Signal To Noise Podcast

Michael, Chris and Sam get together for a bonus episode on how to treat new people in the industry and discuss breaking down the gatekeeping of the past. This episode is sponsored by Audix , Allen & Heath , and RCF Join our Discord Server and our Facebook Group , Follow us on Instagram Please check out and support The Roadie Clinic , Their mission is simple. "We exist to empower & hea...

Kevin Cleary joins the hosts on episode 180 to talk about his work as a Specialist for Disney Media Entertainment Distribution. This involves being a part of the quality control and workflow of the 8,000+ sporting events that ESPN is involved with, like the MLB, NCAA, NFL, and more. Kevin talks about the evolution of sound in sports broadcasting, and what drives him to continue innovating the expe...

On episode 179 The hosts are joined by Michael Curtis to discuss his work as a FOH Engineer, Systems Engineer, and Audio Teacher. With a wide variety of skills and types of work as a freelance audio engineer, Michael discusses how to know what to charge and balance the directions to focus on. He also talks about his path in audio and how that led to systems engineering and teaching.  Many more dis...

Michael and Chris are live from CFX on episode 178 talking about the speaker demo room and catching up with Kyle who is out on tour with the artist MAX. They also discuss processing what you have accomplished versus where you are going and how our careers can have winding paths without clear-cut goals. This episode is sponsored by Audix , Allen & Heath , and RCF Join our Discord Server and our...

Michael Lawrence was a guest on the show  "This Week in Hearing" with hosts Dr. Heather Malyuk and Dr. Laura Sinnott. 

The conversation about hearing health continues on episode 177 with three music-based Audiologists. Covering a wide variety of topics they discuss what an audiogram tells us, further defining tinnitus and the effects it has on people,  if we should use corrective EQ based on audiogram reults, and more.   Guests : Dr. Laura Sinnott, Dr. Frank Wartinger, Dr. Juan Vasquez  Episode Links Talking Ears...

On episode 176 the hosts are joined by Bernie Broderick. He describes himself as enigmatic but has been very influential in speaker design and education. They discuss a wide variety of topics  "Everything is good now" so, what is next for speaker design? How has "corporate" influenced or impacted the evolution and advancement of technology? Bernie talks about his journey in tea...

On Episode 175 The hosts are joined by some of the Rational Acoustics team to talk about the release of Smaart V9. Jamie Anderson, Chris Tsanjoures, and Hannah Goodine discuss the journey they have been on over the past two years with virtual training and rolling out a new version of Smaart. They talk about some of the struggles along the way, explain the philosophy behind version releases, what t...

On Episode 174, Todd Lewis returns to talk about his work as the FOH engineer for country artist Luke Combs. He talks about his approach to mixing in the round arena shows, how he started working with Luke combs when he was just coming onto the scene, and what the journey has been like. They discuss how Todd continues to progress in his approach to mixing, advice for younger people starting out, a...

on Episode 173, Tana Douglas joins the hosts to talk about her book LOUD and her career as one of the first female roadies. Getting her start at the age of 15 and then stumbling across AC/DC as they were just coming onto the scene, was a wild ride that led to a fun career. Tana started in Backline, moved to Sound Engineer but quickly progressed to Lighting where she spent a lot of her time. They d...

On episode 172 the host are all back together again. They discuss the ethics that are in play with marketing for audio manufacturers. This stemmed from a conversation on how loudspeaker demos work and what you can get out of them. They also give some updates on recent tours and shows they have been working on. Come see the host at the CFX Live Sound Loudspeaker Demo Oct 25-26, 2022 in Dallas, TX C...

Robert Scovill returns to the podcast on episode 171. He talks with the hosts about his recent stadium tour with country artist Kenny Chesney. They also discuss physical & mental health, how to balance that on and off the tour, and more. Scovill also answers the question, "Is the resurgence of analog gear just nostalgia?" Robert Scovill is the Senior Specialist for Live Sound Product...

Hannah Goodine returns to the podcast as a guest this time. They discuss her path in audio and how it has progressed quickly after meeting and being mentored by Michael Lawrence. After graduating New England School of Communications at Husson University in Maine, Hannah talks about navigating what she wanted to do post-college. Rational Acoustics brought her on as an Application Support Specialist...

