Signal To Noise Podcast

Listener favorite Ryan John returns to the show in Episode 295 to catch up with Andy and Sean about a wide range of subjects, from the recent season of network TV “upfronts” and “For Your Consideration” presentations he worked to presenting at the L-Acoustics 2025 Keynote in his role as the company’s director of product management for software. There’s even a deep dive into espresso machines and the wonders of super light roasted c...

Picking up where they left off in Episode 293, the hosts continue the conversation Brian Maddox about building a successful freelance career in live events. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

Brian brings the unique perspective of not only being one of the most in-demand freelance mixers in the corporate event market, but having built a new freelance career after pivoting from a staff job at three different time...

Friend of the podcast and returning guest Brian Maddox joins Sean and Andy in Episode 293 to dig into the nuts and bolts of how to build a successful freelance career in live events. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

Brian brings the unique perspective of not only being one of the most in-demand freelance mixers in the corporate event market, but having built a new career after pivoting from a staff job at thre...

In Episode 292, the hosts turn to a question from the Signal to Noise Discord community and take a trip to Signal to Noise University, where professor Sean treats Andy and the listeners to Marketing 101 with a look at how to make yourself indispensable to clients. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

Whether you’re a small to medium-sized sound provider looking for new business, a freelancer seeking for work from ...

In the second part of Andy’s conversation with Cody Heimann of Sound Devices (part one is here), the duo rolls up their sleeves and goes deep on the company’s Astral wireless platform that offers 32 channels in a single rack-unit, Optocore integration, and a handheld transmitter that can take almost any capsule on the market without any additional adapters, there’s a lot to discuss. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath an...

Episode 290 goes all in on wireless as Andy is joined by Cody Heimann, RF applications engineer at Sound Devices as well as a veteran RF coordinator for large-scale events. In the first of two episodes, he talks about how his career grew and led to finding a niche as an RF coordinator for events and clients such as Coachella, New Year’s Eve in Times Square, and some of the largest corporate events and conventions in the world. This...

“Spatial” and “immersive” audio are buzzwords that we seem unable to escape in today’s world of live sound, but what do they actually mean and how do we use them — if we even should at all? Theatre sound designer Nat Houle joins the show in Episode 289 to provide a “manufacturer-agnostic” take on the topic, benefits and limitations, and much more. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

Houle, a 2025 USITT Rising Sta...

This week, Andy takes us behind the scenes for a look at how an episode of Signal to Noise is produced and edited. He walks through the recording, processing, and editing chain, sharing tips and tricks on how to efficiently produce an unscripted conversational podcast, as well as some plugins and tips that are equally applicable to live mixes to broadcast or streaming.

Links:
iZotope RX 11
SoundRadix POWAIR
REAPER
Ep...

Veteran mix engineer Wayne Pauley returns the show in Episode 287 to talk with the hosts about his experience mixing RCF’s Ultimate Jam Night showcase at NAMM, and doing it in the inimitable “Wayne Pauley style” — in other words, as analog as possible! This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

Wayne also talks about touring with an RCF TT+ Audio PA as well as his love for ATI Paragon II consoles, sharing the story of h...

In Episode 286, Sean and Andy continue their look at stepping up from smaller shows with a dive into larger intercom platforms and a look at life past four-channel analog systems. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

Drawing from his work programming intercom systems for large scale corporate and broadcast events, including network upfronts, professional wrestling matches, and the recent SNL50 Homecoming Concert a...

In Episode 285, the hosts are joined by Tal Kocen and Dave Friesema, founders of brand-new in-ear monitor maker Dark Matter Audio Labs. Sean and Andy were impressed with their IEMs when the company launched at NAMM a couple weeks ago, and knew they had to have the duo on to tell their story. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

Tal and Dave detail their history in the live audio and IEM manufacturing worlds, and t...

Picking up where they left off in Episode 282, Sean and Andy dig deeper into the “hows and whys” of wireless system frequency coordination, addressing issues such as whether it’s ever OK to just scan on the receiver, an overview of the differences between the Shure Wireless Workbench and SoundBase Coord platforms, the reasons why it’s always a good idea to do your own frequency scan with an analyzer, which inexpensive analyzers you...

Fresh back from the 2025 North American Music Merchants (NAMM) Show in Anaheim, CA, Andy and Sean compare notes on all the cool new audio things they saw there, including loudspeakers, in-ear monitors, plugins, consoles, and everything in between. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

Be sure to register for Live Sound Nashville on March 11, where you can check out the annual Live Sound International Loudspeaker De...

In Episode 282, Sean and Andy pick up where they left off last time, answering some follow-up questions they’ve received on gain staging for monitor mixes, other tips and tricks for clean and clear in-ear monitors, as well as how to make the most “bang for your buck” improvements to wireless microphones and monitors. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

If you’re going to the NAMM, be sure to find Sean a...

In the final episode of 2024, Sean and Andy pick up where they left off last time (Episode 280) in rounding out some baseline tips for getting a rocking mix going fast — compressors, effects, and general mixing advice abound as their last holiday gift to everyone out there listening! This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

Episode Links:
Episode 230: Sean’s Go-To Effects
Episode 236: Pat Brown on Ga...

In Episode 280, Sean and Andy take it back to basics, and offer some advice for folks early in their live sound journey to help speed through sound check and get a band dialed in more quickly. From setting gains to EQ and compressors, the hosts share a bunch of tips and tricks they’ve learned along the way from all sorts of smart folks in both the live audio and recording worlds. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and R...

In Episode 279, the hosts learn all about Direct Field Audio Testing, or as one of this week’s guests put it, “Blasting super loud sound at spacecraft and satellites!” This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

Many listeners will be familiar with Maryland Sound International (MSI), the sound company best known for its work on large-scale events like New Year’s Eve in Times Square, the U.S. Presidential Inaugu...

Brian Grahn, joins the show in Episode 278 to talk about all things Clear-Com. He clears up a lot of mysteries about Arcadia, HelixNet, and Freespeak, lets us in on the new cloud-based Gen-IC Virtual Intercom, and sheds some light on common problems and tricks to getting the most out of good ol’ fashioned two-wire partyline intercoms, and more.

Brian started as a musician, which quickly turned into working as a bar/club so...

In a bonus Episode 277, the Signal To Noise community presents it’s first-ever holiday gift guide. Join hosts Sean and Andy as well as a parade of past guests, friends, and listeners with gift suggestions for your favorite sound engineer/production tech to meet every budget, from $10s to $1000s. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

Episode Links:
Article With Links: The Signal To Noise Podcast 2024 H...