Freelance FOH Engineer

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Digico SD7, SD5, SDTen, Yamaha PM1D, Yamaha Rivage PM10, AVID Profile. Adamson Y-Axys, E12, E15, T21, E119, D&B Audiotechnik J.....

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: Max Carola. We started turning knobs together, with an old Teac Model 2, both of us as amateurs and music lovers. Our careers have led us towards different professional goals and cities and I'm proud of his accomplishments as musician, producer and engineer. Ciao Max!

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: There are many...I've been asked to make an out-of-tune vocal sound in tune, to add very low frequencies to a female soprano and other things. One thing some people don't understand is that the sound engnieer's job is to reproduce and balance every sound source coming from the stage. The secret to balancing multiple instruments and sound sources is that the sound sources need to be consistent in volume and dynamics, in tune and tailored to the song arrangement.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: How long is the tour? What are travel and hotel arrangements? Who is the primary audio supplier and is it possible to communicate directly?

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: Customers always want to save money, but experience needs to be recognized as an asset and not an expense. I've never had a specific fixed rate and I always come to an agreement.

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: Besides my wife and pets? My Allo Audio X1 and S5X headphones, an Audix D6, a couple of Reference Laboratory RMC01 cables and my espresso machine.

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I started mixing in clubs, where I would meet professional touring and session musicians. These musicians have been the ones that got me interested and eventually had me on a national tour with Pino Daniele in 1979, which led me to learn more about what I was doing. After a short, but intense, sound engineering course in Ohio, I was lucky to immediately find a job as resident engineer in a recording studio in Naples, Italy, where I sat at the main chair for almost 10 years, contributing to the growth of this studio, as one of the busiest and most requested studios on the city. After doing a short studio session, one of our clients asked me to go on tour with him, after which I slowly decided to go back to live mixing, eventually resigning from the studio. As with most of my contemporaries, I've crossed the path from analog to digital mixers. The amount of on-board features digital mixers and memory recall, have definitely changed the way I work, but I try to always keep things practical and simple. Digital mixers have also allowed us to travel with a memory stick, which also saves money on gear transportation. Most of the times, I don't have time to patch and start from scratch, hence a digital mixer allows me to be consistent on every show I mix. And being that there are so many different digital mixers, we need to keep updated and trained.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Clean...easy...not too much processing. The sound source, choosing the right mic and its position, are the basic ingredients and if what comes out of the speakers is close to what you would expect the source to sound like, the job is done. Let me also point out that cables are very important as well. Don't use cheap cables and treat them well!

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: My musical taste has always been influenced by rock and roll, as well as dance/funk from the '70's and jazz. When I was hired to tour with Nile Rodgers & CHIC, it was a dream come true. The dream lasted 14 years, then I toured shortly with Al McKay's Earth Wind & Fire Allstars, another incredible experience. Besides my many gigs with major Italian pop stars, such as Gigi D'Alessio, Mario Biondi, Gino Paoli, Giorgia remains the Italian female artist with whom I would love to work with again. I heard her when she first appeared on her very first Sanremo festival, many years ago, and I immediately wished I could work with her. A few years later I was called by her producer at the time, who hired me to mix Giorgia live for a couple of tours. Amazing.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Keep the source as natural as possible. taking too much time, tweaking or EQ'ing, probably means that either the source has a problem or the microphone needs to be repositioned or replaced. I also see many colleagues setting their channel EQ's before listening to the instrument, supposing they know what they think it should sound like. I always suggest starting flat...and sometimes, you'd be surprised that that's all it takes.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: Any style...I love music, not specific types of music. I grew up listening to The Beatles, Joan Baez, James Taylor, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock....

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: My mixing is basically "old school", with less processing possible. With digital mixers, it is important to keep things simple and failsafe, avoiding too many variables affecting the signal flow. If the source is clean and consistent, and you've placed the right mic on the right spot, you're on the right track. Tweaking and processing must not be taken for granted, just because you have all the features in the box. When advancing production, I am introduced to either the client or the local production manager, with whom I advance my artist's backline and audio/lights/visuals requirements. This can happen months before we actually show up on stage, but it pays back when you find that planning ahead is always best.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I don't own a studio setup, but I do occasionally remix our live performances when one of our shows is needed for broadcast or sharing for band rehearsals. It's basically an iMac and a pair of inexpensive monitors, but I rely on an incredible set of OlloAudio X1 headphones.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: Besides mixing FOH, I also curate all technical production advances, including the Artist's production rider and all that concerns the band's backline requirements, as well as programming production schedules, set up and sound check times and crew recommendations. That's work...the easy (and most enjoyable) part is mixing the show.

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: I am proud of all the productions I've been on, but between 2004 and 2018, my primary role was production management and FOH mixing for Nile Rodgers & Chic Organization, led by Grammy winning and multi talented producer/musician, Nile Rodgers. Fourteen years on tour, how can't that be unforgettable?

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Analog when I have time and space in a venue....digital when I need consistency in my mix. I sometimes don't have the luxury of sound checking, so loading a previous show file in a digital mixer is the only way to face crowds of 50,000 or more, waiting for their band to perform.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Every show is a new show, with different venues and acoustics and different ways of looking for the ideal result. The challenge is what makes things interesting.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: Q: Can you add some high end to the hi-hat? A: I suggest you have your ears checked. Q: Why don't I hear the same low frequencies reproduced from the PA when I record the show with my cell phone? A: Ever thought of using it as a cell phone? Q: This is a promotional tour to sell the record, so we need to ask you for a discount. A: Once the show is over, the artist earns royalties on record sales, while I'm home not earning anything. Q: Why can't I hear my boy friend's viola in that orchestra? A: Go and ask the other 79 musicians to shut up.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Rhythm section and female vocals. I also work to keep the production team happy and friendly. A happy team is a successful team. Being fluent in both English and Italian is a plus.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I have a past as a non-professional musician, so I use my personal taste when mixing, keeping in mind that every person in the audience has his/her own personal taste and ways of interpreting what they hear. I observe the audience closely during the show and if I see they are enjoying what they hear, this means I'm on the right track.

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: I don't make promises. I do my job and if you trust me, we're on the same page.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: I am always interested in meeting other professionals and seeing how they mix. This is a job where you learn every day and to share mixing techniques and methods with other colleagues is better than what you can learn in any school. The road has been my school.