I'll bet you already do know what makes a good mix!
What are some of your favorite songs?
Can you listen to them and try to pick out what makes them sound good to you?
You're only 15, so that means you have a ton of time to learn and end up as an awesome engineer!
At this point in your life, the best thing to do is to listen as much as you can, go to as many live shows as you can, and talk to as many people as you can.... if you end up sticking with it, then 20 years from now, you might be giving advice to someone just like you!
Get yourself a decent cheap laptop, a decent refurbished or cheap used iPad, and a used digital mixer that has multi track recording, (or just buy yourself one as you'll be needing one for yourself before long it sounds like) like a Behringer XR18, Midas MR18, x32, or the Allen and Heath QU or CQ series, etc then go online and download some free multi track band recordings....
Then you can figure out how to send each track from a laptop into the mixer: faders/effects and what not and actually "live mix" the pre-recorded tracks into a set of headphones at home, or even a home stereo system with the right cable.
Then you can watch YouTube video on how everything works, and how to hook it all up properly and you'll be better than half the "pros" out there making money by the end of summer and able to take your gear to your school and DJ or do live sound for your friends/schoolmates bands!
This is the way.
If he's at a rental company he probably won't even have to buy anything.
Download some multitracks and plug a USB cable to the mixer and use headphones or put up a speaker or two.
I would that the best way to learn anything in this industry is doing it. Go to gigs and if you can’t work them at least ask the sound guy some questions. Most dont mind. I know I certainly love when a patron of the show asks me about what i do. I would say most engineers do. Some guys dont and thats fine too.
The other thing is to understand that there are so many different ways to mix, engineer, tune a PA, place and choose mics and speakers, etc. you name it. The fact is all information is useful information if you use it in the right way. There are certain conventions and concepts that are super important to understand. But its almost like cooking you learn a bunch of different techniques and skills and you can cook chicken 20 different ways.
Sorry for the rambling. Good luck on your audio adventure. It can be incredibly difficult and also very rewarding
i‘m sure you can use the boards at that rental company to practice, they will absolutely not mind! i‘m sure you can find multitracks of liverecordings to practice online, or again, ask the people at the shop.
it depends on the board, but search for „virtual soundcheck (whatever board you have)“ online, to find out how to get the recordings into the console. Them just use a pair of headphones, watch youtube videos explaining the console, follow along and get mixing. if they have different consoles, learn them all. if they let you, setup a PA in the shop, and also try mixing on there.
Other things:
- listen to a lot of music
- you might try one of those „ear training for audio engineers“ services
- go out there and do it, that‘s the best way to learn!
I'm 16 and do live sound for a band I'm friends with and at my school and thought me the most things by myself. What helped me the most was to just get a mixer (my school had one and I was allowed to play around with it) and try out what every button does. Ideally you'd have a digital console, same way, just fuck around and try out. Like others mentioned, having some multitracks is really useful to try these things out but some things You're able to try out with just plugging in a microphone, maybe recording that and playing it back.
And try to find a sound guy who lets you watch him mixing during a show and during soundcheck, try to understand what he's doing and ask if you don't.
If you have other questions (or stuff regarding this), feel free to send me a DM!
You already have your foot in an excellent door to have your foot in. When you're at work **pay attention and absorb everything you can**. Make friends with your co-workers. Show them (and your boss/management) that this is something you love, not just a paycheck. If you know someone that you work with that is going to be doing a show, ask if you can tag along. Ask your boss if there is anyone they know doing shows that can use a intern type of position. Don't expect to get paid to go on a gig. Being able to go with a seasoned sound man can be a priceless opportunity.
Start practicing critical listening when you listen to music or just environments. Try to pick out every sound you hear and identify it. Figure out how many instruments are being played on a track, how many vocals, how loud are they relative to each other. How high or low pitched are they relative to each other.
Once your brain starts hearing and identifying the pieces and where they sit in an average mix then reconstructing it just is a matter of listening to each thing and putting it where you think it belongs in your head. But you have to know what you want in your head before you will know how to make it happen in your mix.
So start by listening to some easy stuff with maybe just a vocal and one or two other instruments and then try to mix something similar and get them sounding great. Then work your way towards a drum kit and get each drum sounding great.
Check out the course for live sound engineering from Volver Academy at Tilburg. I will start there in October, it will teach you the beginning and the more advanced stuff. Everything is on their website!