On Episode 169 the hosts are joined by the audio crew from the band Brothers Osborne. Kyle Chirnside recently did a few shows with them and talks about their chemistry as a team. They also discuss their various paths in audio and the balance of their life outside of touring and more. The Brothers Osborne crew: Courtney Warner - PM/ FOH Logan Hanna - Monitor Engineer Anderson Hall - Monitor Tech  E...

James Wooten joins the hosts on episode 168 along with the return of Leo Pisaq. They toured together recently with Misterwives and Lawrence, and discuss what they learned from each other. James also talks about his work with Walk the Moon, what it was like to be with a band that exploded through a viral hit song, and more. James Wooten is a Kansas City, MO based FOH engineer that has been working...

Dan McLaughlin returns to the podcast on episode 167, talking about his recent stadium tour with Luke Combs. He talks about his journey and progression in the industry.  They talk about filling in or taking over for another engineer and the considerations that go into that, and more. Check out the first time Dan joined the podcast on episode 116 with the rest of the Luke Combs audio crew This epis...

Pat Rowe joins the hosts on episode 166, to talk about his work with the bands Volbeat and Godsmack. He discusses the path of working as a PA fly tech and monitor tech on tour and eventually taking on the mixing role for both bands. They discuss how working as the tech before taking on the mixing role sets you up for understanding the psychological side of the job with the artists. Pat has worked...

This week, Bob McCarthy, Director of System Optimization, and Josh Dorn-Ferhmann, Senior Technical Support Specialist for Meyer Sound, join the Signal to Noise crew for a wide-ranging conversation, beginning with their work designing the in-the-round stadium system for Ed Sheeran's + – = ÷ x ("Mathematics") Tour. They discuss the unique challenges proposed by the rigging and infrast...

In order to continue the conversations on work-life balance and burnout, we wanted to create space and time for our community to talk about these topics. Around 20 of you hung out for almost 2 hours and shared your personal struggles and advice on these topics. We hope this continual dialogue will benefit everyone.  Thank you to our community, you are all wonderful audio humans trying to make our...

On episode 164 the hosts are joined by Shelby Eisenberg, currently the FOH for Wage War. He talks about the last tour which was his first in arenas and the adjustments it takes to transition into larger venues. Shelby talks about why he chose to invest in his own console, and how he has embraced the mindset of " You can't tell your kids to follow their dreams unless you follow yours&quot...

Paul and Courtney Klimson of the Roadie Clinic joins the hosts on episode 164. They talk about the progress over the last two years and some of the impact The Clinic has had on our industry. The topic of work-life balance and burnout is discussed further as Paul, Courtney, and the hosts share their personal struggles with this and some advice to go along with it. The Roadie Clinic wants you to com...

On episode 162 the hosts are joined by FOH Engineer Troy Topinka. They discuss his most recent work touring with the bands Eve 6 and Cannons. Troy talks about bouncing back and forth from a legacy rock band to an up-and-coming pop band, as well as balancing Tour Manager duties with FOH at the same time, a common them lately. He also does corporate work while not touring, they discuss what it'...

The hosts chat with FOH mixer and production professional Custer, FOH engineer for pop artist MAX. Michael and Custer recount some experiences from a recent event they did together. Custer talks about finding the right console platform for the job, advocating for the artist, and integrating multiple types of technology into the performance. Join the Audio Nerd Book Club discord and learn about sho...

On episode 160, the hosts are joined by Matt Meyer. They discuss the topic of being "the only person an artist has", from being a FOH, TM, and more all at once for the artists. Matt talks about being an intention of the artist's brand and reputation, working well as a support act on shows, and more. Matt is a FOH, Monitor Engineer, TM, or a combination  for artists such as Emotional...

In episode 159 the hosts discuss the topic of work-life balance. Chris starts with an honest discussion on his current struggles with being "present" while home. Michael & Sam give advice on how to manage healthy friend/family relationships while on the road. They also discuss how to balance goals and passion for the work we do with family life and more. This will continue to be an o...