Event venues are key, right? The location size, amenities, all essential. In a cavernous room with beautifully vaulted storeys-high ceilings, that soloist you're auditioning sounds like they're blessed by angels playing in a cathedral. And they are. Then add to the space a chorus of other voices chit chatting and laughing, and ambient sounds, like rustling and movement, collective breathing. Include any added reflectives: metal, hadrwood or plastic furniture, stemware and other glasses, signage. Take into account the fact that reflectives in large rooms with hard exposed flooring and perhaps ginormous wall-spanning windows will have sounds waves crashing into each other as they clamor to the rafters. Mix in the dampeners: bodies, clothes, drapery, bunting, banners, tapestries, table dressings. The things that muffle sounds. Oddly, their effect in this cavernous context may in all likelihood only serve to muddle the miasma even more, and not in a good way. Makes it hard to discern the distinctives that need to stand out: speakers, calls-to-action, announcements, music, conclaves of communication and networking.
What you have: a cacophony that can only be mastered by a decent sound system and a live sound audio engineer worth their weight in gold who knows as much about acoustic pace as they do about amplifiers. Volume knobs are only a small part of the equation, and in this case, louder is not your best best friend. Someone who knows how to leverage the acoustic dynamics of the space and the things in the space and how to make sure the essentials shine -but not overly brightly- is a must-have team member for important events. The essentials get clarified, the mush gets hushed.
A muddled or harsh sound can make a nice tight event fall apart, no matter how beautiful or apropos the venue. So if you're doing events, consider acoustics, and hire a good sound guy. Having studied audio engineering, successfully worked some notable studio and live gigs I've been fortunate to learn from and work alongside some of the best in the business. One of them's back in Sacramento and he's one of the nicest most laid back sound engineers you'll ever find. His grasp of fundamentals is unmatched and his skill in adapting to every occurrence and occasion is wonderful. He's one of the few audio engineering professionals I've met who really gets that it's not about him or the gadgetry. It's about him being so good that he's translucent: the essence of the audio essentials are enhanced by his presence, not entrapped by it. So, if you're ever in the market for a good, solid, dependable, highly skilled go-to guy for your audio needs, hit me up and I'll make the connection for you. Or make it yourself. You may already know him from Chocolate Fish and any number of live shows around town: Armando. If you drop by Chocolate Fish and happen to catch him there, tell him Clark says "Aloha!"
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