Live Sound Bootcamp
by Ryan John
Hosted by a trio of touring engineers, Live Sound Bootcamp (LSBC) is meant to help new engineers to learn live sound from the ground up, and also maybe provide some insight and humor to seasoned professionals. It is a primer on all topics in live sound. Ryan O John is a musician turned engineer, turned product designer, turned podcast host. He was playing instruments by 5 years old, with his first shows at age 12, recording his own albums by 13, and touring by 16 -- he leans heavily toward the geeky side of sound. From small local clubs to international stadiums, metal to pop, Ryan's career in live sound mixing has covered a lot of ground traveling the world with a ton of artists including Jessie J, Andy Grammer, Tove Lo, Banks, Liam Payne, Capital Cities and many more. Beyond just touring with pop and rock acts, he also designs audio consoles and software, mix records, and race cars. After Brendan Dreaper picked up the drums in middle school, live music became an imp
Episodes
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Ep 6 Moving On Up: How to Work on Bigger and Better Things Pt 2
This question has come up over and over again through the years, and it seems to land in a topic that isn't discussed widely. How does one move from small clubs, to big clubs, to festivals, to arenas, and sheds to stadiums? Not just how do you get the gig, but also what changes in your daily...
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Ep 5 Moving On Up: How to Work on Bigger and Better Things Pt 1
This question has come up over and over again through the years, and it seems to land in a topic that isn't discussed widely. How does one move from small clubs, to big clubs, to festivals, to arenas, and sheds to stadiums? Not just how do you get the gig, but also what changes in your daily...
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Ep 4 Orchestras and Classical Instruments in Bigger Mixes
Remember last episode when we said we would land in the concept of Season 3, answering listener questions, well we screwed that up. In this episode we answer a question that we had, about how best to go about capturing and mixing orchestral instruments, in classical environments, and also in the...
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Ep3 Dialogue, Talking Heads, the "Simple Stuff"
So finally we fall into the concept of Season 3, answering listener questions. In this episode we answer a question that digs into dialogue, corporate events, house of worship, expectations, auto mixing, noise reduction, how to make a talking human sound like what the audience expects. One would...
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Ep2 Being Efficient When Doing Shows
Lies and lies, we told you that we would have shorter episodes, and we told you that Season three would be dedicated to digging directly into listener questions, but this episode ended up being the very long answer to some in-person questions that we had run into recently. In this episode we talk...
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Ep1 Troubleshooting
As we enter season three of this podcast, we've decided it makes sense to finally really dig directly into listener questions. We also had realized that while we had touched on this in many other episodes, we didn't actually ever make an episode dedicated to one of the most important skills in…
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Ep14 Strings
Sticking to the "wall of sound" instruments we chat about strings and some of the various methods for getting them to sound cohesive, or stick out as solo instruments. While this may not be the most common input an average live sound engineer may come across, the methods for achieving natural...
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Ep13 Choirs
We gave up on the idea that we would cover multiple topics in this one episode, but in this extra-long episode we knock out one! Choirs and background vocalists, why did we even think that this was similar to horns and strings? Because the goal is often a "wall of sound." We chat about how to…
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Ep12 Horns and Brass
We really really did think that we would cover multiple topics in this one episode, but in this extra-long episode we barely covered one! Not the most common input but brass instruments can be challenging to get right. We chat about how to best capture live various brass instruments, and we dig...
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Ep11 Pianos, Keyboards and Synths
Since it's been ages since we've done an episode, in this extra-long episode we try to make up for lost time! Continuing down the path of the channel by channel season, we spend a lot of time chatting about how to best capture live pianos, how to set up patches in pianos and synths, and we dig…
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Ep10 Vocals
In this extra-long episode we skip ahead a bit, and dig into arguably the most important input, vocals. Like all of the previous episodes we spend a lot of time chatting about how to best capture the sound, and we dig into equalization, dynamics processing, saturation, effects and a lot more, but...
