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What to do when working with a terrible mixer?


Josh Tucker

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Or, in the words of Donald Rumsfeld:

As we know,

There are known knowns.

There are things we know we know.

We also know

There are known unknowns.

That is to say

We know there are some things

We do not know.

But there are also unknown unknowns,

The ones we don't know

We don't know.

Damnit, I think my brain may have locked up again from trying to follow that circular argument.

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As a result of his amazing work the production said it was some of the best audio they had ever received. I said that was mainly due to my Boomie. Credit where it's due. I am forever great full to this guy, and have worked with him since. We both know where my experience level for this type of work is, and he trusts my ear as much as I value his work ethic.

That's the right attitude to have. I've had my ass saved on several occasions by great boom ops, especially when they offer advice or an unexpected tip. I'm usually worried about "did I clip a word on that last take," or "will our batteries go for another hour," or "did I remember to add that note on take #3"... many things to juggle. Having another guy in the trenches to watch your back is always a positive.

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Hey gents. Sorry for the late response. I was monitoring this thread on set yesterday but was unable to respond. Thanks to all of you for your input. It seems to be a general consensus that I should be the guy in charge of batts and TC. To be completely honest, I've only been a dedicated boom op on maybe a dozen or so productions, with a handful of different mixers. The guys I worked with took care of batteries for talent wireless, and jamming TC. I've asked to help on several occasions and was usually told that they had it covered. I was generally in charge of batteries for my own wireless and IFB (duh) and batts for production's IFB's (as I'm usually the closest guy to ask if they're feed goes down). In any event, I'll be sure to be more diligent about these issues on this and future boom gigs.

I got a lot of great advice from you guys about how to handle this situation. I failed to mention this in my original post, but the mixer is the one who recommended me to production. He's a friend of the director and a few cast members. He is also an FOH guy that I frequently run into on certain remote music recording gigs. He had already booked the gig and was going to rent gear elsewhere, until I joined as a boom op and offered to rent them my stuff. I figured I'd take the opportunity to put my gear to work since I was going to be there to oversee it. Had I known how green this guy was I wouldn't have offered. Hindsight is 20/20 I suppose.

What I ended up doing was pulling the mixer aside and voicing my concerns. The tracks that he had gotten were useable and I felt it was just a matter of briefing him on the way things were expected to run. We agreed that he would stay in his position but that I would take over most of the responsibilities. This included scanning and setting gain on all the wireless, setting up IFB's, controlling all the routing, etc. I also took a few extra minutes at lunch and between scenes to re-organize the gear and make sure everything was in order. Basically all he needs to do is set the gain at the recorder and label scenes/tracks. The latter remains an issue, though we're not running that many channels, and I've been consistent with which tx's go to which actors. Ultimately, I decided I'd rather be the "unsung hero" and do the mixer's job behind the scenes, than potentially burn a bridge with someone who I'll probably run into on live music gigs in the future. I think a few crew members actually started to pick up on this exchange of responsibilities yesterday, since I noticed that most of the questions regarding logistics of locations and potential noise issues were re-directed towards me. Overall, I think everything worked out for the best. The production will get useable tracks, the mixer gets to sit back and feel important, and I (hopefully) get hired as the mixer on the next project.

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I would strongly advise you against pitching these producers, or campaigning for future gigs from them in any way.

This mixer brought you on board and actively doing anything that tries to take his job in the future, in my opinion, is a serious breech of ethics. The issue of him not being good at his job doesn't enter into this.

It's also a way to earn yourself a reputation as a back-stabber -- which, once earned, will be hard to shake.

I've had it done to me, under a couple of different circumstances, and as a result, these are people who I'd never recommend anyone even consider hiring for dog catcher -- I have greater respect for dogs than that.

Any gig will be over soon -- but your reputation stays with you -- not to mention the importance of sleeping at night.

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I would strongly advise you against pitching these producers, or campaigning for future gigs from them in any way.

This mixer brought you on board and actively doing anything that tries to take his job in the future, in my opinion, is a serious breech of ethics. The issue of him not being good at his job doesn't enter into this.

It's also a way to earn yourself a reputation as a back-stabber -- which, once earned, will be hard to shake.

I've had it done to me, under a couple of different circumstances, and as a result, these are people who I'd never recommend anyone even consider hiring for dog catcher -- I have greater respect for dogs than that.

Any gig will be over soon -- but your reputation stays with you -- not to mention the importance of sleeping at night.

You've got a good point. I hadn't thought of it that way. I just figured that if they ever called me to do another gig, I'd take it. I suppose even in that case though, it could appear to the mixer that I had actively worked to steal his job. You're absolutely right though that no gig is worth earning a bad reputation. Or even risking it. For the moment, I'm just glad that I was able to save face with the production and be a part of a department that runs smoothly.

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Overall, I think everything worked out for the best. The production will get useable tracks, the mixer gets to sit back and feel important, and I (hopefully) get hired as the mixer on the next project.

I agree -- well-done. I think saving face for all, getting good tracks, and collecting a check at the end are all good things. I also agree with John that it's frowned upon to go around the mixer's back and try to steal their client. If I sub for any friend of mine at the last minute, I never, ever go after the client for future gigs. And if they do call, I'll usually shoot the original mixer an email just letting them know and making sure they were asked first.

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Yea he gets you a job and then you make fun of him. It sounds like you just want to be the mixer and not boom op. I haven't heard you list any of your responsiblities as boom op either. Surprised you have the time to take over most of his responsibilities...

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Wow! What an awkward situation! If circumstances are such, I think the sound mixer's deficiencies would be noticeable to the DP anyway sooner than later, because they are right there next to the sound department on the hot set.

