Behind the Space Bar

Imagine it's the first night of a an international tour. You're hired as tech to help with playback and drums, and suddenly the MD and keys player gets sick. You've got to step up and run playback and play keys. COULD YOU DO IT? That's exactly what my student David Dombrowski had to do. You'll hear how it went, and why he had the confidence he could make it happen.David is a tourin

Get Access to my weekly group coaching calls 👇https://fromstudiotostage.com/subscribeIn this episode of "Behind the Space Bar," Will shares tips and tricks for successfully upgrading the operating system (OS) on a computer used for live performances. He emphasizes the importance of waiting for bugs to be fixed and being intentional about the timing of the upgrade.Key Takeaways:-

In this episode of "Behind the Spacebar," Will discusses the essential skills needed to become a successful playback engineer. He emphasizes the importance of service, the ability to say "yes" instead of "no," effective file management, quick edits, working quickly, handling multiple tasks, and staying calm under pressure.Key Takeaways:Playback engineering is all about service and

Building a Playback rig? Don't make this mistake that I see all too often in new Playback Techs.The Playback and Playback Tech community is a wonderful community.I love the trend of sharing rig builds and learning what others are doing.Seeing the gear others rely on, and what they use to craft their sound is inspiring.But...I'm noticing an alarming trend with theseBeautiful, Instag

If you're just starting out with Ableton or using tracks, you're not a burden-we're glad you're here! Every month, I hold a call just for From Studio to Stage students. [Want access? Join me here:https://fromstudiotostage.com/subscribe ]This past month, I noticed an alarming trend.There were multiple people asking questions, and apologizing for how "basic" they were. They were apol

I’m no swifty… but T-Swift got it right… I’m the problem.. it’s me.Do you believe that the next piece of gear will unlock your potential? We'll debunk the myth of external factors and shed light on the internal drive that genuinely propels us forward. 🚀Understanding the difference between internal vs. external motivators.Personal experiences from years of coaching stud

Are you trying to convince your band to use tracks? Here’s a difference approach you can take.I get it. You’ve seen the light. You want your band to use tracks. It’s going to improve your sound, make it easier to perform on stage, but you can’t get the rest of your band on board.I’ve been there. I’ve coached students that are there (or have been there). We can address e

Sure — anybody can learn how to use Ableton as a software program. But the ones who master using Ableton on stage don’t think of it like that.What’s the difference between knowing how to use Ableton and using it on stage to put on a killer performance? It’s pretty simple, really. It’s your mindset in how you approach it.If you only view Ableton as just software, you limit

Martin Roberts has had a successful career bringing artists’ records to life on stage (including Shawn Mendes, M83, and others). He’s a playback engineer, music director, system designer, and just an all-around pro.Watch the interview to hear Martin’s thoughts on live performance, playback, gear & music tech, and what it was like working with Shawn Mendes. ★ Support th

The bands that use backing tracks the best are the ones that do it without anyone noticing. But how do they do it?Context is everything. EDM, cover bands, acoustic bands — all different types of bands use tracks. But they don’t all put the same stuff in the tracks because, well, it would be ludicrous for an 808 drop to happen in an acoustic set (or would it be awesome, actually