I mix well over 500 acts a year. From spoken word to heavy metal. I am well know as the best sound man in Alaska
I design, install, and operate sound systems, concerts, clubs, and festivals
I own Prince William Sound co. in Girdwood Alaska.
main system is a 20,000 watt, 16 cabinet line array.
everything needed to stage a festival or concert.
Tell me about your project and how I can help, through the 'Contact' button above.
Interview with Jay Bell
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: Girdwood Forest Fair. An annual festival in my home town that I help organize and produce. Three stages, live radio broadcast, all original arts.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: My Summers are filled with outdoor festivals, the rest of the year I am the full time sound guy at Alaska's no 1 live music club. I record most my club shows and post them to youtube
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: I just stumbled on this today
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Analog is best because sound IS analog. Digital is very useful though and you just can't compete with the tools available in a digital system.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: That I will never settle for just good enough. Always make it the best possible no matter what I am given to work with.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I enjoy good sound. The power and effect it has in my soul. I enjoy bringing out the power and emotion music is capable of. Filling and audience with joy and not just the room with sound.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: how much will it cost. depends.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: That I can make a weak sounding guitar or cheap drum set sound like a zeppelin record. Some quality has to go in for quality to come out. And how much time needs to go into the pre-artist phase of setting up a sound system.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: Will I be providing my own gear? or will I be working with existing equipment.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: I can work in some of the most sonically challenging room and still make you feel like your in a theater. I am a gifted problem solver and can work with any quality level of gear with top shelf results. give me and EQ and some good compressors and I can make anything sound great.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: My Midas M32 because it has everything. 2 shure beta58's and stands, because they are the most versatile mics i know. a good set of headphones,
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I have been mixing sound for over 30 years. I own a sound company that does mostly summer festivals in Alaska. I am looking to be hired as an FOH engineer for a touring band or production to see other venues and work with other systems.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: I am confident in my abilities and try to instill that confidence in the performers so they can relax and focus on their art and not worry about how it will sound. Once I tune the system sound check only takes a couple minutes.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Phish, Pink Floyd, etc. because their sound is as important as the songs.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Make your sound Big not Loud. Proper EQ-ing and compression can fill a venue with power and presence without hurting your ears. Knowing how ears work and how sound is perceived goes a long way to having your audience walk from a show saying, "that sounded great!"
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: literally all types. I work the festivals and full time at a club that sees spoken word to hard core metal and everything in between
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Fast sound checks, mic technics, System tuning and design
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I strong understanding of how a song should feel to deliver its power in the emotion it was meant to convey
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Design, load in, Setup and tune a PA system. then mix all day, strike and load out
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: After clinging to analogue for as long as I could I now have a Midas M32 and a Presonus 32ai A 20,000 watt 16 cabinet line array PA system with 4 dual 18 subs a fleet of mic including 8-Audix OM5, 8-beta 58, Audix drum mics, and a bunch of SM57's and SM58's
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Dave Rat of Rat sound. Phish, Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, Cake
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I have over 30 years experience and I mix well over 500 bands a year working at clubs, festivals and concerts. Dialing a band in fast is my specialty as festivals and club nights have no time for sound check, the band needs to sound great in the first song. I own a festival sound company in Alaska and two digital boards.