I think it would be a good idea to discuss your situation during downtime with the DP. The DP will be able to digest all the technical complaints better than a line producer or PM. After letting the DP know and they conclude the same way you have, you have someone to backup your complaints. From there, then go to the line producer or PM and inform them of the sound mixer's deficiencies.

And keep your gear out of harm's way since the sound mixer does not really know how to run it.

I have to admit to my mistake here. When I initially read the original post I envisioned the worst inept sound mixer in the world with an awful attitude in posting my response. Didn't look at it any other way. Took about thirty seconds for me to draw up my initial reaction and then I went to lunch. I really took it as a no big deal answer.

And then I read all the right responses days later by others. Approached from various perspectives. Especially from a boom op being green thinking they know enough to criticize the sound mixer, which I must admit I didn't think about at all. No disrespect to Drunk Nun, this is just for the sake of conversation.

Indeed you should always approach your problems to the sound mixer as the very first thing. Discuss matters at hand. And then go from there.

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It seems to me that some of those errors you mention are your responsibility as the boom op. You should be wiring the talent, you should make sure the batteries are fresh in the transmitters when they are put on, you should be jamming the cameras.

If the gear is new to him (it's yours right) of course he doesn't know how to use it completely. It does seem he's green but he is the one that got the job and you agreed to work with him. Just because you tattle on him to the producers doesn't mean they're going to move you up to mixer. As far as you know the producer might be his friend.

Just do your job better and help him cover his ass in his short comings. I know it's a PIA to cover someone elses shortcomings but it's only for a few days and it's not worth burning any bridges. I know this from experience. He will hang himself if the errors are too horrible but if you are the professional one on the set the others will notice and remember it.

The upside is you're making $ from equipment rental and that's the goal of a soundman really. I say stick it out unless the mixer is abusive.

+2012.

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Hey gents. Sorry for the late response. I was monitoring this thread on set yesterday but was unable to respond. Thanks to all of you for your input. It seems to be a general consensus that I should be the guy in charge of batts and TC. To be completely honest, I've only been a dedicated boom op on maybe a dozen or so productions, with a handful of different mixers. The guys I worked with took care of batteries for talent wireless, and jamming TC. I've asked to help on several occasions and was usually told that they had it covered. I was generally in charge of batteries for my own wireless and IFB (duh) and batts for production's IFB's (as I'm usually the closest guy to ask if they're feed goes down). In any event, I'll be sure to be more diligent about these issues on this and future boom gigs.

I got a lot of great advice from you guys about how to handle this situation. I failed to mention this in my original post, but the mixer is the one who recommended me to production. He's a friend of the director and a few cast members. He is also an FOH guy that I frequently run into on certain remote music recording gigs. He had already booked the gig and was going to rent gear elsewhere, until I joined as a boom op and offered to rent them my stuff. I figured I'd take the opportunity to put my gear to work since I was going to be there to oversee it. Had I known how green this guy was I wouldn't have offered. Hindsight is 20/20 I suppose.

What I ended up doing was pulling the mixer aside and voicing my concerns. The tracks that he had gotten were useable and I felt it was just a matter of briefing him on the way things were expected to run. We agreed that he would stay in his position but that I would take over most of the responsibilities. This included scanning and setting gain on all the wireless, setting up IFB's, controlling all the routing, etc. I also took a few extra minutes at lunch and between scenes to re-organize the gear and make sure everything was in order. Basically all he needs to do is set the gain at the recorder and label scenes/tracks. The latter remains an issue, though we're not running that many channels, and I've been consistent with which tx's go to which actors. Ultimately, I decided I'd rather be the "unsung hero" and do the mixer's job behind the scenes, than potentially burn a bridge with someone who I'll probably run into on live music gigs in the future. I think a few crew members actually started to pick up on this exchange of responsibilities yesterday, since I noticed that most of the questions regarding logistics of locations and potential noise issues were re-directed towards me. Overall, I think everything worked out for the best. The production will get useable tracks, the mixer gets to sit back and feel important, and I (hopefully) get hired as the mixer on the next project.

It was smart of you to ask advice here before taking drastic measures. Ultimately, your goal as a sound professional should be that if you had to do the job alone you could. Not that you should, but that you could. You will look back at this job as a very valuable learning experience.

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I feel like I may have misrepresented myself here. To clarify, I'm not primarily a boom op. I'm not trying to work my way up or usurp the mixer on this gig. I generally work as a mixer, and was basing my critique of the mixer in question on what I felt I, and most of the other mixers that I've worked with/learned from, would have done in the given situation. I'm not "making fun" of him, or trying to "back stab" anyone. The fact is that the guy took on a job that was well beyond his abilities, and found himself in over his head. It's one thing to discuss who's responsibility it is to mic talent, jam code, scan receivers, etc. It's another thing to work with a mixer who doesn't know how to perform any of those tasks.

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You handled it well. It's true that you may know more than this mixer, but while the rest of the crew may have some eye-rolling over his incompetence (which may splash on you too), NO ONE on a crew likes to hear about a 2nd sand-bagging a dept. head. That is really a no-fly zone and word will get around about that VERY FAST, essentially that you are not to be trusted. I've been both halves of this issue. Years ago I appreciated the very experienced boom op (who knew the LA crew I was on when I knew no one) trying to protect me from myself, and I've done the same for mixers I was working for who were in a bit over their head. Now in my dotage, on a big job I rely on my 2nds more than ever to save me from stupid mistakes or help me see the forest for the trees on a complex scene. I may have more years in than they do now, but I desperately need their help. Dramatic audio is a TEAM SPORT folks, and you have to have your team's back. A quick discussion beforehand about who is going to manage what part of the set/gear/task can reveal everyone's strengths and weaknesses and give you a roadmap for how to get through the job.

phil p

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