Live sound mixing advice - DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS MAN!!

I need to rant!!!

Contrary to the opinion of many on this group. I have always had a great deal of respect for Dec.....

..... Until I read this "advice" from him regarding Live sound mixing...

"If the FOH desk is properly set up for a unity 0db, straightfader mix, and the aux rotaries are similarly in the same straight positions then the mix on stage is precisely the same as the mix in FOH allowing for FX on the channels. The engineer should mix on the input gains and merely use the faders for fine adjustment through the show. That way the mix is perfect in foldback and Front Of House.

If the faders are anything but in a straight line the engineer is a 'dick'.
All top engineers work by the straight fader principal...end of argument."

He is TOTALLY wrong! IMO, the only "dick" is the person who takes that advice as law. It may work for someone who is running their own PA system for their own band only and has the levels set to their liking, but if you see an engineer that you have hired in, using this technique, be prepared for a night of howling feedback from the monitors! ... I know this to be true from the "experienced dicks" who mixed the sound for "their bands" when they hired my rig! The engineers who use this technique are primarily studio engineers who seem to forget that turning up an input gain, even if it doesn't send the level into clipping, will most certainly turn up the monitors that have been set for maximum level without feedback...result....massive feedback from the stage!

I have never used such a technique for live mixing. The result of that was almost every band who hired me over my 16 years in the business came up to me at the end of the first gig I did for them and claimed it was the best sound they had ever had. I did half the UK tour for Oddysey (South of
England) back in the 80's and when I did their final few shows after they'd been up North using other rigs, they came straight up to me and said how relieved they were that they could finish the tour with someone who knew what they were doing on the sound desk!

<snipped>

Hi Lynn,

Investigate some more, you'll find he literally knows nothing about anything.

That's why he doesn't get any respect from me. If you want further info write me direct.

Funny story, he exchanged some e-mails with a friend of mine, and he replied as referred to "Richard Dixon and my IT team. He's completely loony toons. No doubt about it.

Nobody should spend 1 stolen cent with him.

Songwriting, recording and creative &amp; links http://www.angelfire.com/music2/richhoncho/index.htm

A selection of RMMS at http://www.angelfire.com/music2/richhoncho/RMMS.htm