In audio engineering there's a notion that you don't turn a knob if you don't know what it does. Or put another way, you should know exactly what every knob does before turning it. That is ... at showtime.
All gear at one time was analog. It started out expensive and the gatekeepers were the record labels who were the only ones with access. Today almost anyone with a computer has access to digital versions of that gear. The once-rare gear is now ubiquitous.
As a further example of ubiquity, the Boston Symphony Orchestra's Hall was designed and built to produce one of the best sounding reverbs in the world that could only be experienced in the venue. Now it is one of many reverb options with a few clicks.
The instinct for the engineer, especially the novice, is to reach deep into Pandora's box and pull out all these tools -- to add compressors, reverbs, and delays to every channel. Many times this is at his expense, as the tool he's using, he doesn't actually know how it works. The thinking is, "it's a popular plug-in, I read about it on blogs and in trade magazines, so I should use it."
The summation of that is that the final mix doesn't sound "good", and the addition of all those tools make it more difficult to know why.
Fundamentally, before adding "outboard gear" and effects an engineer needs to know how to EQ properly. The very nature of the compressor is that it will enhance some frequencies at the expense of others, so if the signal isn't EQ'ed properly, compressing it will make it sound worse.
For instance, say a given microphone has a tendency to react in a certain way to a given vocalist so that a given frequency ... for example 100 Hz ... is "louder" than most of the other frequencies. If the engineer doesn't compensate for that frequency by EQ'ing to "fix" it, then when the vocalist sings it will sound "bad".
Even if a person in the audience doesn't know why it sounds "bad", they will inherently, subconsciously, know because it won't sound like their favorite record that was mixed by a 30-year veteran.
And then if the engineer takes the "bad" signal and sends it through a compressor, the 100 Hz frequency will be enhanced further.
Obviously, experimentation is encouraged, but it should be done on the engineer's time. And of course, the notion of "bad" and "good" is subjective, but the point is that there are fundamentals in the gain stage and if he doesn't know how to use the compressor, certainly don't try to learn during the show.
There
is a time for experimentation and a time for routine execution. Both
the advantage and disadvantage of experimentation is that a person doesn't know the outcome. He isn't able to envision how it will play out.
With routine execution, a person can see in his head how the outcome should unfold.
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Taking a different situation and applying the same principles, there is the changeover of a stage between acts. Lets pretend its a festival setting.
There are a handful of moving parts that need to move in a short period of time. There has to be an order, a checklist, whether mental, or physical.
The risers or trusses need to move in a certain order. If they don't, it will take longer, and people will make mistakes. The risers need to come in to place first. Then the lights. Then backline.
Not everyone needs to know the big picture of the moves, but the production manager or stage manager certainly does. He needs to know exactly what the moves are, the metaphorical knobs that are being turned. Now's not the time for experimentation.
The Navy Seals have a saying, Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
Do things once, do them correctly. Everything moves with purpose.
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The
thing that makes touring in today's world a sophisticated phenomenon is
the amount of pieces that move into place in a short period of time.
Taken at a macro or micro level, there is an art in putting
it together.
Using
another example let's pretend we're loading in an arena-level show. If
there are 16 trucks and 2 loading docks, they have to load in a
certain order. And in the meantime, all the others have to hold in a
certain order at a specific location.
The load in would look something like this:
Staging -> Power -> Lighting -> Video -> Audio -> Backline -> and then reverse order on the out. Lets not experiment with bringing in the
backline trucks first at load in. Lets not turn knobs unless we know exactly what they will do.
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There
are two modes of thinking, fast and slow, which allow a person to come
to a decision in any given situation. Fast is
instinctual, automatic, intuitive; slow is contemplative and effortful.
The idea of winging it is fast thinking, it is instinctual ... the heuristic approach. Fast thinking is great for doing things that come automatic, whether that means running from danger, or switching into autopilot while going through morning routines.
If you are learning something new, you have to engage in some contemplation. You can think things through thoroughly but probably still
make mistakes.
If you've done something 10,000 times, you don't have to think about it much. But if the situation changes at all, you may get lazy in autopilot and make mistakes.
The most successful execution comes from someone who has both experience and thinks things through. In other words, engaging in both modes of thinking.
Take a scenario: one of the trucks carrying the stage breaks down 100 miles from the venue 2 hours before a 6am load in. And there are 15 trucks behind it that can't load in until the stage is set.
Now take two hypothetical production managers: PM4 has 4 hours of PM experience. PM10k has 10,000 hours of PM experience.
PM4 can sit down and think hard about what to do, come up with a plan, and say, "GO". PM10k can do the same thing.
Obviously, you would want to go with PM10k.
Now take the same scenario, but with a twist. PM4 can sit down and think hard about what to do, come up with a plan, and say, "GO" as before. This time however, let's pretend PM10k is hungover and working on 3 hours of sleep. He doesn't think as hard and misses an unforeseen circumstance, causing further error.
The gulf has narrowed between the decision making of PM4 and PM10k.
Experience + planning = quality of decision making.
PM4 who is loading in his first arena show will have to think and plan really hard about all the factors (and probably still make mistakes). For PM10k it will come more natural. As PM4 gains experience he will think about the process less and it will become more heuristic.
The curve is steep, but levels out with experience.
Experience
+ planning = quality of decision making. Once you have the experience,
what you do with it is up to you. Staying engaged has its advantages and
disadvantages; It allows for less mistakes, but takes more energy.
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As you are gaining experience, there is a time for experimentation and a time for routine execution.
Experiment with turning knobs on your own time.
Plan how to turn those knobs on showday.
Gain experience from turning knobs on show day.
Repeat.