Signal To Noise Podcast

Veteran audio professional Michael Curtis joins the show in Episode 329 to catch up on what he’s been up to lately as well as when his YouTube educational channel will return and his new journey into audio plugin development. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF . Michael talks about the process of building his soon-to-be-released Live Stream Leveler plugin/stand-alone app design...

If you’ve been around the live sound industry for more than a few years, you’ve almost certainly heard of legendary sound company Showco. And if you’ve been active at all on LinkedIn or other social media lately, you’ve very likely seen a lot of activity from the Showco Archive Project. This online catalog of all sorts of amazing bits of Showco history caught our eyes, and we knew we had to get th...

In Episode 327, the hosts welcome Brian Frost, a Salt Lake City-based/nationally working sound engineer specializing in executive keynotes, product launches, press events, and conferences, to discuss front of house vs streaming mixes, why corporate events today end up needing so many mixes to run smoothly, and much more. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF . A recent contributor...

In Episode 326, guest co-host Aram Piligian returns to join Andy for the second half of their conversation with Chris Lapp, developer of the new Open Fabric Studio AV network management software and senior specialist solutions engineer at Cisco and ask all about “anything and everything” AV networking. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF . Chris Lapp leads the design and deliver...

In Episode 325, guest co-host Aram Piligian joins Andy to sit down with Chris Lapp, developer of the new Open Fabric Studio AV network management software and senior specialist solutions engineer at Cisco and ask all about anything and everything AV networking! This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF . This is the first of a two-part conversation where everything from switch configu...

In Episode 324, the hosts talk with Matt Dale and Donny Kuser of SoundBase, a software platform that’s become a valuable asset in the world of wireless coordination over the past few years, to learn all about what it can do and where it’s going, including tools for intercom system design, stage plots and input lists, and much more. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF . Donny and...

In Episode 323, Sean and Andy huddle up with Joe Allan Muharsky for a wide-ranging conversation about the state of AI in the audio field — where it is and where it’s going, what it’s good at and what it’s not. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF . Joe is a software engineer, AI practitioner, and generalist with 30 years of technical experience spanning Microsoft, Google, and a s...

Episode 322 shares a look at the history and evolution of sound design for theatre, from Broadway to Cirque du Soleil, from the folks at the Twenty Thousand Hertz podcast. This early episode features two of the biggest names in Broadway sound, Abe “The Godfather of Sound Design” Jacobs, whose career ranged from mixing the Mamas and the Papas and Jimi Hendrix to designing such iconic Broadway shows...

In Episode 321, Sean and Andy wrap up a last handful (for now!) of listener questions, touching on routines for decompressing after a show and re-entering “civilian” life, balancing long work days and/or travel with coming home, talk a little bit about day rates, and then dig into one of Sean’s long-standing business book recommendations, Will Guidara’s Unreasonable Hospitality , and how both busi...

In Episode 320, Sean and Andy talk with Sage Tichenor, best known as front of house engineer for violinist and songwriter Lindsey Stirling, for a wide-ranging chat about all things live audio. Sage talks about migrating and selecting a console platform for her shows, what it’s like mixing a NAMM showcase for a manufacturer, working with a wide range of artists from bluegrass to pop-classical/EDM c...

The hosts sync up again with Tal Kocen and Dave Friesema of Dark Matter Audio Labs in Episode 319 to see what they’ve been up to as they start off their second year as Dark Matter with a bang — albeit a safe and quiet one, thanks to their new hearing protection offerings. Hearing protection and safety is a subject we come back to semi-regularly on Signal to Noise because it’s so important, so we’r...

In Episode 318, audio engineering veterans Robert Scovill and Geoff McKinnon of EAW join the hosts to . discuss the evolution of adaptive sound systems, the unique aspects of EAW loudspeakers like Anya, and the real-world applications of adaptive technology in live sound. The conversation also touches on the challenges and misconceptions surrounding adaptive audio and the importance of technology...

