Be a Better A2

For people starting a career in audio, shadowing an experienced sound engineer lead is a great way to pick up the methods and theory behind live event production.

If you have the drive to go and get yourself an internship, you will gain real experience. You will most likely be tasked with things that are not critical to the show while you are still learning. If you can rise to all of those challenges and the timing is right, you may get hired on as paid part-time or freelance.

The next logical progression after providing support to crew as a shadow is the titled job of an A2.

The A2 has responsibilities and is critical to the success of the show. If you are wondering just what disciplines you may need to be proficient in, this article polls some experienced audio leads and I've organized all the information so that you have a good starting point.

At the end is a seeded .zip file that includes .pdfs to read, videos to watch, software to practice using, and gives a baseline for much needed gear to own.

The four leads I reached out to are: Michael Lawrence (A1, Systems Tech), David Williams (A1, Systems Tech), Aleš Štefančič  (A1, Systems Tech, Monitors) and Nathan Lively (A1, Systems Tech). I will link their websites below, there is more educational content available from them.

There are a few categories of traits and skills that they look for in a great A2. I will say that being an A2 on a theater job is a little bit different. Your task will most likely be physically mic'ing up actor/tresses and you need to learn how to keep the belt-pack dry and the element taped close to the mouth. Costume changes mid show are always fun.

For concert, corporate and general live sound, the following are categories of what your lead may look for:

• Character
• Communication
• Initiative
• RF knowledge
• Intercom knowledge
• Patching
• Mic choice
• Systems design principles
• Preparedness
• Tools and software

Starting with character, it is what you would expect: Aleš says that a "positive and calming personality" is key to keeping the social aspects of the show flowing smoothly. If you look all nervous, the band or client starts to doubt how well the show will go. If your personality is not like this naturally, then you will have to learn how to be an actor/tress. Nathan echoes the sentiment by asking for a "positive energetic attitude." He is referring to setup day where it might be long hours and there may be stretches of troubleshooting or other mundane tasks. Nathan also looks to see if he and the A2 get along and if there is mutual respect. An audio lead may ask you to do something you feel is beneath you but you need to listen anyway. Don't allow yourself to move on from sloppy work, your reputation is on the line.

Communication is something all four touched on. During the show, time is of the essence so getting messages back and forth needs to be smooth. If you don't know certain terms for things and are confused be sure to ask for clarification. As you will see later, you might be responsible for everything that happens on the stage so you may need to let the A1 know whats happening or if anything changes.

Michael states directly that "Self-sufficiency gets you a higher rate." He says "Be self-motivated and learn to think critically to solve problems. On a lot of shows I'm wearing a lot of hats: PM, System Tech, FOH, and so I don't want someone coming to bother me about something like "I need a mic clip." (If you do come to me with a problem, tell me what you already tried to fix it so we don't waste time duplicating efforts.)" Re-doing things wastes time! Nathan suggests taking notes while the A1 is giving instructions so that you are not working on one instruction at a time. Initiative is something that co-workers will remember, it is a bad feeling to be busting butt and then look over to see someone standing around.

Now we enter the section outlining some of the skill sets that a lead would like to see their A2 have. The first is RF (Radio Frequency) coordination. This can be as simple as writing down the frequencies you will be using (that you know are free from interference) and keeping the list handy. Sometimes you will have to check in with people in other rooms who may or may not be with the same company and coordinate with them so that you are not stepping on each other in the limited bands you are using. Using software is the standard way to coordinate and with some practice it is fairly easy to get the hang of. Shure has a free program called Wireless Workbench which is very streamlined and if you are using Shure microphones or IEMs, it makes working with wireless much easier and faster. RF explorer has a handheld scanner and software scanner called Touchstone. Technically both Wireless Workbench and Touchstone are cross platform but Touchstone does not have any manufacturer affiliation at all. It will be linked in the files below.

Aleš has a bit of a different perspective since he is based in Slovenia. The production roles differ a bit from the States. Usually there is a FOH engineer responsible for the PA optimization, a monitor engineer who takes care of monitor placement and RF, and a stage tech who patches and runs the stage. Mixing monitors is a bit beyond the scope of this article but you may find yourself doing that and managing RF.

Communications is the next category. This includes wired and wireless intercom as well as radio comms. There is plenty to be learned about best practice for wired intercom even though it seems simple at first, most setups are simply daisy chaining control units. Attached is the "Handbook of Intercom Systems Engineering" in the file below. Keep in mind wireless comms present RF coordination issues of their own.

David has a great point about the next topic which is patching. He says "Patching is important, patching with another person is more important!" The A1 or FOH tech may have something very specific in mind and you have to adhere to that. David also says: "Try to use the approved stage plot, spike tape labels and a sharpie even if you are running behind!" Obviously you will try to get started on time but the delay could be much worse if you just throw things together without labeling them. Michael says that the A1 and A2 do the line check. This could be simply scratching or tapping on a mic grill while the FOH tech prepares for the instruments later on. This will test your patching skills and is where labels come in very handy. When working with Michael, he has the A2 run the soundcheck while he follows along. The reason being is that he wants the artist to be comfortable with their mixes and he would like this to happen at their pace. He has enough time to do what he needs to out front, and his A2 can talk directly with him whereas he might not always be able to. Not everyone does this but it could happen.

