David Morgan spent five years behind the “wrong desk.” After coming up through A1 Audio and the early West Coast live sound scene, David was called by Jim Gamble in 1981 to help manage Innovative Audio, the company that grew out of Tycobrahe. What followed was a crash course in sound company life: gear, people, payroll, pressure, system design, client relationships, and the reality of supporting major tours from the other side of the desk. In this second conversation with David, we dig into A...

Greg Carttar of 3rd St. R&D Production Services joins me for a deep dive into the early days of live sound, regional sound companies, and the era when people were still building, modifying, and figuring out the tools of the trade in real time. Greg talks about getting his start in electronics, building amplifiers and mixers, and learning from Stanel Sound, where theory, field experience, and the Don Davis book all became part of his education. From there, we get into early country shows w...

Bill “Doc” Gans worked for Showco from 1973 to 1982, during one of the most important eras in the development of modern concert touring. Doc came into the business with no formal audio background, learned by doing, and found himself on the road with some of the biggest artists of the 1970s and early 1980s. In this long-form road conversation, he shares stories from his years in live sound, from the Showco shop to stages with Jackson Browne, James Taylor, The Who, ZZ Top, Average White Band, U...

David Dansky has been mixing shows since 1970, stepping into live audio at a time when the industry was still young, raw, and being figured out in real time. With a background in electrical engineering, David was uniquely positioned for an era when sound engineers were not just mixing shows. They were solving problems, adapting gear, learning from each other, and helping shape the systems and workflows that became part of the live sound industry. “I wasn’t just mixing a band. I was mixing tex...

Jim Yakabuski’s career started in Vancouver bar bands, learning live sound the hard way: small rooms, limited gear, feedback problems, and a lot of figuring it out as he went. In this episode, Jim walks through the path that took him from those early club gigs to DB Sound, Summerfest in Milwaukee, monitor gigs with Aerosmith and Poison, and eventually front of house for Van Halen. Along the way, he shares stories about learning before the internet, working with massive proprietary PA systems,...

David Morgan spent more than 50 years standing between artists and audiences, helping translate performances into emotional experiences night after night. As the longtime front of house engineer for James Taylor, Paul Simon, Bette Midler, Steely Dan, Whitney Houston, Fleetwood Mac, and many others, he’s mixed everything from intimate theater shows to massive outdoor performances for hundreds of thousands of people. But what drives him has never really been the résumé. It’s the people walking ...

Before digital consoles, prediction software, analyzers, plugins, and virtual soundcheck, there were engineers like Ken Newman figuring it all out in real time. Ken’s career spans more than four decades and includes artists such as Barry Manilow, Paul Anka, Shirley MacLaine, Anita Baker, Liza Minnelli, Chris Isaak, Julio Iglesias, and many more. But what makes his story fascinating is not just the list of artists. It’s the path he took to get there. Growing up around electronics and ham radio...