Signal To Noise Podcast
Society & Culture
About
The Signal to Noise podcast features conversations with people from all corners of the live sound industry, from FOH and monitor engineers, tour managers, Broadway sound designers, broadcast mixers, system engineers, and more.
Episodes
- 326. Part 2 Of “Anything & Everything” On AV Networking With Chris Lapp
In Episode 326, guest co-host Aram Piligian returns to join Andy for the second half of their conversation with Chris Lapp, developer of the new Open Fabric Studio AV network management software and senior specialist solutions engineer at…
- 325. Chris Lapp Of Cisco On “Anything & Everything” With AV Networking
In Episode 325, guest co-host Aram Piligian joins Andy to sit down with Chris Lapp, developer of the new Open Fabric Studio AV network management software and senior specialist solutions engineer at Cisco and ask all about anything and eve…
- 324. Matt Dale & Donny Kuser Of SoundBase
In Episode 324, the hosts talk with Matt Dale and Donny Kuser of SoundBase, a software platform that’s become a valuable asset in the world of wireless coordination over the past few years, to learn all about what it can do and where it’s…
- 323. The State Of AI In Audio With Joe Allan Muharsky
In Episode 323, Sean and Andy huddle up with Joe Allan Muharsky for a wide-ranging conversation about the state of AI in the audio field — where it is and where it’s going, what it’s good at and what it’s not. This episode is sponsored by…
- 322. Twenty Thousand Hertz On The Evolution Of Theatre Sound
Episode 322 shares a look at the history and evolution of sound design for theatre, from Broadway to Cirque du Soleil, from the folks at the Twenty Thousand Hertz podcast. This early episode features two of the biggest names in Broadway so…
- 321. Q&A With The Audience, The Finale (For Now)
In Episode 321, Sean and Andy wrap up a last handful (for now!) of listener questions, touching on routines for decompressing after a show and re-entering “civilian” life, balancing long work days and/or travel with coming home, talk a lit…
- 320. Front Of House Engineer Sage Tichenor
Episode 320 of Signal To Noise Podcast features front of house engineer Sage Tichenor discussing her work with Lindsey Stirling and other artists. Topics include console platform selection, mixing live events, and her background in audio p…
- 319. Hearing Protection & Safety With Dark Matter Audio Labs
Signal to Noise Podcast features Tal Kocen and Dave Friesema of Dark Matter Audio Labs discussing new hearing protection, ambient in-ear monitors (IEMs), and custom vs. universal-fit models. They also shared a discount code for listeners a…
- 318. Robert Scovill & Geoff McKinnon Of EAW
In Episode 318, audio engineering veterans Robert Scovill and Geoff McKinnon of EAW discuss the evolution of adaptive sound systems, EAW loudspeakers like Anya, and the applications of adaptive technology in live sound. They also touch on…
- 317. Q&A With The Audience, Part 2
Sean and Andy address listener questions on freelancing business topics such as rates, contracts, and taxes. They also discuss making compromises when time is limited during load-ins.
- 316. The 2026 NAMM Show Recap
Episode 316 of the Signal To Noise Podcast features a recap of the 2026 NAMM Show, covering new audio equipment like loudspeakers, mixers, and earplugs. The episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.
- 315. Devin Sheets On De-Feedback
Devin Sheets, founder of Alpha Labs, explains De-Feedback, a novel AI-based live audio tool developed to address issues like feedback, reverberant rooms, and noise in reinforcement and broadcast settings. The episode covers the tool's crea…
- 314. Veteran Event Production Professional Jessica Isenhour
Jessica Isenhour, also known as “AV Barbie,” joins the Signal To Noise Podcast to discuss event production, social media networking in the industry, and mentoring young technicians. Isenhour shares her experiences as a freelance AV technic…
- 313. NAMM CEO & President John Mlynczak
John Mlynczak, CEO of the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), joins Signal To Noise Podcast hosts Sean and Andy to discuss the upcoming NAMM Show in Anaheim. Mlynczak provides an overview of NAMM, highlights his expectations fo…
- 312. Live Sound “Renaissance Man” Danny Abelson
Danny Abelson, a live sound professional with a career spanning over 50 years, joins the Signal To Noise Podcast to discuss his extensive experience in the live audio industry. Topics include career preparation, the evolution of live sound…
- 311. New York-Based Mixer & Sound Designer Jason Crystal
In Episode 311 of the Signal To Noise Podcast, New York-based mixer and sound designer Jason Crystal shares insights from his extensive career. His work includes sound design for Broadway productions such as Hamilton and Suffs, as well as…
- 310. Tyler “Ty the Sound Guy” Davis
In Episode 310 of the Signal To Noise Podcast, audio engineer Tyler “Ty the Sound Guy” Davis shares his two-decade career journey. He discusses his transition from music touring to corporate and broadcast production, emphasizing the import…
- 309. Q&A With The Audience
In this Q&A episode, hosts Andy Leviss and Sean Walker address listener questions submitted via Facebook and Discord. Topics covered include overcoming introversion for networking, handling mistakes, using personal equipment for jobs, mix…
- 308. Orchestras & Classical Instruments In Bigger Mixes