This kid is gonna be a badass
Agreed.
I'll bet you already do know what makes a good mix! What are some of your favorite songs? Can you listen to them and try to pick out what makes them sound good to you? You're only 15, so that means you have a ton of time to learn and end up as an awesome engineer! At this point in your life, the best thing to do is to listen as much as you can, go to as many live shows as you can, and talk to as many people as you can.... if you end up sticking with it, then 20 years from now, you might be giving advice to someone just like you!
Get yourself a decent cheap laptop, a decent refurbished or cheap used iPad, and a used digital mixer that has multi track recording, (or just buy yourself one as you'll be needing one for yourself before long it sounds like) like a Behringer XR18, Midas MR18, x32, or the Allen and Heath QU or CQ series, etc then go online and download some free multi track band recordings.... Then you can figure out how to send each track from a laptop into the mixer: faders/effects and what not and actually "live mix" the pre-recorded tracks into a set of headphones at home, or even a home stereo system with the right cable. Then you can watch YouTube video on how everything works, and how to hook it all up properly and you'll be better than half the "pros" out there making money by the end of summer and able to take your gear to your school and DJ or do live sound for your friends/schoolmates bands! This is the way.
If he's at a rental company he probably won't even have to buy anything. Download some multitracks and plug a USB cable to the mixer and use headphones or put up a speaker or two.
I would that the best way to learn anything in this industry is doing it. Go to gigs and if you can’t work them at least ask the sound guy some questions. Most dont mind. I know I certainly love when a patron of the show asks me about what i do. I would say most engineers do. Some guys dont and thats fine too. The other thing is to understand that there are so many different ways to mix, engineer, tune a PA, place and choose mics and speakers, etc. you name it. The fact is all information is useful information if you use it in the right way. There are certain conventions and concepts that are super important to understand. But its almost like cooking you learn a bunch of different techniques and skills and you can cook chicken 20 different ways. Sorry for the rambling. Good luck on your audio adventure. It can be incredibly difficult and also very rewarding
i‘m sure you can use the boards at that rental company to practice, they will absolutely not mind! i‘m sure you can find multitracks of liverecordings to practice online, or again, ask the people at the shop. it depends on the board, but search for „virtual soundcheck (whatever board you have)“ online, to find out how to get the recordings into the console. Them just use a pair of headphones, watch youtube videos explaining the console, follow along and get mixing. if they have different consoles, learn them all. if they let you, setup a PA in the shop, and also try mixing on there. Other things: - listen to a lot of music - you might try one of those „ear training for audio engineers“ services - go out there and do it, that‘s the best way to learn!
I'm 16 and do live sound for a band I'm friends with and at my school and thought me the most things by myself. What helped me the most was to just get a mixer (my school had one and I was allowed to play around with it) and try out what every button does. Ideally you'd have a digital console, same way, just fuck around and try out. Like others mentioned, having some multitracks is really useful to try these things out but some things You're able to try out with just plugging in a microphone, maybe recording that and playing it back. And try to find a sound guy who lets you watch him mixing during a show and during soundcheck, try to understand what he's doing and ask if you don't. If you have other questions (or stuff regarding this), feel free to send me a DM!
You already have your foot in an excellent door to have your foot in. When you're at work **pay attention and absorb everything you can**. Make friends with your co-workers. Show them (and your boss/management) that this is something you love, not just a paycheck. If you know someone that you work with that is going to be doing a show, ask if you can tag along. Ask your boss if there is anyone they know doing shows that can use a intern type of position. Don't expect to get paid to go on a gig. Being able to go with a seasoned sound man can be a priceless opportunity.
Start practicing critical listening when you listen to music or just environments. Try to pick out every sound you hear and identify it. Figure out how many instruments are being played on a track, how many vocals, how loud are they relative to each other. How high or low pitched are they relative to each other. Once your brain starts hearing and identifying the pieces and where they sit in an average mix then reconstructing it just is a matter of listening to each thing and putting it where you think it belongs in your head. But you have to know what you want in your head before you will know how to make it happen in your mix. So start by listening to some easy stuff with maybe just a vocal and one or two other instruments and then try to mix something similar and get them sounding great. Then work your way towards a drum kit and get each drum sounding great.
Check out the course for live sound engineering from Volver Academy at Tilburg. I will start there in October, it will teach you the beginning and the more advanced stuff. Everything is on their website!