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Thread: Losing a LOT of local influences and it hurts

  1. #1
    Forum Member FrankJohnson's Avatar
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    Losing a LOT of local influences and it hurts

    Over the past few years, I have gotten to know a few of the older, more influential players, sound guys, equipment repair techs, and even a couple of promoters. Not ALL of them were people I would surround myself with on a regular basis, but were all VERY knowledgeable.

    That said, they dwindle, the light goes dim, and many are lost to a multitude of demise. Age, diminished mental capacity, health complications from good times back in the day, Natural causes and of course so many to different types of cancers.

    A recent realization is that slowly, the art of repairing vintage equipment is one of the skills that goes when these folks are lost. I hope that there is a Renaissance in this field. I know there are a few - but HOW MANY really?

    I never got to study under anyone to learn to do sound, and consider myself almost somewhat competent. That said - I do ok on small scale local and occasional national act sound jobs. Trying to find people to teach has been pretty fruitless.

    Curious - how many of you are noticing similar, or in the circle to help slow the loss of knowledge and experience? You know .......helping to pass the torch
    Kenny Belmont
    >:^{I)>

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    Forum Member DanTheBluesMan's Avatar
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    Re: Losing a LOT of local influences and it hurts

    it will probably become only the rich will be able to afford the scant few who will learn these skills. As far as sound guys, AI will probably become an acceptable (by the unknowing) substitute for a pair of knowledgable human ears.

    the everyday people will just have to learn to live with tossing stuff when it breaks and buy another modeler to replace the broken one.
    "Live and learn and flip the burns"

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    Forum Member S. Cane's Avatar
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    Re: Losing a LOT of local influences and it hurts

    Quote Originally Posted by FrankJohnson View Post
    Curious - how many of you are noticing similar, or in the circle to help slow the loss of knowledge and experience? You know .......helping to pass the torch
    I got your point, but don't worry. Believe me, there are lots of young guys who are into that sort of knowledge, and they get in depth know-how.

    See, I live in a different country which doesn't have a proper electric guitar tradition, and still I know a handful of dudes who are younger than me (I'm in my 40s) but know a lot. One of them, for instance, is a 25 year old college student and he builds amps to whatever specs you ask, being especially good with replicating British stuff. He also repairs gear, of course. Order a vintage-style Marshall or Orange and he'll deliver. Great guy, btw.

    I also know many young sound guys who can really get a good job done.

    I don't think that sort of expertise will be lost, no.

  4. #4
    Forum Member Offshore Angler's Avatar
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    Re: Losing a LOT of local influences and it hurts

    I see it too. The tricks of the trade that are tribal knowledge are being lost. Simple stuff, like turning the keyboard player to center if he has an open mike, using a sub-mix, etc., are things we rarely see anymore.

    The result is bad sound, no separation of the instruments and all the other ills as a result of losing that expertise. Sometimes it seems that sound guys today just want to walk around the room with an iPad screwing with the mix and acting like they're part of the show.

    Lighting, don't get me started. With all the new LED gizmonics you kind of get the feeling the lighting guy thinks the band is a necessary evil just so he can pretend he's at some underground rave.

    Chuck
    "No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim

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