What is your current position on Tours/ Events?

RF Coordinator

How long have you been in the industry? What was your first job in the industry?

I started as a teenage amateur musician playing in a band with friends around 1984, and purchased a pair of PA speakers on stands with a powered mixing console in 1986. In 1989, I pestered a Detroit sound company, LCP Audio, into hiring me. They put me on the soldering bench and then quickly on local gigs as a tech and mixer for mostly outdoor summer shows.

What inspired you to pursue a career in production, and how did you get started in your specific field?

I was interested in music and electronics as a child, playing guitar (poorly), building crystal AM radio kits and FM transmitters, and I even attempted building a small guitar amplifier with a much smarter friend when I was around 13. It sounded terrible and wasn't very loud, but it inspired a lifelong career in audio.

What are some of the biggest challenges you face on a day-to-day basis, and how do you navigate these challenges effectively?

As a radio frequency coordinator and technician, the most fundamental difficulty is that the radio spectrum that we are allowed to use is shrinking. The recent TV spectrum auctions and channel repack were not the end of this, and every week the FCC grants TV stations all over the USA permission to move VHF stations to UHF channels, pushing out wireless microphone users who rely on those frequency ranges. There is also an ongoing global supply chain disruption that makes it difficult to impossible to acquire equipment that can operate in other frequency ranges. And finally, we often experience a lack of information sharing and cooperation from various participants in large entertainment productions such as festivals.

There is little that we can do about the spectrum crunch other than acquire an FCC Part 74 radio operator's license and utilize its authority to operate wireless mics in frequency ranges that are unavailable to non-licensees. But equipment capable of that remains difficult to acquire, so planning productions as far in advance as possible helps. We can also make a best effort to educate others in our industry about the situation and encourage them to utilize under-used frequency ranges such as VHF. There is a superb VHF digital wireless product on the market, but few audio vendor companies have purchased them and made them available for rental. We must keep nagging our associates in these companies, along with event producers, to help make these more commonly used in general.

How do you handle the demands of touring with the need to maintain a healthy work-life balance, and what strategies do you use to manage the stress of the job?

I retired from touring in 2013, after decades on the road while my wonderful wife tolerated my absence with loving support. I still travel often, though, for one-off and annual gigs. Many of my touring friends didn't survive into later years, and too often fell victim at least partly to the usual suspects of substance abuse, mental stresses of loneliness and boredom, lack of daily health care regiments and diet, and no routine doctor checkups. There is no denying the strengthening power of loving and being loved, even at long distance, so maintaining relationships both inside and outside our touring community is crucial. For me, another stabilizing factor was an insatiable urge to learn, combined with complex hobbies such as amateur astronomy and telescope making. Having stuff like that to think about and look forward to can make hours away from home slip past a little faster. Life must always be about more than work.

What are some of the most memorable experiences you’ve had working in the industry, and how have these experiences influenced your approach to your work?

All the years of roaming the world are a jumble in my mind of exotic far-way locations and cultures, every kind of weather, stunning performances, and technical triumphs and disasters. And the food, oh so much delicious food! But my strongest memories are more personal and slightly off-topic, such as: I was the guy who packed a giant astronomical telescope in the bus bay and often invited everyone to view planets and nebulae on off nights or after an early load- out. So many times, jaded and hardened road dogs who put on huge spectacles of light and sound for a living would melt into childlike glee upon seeing the rings of Saturn with their own eyes, and it was glorious to behold.

What role do technology and innovation play in your specific role, and how have these elements evolved?

Wireless audio equipment is obviously high technology by any standard, and it has gone through massive improvement in performance and reliability since I started using it in the last century. My first tour carried mics that each operated on a single locked frequency, and if it didn't work at that day's location due to interference, your only options were to get a different system or switch to a cable. Today, the gear can do some amazing things automatically to function reliably with minimal user effort. Another huge advance has been in affordable measurement instruments that allow us to see and document the invisible world of radio frequencies, changing pro audio wireless from spooky voodoo into scientific precision. Right now, we can buy a handheld radio spectrum analyzer for under US $150 that rivals the performance of a 1990 box that cost $25,000, weighed 30 lbs., and was much more difficult to operate.

What advice would you give to someone interested in pursuing a career in Live Entertainment, and what qualities do you think are essential for success in the industry?

I believe that technology, and our industry in general, has no choice but to continue to innovate and improve. Those who attend our events demand to be wowed, and every new gag must be more amazing than the last or they lose interest. Our entire economic system is based on the philosophy of endless growth, and our US government often mandates technical progress through initiatives like the FCC TV spectrum auctions and channel repack. Those factors can both help and hurt, depending on your outlook and short-term vs. long-term challenges. State- of-the-art equipment will always cost more than the previous versions, driving up prices overall, and spectrum repacks cause undeniable immediate hardship for wireless users, but eventually, we will benefit from not-yet-invented solutions that will make currently impossible tasks commonplace.

What advice would you give to someone interested in pursuing a career in Live Entertainment, and what qualities do you think are essential for success in the industry?

Be nice. Be smart. Be punctual. Never stop studying and learning. Be helpful to everyone. Be neat and clean. Be a person who you would not mind being trapped with in a metal can rolling down the road, hurling through the air, or floating on the sea with, for months at a time. Value yourself appropriately. Value others appropriately. Watch out for the sharks and thieves in the biz, and avoid them. Surround yourself with those you admire and respect.

What advice would you give to someone looking to advance in their career?

Look for areas of expertise related to your skills and interests where there seems to be a shortage of "the best" who do that thing. Especially in emerging technologies. Befriend people who do the things you want to do, observe, and best of all help them do their work when you can. If there are certifications or licenses available for those things, achieve qualification and acquire them. This will give you some measure of credibility among your peers that you can build upon. Brick by brick, stack up a reputation and the calls will come.