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Ep9 Playback
Covering anywhere from one to a sixty inputs this episode, we dig into playback. We chat about how to setup the outputs in the rig, how to prioritize the sounds, the difference between monitors and FOH in this regard, how to manage these lines during your line check, and of course we dive into…
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Ep8 Acoustics and Stringed Instruments
A whole family of inputs in the channel list, this episode we dig into an assortment of instruments that come up in many genres. Acoustic guitars and other stringed instruments can be a pain. A pain to get cleanly into wedges for monitoring, and a pain to make sound good given how dynamic they…
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Ep7 Group Bussing and Master Bus Processing
Throwing the hosts for a loop, this episode is an off-the-cuff dive into how routing affects your line check. We dig into the idea of using grouping for drums, bass, and other instruments, talk about when to get this routing going, and what the benefits can be. We really dig into idea of when and...
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Ep6 Guitars
Guitars, often the next input in the list, can be quite complicated to manage. This episode dives into how to capture the tones, how to process them, and even how to approach conversations with the players themselves to achieve tones that are best fit for the mix. We touch on microphones,...
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Ep5 Bass Guitar
The next input in the channel list: Bass Guitar. Weirdly, we don't actually talk much about basses pedals and amps, but man we really dig into the processing that an engineer can use to get the most out of this instrument. Like the previous episodes we dig into equalization, dynamics processing,...
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Ep4 Hi Hats, Rides, and Overheads
We honestly thought this might be a boring episode, but it turned out to be one of the most interesting discussions. In this episode we chat about cymbal selection, microphones, mic positions, processing, and a heck of a lot more. This is a set of inputs that honestly took the three of us years…
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Ep3 Toms and the Relationship Between the Drums
In this episode we bring in a guest-expert Emmanuel “E-MAN” Cervantes (this guy literally started playing drums at age 3!), and hit the next set of inputs in the channel list: Toms. Like the previous episodes we talk about drums types, tuning, microphones, mic positions, and a heck of a lot more....
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Ep2 The Snare Drum
As we continue through the line-check, we hit input number 2, commonly the loudest thing on stage, the snare drum. Much like the first episode in the line-check, we dig into the drum sizes, the heads, the tuning, mics positions and processing.
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Ep1 The Kick Drum
Season 2 is here! In this season we dig into each input, one at a time. It's like the podcast of a line check. Input 1, the infamous kick drum. We deep dive into the drum sizes, heads, tuning, mics, eq, dynamics and more, an entire episode dedicated to the biggest drum.
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Ep27 Mixing Big Shows on Small Systems
How many times have you walked into a venue or event space and found a system that's severely underpowered for the gig? Sometimes that scenario is a PA thats just too small, speakers on sticks for a big rock show, sometimes it's a system that doesn't even cover the whole audience.... In this...
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Interview: Sean "Sully" Sullivan (Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Justin Timberlake, Norah Jones)
When you've got a resume this long and this varied, everyone wants to know the secrets to your success. Sully chats with us on this episode about perspective, what to pay attention to in the show and your carreer, and the path that has led him to mixing some of the biggest acts in the world.
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Ep26 Loudness and Impact
We ask the age-old question, What can I do to make my mix feel loud without actually just turning it up? And what about streaming, how do I make a livestream seem loud? What defines impact, and what are some tools we can use to maximize the feeling of impact without having to simply make the show...
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Ep25 Snapshots and Automation
So we've talked a lot about what each of the mixing tools do, but what happens when you simply don't have enough hands to make the changes from song-to song quickly enough? In this episode we break down 'Snapshots,' what they are, when to use them, and even why they're absolutely terrifying!
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Ep24 Feedback Part 2
As we continue the conversation about feedback, we dive into solutions for managing the ringy mess. Some things you can do in advance to avoid the problem before it starts, and some common scenarios where you may find yourself ripping out your hair trying to clean up the stage.
