Signal To Noise Podcast

It’s time for an end-of-spring check-in, as Andy and Sean sit down at the microphones in Episode 254 to catch up on everything they’ve been up to the last month. Sean talks about his trip to Texas to help with a loudspeaker demo for RCF and gives Andy and the listeners a follow-up on his adventures in freewire DSP from a couple episodes ago. Meanwhile, Andy shares some stories and thoughts from a...

Veteran front of house engineer Paul Bevan joins the show in Episode 253 and discusses his eclectic career that includes mixing a wide range of gigs, from regal (Boston Pops Fourth of July) to raucous (Mott the Hoople), and just about everything in between. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF . While his music mixing resume is extensive — including The Spin Doctors, Hall & O...

In Episode 252, the hosts are joined by Elliot Carroll, director of audio services for Show Imaging, who talks about the business side of audio — deciding what gear to buy (or, more importantly, not buy), when to say yes or no to a proposed project, training staff, keeping staff happy and healthy on job sites, and much more. Elliot’s spent the past 20 years specializing primarily in corporate audi...

In Episode 251, Tony-award sound designer Jessica Paz joins the show and talks about all things Broadway and touring sound design, including how to make a theatre sound like a stadium or an intimate office as well as the trials and tribulations of doing live theatre outdoors at New York’s iconic Delacorte Theatre for Shakespeare in the Park, and more. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath...

In Episode 250, Sean and Andy take it back to the early days of grunge when they talk to Craig Montgomery, the front of house engineer for Nirvana. He details mixing and managing small tours and festivals in a van with Kurt, Dave, and Krist from 1989 to 1993 as well as going on to tour manage for Hole, and mix and tour manage other well-known artists including TAD, Mudhoney, Weezer, and The Presid...

In Episode 249, Sean and Andy gather around the microphones with Sam Kusnetz, education and training manager for Figure 53’s QLab and founder of Team Sound, maker of MIDI hardware and testers specifically designed for live audio playback users. Sam talks about growing up and falling into theatre in New York, working on smaller tours and regional theatres across the country, and then eventually set...

In Episode 248, the hosts visit with front of house engineer Burton Ishmael, who is currently mixing Madonna’s global Celebration tour, and learn about how the artist sought him out after hearing him mix Post Malone, the latest in a list of A-List hip-hop and R&B acts on his resume that also includes Lil Baby, Nas, Big Sean, Miguel, and H.E.R., and others. This episode is sponsored by Allen &a...

In Episode 247, the co-hosts catch up after Sean returns from his first vacation since starting his company. Sean fills Andy in on turning a trip to visit the RCF factory into a vacation for his entire family. He gives a recap of his awesome time visiting the factory and seeing how the loudspeakers he’s bought for his company are made and tested, plus an obligatory stop for fantastic Neapolitan pi...

In Episode 246, Sean, Andy and guest co-host Kate Foretek talk with financial advisor Bailie Slevin to get the lowdown on making your money work for you as a freelancer to plan for both the future you expect, and the one you don’t! This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF . A combination of finance ninja and theatre nerd, Bailie is a business management and financial consultant focus...

Kenny Barnwell joins Andy in Episode 245 to discuss how to nurture and maintain healthy relationships while working away from home. His advice — which even those who don’t tour will find valuable — touches on communication strategies, mutual support and accountability, self-awareness and boundaries, and how to include your family in your life and your work when working away from home. This episode...

Picking up where they left off in last time ( here ), in Episode 244 Sean and Andy continue their roundtable on corporate event audio with Aram Piligian, Brian Maddox, and Michael Curtis. Previously, they looked at the input side of corporate audio, and this time, focus shifts to the outputs — how to balance the needs of the live sound in the room with both recordings and live streams as well as h...

Many of us spend tons of time talking about things like crafting the perfect kick drum or guitar or lead vocal, but in Episode 243, we focus the podcast on another important but less recognized set of “money” inputs — corporate event vocals. In part one of a two-part deep dive into mixing corporate events, Andy and Sean bring together a collection of top A1s in the business — Aram Piligian, Brian...

