May Issue - FOH Online

20
FOH Feature
“I’m “I’m not not sure sure what what I I wanted, wanted, but but I I knew knew I I wanted wanted to to take take what what I I learned learned there there and and try try to to have have fun,” fun,” says says young young FOH FOH engineer engineer Eddie Eddie Map. Map.
“There” is a school for sound engineering, and it’s interesting that three of four of the “young guns” highlighted in this article all have that formal training, and the fourth
has formal music training. In the past, most got enviable gigs by just fi guring it out as they went, driven by passion and persistence. But while today’s gear seems to demand
serious education, these four certainly are not lacking any passion and persistence — or exceptional talent for that matter. They all come from different places and got where
they are in different ways, but they are already out with big acts doing a remarkable job like a seasoned professional.
MAY 2007
Education: Education: Two years as a vocal major in an East
Texas Texas Community Community College College
Currently Currently With: With: Jars of Clay
First First “Gig:” “Gig:” “I think I was 15 years old and I
worked worked on on this this musical musical theatre theatre review review show show at at a a
community community theatre. theatre. Did Did I I know know what what all all the the knobs knobs
did? did? [Laughs]. [Laughs]. I I think think we we all all thought thought we we knew knew
what what they they did did at at fi fi rst….” rst….”
Currently Currently Drives: Drives: Yamaha PM5D
“I knew it was something I could do.
Music makes sense to me, and hearing
the placing of instruments in music
makes sense to me.” — Marc DuFrene
“I worked with every local and regional
band out of the state of Texas
as as far far as as I I can can tell,” tell,” laughs laughs DuFrene DuFrene
about about his his career career beginnings. beginnings. But But really, really, it it begins begins
way way before before that: that: “Even “Even as as a a small small child, child, I I was was pushing pushing butbuttonstons and and turning turning knobs knobs — — I I knew knew I I was was destined destined to to be be doing doing that!” that!” So So
after two years as a college voice major, he walked into the local sound company,
Soundtech, and asked for a job.
“I knew it was something I could do,” he says. “Music makes sense to me, and hearing
the placing of instruments in music makes sense to me. The technical things I knew I
Education: Education: Full Sail (2006)
Currently Currently With: With: Rod Stewart
First First “Gig:” “Gig:” “A buddy and I built a stage for
the the Country Country Thunder Thunder Festival, Festival, and and basically basically
we we were were stagehands, stagehands, set set up up and and tear tear down. down.
That That was was my my fi fi rst rst experience.”
experience.”
Currently Currently Drives: Drives: Yamaha PM5D
Thorene, by his own admission, is fortunate
enough enough to to be be stepson stepson to to Paul Paul Owen Owen of of Thunder Thunder
Audio. Audio. In In addition addition to to being being part part of of a a successful successful
international international audio audio company, company, Owen Owen is is monitor monitor
engineer engineer for for Metallica. Metallica. When When Thorene Thorene was was eight, eight,
Owen Owen took took him him to to a a Metallica Metallica show show to to watch watch
him him mix mix monitors, monitors, which which by by any any kid’s kid’s standards standards
is is beyond beyond cool. cool. After After high high school school he he did did a a year year at at
“regular “regular college, college, but but it it wasn’t wasn’t for for me.” me.” A A friend friend went went
to to Full Full Sail Sail and and talked talked about about how how great great it it was, was, so so
Thorene Thorene was was inspired inspired to to enroll. enroll. After After he he got got out, out, he he
worked worked for for a a local local small small production production company company and and
eventually found himself in the fold at Thunder.
He got sent out with Metallica, where he was noticed and asked to join Rod Stewart. “It is even
better than I thought it would be,” he says of his experience — not that he didn’t have challenges
and a big learning curve. “They were fl ying Meyer Milo speakers and I hadn’t had much experience
fl ying those, but I just dove into it. That was a huge challenge when I fi rst started, and it’s just a matter
of keeping it all running as well as it should be.”
