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[Stuart Pendleton]

I don't think the FOH position is in any danger, but the skill set required to get the gig has changed. Used to be, they paid for your ears and the 40 years I spent on stages counted a lot since I knew what it SHOULD sound like. Now they hire for digital skills, and it is the 30 years of IT work at NASA (day gig) that gets me at FOH.

[Marc Platt]

this is my day job

[John Roberts {JR}]

digital has nothing to do with it.  If anything-a knowledgeable person is needed now more than ever.

First of all-the musicians have forgotten how to play together as a group-so it takes somebody else to figure out how to make them sound decent.

Next- with all the digital control-a console is more complicated than ever-which presents A LOT more possibilities of screwing things up.

And people who often talk about "automixing" have no idea what it actually does and CAN'T do.  No way can it tell that Sally is out of tune and we need to turn her down.

I'm afraid digital has everything to do with it, but I draw a distinction between digital audio, an alternate media for audio storage, and digital computing, that allows "if then" decisions making.

We need to look at any occupation for what human facility do we bring to accomplishing that task that can not be replaced by an expert computer program, or an internet link to Duleep in Bangalore.

We need to constantly look for ways to add value to everything we touch, and use our mental facility for more than rote tasks.

The local service aspect (setting up and tearing down gear ) will persist until gear gets so cheap that economics drive permanent installation. The next barrier for computerization, is how much of mixing can be automated.  IMO more than sound mixers want to admit, but we need a few pardign shifts to get hardware that supports self mixing automation.

Every year we get closer, but not there yet.

JR

[g'bye, Dick Rees]

The local service aspect (setting up and tearing down gear ) will persist until gear gets so cheap that economics drive permanent installation. The next barrier for computerization, is how much of mixing can be automated.  IMO more than sound mixers want to admit, but we need a few pardign shifts to get hardware that supports self mixing automation.

Every year we get closer, but not there yet.

JR

As per usual, the result will likely be "some of each" in that the lowering of the acceptable audio quality standard which we see following the over-compressed, low bit-rate MP3 audio delivered by iPod earphones will be met by the rising "digital auto-mix" capability.

Monitor engineering will be out-sourced to Dilip in Bangalore who can be contacted via your Bluetooth rig.

"Hello, this is Dilip.  How  may I help you?"

"Hey, Dilip! I need more me in my monitor."   

[Marc Platt]

I'm sure we'll find it acceptable as things change and degrade at a gradual enough rate so that it's not as noticeable to the pop culture. Then we can spend our free time and money buying old gear on ebay for thousands$, all while knowing it's the same gear we all sold years before for pennies while "upgrading" to digi.
 

[Marc Platt]

 Soon they may just transmit 0's and 1's to the audience wireless and eliminate the use of acoustic pressure transmission used today.

[Jon Ross]

I've thought the future of live sound would be the band setting up a couple measurement/ audience mics wirelessly transmitted over the internet, with the sound guy sitting at home in front of a computer, listening to the show through studio monitors... while mixing several shows at the same time.

[Marc Platt]

With a midi option

[Earl F Young]

Soon they may just transmit 0's and 1's to the audience wireless and eliminate the use of acoustic pressure transmission used today.

"quiet concerts" as Sennheiser, I believe has intoduced in Europe, definitely has its place- especially the ability to choose which mix you want to listen to (and at what volume..)

[Marc Platt]

 Actually what we hear is partially influenced by our brain's predicting what we expect to hear based on many factors and feedback from several senses is used.

[ProSoundWeb Community]