"Audio is meant to be heard, not seen."
For sound guys, the way we know we’ve done a great job is when no one notices we're even there. At events and experiences, everyone wants a seamless, rich audio experience with little disturbance and a clear sightline to all the action. My job is to make sure everyone can hear the sound, not see it.
“Can you hear me in back?”
The way us sound guys see and set up a space is different than the way environmental designers, creatives, video and lighting guys perceive it. Generally, the sound is the last thing to be considered for an experience (unless it’s a concert). You’ll likely never see a PA box in a pretty rendering of an event, so when we enter a room we have to figure out how everyone – from the closest to the stage to the furthest – can have the same, high-quality audio experience while working with and maintaining the event designer’s vision.
This requires having a lot of experience on show floor working with clients and the production design team. Understanding the complete vision of the experience makes it easier for us to determine the right audio package systems in inventory for the event, venue and audience size. That’s why us audio designers geek out about what sound gear we have and keep in the shop, where we install our arrays in space and how they are positioned to deliver the most coverage and clarity to the most people. It's a challenge, but our tech crew is always up for it!
Learn more about sound design and what gear packages deliver concert-calibre audio experience.