In Episode 317, Sean and Andy go back to the mailbox for more listener questions, picking up where they left off in Episode 309. This time, the focus is on the business side of freelancing — rates, non-competes/NDAs, W2 vs 1099 work, unions, taxes… Plus some thoughts on choosing which compromises to make when time is short on a load-in, and much more! This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath...

In Episode 316, it’s time for a post-NAMM recap of all the cool people, places, and things Sean and Andy got to catch up with and check out at the 2026 NAMM Show at the Anaheim Convention Center. Loudspeakers big and small, useful gadgets, new mixers, earplugs, new IEM models… there was something for everybody this year, and we’re here to tell you all about it! This episode is sponsored by Allen &...

In Episode 315, Sean and Andy get the lowdown on a relatively new live audio tool that took both NAMM and the online live audio community by storm over the last year as they talk with Devin Sheets, founder and owner of Alpha Labs, to learn all about De-Feedback. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF . A much-talked-about plugin in live audio of 2025, there are lots of myths and mi...

In Episode 314, Jessica Isenhour, AKA the one and only “AV Barbie,” joins the show to talk all things event production, social media networking in the event industry, helping younger technicians grow in the industry, and more. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF . Jessica is a freelance audio visual technician for corporate and live events and mentor to the next generation of AV...

It’s NAMM Show season, with Sean and Andy kicking it off with a bang in Episode 313 by getting the scoop on everything NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) from CEO and president John Mlynczak. He provides a crash course on NAMM, what he’s looking forward to at the show in Anaheim this year, the NAMM Foundation educational program, and more. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath...

Sean and Andy start off 2026 with a bang, as live sound “renaissance man” Danny Abelson joins the show to discuss a wide range of bold positions, from how to prepare for a career in live audio to whether or not the quality of sound at shows today has kept up with the quality of the gear available to us to use at them. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF . With a 50-plus-year car...

New York-based mixer and sound designer Jason Crystal joins the show in Episode 311 for a tour through his wide-ranging career, spanning from Broadway — where his resume includes working as the associate sound designer and audio supervisor for every production of Hamilton around the world, as well as sound designing the Broadway and touring productions of Suffs — to mixing front of house for major...

In Episode 310, the hosts welcome guest Tyler “Ty the Sound Guy” Davis, an experienced audio engineer with two decades in the industry. Born and raised in LA, Tyler started his audio journey two decades ago playing in bands, doing sound at DIY shows, recording bands in his garage, and mostly failing miserably at all the above! Through sheer unwillingness to accept that he wasn’t very good, he hone...

In Episode 309, the hosts turn over the reigns for a round of listener questions. They reached out to the Signal to Noise Community on Facebook and Discord to invite listeners to submit questions that they’re afraid to ask, or were afraid to ask when they were starting out in their career, and this week the hosts set out to answer the first handful of them. This episode is sponsored by Allen &...

This week, the hosts turn over the feed to feature a new episode from our sister podcast, Live Sound Bootcamp, to welcome them back after a very long hiatus! In this episode, Ryan John and guest host Aram Piligian answer a question about how best to go about capturing and mixing orchestral instruments in classical environments, and also in the context of adding strings to pop and rock acts. This e...

Dave Hatmaker joins Sean and Andy in Episode 307 for a wide-ranging conversation about working in theme parks, helping test and develop new audio products, and some hard-hitting practical tips and tricks for mixing corporate events. Dave has mixed astronauts to vice presidents, and almost everything in between. He’s also been a sound designer for the Walt Disney Company, helping to create many mem...

In Episode 306: it’s time for something a bit different, as Andy introduces Sean and the listeners to another of his favorite sound-related podcasts, Twenty Thousand Hertz , produced by the sound design team at Defacto Sound. Twenty Thousand Hertz is focused on all things related to sound, from the sound design and scores of TV shows like Bluey to the sound design of all the alerts and notificatio...

In Episode 305, Andy and Sean present an end of summer wrap-up, touching on a wide variety of subjects as concert season for a lot of small to mid-size sound companies wind down and corporate season picks up! Andy shares some big news on his new “day gig,” having left the freelance life to work full time doing tech support for a major manufacturer, and he also talks about visiting with Tal from Da...