Anyone need an experienced FOH engineer?

ahjteam

Anssi Tenhunen
So, my college studies are almost over and still I need to do my thesis. I asked from my adviser has anyone done a thesis on touring, and he said "no". So I was thinking that it would be a pretty fucking kick ass subject. So here is the catch:

- The tour should preferably be in 2012, but 2011 is negotiable too
- It must have minimum of 30-40 gigs, but anything up to 200 gigs is fine for me.
- The PA must be provided by the venues, not by the band, because otherwise it will make the work days 15-20 hours long, which is not healthy in any way
- Preferably in EU countries, but if the band/label/someone pays and helps with the visas, work permits and other paperwork, I'm game for the rest of the world too.
- I can help with carrying stuff on load in and load out if the crew is small, but my main job is to only do FOH mixing! Not set up and tear down PA systems, being a roadie, sell merchandise, drive a bus etc. (I don't have a drivers license anyway)
- I can bring my own microphones (I have enough stuff to mic up a whole band), but I'd prefer not to unless the tour is in Finland or if the band is Finnish
- I'm not doing it for free. I am asking for travel expenses, accommodation expenses, daily food and a really reasonable fee per gig (or negotiable for a fixed price).
- The band hiring me and paying the fee must be on a label. 20% in front, non-refundable.
- I can also mix multiple bands per night, but preferable max 3. Pricing goes as follows: 1 band 100% price, 2 bands 150%, 3 bands 200%, 4 bands 250%, +5: add 100% per band
- I will do technical riders for all the bands
- It would be a big plus if I like the music of the band(s). Not required, but preferred as it makes it more comfortable for both parties.
- NO BLACK METAL. Total deal breaker.


About me, if you still don't know me well enough: My audio portfolio is at www.ahjteam.com

- I am from Finland and 27 soon
- I consider myself a FOH engineer more than a studio engineer, but I wanted to expand my knowledge on that field and I am soon college graduate on audio engineering.
- Without boasting I think I know my shit when it comes to live mixing. I stopped counting after 300 gigs, but I mixed my first live gig when I was 16 and thus so far have mixed about 1500 gigs in the past 10 years. In days that is something like 600-700.
- I've been a house engineer in 4 different venues and 2 big cruise ships, been on 4 Finnish tours and been a freelancer FOH engineer for numerous bands.
- Do note that I have done touring, but not internationally yet. I was asked to mix Central-European tour for Eilera this winter, but I was not in Europe at the time so I couldn't go.
- I mainly mix rock, hard rock and heavy metal, but I've also mixed other more extreme metal bands about 100 gigs in total. Also all softer genres are welcome.
- I speak fluent Finnish and English and also know some Swedish.
- I don't do drugs, smoke or drink beer. I do drink, but never on the job.
- I am getting my business license in 2012, so you won't be supporting the black market economy.


Hit me a PM or email me if you any of you guys are legitimately interested: atenhunen@kolumbus.fi - Serious offers only
 
Do you mind if I re-post this / email to some friends?

If you don't mind.. hit me up via email [hello@ajhorsburgh.com]!
 
^

Was thinking the same thing. The majority of gigs I have been getting offers on recently needs the FOH or MONS or FOH/MONS engineers to double as loaders, drivers, and whatever else is needed at that given time.
 
Do you mind if I re-post this / email to some friends?

If you don't mind.. hit me up via email [hello@ajhorsburgh.com]!

Sure, go head! :)


Wow, is this actually realistic in the sub-Madonna level of work? :lol:
Was thinking the same thing. The majority of gigs I have been getting offers on recently needs the FOH or MONS or FOH/MONS engineers to double as loaders, drivers, and whatever else is needed at that given time.

Yup. Has worked with all the gigs I've been on. Never driven a single centimeter in my entire life or sold a single cd or t-shirt on tours or house engineer gigs, but I do the load in and load out stuff a lot. I always set up the mics, pull the cables, patch everything up etc, but setting up and calibrating PA system (and preferably the monitors too) should be done by the guy who owns or is in charge of the PA (usually rental companies or house engineers), because it takes helluva lot of excess time to do and when you are on tour doing "double shifts" (15-20 hours per day) is not cool in any way. Doing long hours in studio is cool as you don't have to move much, but on the road it is not. That's why I put the "band is not traveling with the PA system" as a requirement.
 
Sure, go head! :)





Yup. Has worked with all the gigs I've been on. Never driven a single centimeter in my entire life or sold a single cd or t-shirt on tours or house engineer gigs, but I do the load in and load out stuff a lot. I always set up the mics, pull the cables, patch everything up etc, but setting up and calibrating PA system (and preferably the monitors too) should be done by the guy who owns or is in charge of the PA (usually rental companies or house engineers), because it takes helluva lot of excess time to do and when you are on tour doing "double shifts" (15-20 hours per day) is not cool in any way. Doing long hours in studio is cool as you don't have to move much, but on the road it is not. That's why I put the "band is not traveling with the PA system" as a requirement.

Don't know about tours, since we don't do music much. We put up our FOH freelancers in 5 star hotels and have limos transfer them to/from airport.

But they still tune the systems, help rig the line arrays, do all the cabling (power and signal), and work 12+ hour days.

Then again they make MURDER in money terms.
 
Don't know about tours, since we don't do music much. We put up our FOH freelancers in 5 star hotels and have limos transfer them to/from airport.

But they still tune the systems, help rig the line arrays, do all the cabling (power and signal), and work 12+ hour days.

Then again they make MURDER in money terms.

Yet again, the +12 hours is fine, but consider this:

wake up and travel from point a to point b, x hours, say 2-3 hours
set up band gear and mics and do a sound check, 1-2 hours
wait until the gig, 3-5 hours
do the gig(s) and tear down the band gear and mics, 0.5-1 hours per artist
travel back or to the next place, 2-3 hours or 4-8 hours if staying overnight at a hotel
= 9-15 hours

If you have to set up the PA and MONS in addition to that, tune them and tear them down at the end of the day, it adds almost another full 8 hour "workday" to the day. Tuning the system and setting up the line arrays should be the PA vendors job, not the touring engineers, and that is why I specified in the OP that the band shouldn't travel with the PA.


and on a personal note, I personally prefer to be in a normal car or a Mercedes Sprinter or other van to limos. They are so overrated.
 
Update on this: I was talking on the phone with a guy who's band I've been mixing in the past, and we have a common friend who currently is on the finals on the Finnish Idols (the Finnish version of American Idols), and we tentatively talked about me possibly mixing his tour ;) But nothing 100% agreed yet on it.