Sean and Andy start off 2026 with a bang, as live sound “renaissance man” Danny Abelson joins the show to discuss a wide range of bold positions, from how to prepare for a career in live audio to whether or not the quality of sound at shows today has kept up with the quality of the gear available to us to use at them. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

With a 50-plus-year career that started as a teenager working in New York City in the middle of “anything and everything” in the live music industry in the 70s, becoming friends and eventually in-laws with one of Clair’s first employees, as well as having one of the Taits as another in-law, if you saw Danny’s life story in a movie, you might not believe it’s real! From touring with the Eagles and Cheap Trick in the 70s to a theatre degree in the 80s and mixing NFL, MLB, and D1 sports, as well as long tenures on the manufacturing/distribution side of the industry for companies ranging from Turbosound to ATI mixing consoles, high-density Wi-Fi and ultrasonic signaling, and installations in venues as varied as Carnegie Hall, the Grand Ole Opry, and Lambeau Field, there’s quite literally nothing in the live sound field that Danny hasn’t done at some point!

Danny has written many articles published in Live Sound and FOH magazines, and currently writes the monthly “FOH-At-Large” column with close friend and writing partner Dave Natale for front of house. He is member of the Parnelli Awards Board of Advisors.

Episode Links:
Danny Abelson Archive On ProSoundWeb
Signal To Noise Episode 57 With Wayne Pauley
Signal To Noise Episode 287 The Return Of Wayne Pauley
FOH Blog Meet The New Guys
Episode 312 Transcript

Connect with the community on the Signal To Noise Facebook Group and Discord Server. Both are spaces for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments!

Also please check out and support The Roadie Clinic, Their mission is simple. “We exist to empower & heal roadies and their families by providing resources & services tailored to the struggles of the touring lifestyle.”

The Signal To Noise Podcast on ProSoundWeb is co-hosted by pro audio veterans Andy Leviss and Sean Walker.

Want to be a part of the show? If you have a quick tip to share, or a question for the hosts, past or future guests, or listeners at home, we’d love to include it in a future episode. You can send it to us one of two ways:

1) If you want to send it in as text and have us read it, or record your own short audio file, send it to signal2noise@prosoundweb.com with the subject “Tips” or “Questions”

2) If you want a quick easy way to do a short (90s or less) audio recording, go to https://www.speakpipe.com/S2N and leave us a voicemail there

New York-based mixer and sound designer Jason Crystal joins the show in Episode 311 for a tour through his wide-ranging career, spanning from Broadway — where his resume includes working as the associate sound designer and audio supervisor for every production of Hamilton around the world, as well as sound designing the Broadway and touring productions of Suffs — to mixing front of house for major broadcast events such as the Tony Awards and the Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Homecoming Concert at Radio City Music Hall. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

Whether you’re interested or working in musical theatre, TV awards shows, a look behind what goes in to SNL every week, or the logistics and technical challenges of massive multi-stage televised concert events, this episode is for you!

Episode Links:
Hamilton, The German EP On Apple Music & Spotif
Suffs
Signal to Noise Episode 306 (Sonic Secrets of Hamilton)
Episode 311 Transcript

Connect with the community on the Signal To Noise Facebook Group and Discord Server. Both are spaces for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments!

Also please check out and support The Roadie Clinic, Their mission is simple. “We exist to empower & heal roadies and their families by providing resources & services tailored to the struggles of the touring lifestyle.”

The Signal To Noise Podcast on ProSoundWeb is co-hosted by pro audio veterans Andy Leviss and Sean Walker.

Want to be a part of the show? If you have a quick tip to share, or a question for the hosts, past or future guests, or listeners at home, we’d love to include it in a future episode. You can send it to us one of two ways:

1) If you want to send it in as text and have us read it, or record your own short audio file, send it to signal2noise@prosoundweb.com with the subject “Tips” or “Questions”

2) If you want a quick easy way to do a short (90s or less) audio recording, go to https://www.speakpipe.com/S2N and leave us a voicemail there.

