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Just the Right Mix

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Bob Kamholz
Washington, D.C. --  While on tour with the Concert Band and Singing Sergeants, I had the opportunity to interview Master Sgt. Loren Zimmer, the primary audio engineer for the tour and member of the Technical Support section of the Band.  On travel days, the group can spend well over 3 hours driving to the next performance venue, which allowed us plenty of time to talk about his role as front of house engineer for the tour.

Question:  What's your official duty title?

Answer:  I am the front of house audio engineer for the Concert Band and Singing Sergeants and also double as a recording engineer when needed. 

Q:  How long have you been in the Air Force?

A:  16 years

Q:  What was the audition like for an audio engineer, and how did you hear about the opening?

A:  I heard about the opening from my instructor at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska.  There had been a number of graduates of the program who won positions with the Band. 

The application process was pretty straightforward.  First, you sent in a cover letter and resume.  From there, you got invited for an audition.  The audition process was completed in several stages.  The first was a written exam covering audio principals and physics.  There was a test covering power, adaptors, connectors and other miscellaneous audio equipment designed to see how much we knew about audio systems and troubleshooting.  There was also a live sound audition with Silver Wings, the country band.  We were critiqued on how well we managed the crew, which were the current audio engineers/judges, and how well we interacted with the musicians in setting up their monitor mixes.  The Band engineers also wanted to see how much we knew about the equipment we had available to us during the audition, like choosing microphones, tuning the sound system and even troubleshooting a few problems they intentionally created for us.  We also briefly met with the main recording engineer for an interview and the last step was to be interviewed by the flight chief.   

Q:  How is mixing live sound for this group different than recording them?

A:  In some ways it is different and some it is not.  Every venue sounds different and poses its own unique set of challenges due to the logistics of fitting the band on the stage and the acoustics of the hall.  However, I use the same strategies for microphone placement if I feel a particular instrument or section needs to be reinforced.  I am also fortunate to have many of the same microphones available to me in either situation. 

Q:  How far in advance of the tour do you start prepping for the trip? 

A:  Usually, we either send an engineer out on the tour advance or send a list of questions in the form of a checklist with the Operations office for our sponsors to answer, which usually happens at least two months before the first performance.  Once we have contact information for the venues and the completed checklists, we will typically follow up and verify the information or answer any questions the hall contacts may have for us.  Email has really simplified the flow of information.  When I first entered the Air Force, we had to fax stage plots and hall diagrams back and forth with the sponsors. This was also before we all had cell phones, and it was mostly a giant game of phone tag! 

Q:  Can you explain some of the major tasks involved in prepping for the trip?

A:  Rehearsals are a big part of the prep in terms of getting the mixing consoles programmed and setting the monitor mixes for the musicians.  We typically tour with two complete shows, so I will program 25 different scenes with multiple pages or cues in each scene.  If the group wants to alter the show order, I can call up the settings for each piece individually. 

We also try to complete a fairly detailed list of cleaning and checking the equipment to make sure every aspect of the sound system works and is ready for two weeks of continuous use, not to mention transport across the country.  Additionally, we talk about and come up with a plan of attack for any venues that might not fit within what we might consider "normal" for the tour.  For example, on this tour, the St. Augustine Amphitheatre was about 4,000 seats, which was just over twice as big as a typical tour venue.  We packed an entire separate sound system just for this one concert in order to cover such a large, wide space. 

Q:  How many engineers do you have on the audio team, and what role does each serve?
 
A:  I serve as the front of house mixer and focus on getting the console programmed, mixing the performance. I also address any musical concerns the leadership might have with the mix or sound in the auditorium. Additionally, I tune the sound system and try to do my best to provide even coverage across the hall, so there are no bad seats from an audio perspective.  I also serve as the leader of the audio team for the tour. 

Master Sgt. Mark Hannah is our systems engineer.  He is in charge of making sure the entire sound system is working properly and all the equipment is organized and ready for the performance.  Once we are on site, we don't want to waste time dealing with problems from the night before.  He is also responsible for tuning all of our wireless microphones, so we don't have any problems with interference from the local television stations or the house wireless devices.  We have 32 separate wireless microphones at our disposal, if needed.  Finally, he is responsible for any stage changes that need to happen to support the featured soloists throughout the performance.

Whenever possible, we try and take a third engineer with us on the national tours or other high profile performances.  For this trip, we have Master Sgt. Adam Dempsey, our chief audio engineer for the Band, along with us on the tour.  He helps manage the crew and keeps the load-in on track by managing some of the venue specific tasks we identified during the advance. Also, having a third engineer is invaluable if we were to have a major equipment malfunction, like a sound console "crashing."

Q:  How many microphones do you use on a typical gig?

It depends quite a bit on the programming for the concert and the location. For example, an indoor show is about 40 all together, but 20 microphones are for the Singers.  The Band has about 20 microphones on stage, but there are some that are just for recording purposes.  Our goal for indoor performances is not to use any microphones to amplify the Band.  Sometimes, due to the acoustic properties of the hall, we add spot mics to reinforce some of the quieter instruments and to help balance the overall sound of the performance.  

Q:  Can you explain the process of tuning the sound system prior to sound check?  What does it accomplish?

A:  Tuning the sound system is really optimizing the performance of the loudspeakers in order to compliment the natural acoustics of the hall.  On most performances, I use a computer-based analysis package to measure how the speakers and room are interacting with one another.  I can immediately see where the problem areas are and make informed decisions based on the analysis.  Sometimes, certain compromises need to be made in order to get the sound system working the way we need it to.  This eliminates a lot of the guesswork, but you still have to use your ears while tuning the system.

Q:  What is the purpose of a sound check?

A:  There are really three parts to a sound check.  The first is to make sure the sound system and all of its components are working properly.  The second is to ensure the musicians can hear what they need to, at a level that's appropriate, in order to perform the concert.  This is accomplished through a series of stage monitors and separate "mixes" for the soloists, rhythm section and chorus.  Finally, the sound check gives me a chance to get everything balanced.  It is my job to make sure the mix properly conveys the conductor's desired sound in order to create a good experience for the
audience .

Q:  How do the audio requirements change when you perform at an outdoor venue versus an indoor concert hall?

A:  For most outdoor performances, we'll use a slightly larger sound system and about 16 extra microphones to reinforce the Band.  This is largely due to the lack of reflected surfaces designed to augment an acoustic performance, like what you would typically have at an indoor venue.  That means, we'll have a few more things to check and a bit more analysis to accomplish in the house and on stage, but the goal is still the same, just on a larger scale.  We want to create a great experience for the audience no matter where they sit. 

Q:  How much is all the gear worth?

A:  My best guess is around $500,000.

Q:  Including drivers and crew, how many people do you lead on each tour?

A:  There are two semi drivers, one bus driver and five musicians serving as stage crew.  We also have four members of the United States Air Force Honor Guard Colors Team who present the colors at every performance and are a huge help in setting up the equipment.  Finally, we have the two other audio engineers I mentioned previously for a total of 14. 

Q:  How many cases of gear do you travel with, and how much does it all weigh? 

A:  The audio system is somewhere around 20,000 pounds and is contained in 30 to 40 road cases. 

The band wrapped up their ten-day tour on Wednesday, Oct. 22 in Savannah, Georgia where they performed for a very enthusiastic audience at the Armstrong State University Fine Arts Auditorium.  After 12 days on the road, performing 10 concerts for more than 12,000 people, Zimmer considers the tour a huge success.