Attributes
A lifelong enthusiast of lighting and sound technology, I’ve been lighting shows and setting up PA systems since childhood. I’ve worked on over 50 theatre shows but these days I sound-mix about 18 live events a year which include perhaps 85 music performances. The simplest performances are school choirs and the more complex ones are large folk, rock or funk bands, and even the BBC Big Band. Between county shows, festivals, town ceremonies, weddings, conferences and literary festivals, I’ve been engineering sound for around 30 years. I’ve done gigs in halls, theatres, fields, churches, car parks, greens and barns.
If you hire me, I like to take a supportive and pragmatic approach to delivering your wishes. You can see that in my Facebook reviews and Google reviews. I think professionalism is important – you don’t want a bad attitude to take the shine off your event.
Having ‘all the gear’ is no good if I’ve got no idea how to use it! With a degree in electronic and communication engineering, I’ve got a decent background in what’s going on inside all those black boxes. Sometimes, it helps fix problems faster and get the job done better.
So, those first three things (experience, good attitude and know-how) are what I think you should look for in any engineer you hire.
Working Style as a Sound Engineer
I take care with my equipment so that it’s reliable and looks the part. Whilst I’m operating at the small end of the market when it comes to sound and lighting providers, much of my equipment (Allen & Heath sound desks, Sennheiser microphones, Nexo and RCF PA etc.) is the same grade as what bigger operators might put on their smaller jobs.
Part of the time I work delivering the whole package (labour and equipment) and part of the time I work freelance (labour only). My event work is alongside my ‘day job’ working for an IT company on compliance/processes/management. That life is more on LinkedIn. I also freelance as a photographer, but only for stage and theatre work.
In general, I would say ‘don’t hire a DJ as a sound engineer’. However, I do know a few good sound engineers who are also DJs. I used to DJ in cheesy nightclubs and play to crowds of up to 1,000. I don’t do that anymore, but it does give me empathy for the pressure you can feel if you’re on stage and something goes wrong. I like to plan and prepare so that as much as possible goes right first time. Surprises and hiccups are an inherent part of live events, so I bring spare kit and have ways of rapidly overcoming problems, failures or unexpected requirements. If I can’t fulfil a request, I’ll explain why, and come up with alternatives.
Innovation and Investment
I make it my business to keep in touch with developments in entertainment technology, particularly sound technology. I also invest frequently in my equipment inventory. Regular customers often get the benefit of improvements with equipment and techniques even though their fees generally don’t increase (bar inflation). Although it’s not strictly necessary for doing a good job, my amps, speakers, sound mixers and radio mics are all current models for their manufacturers.
Along the way, as soon as I could I’ve adopted developments like digital mixing, digital audio links to the stage, iPad remote control of the sound desk (configure and mix from anywhere), wireless PA speakers, wireless lighting control, and real-time AI audio processing to reduce feedback and background noise. Untested technology is a risk to an event, so everything has been verified or proven first. Plus, I still like to have redundancy and backup equipment on every job, as insurance against issues.
What I Do, Where I Do It, and Costs
Read a summary of the kind of events I support as a live sound engineer. It’s probably also worth a mention that I have public liability insurance and can provide risk assessments where needed. Details on demand.
Do get in touch for chat! My base location is Exeter, Devon (UK) and I’ll cover Devon and further (Cornwall and Somerset) on occasion. See also example pricing.
Customers
Direct Customers
- Newton Abbot Town Council
- Seaton Town Council
- Cranbrook Festival / Hall & Woodhouse
- Goren Festival
- Sydney Writers’ Festival
- Hospiscare
- Torbay Carnival
- Broadbeat Festival
- Exeter Cathedral School
- Many Function Bands
- Big Bands
- Many Choirs
- Wedding Couples
Customers Whilst Subcontracting or Freelancing
- Devon County Show
- Royal Cornwall Show
- Budleigh Literary Festival
- Budleigh Music Festival
- Exmouth Festival
- Brixham Pirate Festival
- Mix Festival (Devon Music Education Hub)
- Cancer Research
- La La Choir
- Multiple Small Live Music Festivals
- Fireworks night PAs
Recommendations and Five Star Google Reviews
Here are some excerpts from my full collection of ★★★★★ Google reviews and Facebook reviews. You can see online that these are independently verified and I can also let you know the origin of each review, with more details and photos in the case of public events.
Chris was incredibly friendly to all of the band members and provided us with in depth answers to any questions we had, The setup was quick, tidy and very quality you couldn’t fault it !! The live sound that Chris produced for us was amazing and the crowd gave a lot of feedback of this throughout the evening, every piece of gear was quality …
The Revival (Band)
He was thorough, professional, and so easy to communicate with throughout the whole process – we couldn’t have asked for anyone better to be in charge of all things sound on our wedding day.
Portia, Wedding Bride
Having worked with Chris at festivals and events a number of times, I cannot recommend him highly enough. Hugely professional on all levels, with a calm, diligent and well prepared response to any situation. Sonically, the end result is of an extremely high standard, no matter the genre, style or configuration of the band in question. It is always a delight to work with Chris and I look forward to the next opportunity!
… Absolutely superb sound engineer. Totally knows what he’s doing. But better still calm, friendly, efficient and unflappable. I would work with Chris all year long if I could. I wish more of our events bookers hired him!
Sam, La La Choirs
… We had Chris attend our Remembrance Sunday event and we were absolutely delighted with the service he delivered. Not only was the sound the best we have ever had the set-up was very professional and tidy. Chris was also great to work with.
Photos of Events
Here are a selection of photos from varied events where I have acted as sound engineer.