This episode of Live Sound Bootcamp, featured on Signal To Noise Podcast, addresses capturing and mixing orchestral instruments in classical environments and when adding strings to pop and rock music. Guest host Aram Piligian joins Ryan Jo…
- 307. Dave Hatmaker On His Versatile Career In Pro Audio
Dave Hatmaker joins Signal To Noise Podcast for a discussion on his versatile career in pro audio. Topics include working in theme parks for Disney, developing audio products with companies like Yamaha, and providing practical tips for mix…
- 306. Sonic Secrets Of “Hamilton”
Episode 306 of the Signal To Noise Podcast explores the sound design of the musical Hamilton. It features insights from Tony-winning sound designer Nevin Steinberg, A2 Anna-Lee Craig, Grammy-winning percussionist Benny Reiner, and sound de…
- 305. End Of The Summer Wrap-Up
In this episode, hosts Andy and Sean wrap up the summer, discussing the transition from concert to corporate season. Andy shares news about his new full-time tech support job and his experience with Dark Matter's DMA-8 in-ear monitors. Sea…
- 304. A Conversation With Daniel & Andreas Sennheiser
Daniel and Andreas Sennheiser, CEOs of Sennheiser Electronics, join the podcast to discuss the company's 80-year history and its evolution as a family-run business. They cover past product successes and challenges, and look ahead to future…
- 303. Robert Kuijpers On “Guerrilla Audio” For Festivals
Robert Kuijpers joins Signal To Noise Podcast hosts Sean and Andy to share insights from his career in "guerrilla audio" at music festivals. Kuijpers details his long involvement in the live music industry, starting from a young age, and h…
- 302. Sam Kusnetz Of Figure 53 On QLab 5.5
Sam Kusnetz from Figure 53 joins hosts Andy and Sean to detail the new features in QLab 5.5, focusing on object-based audio and the software development philosophy. The discussion also touches on the evolution of live event audio and an up…
- 301. Gabe Correa Of Clair Global On Large-Scale Special Events
Gabe Correa, audio and network project manager at Clair Global, joins Signal To Noise Podcast to discuss his work on large-scale international events. His experience includes technical operations for the FIFA Club World Cup, Formula 1, and…
- 300. Info & Wisdom Nuggets From The STN Discord Server
In Episode 300 of the Signal To Noise Podcast, hosts Andy Leviss and Sean Walker share tips and tricks from the STN Discord Server's "Info and Wisdom Nuggets" thread. The episode covers advice on mixing, troubleshooting, and careers in the…
- 299. Jim Reed, RCF USA Manager of Installed Sound and System Design
Jim Reed, Manager of Installed Sound and System Design at RCF USA, joins Signal To Noise Podcast to discuss his career shift from musician to manufacturer. The conversation covers advice for production professionals interested in system de…
- 298. InfoComm Debrief
It’s time for an InfoComm debrief, as returning guest Elliott Carroll joins Andy and Sean to compare notes on what he and Andy saw during their recent trip to Orlando for this year’s InfoComm trade show. This episode is sponsored by Allen…
- 297. Healthy Ears, Limited Annoyance Initiative (HELA)
In Episode 297, it’s all about safe listening levels, hearing protection and more, as Sean and Andy talk to three of the folks behind the Healthy Ears, Limited Annoyance Initiative (HELA) about all things loud (but not too loud)! This epis…
- 296. Garrett Doran On How To Get Hired As A Freelancer
In episode 296, Sean and Andy are joined by Garrett Doran, Sean’s director of operations at Audio Engineers Northwest, to get more perspective on how to get hired as a freelancer in the live audio industry. Garrett shares what he looks for…
- 295. Coffee & Keynotes With Ryan John
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 presentin…
- 294. More About Building A Freelance Career With Brian Maddox
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 pers…
- 293. Freelance Mixer Brian Maddox
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 . Bri…
- 292. Building Your Company & Career
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…
- 291. Cody Heimann, RF Applications Engineer At Sound Devices, Part 2
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, Optocor…
- 290. Cody Heimann, RF Applications Engineer At Sound Devices
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 a…
- 289. Sound Designer Nat Houle On Spatial Audio
“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 i…
- 288. Behind The Scenes
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 unsc…
- 287. The Return Of Mix Engineer Wayne Pauley
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…
- 286. Larger-Scale Intercom Platforms
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 . Drawin…
- 285. IEM Start-Up Dark Matter Audio Labs
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…
- 284. The “Hows & Whys” Of RF Coordination
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 di…
- 283. “All Things Audio” From The 2025 NAMM Show
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…
- 282. Focus On Monitoring
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 t…
- 281. Tips & Tricks For A Speedy Mix, Part 2
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 las…
- 280. Tips & Tricks For A Speedy Mix
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…
- 279. Blasting Super Loud Sound At Spacecraft & Satellites!
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 wil…
- 278. Brian Grahn Of Clear-Com
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 commo…
- 277. 2024 Holiday Gift Guide
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/p…