Now for a quick quiz!

1. A musician asks you to move a monitor wedge, is this something you need to tell the A1 about? Yes or No?
2. A vocalist says they brought their own microphone and they don't want to use what you put on the stand, is this something you need to tell the A1 about? Yes or No?

3 out of 4 leads say they usually operate by having the A1 decide on microphone choice, placement and input list changes. Michael will let a trusted A2 make those decisions but it is something you have to earn. Either way you need to know things like polar pattern for common microphones so you can arrange wedges for maximum gain before feedback. David said that he takes notes of how a lead will place microphones and that it has been years since someone moved a mic he placed!

As for question one, it depends. Say a keyboardist has keys in front of them and to the right side. If the mic is a hypercardioid, the wedge will want to be around 45 degrees from directly behind the mic. If they ask to move the wedge to the opposite side where there is no rack of keys, match the 45 degrees but on the left side and move on. If it needs to be somewhere not ideal, ask the A1 if you can switch out the mic or find another solution.

Question 2 is almost definitely a yes. The mic may need phantom power or may be in a state of disrepair (yes it happens) and the lead needs to know whats going on.

Nathan says: "The most amazing skill is knowing the system very well, how it gets connected and flows. This can be tough if you are always freelance." The reason he wants the A2 to know system design principles is so he can hand off the system design and let you go at it. Michael stresses: "Know good system design principles such as minimal side lobes, sub wash on stage and stage volume issues."

If the lead has you running around moving a measurement microphone you need to have an idea of what the positions are and what they are called. I follow the vocabulary of Bob McCarthy in his book: Sound Systems: Design and Optimization (linked below). It helps to know the different measurement mic techniques such as spatial averaging and ground plane. Check the .pdf below.

Michael encourages you to be a part of the advance and the pre-production and go ahead and research the gear if you are unfamiliar. Aleš says that it is often a problem when the A2 does not look at the documentation before hand. Another aspect of preparedness is to have some tools on you and it is a good idea to bring along some creature comforts such as snacks and drinks.

If you are starting out it is reasonable that you don't have a full tool-set. Some rules for using the lead's tools is to always put things back when you are done and keep it neat. David suggests putting labels on drawers that you are in and out of often so you can be fast about it. I linked an article below that I wrote years back about tools for audio engineering. Also, google is your friend on that, YouTube too. The two that were mentioned specifically were headphones and a Leatherman.

I would like to say a laptop is optional but at this point it is not. Audio gear is only going to get more integrated with computer networks and software for design, optimization, coordination, media playback and console control is commonplace. Computers are getting more affordable and more powerful! Used and refurbished laptops are available. Rent a one if you have to, put all the essential software installation files in a folder on google drive or similar and put what you need on the computer before you arrive onsite.

Wireless Workbench was the most requested piece of software. David expands to: "Every PA management software from manufacturers you are working with." I will add DSP software as well, if the processor is open architecture then you have no choice. "Music playback software." Qlab and VLC are free, Playback Pro is great and there are low cost DAWS that could work in a pinch. "Scene editors for any console you may use. Have a folder with default scenes for every console. Ease Focus and SMAART if possible." There are several free analyzer software programs such as Room EQ Wizard and Open Sound Meter.

As for miscellaneous things several of them mentioned that knowing rigging was a good skill. Don't sweat to much about this one though. Know safe practices and when to ask for help. At least one lead said they don't let the A2 rig at all so your mileage may vary. Remember though "If there is any doubt, there is no doubt." John Frankenheimer - "Ronin."

It is ultimately the A1 or FOH tech's responsibility to manage the PA so just ask if you cant figure out the rigging. Power distribution is another good thing to have experience in. Watts/Volts equals amp draw and in cases with shared power drops you may need to keep track of amp draw for your stage and other gear. Aleš says that he expects the monitor engineer to run the monitor console with speed and confidence. This comes with experience.

David says that you need to know how to setup a Local Area Network (IP/TCP). "A few years ago, that first point (creating a LAN) paid off and I rescued a system tech at a pretty big show despite just being a union hand that day. Now I'm one of the busiest system techs around here. Generally, knowing more than you're paid to know will help you contextualize your work, be more effective, and provide upward mobility."

This wraps my investigation into what a lead is looking for in an A2. Below is how to stay informed with info from the contributors and the file with the links.

Michael Lawrence https://www.precisionaudioservices.com/

Aleš Štefančič https://gainmedialab.com/

Nathan Lively https://www.sounddesignlive.com/

The google drive seeded file includes 2 .pdfs and a page with links to articles and software.

Don't ask for permission to edit it, click the download button and extract to view.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Lmb8z_JABk1perkpwVl6xBdtvfjLXWee/view?usp=sharing

© 2020 Michael Reed

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