[Roy W. Rising]

Tonight many of us will watch this year's AMA show. The live performance
mixes are likely to range from OK through Less Than Perfect to Downright
Objectionable. Before you spend time complaining and asking why it isn't
better, there are some things you might like to know.

These days, award show sound is handled by a program soundmixer who
receives a feed from the music mobile unit, often The Record Plant truck.
The folks in the music truck will have spent the last four days mixing and
fine tuning their output. These are long, grueling days. As time passes,
monitoring levels rise and hearing becomes seriously compressed. By
tonight, these soundmixers will not be able to hear what really goes out on
the air. Vocals might be buried, various instruments will be lost in a
wash of sound and in many cases the product will not come close to the
commercial recordings with which we are familiar. Even those mixes that
might use a prerecorded backing track and live vocal stand a good chance of
being out of balance.

Let me offer you this thought: Unless YOU are absolutely sure YOU can
endure four days of torture and sit down to three hours live on the air,
AND deliver a mix that lives up to high expectations, try not to complain
too much.

The situation is politically charged and rather lucrative. Some
soundmixers will do almost anything to get the gig. I have toyed with the
idea of offering my services as Sound Supervisor or Mixer for free! That
certainly would change the playing field and could deliver the mixes you
like. I know I could do it, I've been there before. Then I come to my
senses and contemplate the abuse and exaustion that would be the result.

So I'll sit back, listen, and know it could be better. And I'll try not to
complain too much. And ... perhaps ... this time it all will sound good!

--
~ Roy
"If you notice the sound, it's wrong!"