In Episode 242, Andy and guest host Aram Piligian talk with Mark Russie, who retired from a long career as a Las Vegas-based A1 and A2 to start a small business manufacturing the Lav Magnet and Beltpack Bar, tools he originally invented to make his own life on corporate events easier. Mark shares the story of how, after multiple manufacturers told him his product wouldn’t be feasible, he set up a...

In a “shocking” Episode 241, Sean and Andy talk with Richard Cadena, author of the book “Electricity for the Entertainment Electrician & Technician” as well as serving as a freelance lighting designer, lighting consultant, and trainer. He’s worked on concert tours, television, and theatre, and has designed dozens of lighting systems for permanent installations. Richard is also the technical ed...

Chicago-based front of house engineer and tour manager Dave Unger joins the show in Episode 240 and talks about his career mixing high-energy world music artists that include Femi Kuti and the Positive Force, Bombino, Sierra Leone Refugee Allstars, and many others at some of the highest profile venues and festivals in the world such as Coachella, the New Orleans and Montreal Jazz Festivals, Philha...

In Episode 239, the hosts are joined by Marc Alan, front of house engineer for legendary artist Jose Feliciano as well as the production manager and FOH at the Wall Street Theater in Norwalk, CT and the marketing director of Factory Underground Studio. He goes deep on what it’s like working with an artist like Jose at this point of his incredibly long career, and he also talks about how to establi...

Last week, while Andy was home in NY catching up on work after a vacation in Iceland, Sean headed to LA (well, Anaheim) to take in the 2024 NAMM Show. In Episode 238, the two catch up — Sean talks about everything he saw and learned at the show, how lessons learned at a trade show translate to how we run live events and shows, getting to meet up with a handful of friends and listeners from the Sig...

In Episode 237, four members of the audio team for Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps — Jonathan Yoo, Rosa Westfall, Tyler Hanson and Cole O’Malley — join Andy Leviss to talk about what goes into reinforcing sound for a modern Drum Corps International performance. They provide an in-depth look at the ins and outs of a true “battleground” audio situation, with 90 seconds or less to set up line arr...

It’s time to get our system engineer and designer hats on for Episode 236, as the hosts talk to Pat Brown of SynAudCon and Pro Sound Testing about all things loudspeakers, measurement mics, gain structure, and more. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF . Note: Pat and Brenda Brown are offering a 10 percent discount on any SynAudCon training/membership until 1/31/24 — just go here...

In Episode 235, the hosts are joined by Suzi Green, tour manager and founder of The BACK LOUNGE, a peer support group for the live music industry. She talks about her journey out of and back into the music world with a new mission to help make it a better place, creating healthier work environments, mental health first aid, and more. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF . Episode...

Audio “renaissance man” Jim van Bergen joins the show in Episode 234 to talk about his wide-ranging career, including his tenure mixing the Times Square New Year’s Eve broadcasts, serving as front of house engineer for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, recording singer-songwriter Shane MacGowan live, touring with the Metropolitan Opera, mixing the Beatles tribute Rain’s Broadway residency, and m...

To wrap up the year, the hosts of Signal To Noise and Live Sound Bootcamp joined forces in Episode 233 for an extra special live episode to talk about all things audio — favorite gigs of the year, goals for 2024, fun toys, and a deep dive into console presets, drum mics and processing, in addition to answering listener questions from the live chat! This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath ,...

Chicago-based live audio legend TC Furlong joins the show in Episode 232 and talks about his journey in founding a live audio company that just celebrated its 50th anniversary, his life as a pedal steel player in a one-hit wonder band, and the details of a tool he invented in the 1980s that many of us still use on every single music gig we do nearly 40 years later! This episode is sponsored by All...

After a brief foray into his time touring the world with monster trucks, sound engineer/lighting designer/production manager/event producer Adam Brunetti joins the show in Episode 231 to talk about producing and mixing the Levitt AMP Woonsocket Music Series as well as the positive impact small music series and festivals can have on their cities, and more. This episode is sponsored by Allen & H...

In Episode 230, the co-hosts have a post-Thanksgiving catchup on a grab bag of topics, including an upcoming warehouse move, new consoles, and FX rack and reverb/delay settings, in addition to answering some listener questions and “nerding out” about making tastier coffee. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath , RCF , and Rational Acoustics . Episode Links: Sprint-Nextel Commercial: “If R...