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Ep23 Feedback Part 1
Everyone's favorite topic, we delve into the causes of feedback, the most likely sources, and how to tell where it's coming from. Additionally we chat about the things we can do that affect it, the of course tools to combat it.
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Ep22 Using the Available Tools to Create a Mix
So we've talked a lot about what each of these tools do, and a lot about specific processes, but this episode dives into when to use which tools that are available to you. When do you use your fader versus when do you compress? When do I boost versus cut on an EQ? And is there an order to follow?
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Ep21 Balance and Space in the Mix
In this episode of Live Sound Bootcamp, we get into a discussion about building up a mix. We argue about how to make space for each element in the mix, how to get your balance right, and it all leads to the ultimate question: When is the mix done?
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Interview: Michael Lawrence (Systems Engineer, Rational Acoustics, Technical Editor)
In this episode we enjoy the pleasure of chatting with Michael Lawrence a freelance audio engineer well known for his own podcast Signal to Noise, his incredibly geeky articles in Live Sound International, his Rational Acoustics Smaart webinars, and of course his work as a systems engineer. We...
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Ep20 Building a FOH Mix Pt 5: Groups, VCAs and Stems
In the last episode for Building a FOH Mix, we chat about groups and VCAs, how they're different, and when we might use each of them. We get into some of how we personally decide when it's right to use a group versus a VCA, as well as some of the differences in workflows between using these on an...
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Interview: Brendan Dreaper (Snoh Aalegra, The Independent, Zoo Labs, Podcast Host)
In this episode we interview one of our hosts Brendan Dreaper, best known for his touring work with Snoh Aalegra, his work in bay area venues including The Independent, and huge amounts of studio work including the non-profit Zoo Labs. We discuss how he started his career in live sound, his...
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Ep19 Building a FOH Mix Pt 4: Reverbs, Delays and other FX
Yet another continuation of the previous episode, in part four we deep dive into effects. We chat about the multiple reverb types, how they're different, and when we might use each of them. We also jump into some of how we may process the sends and returns. We also jump into delays and the ways...
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Ep18 Building a FOH Mix Pt 3: Gates and Compressors
Yet another continuation of the previous episode, in part three we jump into dynamics. Not just the basics of how gates and compressors work, but some of the many ways to use them, and even how we all differ on our uses of each. Compression in mixing is one of those dark arts that can be…
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Ep17 Building a FOH Mix Pt 2: Equalization
As a continuation of the previous episode, in part two we jump into concepts about the process including order of operations, setting your filters, making EQ changes. Although it sounds like this isn't a lot to talk about, somehow we talked about it for an hour, going over all the reasons for…
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Ep16 Building a FOH Mix Pt 1: Gain Staging and Routing
Up front, it's time to figure out how to actually put together the mix. In this episode we cover how to start at FOH, from getting talkbacks up, routing your outputs, the order of your channels and fader positions, and of course the biggest one: Gain Staging. This episode has a lot of different...
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Ep15 Tuning A PA
Rather than getting ultra-technical, in this episode, we go over how we address issues in PA systems. Much like the last episode on PA system design, this process is complicated and learning about it can span your entire career, so do take our basic information here with a grain of salt. We…
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Ep14 FOH System Design
In this episode, we dove into the basics of the FOH speaker system design. This topic as a whole spans entire careers, so do take our basic information here with a grain of salt. We talk through speaker types, coverage goals, placement, and how to integrate subs, front fills and other PA into…
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Ep13 FOH Signal Flow
In this episode, we jump into the first steps of understanding the signal flow of a FOH system. Covering the physical wiring, and the patching inside of desks. We jump through things like festival patches, methods for managing your patch, and how get out of the desk to PA systems. It's a quick...
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Ep12 Getting the Job
We figured it was time to get away from technical topics for an episode, and talk about something personal. The three of us have all reached where we are in our careers in different ways along different routes, and we had some fun with our different perspectives on the idea of how to get the job....