Stewart Stewart is is using using a a lot lot of of AKG AKG D5s, D5s, and and Thorene Thorene says says he he also also
likes Shure. Otherwise, the rig includes all Meyer speakers,
which he says are great, particularly because they
are all self-powered. “No amps — that’s so awesome,”
he smiles. “I think the only amp we have on Rod is for
the drum thumper.”
Not surprisingly, growing up in the shadow of the
most respected and admired sound companies like he
has, has, long long term term he’d he’d like like to to own own a a production production company. company.
But But that’s that’s very very long long term, term, as as right right now now he’s he’s “having “having a a blast blast
so far — it’s been great.”
Age: 22
Age: 27
When Not In a Bus: Austin, Texas.
When Not In a Bus: Detroit, Mich.
A Quartet of Exceptionally Talented Young Guys “Know What All the Knobs Do”
and Are Turning Them for Some Big Names
www.fohonline.com
could learn. Since then, I’ve just kept up with the technology.”
Eventually he went to work for Audio Analysts, who sent him out with Jars of Clay as
an assistant tech, and when the FOH guy left, he stepped in. He found himself tweaking
the previous mixes a bit. Then the show went on a break, and he rebuilt the show more
to his liking.
As they don’t tour with their own gear, his biggest challenge is the different P.A.s
from local sound companies. “Companies spend way too much money on nice P.A.s,
these line arrays, and don’t know how to work the processing. They expect those to
sound good every night, but without understanding the processing, it sounds worse
than old-fashioned stacks. It’s interesting to hear all the different P.A.s, but the challenge
is making it work for the band.”
Toolbox-wise, DuFrene says he doesn’t leave home without his
Lake Mesa Quad EQ and the Lake Contour — they are the only reason
he’s able to go from P.A. to P.A. and get the sound he needs for the
band. Otherwise, he and the band recently switched to Sennheiser
903 903 Evolution Evolution Series Series mics, mics, which which has has cleared cleared things things up up and and allowed allowed
him him to to put put the the vocals vocals in in
the the mix mix where where they they are are
supposed supposed to to be. be. “It’s “It’s a a
dynamic dynamic mic mic with with very very condenser-like condenser-like characteristics
characteristics
and and a a warm warm low-end, low-end, which which is is what what I I was was looking looking for. for.
I’m loving it.” The band is using Westone PMs.
Flush Flush with with learning learning that that he he will will be be a a dad dad in in the the
late late summer, summer, his his immediate immediate goal goal is is to to be be home home
as as much much as as possible. possible. “One “One day day I’d I’d like like to to leave leave the the
touring world, but never the business,” he says.
“That’s one thing I love working with Jars of Clay.
They, too, like being home on the weekends
with their families.”
Education: Full Sail (1999)
Currently With: Rascal Flatts
First “Gig:” “I worked for a
band called the Cadillacs, and
I’m pretty sure we played every
Moose Lodge and VFW Hall in central
Tennessee.”
Current Drives: DiGiCo D5
“I went to Full Sail, then worked
with the Cadillacs before Sound Image
hired me to work with Brookes &
Dunn and some other bands,” Garber
says. Eventually, he wiggled on with a
fairly unknown act called Rascal Flatts
as assistant engineer, and about three
years ago got to take over the console
for himself. The band has since exploded,
with tours getting signifi cantly bigger
each time they go out (and they go out a
lot). “The biggest challenge is the different
rooms we’re in day to day,” he says. “I have
to adjust things to make it all consistent
— that’s important to me.”
Even when he fi nds himself in a venue
that is defi nitely on the small side, he says he
still likes to hang everything he has like it was
a big arena. “It’s better to have more than not enough!” he grins.
In addition to the DiGiCo board, he loves the dbx DriveRack 4800
system processor. To power it all he uses the Crown I-Tech 8000
power amplifi er.
He says he’s grateful for the chance to work with this band, noting
how it changes all the time and “doesn’t get any smaller! Next
tour we’ll be playing in the round, 360°, and that will be challenging.
The challenges get greater and greater, and that’s why I’m out here
— for the challenge.”
A challenge he’s obviously talented enough to meet. He just
Age: 28
When Not In A Bus: