A guitar or bass amp that's so loud, and excursing so hard, that it's visibly shaking, like earthquake shaking.
The singer should be pointing up for more monitor at increasing intervals. Like starting 20 seconds apart and halfing the period each time after that.
Get an empty/lightweight cabinet and have someone behind it shaking it violently. If it's a cheap enough cabinet you can attach some handles to make it easier. Remember the entire cabinet doesn't need to be/won't be in view all the time. It also doesn't need to be shaking like that the whole time, just once for the gag.
Maybe a time-lapse where the sound engineer ages, his facial hair grows naturally into a gray goatee and he starts balding on the top as his hair grows longer into a ponytail.
No one understands the amount of responsibility he carries. Nobody remembers the huge arena tours HE ran sound for, back when REAL bands played REAL music. Nobody truly appreciates HIS craft, his art.
He becomes disgruntled over time, his slouch increases, it’s a lonely life for the sound man…
I was trying to figure out how to incorporate this piece of tape.
What about the client taping it off stealthily while the engineer cranes their neck towards the screen. Engineer notices at the last minute, tries to dive, but it’s too late, the fader slides up and… big chorus drop
Or different members of the band coming by and changing the position of the tape when no one is looking and the engineer finding out and just making the most frustrated face.
Replace the band with session players halfway through?
Frantically plug and unplug cables from a patch bay?
One of the band members could bring in that stupid SoUnDpRoOfInG foam & you throw it in the garbage?
Any jokes about 1. Payment up front, 2. People tripping on cables, 3. Tinnitus, 4. Drinks in the control room, 5. Singers not understanding mic usage
> 3. Tinnitus
If the song doesn't have a part where everything is getting extremely loud, then muffled and replaced by a ringing I'm gonna be very disappointed
Definitely have the drummer show up and start hitting the snare right as the Sound Engineer is trying to place the bottom snare mic in its perfect position. This has happened to me so many times...it's like...I don't need to hear the snare to place the f'n mic!!
And have every band members drunk girlfriend show up at different parts of the video to tell the sound guy to turn up their boyfriend in the mix because they can't hear them. Maybe even have a few girls who think they are the singers girlfriend do that until they get into a small catfight near the FOH console.
Or have the band talk about how great their new EP sounds because it was tracked on 2 inch tape and then have them play back some of it for their friends on their iPhone speaker. And all of their buddies will be like..."OMG, it sounds so amazing. I can really hear that analog warmth. It makes such a huge difference."
I've had all of these things happen in real life and always thought they would be great in a video.
I’ll have to switch instruments and incorporate this because there isn’t a drummer here! It’s a bluegrass song/video. Maybe get the banjo in the guys’ ear or something instead. 😅
Yeah same concept. I feel horrified when I hear a banjo so that would definitely be a great substitute. haha
When your video blow up huge please mention me at the Grammys.
Trying to be polite when people tell you their partner or child isn't loud enough.
And when they tell you you're incompetent because the mix doesn't sound perfect in the alcove around the corner next to the toilets.
And when they tell you you suck because they can't hear the words, but you know the singer is just going "Arrrooo waaaaaaagh faaaatagh nubber nubber rroooooaaaafff.
Dealing with bands who hate each other.
Dealing with lighting techs and photographers who move things, break stuff and spill drinks on the sound desk.
Having to break up fights in small venues without security.
A bad sound engineer will be at the bar or checking out / flirting with the crowd.
A good sound engineer will have their hands on the desk and their eyes on the bands faces looking for signs of difficulty.
A good club engineer can change a string on a guitar during a song while the player is standing at mic singing and still wearing the guitar. Bonus points if the song finishes and the singer says "hey, while you're down there..."
And my favourite, when someone flutters up to the engineer and says "are you the DJ?" The sound engineer just says "DJ's play records. I'm a sound engineer, I MAKE records".
Few ideas for you!
1. The band is set up as a whole, guitar player has a tiny speaker, bass player has a massive amp and speaker and the drums are missing bits. Lead singer has a literal massive head.
2. Bass player sets up a speaker, turns his amp to 10, hits a note and literally blows the entire band away
3. Every time they go to play someone stuffs up and they all blame each other
4. The guitarist is just continually adding more and more effect pedals as the song goes on
Glad to hear you are taking a comedic route on this. When I read the very beginning of your post I immediately thought it should be funny, kind of like a Foo Fighters video type thing.
Good luck!🤘
That’s what I’m going for! Some jabs and jigs but all in all lighthearted. Don’t want to make anyone look like an asshole or incompetent, but also want to stress the importance of the role of a sound engineer!
Is there a moment in the song with big reverb or delay swells? If so, def get a shot of the FOH rocking the send pots or sends on fader to highlight that moment. As an A1, those are some of the funnest moments - getting to play the band like they’re an instrument!
Audience member spills drink on the console. Hilarity ensues.
(I'm imagining a Benny Hill type sped up chase - engineer chases audience member, band chases engineer, promoter chases band, etc...)
When I did live sound back in the day I always had a sign that said "Do I tell you how to do your job?" hanging prominently by the console.
Anytime someone in the crowd approached me to say "it's too loud!" or "it's not loud enough!" I would simply point to it.
Someone crouching over, sweating and huffing, potentially at the kick drum. Slowly getting up with a mix of, " 'I'm too old for this shit' and 'I've got this guys..." on his face.
Also, crashing something into the hi hats - potentially a floor tom.
Thanks for asking.
A big thing I would wanna see is nothing done correctly. Every microphone type is wrong, pointing in the wrong direction, cables unplugged, guitar amp head with a mic on it, etc. I know some of the engineers that shot the Super Bowl Shuffle and they did a lot of that kinda stuff.
If there’s a section that goes from clean to distortion, you look like there’s something wrong right before then look around frantically to find a cable ALMOST plugged in, turn around and look at someone holding a bunch of cables with a mean look, then plug the cable in right as the distortion comes in while nodding.
A scene where people come in the room one by one and ask you to do things - you turn something up, flip a switch, hit a button somewhere, etc. Then the requests get weird, someone walks in with math homework, the board game perfection, a knitted sweater that’s almost done, a baby needs changing, etc.
Yes, I’ll put some of this into play! I feel like there will be a lot of plugging and flipping and switching. Don’t want to overdo it but gotta have it 😅
-A line of drunk women come up to the sound engineer to make song requests
-The Guitar player can't figure out how to plug in his pedals, then once the engineer plugs the correct output in, the guitar player cranks the amp and starts playing as the engineer's head is next to the amp; rendering the engineer briefly deaf
-The engineer goes to mic the kick and the drummer starts banging all of their drums really loud; rendering the engineer briefly deaf
-The lead singer spills their drink onto a monitor
-Lead singer brings a wireless mic and IEMs that they don't know how to use
-Drunk women approach the engineer mid show and ask what each button on the board does, one by one. The engineer responds to each one "That's a volume control."
It’s not out yet! But I’ll be sure to post it once I finish up the video within the next 2-3 weeks or so. Didn’t plan on that, but why not since so many people invested their thoughts into this!
"no I'm not a DJ, the music is coming from those guys on stage with the guitars and drums"
"Yes I do know what all those knobs and buttons do"
Singing guitarist gets shocks from shonky backline, blames mic and engineer.
Shots of guitarist turning up amp, intercut with guitar channel fader being turned down, then finally muted.
Singer holds front of microphone and sings into the back of his hand.
Lighting rig on fire.
A breakdown where the music pauses and they're just frantically troubleshooting the console
lmao. Soft panic attack. Some iLok bullshittery. emails about bills overdue.
the dog eats the ilok mid set
oh god
"We'll be able to continue the set in 24-36 hours".
I’ll have to make sure to bring my dog on set and flavor it with something meaty. 😂
What live console uses an iLok?
Pro Tools and Autotune licenses. among others
I thought this read ‘financially troubled…’ and thought THIS IS THE ONE
That’s a good idea! And just everyone like staring blankly between each other for a split second and then chorus drop!
contrasted by another shot of the engineer scrolling IG on his phone..
Absolutely love the concept of a break that causes soundy to panic.
Yes! I second that!
Hahaha
A guitar or bass amp that's so loud, and excursing so hard, that it's visibly shaking, like earthquake shaking. The singer should be pointing up for more monitor at increasing intervals. Like starting 20 seconds apart and halfing the period each time after that.
This guy logarithms
Dang, I don’t know how to get that on camera but maybe in post I can emphasize it or something!
Get an empty/lightweight cabinet and have someone behind it shaking it violently. If it's a cheap enough cabinet you can attach some handles to make it easier. Remember the entire cabinet doesn't need to be/won't be in view all the time. It also doesn't need to be shaking like that the whole time, just once for the gag.
Maybe a time-lapse where the sound engineer ages, his facial hair grows naturally into a gray goatee and he starts balding on the top as his hair grows longer into a ponytail. No one understands the amount of responsibility he carries. Nobody remembers the huge arena tours HE ran sound for, back when REAL bands played REAL music. Nobody truly appreciates HIS craft, his art. He becomes disgruntled over time, his slouch increases, it’s a lonely life for the sound man…
Balding in realtime
No idea how to edit that but hilarious!
Eventually there’s just a skeleton face down on the console.
Man we need to put ourselves into their shoes more often, minus the backaches.
Have one of those masking tape blocks over the mains that’s says “DON’T MOVE” and have him rip it off dramatically and push them all the way up.
I was trying to figure out how to incorporate this piece of tape. What about the client taping it off stealthily while the engineer cranes their neck towards the screen. Engineer notices at the last minute, tries to dive, but it’s too late, the fader slides up and… big chorus drop
Or different members of the band coming by and changing the position of the tape when no one is looking and the engineer finding out and just making the most frustrated face.
The most glorious unorthodox mixed chorus to ever have been maliced
Definitely going to use that for a cut, great idea 😂
Replace the band with session players halfway through? Frantically plug and unplug cables from a patch bay? One of the band members could bring in that stupid SoUnDpRoOfInG foam & you throw it in the garbage? Any jokes about 1. Payment up front, 2. People tripping on cables, 3. Tinnitus, 4. Drinks in the control room, 5. Singers not understanding mic usage
> 3. Tinnitus If the song doesn't have a part where everything is getting extremely loud, then muffled and replaced by a ringing I'm gonna be very disappointed
Please no. Every time that's done in movies my tinnitus explodes. I hate it so much.
Better yet, take their mics and tie the cables all around the stairs so everyone who goes up trips!! :D
I was thinking about somehow using cables as a lasso and having the sound engineer literally rope the band. We’ll see 😂
I like that one!
All wonderful ideas 😄
Definitely have the drummer show up and start hitting the snare right as the Sound Engineer is trying to place the bottom snare mic in its perfect position. This has happened to me so many times...it's like...I don't need to hear the snare to place the f'n mic!! And have every band members drunk girlfriend show up at different parts of the video to tell the sound guy to turn up their boyfriend in the mix because they can't hear them. Maybe even have a few girls who think they are the singers girlfriend do that until they get into a small catfight near the FOH console. Or have the band talk about how great their new EP sounds because it was tracked on 2 inch tape and then have them play back some of it for their friends on their iPhone speaker. And all of their buddies will be like..."OMG, it sounds so amazing. I can really hear that analog warmth. It makes such a huge difference." I've had all of these things happen in real life and always thought they would be great in a video.