In Episode 310, the hosts welcome guest Tyler “Ty the Sound Guy” Davis, an experienced audio engineer with two decades in the industry. Born and raised in LA, Tyler started his audio journey two decades ago playing in bands, doing sound at DIY shows, recording bands in his garage, and mostly failing miserably at all the above! Through sheer unwillingness to accept that he wasn’t very good, he honed his skillset to come to the place where, 20 years later, he’s failing much less miserably! This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

After touring for about 15 years, he started a family and focused on corporate, broadcast and remote production. While he still gets to mix music regularly, he’s enjoyed translating the years of concerts and touring to large-scale corporate events and broadcast environments.

Tyler shares insights from his career, discussing the shift from music touring to corporate and broadcast work, emphasizing the importance of continuous learning, networking, and being adaptable. He and the hosts also talk about the benefits of volunteering at churches for hands-on training, and the potential of having a mentor to guide one’s career. The conversation covers the importance of attitude, technical skills, and being a problem solver, all while maintaining a sense of humor in the ever-evolving world of audio engineering.

Episode Links:
“Ty The Sound Guy” Website and On TikTok and Instagram
Autokue App
Giggs, Connecting The Live Event Industry
Episode 310 Transcript

Related Episodes:
Episode 271, Nikki Sanz of Giggs
Episode 262, Mike Dias On Networking

Connect with the community on the Signal To Noise Facebook Group and Discord Server. Both are spaces for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments!

Also please check out and support The Roadie Clinic, Their mission is simple. “We exist to empower & heal roadies and their families by providing resources & services tailored to the struggles of the touring lifestyle.”

The Signal To Noise Podcast on ProSoundWeb is co-hosted by pro audio veterans Andy Leviss and Sean Walker.

Want to be a part of the show? If you have a quick tip to share, or a question for the hosts, past or future guests, or listeners at home, we’d love to include it in a future episode. You can send it to us one of two ways:

1) If you want to send it in as text and have us read it, or record your own short audio file, send it to signal2noise@prosoundweb.com with the subject “Tips” or “Questions”

2) If you want a quick easy way to do a short (90s or less) audio recording, go to https://www.speakpipe.com/S2N and leave us a voicemail there.

In Episode 309, the hosts turn over the reigns for a round of listener questions. They reached out to the Signal to Noise Community on Facebook and Discord to invite listeners to submit questions that they’re afraid to ask, or were afraid to ask when they were starting out in their career, and this week the hosts set out to answer the first handful of them. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

No topic was off-limits, from technical to interpersonal… Questions include strategies for overcoming introversion to excel in networking and finding more gigs, the importance of owning your mistakes (and not playing the blame game), practical advice for whether or not to bring personal equipment to jobs, improving mix confidence, virtual sound checks, balancing technical and soft/people skills, and more.

They also address broader issues such as effective sales strategies for project managers (and the technicians who love them), and the significance of value over price in client relations. The episode is filled with practical tips, industry insights, and personal anecdotes aimed at helping audio professionals succeed in their careers.

The hosts received plenty of questions; in fact, enough for another round in a future episode, but they’re still asking for more! If you’ve got a question you’ve always wanted to ask, email it to the at signal2noise@prosoundweb.com or send a voice memo at http://speakpipe.com/s2n, and we may feature it in a future episode!)

Episode Links:
Download Sean’s “Cheatsheet”
Signal To Noise Facebook Group
Signal To Noise Discord Server
Episode 309 Transcript

Connect with the community on the Signal To Noise Facebook Group and Discord Server. Both are spaces for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments!

Also please check out and support The Roadie Clinic, Their mission is simple. “We exist to empower & heal roadies and their families by providing resources & services tailored to the struggles of the touring lifestyle.”

The Signal To Noise Podcast on ProSoundWeb is co-hosted by pro audio veterans Andy Leviss and Sean Walker.

Want to be a part of the show? If you have a quick tip to share, or a question for the hosts, past or future guests, or listeners at home, we’d love to include it in a future episode. You can send it to us one of two ways:

1) If you want to send it in as text and have us read it, or record your own short audio file, send it to signal2noise@prosoundweb.com with the subject “Tips” or “Questions”

2) If you want a quick easy way to do a short (90s or less) audio recording, go to https://www.speakpipe.com/S2N and leave us a voicemail there.

