Dave Rat: The best sounding shows are the fields

When and how did you decide to do sound engineering?

I thought I wanted to be a studio engineer and I went into work at the studio and kept falling asleep. I liked to go to rock shows and started recording them and I realised that I couldn’t believe it – It’s like I met these guys that did sound for a living, listening to music and drinking beer with their friends. And so I said “Wait a minute! You listen to music, you drink beer with your friends, you travel around the world, and people give you money and that's your job? Alright, I’m in!”

Can you give me some EQ’s and Compression tips?

Studio recordings compress too much, live shows do not compress enough. If you compress more, not feeding back, that will help. Get more volume and also make your mix clearer. As far as EQ, the biggest issue is that people EQ based on not listening. Listen to the music. When you’re done EQ-ing, listen without EQ and make sure you’ve done the right thing.

What is the most common error that sound engineers do?

Over EQ-ing the system before they start and wasting the soundcheck on checking individual instruments.

Did you have any unexpected errors during a show?

Every single day. I’m just making sure that the errors are not important ones and I don’t ruin a show trying to fix an unimportant error.

What is the ideal venue for a concert?

I think the best sounding shows are fields, right in the evening when the wind stops, air is cool but not cold. After a warm day, those could be the best sounding shows, but I think the most exciting shows are inside an arena, when we have total control over the environment - control of the heat, the cold, the temperature, whether or not it’s fog or smoke, the volume... Everything is within our control and we have the ability for the most exciting show.

What makes Double Hang PA unique?

It allows it to be clearer, because you lower the amount of distortion and complexity of the signal sent to each and also you have the ability to have the sound come from different places rather that the same spots. I can have the sound of guitar from the outside or the inside. So, having more places to send the sound from, creates a unique auditory experience.

Have you ever sound engineered for an Orchestra? How is that different from a rock show?

Yes, I have. With an orchestra your goal is to do everything you can to recreate the experience of the orchestra itself and make the instruments sound good. With a rock band you have a lot more interpretation, a lot more freedom. With an orchestra, you definitely have a little less freedom as far as what you’re trying to do, and the complexity is greater in order to achieve it.

Tell me 3 new bands that impressed you in the last few years?

I like Portugal. The Man, Hmmm, what have I seen that is good lately? Something exciting and fun… I like so many bands. I like Spoon a lot, but they are not really a new band. After this, I'll probably be like that, that, that and that…but now….Hmmm.

Is there a band that you would want to engineer for?

The last band I actually went out and tried to get hired to mix was Soundgarden and I got it. I wanted to do it, I called up and was very happy that they hired me. The only band that comes to mind would be to mix sound for Led Zeppelin though I would be against doing a sound set for Black Sabbath, but since Led Zeppelin was the first concert I ever saw, it would be really cool to do sound for them after all these years.

I promise I will do my best for the RHCP concert in Bucharest.

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