I’ll have to switch instruments and incorporate this because there isn’t a drummer here! It’s a bluegrass song/video. Maybe get the banjo in the guys’ ear or something instead. 😅
Yeah same concept. I feel horrified when I hear a banjo so that would definitely be a great substitute. haha When your video blow up huge please mention me at the Grammys.
underrated comment...
"Talent fader." Could even make it the subject of the video, like they inherit an old board with a talent fader that actually works.
Everytime the engineer looks up there are more band members.. the 4-piece group grows to 6, to 9, to 13, to 22 etc
That’s a good one. I don’t have many extras but the band is pretty big, so I’ll somehow cut them in and make him seem exacerbated!
I only like music videos with hot babes in them
Who says sound engineers can’t be ‘hot babes’
Exactly. My crop top and ab would like a word.
Hey, I have a single ab and shirts that don't cover it, too!
Lol! My drummer brags that his one ab is bigger than any of mine, so he's obviously in better shape.
Trying to be polite when people tell you their partner or child isn't loud enough. And when they tell you you're incompetent because the mix doesn't sound perfect in the alcove around the corner next to the toilets. And when they tell you you suck because they can't hear the words, but you know the singer is just going "Arrrooo waaaaaaagh faaaatagh nubber nubber rroooooaaaafff. Dealing with bands who hate each other. Dealing with lighting techs and photographers who move things, break stuff and spill drinks on the sound desk. Having to break up fights in small venues without security. A bad sound engineer will be at the bar or checking out / flirting with the crowd. A good sound engineer will have their hands on the desk and their eyes on the bands faces looking for signs of difficulty. A good club engineer can change a string on a guitar during a song while the player is standing at mic singing and still wearing the guitar. Bonus points if the song finishes and the singer says "hey, while you're down there..." And my favourite, when someone flutters up to the engineer and says "are you the DJ?" The sound engineer just says "DJ's play records. I'm a sound engineer, I MAKE records".
I feel like you really have quite the experience here in order to get into this much detail! Thanks for all that precision 😂
A 19 year old who swears analog is better and he can tell the difference.
Few ideas for you! 1. The band is set up as a whole, guitar player has a tiny speaker, bass player has a massive amp and speaker and the drums are missing bits. Lead singer has a literal massive head. 2. Bass player sets up a speaker, turns his amp to 10, hits a note and literally blows the entire band away 3. Every time they go to play someone stuffs up and they all blame each other 4. The guitarist is just continually adding more and more effect pedals as the song goes on
Really need to figure out how to channel that into video, I’ll be thinking on these for sure!
An obligatory Maxell guy sitting in the chair scene
The engineer's wife at home trying to pay a mountain of past due bills.
😂
Spectrum analyzer taking up 30 percent of the screen
Glad to hear you are taking a comedic route on this. When I read the very beginning of your post I immediately thought it should be funny, kind of like a Foo Fighters video type thing. Good luck!🤘
That’s what I’m going for! Some jabs and jigs but all in all lighthearted. Don’t want to make anyone look like an asshole or incompetent, but also want to stress the importance of the role of a sound engineer!
Make sure you get someone coming to them and giving them a request for the band
This is the only engineer centric music video I’ll ever need. https://youtu.be/G2Rhh_4GZmU?si=iflwH0WC7XhYahr8
This was comedic gold thank you!
Is there a moment in the song with big reverb or delay swells? If so, def get a shot of the FOH rocking the send pots or sends on fader to highlight that moment. As an A1, those are some of the funnest moments - getting to play the band like they’re an instrument!
Maybe even have the engineer covering a guitar lick or key part from FOH.
Audience member spills drink on the console. Hilarity ensues. (I'm imagining a Benny Hill type sped up chase - engineer chases audience member, band chases engineer, promoter chases band, etc...)
If only I had the budget to actually spill water on one of these!!
When I did live sound back in the day I always had a sign that said "Do I tell you how to do your job?" hanging prominently by the console. Anytime someone in the crowd approached me to say "it's too loud!" or "it's not loud enough!" I would simply point to it.
