In the past 12 months , Marc Crain has been all over the map , both literally and musically , with clients including The New Pornographers , The Sheepdogs , and Ron Hawkins and The Do Good Assassins . Off the road , he also holds down the house mixing spot at Toronto ’ s Legendary Horseshoe Tavern .

Melvin Godfrey has cemented his status as the go-to FOH engineer for Canadian pop rockers Marianas Trench , keeping him plenty busy with bigger and bigger shows from coast to coast and around the world .

the road to be able to mix their own in-ears . It really helps that you can just run one small Cat-5 cable to the stage .

Steeb : The processors that drive the audio system . There are so many parameters that they cover . My adjustments now are quick because of how flat and aligned the rig is .

Godfrey : I think portability has had a very positive impact . Having the ability to travel anywhere with the same gear leads to greater consistency and more confidence .

Hornung : It ’ s been happening slowly for the past 15 years or more , but what I ’ ve really noticed accelerating in the last few is the prevalence of IP network-based systems in live sound . Whether there ’ s actually audio moving over an IP-based protocol or it ’ s just a control mechanism for a piece of hardware , I think this is the number one thing that many in our industry are behind on .

PS : Any predictions on what you see as the next big technological innovation that will have a widespread effect on people ’ s performance and workflow in the live sound industry ?

Coppen : I ’ m noticing that the gap between live and studio is getting increasingly narrower [ in terms of ] audio fidelity with consoles , plug-ins , outboard gear , and the integration of the equipment .

Hornung : I hope the next big thing will be a sort of harmonization of all the digital transport protocols to make them more compatible and make systems in general easier to integrate , especially between different manufacturers ’ products . Work on this is clearly underway and it progresses every year , but we ’ re still a good distance away from widespread compatibility on this front .

Steeb : I think we ’ re going to see more automation in the mixing consoles . When you follow snapshots of your set list , automated moves will be built-in with moving levels being a part of the song as it ’ s being played – not just levels set as you open the snapshot .

Crain : It would be amazing to see if we could adapt something like the virtual world of , say , Oculus Rift to be able to create a 3D mix environment . That way , you eliminate the control surface and act more like a musical conductor of sound , using hand motions to raise and lower levels and maybe even move the whole mix around the room . Probably won ’ t happen but might be fun …

PS : Do you find that the general trend of audio equipment and concepts being more accessible to more people has had a positive or negative impact on your interactions with clients over the past few years , as far as discussing concepts , getting a clear idea of what they want from a mix , etc .? If so , how has that affected your work , for better or worse ?

Godfrey : If an artist is better able to express or understand what they ’ re trying to accomplish with a mix , then I can do my job more efficiently , so I think improved accessibility can be helpful .

Crain : I think that the more accessible the equipment becomes and artists can take the time to learn what we do as engineers , then it fosters a better work environment . Having the ability to create snapshots of each song is great and lets the FOH be more creative with what they can pull off night after night .

Steeb : It has definitely made pre-production a bigger part of the picture . With a large mix , gone are the days of a quick line check and winging it at show time . We work through a lot more pre-tour on moves , which makes more work for you with concepts of the show from the artist , but this is an enjoyable part of the work .

PS : Considering things like a grasp of common technologies and tools , available education and training , etc ., do you think the barrier for entry into the live sound market is higher or lower now than it was , say five years ago ? What ’ s specifically contributing to that , in your experience , and any tips or advice for people looking to get a start in live sound ?

Hornung : I really think that barrier – and make no mistake , there is one – is getting lower over time . I think there are much better education programs out there now than there were before , and they will continue to improve .

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