistant engineer candidly said, "Don't stay in the music business. It's gone to hell." This was 2003, when the industry was busy rebranding itself after the controversy of illegal file- sharing. It definitely hit close to home and I started exploring other creative avenues. HOW I GOT HERE I got a shot in the arm when I became a logger on The Osbournes at MTV. My boss heard a Pro Tools recording I'd made and said, "So you're a sound guy? How 'bout I introduce you to Scott Solan, the mixer of my upcoming show?" I thanked him even though I had no idea what a TV mixer did. The only production audio I'd ever done was to capture nat sound with a Nagra in college. Because of that introduction, I got my first sound mixer gig b y A d a m H o w e l l C A S on the reality show Laguna Beach in 2004. This then led to my first audio supervisor position on the pilot for its soft-scripted spinoff, The Hills. In addition to mixing, I was now responsible for staffing and managing the sound department, assembling the gear list, and handling the budget. Around that time, I was given the opportunity to partner with David Crocco, a re-recording mixer in post-production, and together we made our first purchase, the Aaton Cantar-X, which was used on both shows. OK, WHAT IS A REALITY SHOW ANYWAY? How much content is soft-scripted and how much of it is actually "real"? From my experience, the answer changes on a daily basis. And to me, that's exciting! To some though, "reality" TV is synonymous with basic ENG-style mixing of trash that's caught on camera. In my opinion, the opposite is true. Reality television is a complex genre that documents stories that are almost too good to be true. There's definitely a craft to working in this challenging format. The technology has become progressively sophisticated, and it requires the talents of the industry's most gifted and dedicated professionals. EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION – ABC/HGTV …MOVE THAT BUS! Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is a long-standing reality series about the strength and love of community. Each episode features a team of builders, designers, and volunteers coming together to build or renovate a home for a deserving family in need. I joined the show as a sound mixer during its sixth season. Under the direction of Jen Lane and then supervisor Ben Lowry (both of whom I loved working with), my bag consisted of two daisy-chained Wendt X5's (a Deva Fusion slipped in there for one season). We sent a stereo mix to cameras—and that's all post had to work with. And we mapped out where ISO's were by assigning certain mics to various camera channels. I became the audio supervisor on Season 9, and integrated the Sound Devices 788T-SSD with existing Lectrosonics SR and 411 receivers, paired with Lectro SM and SMQv transmitters and trusty Sanken COS-11 lavs. A Sennheiser 416 boom kit was efficient in handling various locations. I also decided to bring on Sergio Reyes-Sheehan as my A1. He was an imaginative sounding board, and I truly couldn't have done PRODUCTION MIXING & ORGANIZING LARGE-SCALE REALIT Y SHOWS