This week, the hosts turn over the feed to feature a new episode from our sister podcast, Live Sound Bootcamp, to welcome them back after a very long hiatus! In this episode, Ryan John and guest host Aram Piligian answer a question about how best to go about capturing and mixing orchestral instruments in classical environments, and also in the context of adding strings to pop and rock acts. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

There’s some incredible advice and experience to be found in this episode, and we don’t want any of our listeners to miss it, whether you’re an old listener who may have missed their new episode, or a newer Signal to Noise listener who’s hearing of Live Sound Bootcamp for the first time!

Connect with the community on the Signal To Noise Facebook Group and Discord Server. Both are spaces for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments!

Also please check out and support The Roadie Clinic, Their mission is simple. “We exist to empower & heal roadies and their families by providing resources & services tailored to the struggles of the touring lifestyle.”

The Signal To Noise Podcast on ProSoundWeb is co-hosted by pro audio veterans Andy Leviss and Sean Walker.

Want to be a part of the show? If you have a quick tip to share, or a question for the hosts, past or future guests, or listeners at home, we’d love to include it in a future episode. You can send it to us one of two ways:

1) If you want to send it in as text and have us read it, or record your own short audio file, send it to signal2noise@prosoundweb.com with the subject “Tips” or “Questions”

2) If you want a quick easy way to do a short (90s or less) audio recording, go to https://www.speakpipe.com/S2N and leave us a voicemail there.

Dave Hatmaker joins Sean and Andy in Episode 307 for a wide-ranging conversation about working in theme parks, helping test and develop new audio products, and some hard-hitting practical tips and tricks for mixing corporate events.

Dave has mixed astronauts to vice presidents, and almost everything in between. He’s also been a sound designer for the Walt Disney Company, helping to create many memorable in-park entertainment shows, spectaculars and guest experiences, including Beauty and the Beast (before going to Broadway), Spirit of Pocahontas, and Hunchback of Notre Dame: Festival of Fools.

In addition, he’s worked with various international audio companies as a research and development team member (most recently Yamaha) creating new technologies, and he was awarded an international patent in 2021 for a new creative new use of audio technology. And, he’s been a featured panelist and moderator at international audio and music industry trade shows, including NAMM, AES, MusikMesse, ProLight & Sound, InfoComm, SCSBOA, and Jazz Educators, in addition to being a guest on several podcasts for MxU and AVIXA.

Dave holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University, Long Beach, with an emphasis in percussion performance. He has created and delivered audio seminars to high school and college bands, music educators and sound technicians.

His goal in the audio business? ”Every day he wants to make life a bit better for musicians by having better, easier, smarter, better sounding products! And to make them FUN to use!!

Episode Links:
Dave Hatmaker.com
Dave Hatmaker On LinkedIn
Episode 307 Transcript

Connect with the community on the Signal To Noise Facebook Group and Discord Server. Both are spaces for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments!

Also please check out and support The Roadie Clinic, Their mission is simple. “We exist to empower & heal roadies and their families by providing resources & services tailored to the struggles of the touring lifestyle.”

The Signal To Noise Podcast on ProSoundWeb is co-hosted by pro audio veterans Andy Leviss and Sean Walker.

Want to be a part of the show? If you have a quick tip to share, or a question for the hosts, past or future guests, or listeners at home, we’d love to include it in a future episode. You can send it to us one of two ways:

1) If you want to send it in as text and have us read it, or record your own short audio file, send it to signal2noise@prosoundweb.com with the subject “Tips” or “Questions”

2) If you want a quick easy way to do a short (90s or less) audio recording, go to https://www.speakpipe.com/S2N and leave us a voicemail there.

