May Issue - FOH Online

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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:
Age: 23 When Not In a Bus: New Orleans, La. Nashville, Tenn. Education: Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences, Tempe, Ariz. (1997) Currently With: Evanescence First “Gig:” “After the Conservatory, I went back to Alexandria, La. and did my internship there, as opposed to New York or L.A. I mixed for different local bands around there — just a handful of country or metal bands or whatever came along.” Currently Drives: Digidesign VENUE Mapp played guitar in local bands and “always by default was also the sound guy.” Now if most dads saw their kid approaching adulthood wanting to work in the world of rock ‘n’ roll, he’d push him or her toward won the 2007 EventProForum’s “Rising Star” Award given to individuals working less than five years in the live event industry who have demonstrated exceptional achievement, creativity and perseverance. His goal was always to be FOH for a major act, and while he’s grateful that’s he’s already accomplished that, he’d be happy doing it for another decade or more. “Maybe in the future I’d like to own a sound company — that would be my long term goal.” accounting or something — unless the dad and the mom were in the medical profession, then the push would be in that direction. But check this out: “I didn’t want to be a doctor or lawyer or anything like that; my interest was in music. And it was actually my father who suggested this career. He was looking through a magazine and saw something about the conservatory and suggested it.” After he got out of school and cut his teeth with the locals, he got what he considers his first “real” gig with a legend: Ellis Marsalis. He had planned to work in the studio, and did do some of that work, but, “showing up at the same place day after day felt too much like I was punching a clock. With live, it’s different every day and that was more appealing.” Working the Ozzfest for Black Label Society, he garnered enough attention to be asked to come on the road with Evanescence. Modestly, Map attributes his break with “word of mouth,” but obviously he has the chops to do the job. www.fohonline.com “The biggest challenge I have is trying to shoot for some consistency — especially with this group,” he says. “I strive to make sure the vocals are on top of everything and make it a comfortable show where everyone can enjoy themselves, as opposed to killing them at 130 dB.” He’s a fan of Audio Technica, and says they have always taken care of him and have a lot of great products. Interestingly he’s using their AE2500 dual-element kick drum mic on the guitar, a trick he learned from Big Mick Hughes, FOH for Metallica. Otherwise, he’s pleased with all the plug-ins that come with the VENUE, so he’s hardly using any outboard gear. He is using the Crane Song Phoenix Tape Saturation plug-in, as “it helps warm up everything in the digital domain.” Looking down the road, he hopes to do some more studio work, if it can be on his own terms. “But really, I’m just looking forward to learning more every day and try to do the best I can — and be around for a while.” 2007 MAY 21 Ad info:http:// foh.hotims.com
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