Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1474752
32 PRODUCTION SOUND & VIDEO – Fall 2022 areas. If an artist performs on a remote stage or some crazy spot that production cooked up, you need to know what will work for monitors. Will the RF in ears have the range to reach there, or are you able to put wedge monitors there, or is it impossible to cable to them? You have to be aware of these details. Many times, there are two monitor mixers if it is a multi-stage show so, there will be a SR Mixer and a SL Mixer. Oftentimes, we have to work together on performances that may involve multiple bands who perform together back-and-forth. A big show opener would be a great example of that. Being aware ahead of time allows you to be able to deal with anything that comes your way. This idea is not only about your situation, either. It is smart to have a grasp on the situation of the entire audio crew. It is not just you doing your job and just passing it along. The audio crew on these shows is a well-oiled machine that rely on each other. It pays for me to know what the A2's onstage patching the band inputs or handing out RF mics have going on. What I do, or do not do, greatly impacts them. The idea of being aware is an important one. I know it sounds simple, but there are a ton of moving parts and details on our shows, and being aware of as many that directly affect you is key. Less Is More I know that it is one of the most over-used phrases, but in my approach to monitor mixing, less is more. If I route a vocal through a parametric EQ, some light compression, all of which are right there on the console channel strip and to an in-ear mix that is a pretty streamlined process. I can be assured that I am not digging through layers of extra processing elsewhere on the console while the truck moves onto the next input, leaving me behind. I am not saying that sometimes you may not need something extra if a vocalist or player is problematic or used to hearing something very specific. But I wouldn't go out of my way to route every instrument or vocal through four different Wave processors just because I can. That is an easy way to get behind on the fast-paced soundcheck environment of TV shows. There are times when a band or artist coming into a show absolutely must bring their own monitor rig. I have seen this be successful and smooth and I have also seen it crash and burn. That same awareness I spoke of is based on thirty-plus years of this type of show environment. I would not dare tell a touring mixer what works on his stage night after night, so I find it best when they listen to some warnings about the pros and cons. I have seen far too many techs pulling apart fanouts of XLR inputs trying to figure out why the inputs are not one to one … and the selling point is usually, "It will make it easier." Not always the case. Now, by no means do I skimp on what I am mixing by utilizing the "less is more" approach. I still dive into those dynamics, EQ and gain and strive to make everything sound as good and cohesive as possible. Monitor mixing is unique in a way that you can go to the ends of the earth creating what you think sounds incredible, and it might, but it is all subjective. The listening audience, who at the end of the day is the final critic, has to be happy. This is where "psycho acoustics" comes into play. It has often been said that artists talk in colors, something sounds blue, OK, let me figure that out and add some red! Again, a trusted