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Ep11 Building a Monitor Mix Pt3: Sends on Faders and The PAs Affect on the Mix
This episode is the remainder of the conversation from the previous episode, and is the third in the series on building a monitor mix. Here we get into some of the details Sends on Fader workflows, where to keep your output masters, how the room changes once it fills up, how the PA affects your...
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Ep10 Building a Monitor Mix Pt2: Wedges vs In Ears
As a continuation of the previous episode, we jump into concepts for which channels to use for various methods of monitoring. This episode also gets pretty deep in methods for how to approach actually putting the mix together for Wedges, Side Fills, Subs, versus In Ear Monitor setups. This…
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Ep9 Building a Monitor Mix Pt1: How to Build the Mix
We've gone through how it's all wired up, we've gone through ringing out wedges, now it's time to hit on how to actually put together the mix. Of course we all have different approaches, but in addition to that, we jump into how the approach for In Ear Monitoring may be different than that of...
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Ep8 Tuning Wedges
The scariest part of doing sound: ringing out wedges. In this episode we spend some time going over quite a few methods for how to ring out wedges and eliminate feedback the best you can. We also jump into some workflows for checking your work.--- Support this podcast:...
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Ep7 Monitor System Design
Once you've gotten down the basics of the signal flow, the next step is designing how your monitor system is setup. In this episode we run an in-depth overview for common setups for wedges, side fills, subs and in-ear-monitor setups. --- Support this podcast:...
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Ep6 Monitor Signal Flow
This episode pulls together an overview for the standard signal paths for monitoring, including the connections and routing from the stage, the connections for wedges, wireless in ears, and even wired in ears.--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/livesoundbootcamp/support
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Ep5 Cable Management
Live Sound Bootcamp is intended to be a basic primer in live sound. It is expected that listeners have a base knowledge of audio or concert production, but from there, this series may provide some insight into how productions work. Each host brings an individual style, workflow, and experience to...
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Interview: Manu Jimenez (Snoh Aalegra, Mary J Blige, Arimaka Studio)
In this episode we interview engineer Manu Jimenez, best known for his work with Snoh Aalegra, Mary J Blige and his own studio Arimaka Studio. We talk about his career path, approach to mixing, and general insights into the world of mixing and playback enginering.--- Support this podcast:...
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Ep4 Microphone Selection
Live Sound Bootcamp is intended to be a basic primer in live sound. It is expected that listeners have a base knowledge of audio or concert production, but from there, this series may provide some insight into how productions work. Each host brings an individual style, workflow, and experience to...
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Ep3 Building an Input Sheet/Patch List
The third episode in the series. Live Sound Bootcamp is intended to be a basic primer in live sound. It is expected that listeners have a base knowledge of audio or concert production, but from there, this series may provide some insight into how productions work. Each host brings an individual...
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Ep2 Stage Signal Flow
The second episode of the series. Live Sound Bootcamp is intended to be a basic primer in live sound. It is expected that listeners have a base knowledge of audio or concert production, but from there, this series may provide some insight into how productions work. Each host brings an individual...
About this show
Hosted by a trio of touring engineers, Live Sound Bootcamp (LSBC) is meant to help new engineers to learn live sound from the ground up, and also maybe provide some insight and humor to seasoned professionals. It is a primer on all topics in live sound.
Ryan O John is a musician turned engineer, turned product designer, turned podcast host. He was playing instruments by 5 years old, with his first shows at age 12, recording his own albums by 13, and touring by 16 -- he leans heavily toward the geeky side of sound. From small local clubs to international stadiums, metal to pop, Ryan's career in live sound mixing has covered a lot of ground traveling the world with a ton of artists including Jessie J, Andy Grammer, Tove Lo, Banks, Liam Payne, Capital Cities and many more. Beyond just touring with pop and rock acts, he also designs audio consoles and software, mix records, and race cars.
After Brendan Dreaper picked up the drums in middle school, live music became an imp
Hosted by
Ryan John