An Interview with Pasi Hara for Performance & Backstage Systems
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Transcript Details
Full Transcript Below
Mike Dias:
Hi Pasi — thank you for taking the time to talk with us. Who are you out with currently and what are your daily responsibilities?
Pasi Hara:
My pleasure. I am actually in Russia right now setting up a new monitor and IEM rig for a local band D’Black. I am doing a bunch of short jobs while waiting for the System Of A Down tour to continue in Australia early 2012.
Mike Dias:
What type of systems are you using and why?
Pasi Hara:
I am a big fan of both Shure and Sennheiser IEM systems. They both offer great audio quality, solid RF, IR sync, etc. They both have systems that can be controlled and monitored via ethernet and pre-programmed offline to suit the current RF environment. I find these features to be very useful on festivals and other events with harsh RF conditions.
Mike Dias:
I’ve seen plenty of S.O.A.D shows and they are all very loud. Has this presented any unique challenges for you from the monitor desk?
Pasi Hara:
SOAD is a pretty loud rock band, but not “stupid loud” onstage. Believe me, I’ve seen worse. Nevertheless, it creates challenges of keeping everything confined to where they want it loud. The singer is on IEM and tries to keep his levels reasonable, while guitar and bass — on both sides of him — like it pretty loud in the wedges. I concentrate a lot on the directivity and time alignment of the speakers and try to keep things as phase coherent as possible. This gives me more gain where needed and less uncontrolled sound bouncing around the stage.
Mike Dias:
Do in-ears make your job easier or do they add new levels of complications?
Pasi Hara:
In-ears definitely made my life easier over the years. I have recommended them to many artists I’ve worked with. It might not be the solution for everyone, but in the hands of a competent engineer, they can help tremendously and bring down excessive stage volumes. The problem is those who want to have both IEM and wedges running on full. It creates another dimension of time alignment issues and is virtually impossible to completely monitor from an engineer’s point of view. There are still too many monitor consoles that don’t have dual cue busses or delay capability.
Mike Dias:
What are your secrets for keeping artists happy?
Pasi Hara:
You need to find your way inside your artist’s head and ensure them that you can give them what they need. Once you’ve built that trust, the rest is executing the plan technically. It doesn’t hurt if you know your rig inside out.
Mike Dias:
How did you break into the business?
Pasi Hara:
I was a partner in a small two-man PA business when the HIM guys started doing shows outside their home area. They needed the cheapest gear to make those gigs, and we had just that. Somehow I stayed in the picture when things started picking up and haven’t missed more than a handful of shows in over 12 years. I owe them big time and learned so much about the business on the road with them.
Mike Dias:
What lessons would you share with engineers starting their first big tour?
Pasi Hara:
Learn something new every day. A piece of gear, a cable technique, anything. If you think you know it all, you’re history. It’s a fast-evolving business and only those who keep up survive.
END OF TRANSCRIPT
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