This type of engineer is required to have a wide range of skills. Not only do they need to understand the math and physics of sound design, they also have to understand music and be good communicators to talk to the musicians, good trouble shooters to keep the gig running smoothly, and most of all, they must like to travel. Although it is understandable that this engineer may only be hired for one night, they may also be hired to tour for a few years.
In a concert setting, engineers have the best seat in the house behind the mixing console. They are responsible for providing the best sound experience possible. The trick to mixing in a concert venue is to make sure that no matter where you are in the crowd, the listening experience is the same. The people in the balcony paid a good price for their ticket and deserve the listening pleasure of a great show.
Not only is this type of job travel heavy and very creative but you have to be a top notch problem solver too. You may be in a new place every night, have different crew members installing or tearing down equipment, you may have gear compatibility issues, and dealing with different artists isn’t always easy. Instruments can fail, gear can be faulty, and sometimes you may have to do pitch correction if the lead singer is having a bad day. You never know if you will be required to do some last minute cable soldering or if the band will try to change mic positions or amp setups in the last minutes before the show. Whatever the case, you must be ready to adjust your setup accordingly.
Most companies that look for an FOH engineer want someone that can play well with others. It’s the engineer's job to be customer-service oriented (both to the gig manager and the audience) keep the peace, and make sure the show goes smoothly. Engineers are expected to be quick minded and fix any sound problems on the fly.
Many FOH engineers say that they love digital consoles because they can run many feeds simultaneously. The live feed might be for the house (live audience), then, there could be a radio feed to broadcast it live, an internet feed for a streaming concert, and a video feed so everyone can see the stage and watch the concert unfold. In addition, the engineer must be thinking about how the sound will be used later. Will live CDs be made from the show? Will any part of the show be sold as footage for VH1 or MTV? How the recording will be used is just as important as getting the right set up for the real-time live show experience.
Celeste Baine is the author of The Musical Engineer: A Music Enthusiast's Guide to Careers in Music Engineering and Technology