In Episode 306: it’s time for something a bit different, as Andy introduces Sean and the listeners to another of his favorite sound-related podcasts, Twenty Thousand Hertz, produced by the sound design team at Defacto Sound. Twenty Thousand Hertz is focused on all things related to sound, from the sound design and scores of TV shows like Bluey to the sound design of all the alerts and notifications on an iPhone to dives into Broadway and arena touring, and so much more. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

In this episode they’ve kindly allowed us to share with our listeners an inside look at how sound helps tell the story of the hit Broadway musical Hamilton, along with Tony-winning sound designer Nevin Steinberg, Hamilton Broadway A2 Anna-Lee Craig, Grammy-winning Hamilton percussionist Benny Reiner, and noted Broadway sound designer Abe Jacob.

If you enjoy this guest episode, be sure to subscribe to Twenty Thousand Hertz in your podcast player of choice and visit them at http://20k.org — you can also send them a note at hi@20k.org and let them know you’re a new fan, and that you heard about them on Signal to Noise, or to suggest new episode ideas or send them any other feedback!

Episode Links:
Twenty Thousand Hertz
Defacto Sound
Twenty Thousand Hertz: Mixing Madison Square Garden for Vulfpeck’s Biggest Show
Signal to Noise Episode 89: Jake Hartsfield, Touring Engineer (Vulfpeck, Ben Rector)
Episode 306 Trancript

Connect with the community on the Signal To Noise Facebook Group and Discord Server. Both are spaces for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments!

Also please check out and support The Roadie Clinic, Their mission is simple. “We exist to empower & heal roadies and their families by providing resources & services tailored to the struggles of the touring lifestyle.”

The Signal To Noise Podcast on ProSoundWeb is co-hosted by pro audio veterans Andy Leviss and Sean Walker.

Want to be a part of the show? If you have a quick tip to share, or a question for the hosts, past or future guests, or listeners at home, we’d love to include it in a future episode. You can send it to us one of two ways:

1) If you want to send it in as text and have us read it, or record your own short audio file, send it to signal2noise@prosoundweb.com with the subject “Tips” or “Questions”

2) If you want a quick easy way to do a short (90s or less) audio recording, go to https://www.speakpipe.com/S2N and leave us a voicemail there.

In Episode 305, Andy and Sean present an end of summer wrap-up, touching on a wide variety of subjects as concert season for a lot of small to mid-size sound companies wind down and corporate season picks up! Andy shares some big news on his new “day gig,” having left the freelance life to work full time doing tech support for a major manufacturer, and he also talks about visiting with Tal from Dark Matter and hearing their DMA-8 in-ear monitors for the first time. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

Meanwhile, Sean delivers more great advice on how to make yourself indispensable to local sound companies when trying to get work as a freelancer, including what the hardest role for most sound companies to fill is versus the hardest role to get hired as. Finally, the boys do a quick rundown of some of the latest new and exciting product news from Wisycom, OnStage, Sound Devices, Shure, RTS, and Meyer!

Episode Links:
Movo MIC’D Lav/IEM Mic Weight
Wisycom RF-over-Fiber Box & MTP61 XL Transmitter
On-Stage MS7300 Mic Stand With Flat Base
Sound Devices 8-Series Mixer/Recorders & Astral Wireless
Shure DCA901 Planar Array Microphone
RTS NOMAD Wireless Intercom System
Meyer Sound GEN-1 Technology For Networked Loudspeaker
Episode 305 Transcript

Connect with the community on the Signal To Noise Facebook Group and Discord Server. Both are spaces for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments!

Also please check out and support The Roadie Clinic, Their mission is simple. “We exist to empower & heal roadies and their families by providing resources & services tailored to the struggles of the touring lifestyle.”

The Signal To Noise Podcast on ProSoundWeb is co-hosted by pro audio veterans Andy Leviss and Sean Walker.

Want to be a part of the show? If you have a quick tip to share, or a question for the hosts, past or future guests, or listeners at home, we’d love to include it in a future episode. You can send it to us one of two ways:

1) If you want to send it in as text and have us read it, or record your own short audio file, send it to signal2noise@prosoundweb.com with the subject “Tips” or “Questions”

2) If you want a quick easy way to do a short (90s or less) audio recording, go to https://www.speakpipe.com/S2N and leave us a voicemail there.