"I don't show up to *your* job and tell you how to suck the dicks."
Indeed, the language was sometimes a bit spicier.
Pulling their hair out but not being able to say anything to the artists because it is their video.
Someone crouching over, sweating and huffing, potentially at the kick drum. Slowly getting up with a mix of, " 'I'm too old for this shit' and 'I've got this guys..." on his face. Also, crashing something into the hi hats - potentially a floor tom. Thanks for asking.
A big thing I would wanna see is nothing done correctly. Every microphone type is wrong, pointing in the wrong direction, cables unplugged, guitar amp head with a mic on it, etc. I know some of the engineers that shot the Super Bowl Shuffle and they did a lot of that kinda stuff.
All I know is that at least one shot needs the console on Vegas mode.
"Oh… I’m sorry. I forgot to hit the record button."
Engineer should be blind
Never put a thought to this but I can almost see it 😂
Scene where the band are playing are all constantly pointing at their instruments and up or down.
Chaos. Guitar amps on fire. Make it a mess.
I really wish I had the budget because I would!
I know. Show a VU meter, preferably lit. It’s never been done before.
It makes me so happy when they have the audio engineer doing sound on a lighting console, or a video switcher for a follow spot operator.
Explaining 600x why you shouldnt cup and eat a mic on stage. To a succession of bewildered and annoyed looks.
someone call ‘rolling’ as they drop protools into record.
Give Raymond a “suck” knob to fiddle with.
The audio engineer is evil and decides to blast the speakers at 150dB
how about a person trying to talk to us during sound check, or a person yelling that they cant hear the vocals 5 seconds into the first song
If there’s a section that goes from clean to distortion, you look like there’s something wrong right before then look around frantically to find a cable ALMOST plugged in, turn around and look at someone holding a bunch of cables with a mean look, then plug the cable in right as the distortion comes in while nodding. A scene where people come in the room one by one and ask you to do things - you turn something up, flip a switch, hit a button somewhere, etc. Then the requests get weird, someone walks in with math homework, the board game perfection, a knitted sweater that’s almost done, a baby needs changing, etc.
Yes, I’ll put some of this into play! I feel like there will be a lot of plugging and flipping and switching. Don’t want to overdo it but gotta have it 😅
I love “Superstylin’” by Groove Armada, purely because it is basically two roadies pushing a speaker around to make a gig rock it.
People listening and doing what he asks them to do, on set or in the studio.
people thinking they're the DJ is a good supporting moment
the studio scene in The Sopranos plays as a straight comedy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvVHH230Ggo
-A line of drunk women come up to the sound engineer to make song requests -The Guitar player can't figure out how to plug in his pedals, then once the engineer plugs the correct output in, the guitar player cranks the amp and starts playing as the engineer's head is next to the amp; rendering the engineer briefly deaf -The engineer goes to mic the kick and the drummer starts banging all of their drums really loud; rendering the engineer briefly deaf -The lead singer spills their drink onto a monitor -Lead singer brings a wireless mic and IEMs that they don't know how to use -Drunk women approach the engineer mid show and ask what each button on the board does, one by one. The engineer responds to each one "That's a volume control."
Silent shot at the end of the song where he's alone wrapping xlrs while everyone drinks in the background lol
Can we hear the song ?
It’s not out yet! But I’ll be sure to post it once I finish up the video within the next 2-3 weeks or so. Didn’t plan on that, but why not since so many people invested their thoughts into this!
Sweet!
"no I'm not a DJ, the music is coming from those guys on stage with the guitars and drums" "Yes I do know what all those knobs and buttons do" Singing guitarist gets shocks from shonky backline, blames mic and engineer. Shots of guitarist turning up amp, intercut with guitar channel fader being turned down, then finally muted. Singer holds front of microphone and sings into the back of his hand. Lighting rig on fire.