Epsisode 638 – Tour Management And FOH Mixing With Ryan Goldbacher

On this week’s episode, Tour managers and artist teams: see why logistics without leadership burns an artist’s budget, with FOH engineer Ryan Goldbacher.

Ryan traces his path from Blackbird and Dark Horse Recording, including setting up microphones for a young Taylor Swift in 2006, to Shooter Jennings, where he admits he struggled on his first tour management run and may have cost the artist tens of thousands because he did not yet know how to settle shows correctly.

The experience taught him that effective tour management is less about booking hotels and collecting checks than leading people, supporting the band . . .

. . . and asking for help before uncertainty becomes an expensive mistake.

That same discipline shapes his approach to live sound:

• start with the quietest and most important elements, especially vocals and acoustic instruments,

• build the mix around them,

and treat the kick drum as a full-range instrument instead of simply a bass source.

For artists, engineers, tour managers, and anyone building a career in the music industry, Ryan’s story shows why taking the next step before you feel fully ready can open doors, but staying valuable requires humility, strong judgment, and people you trust enough to call when you do not know the answer.

You can also hear it at Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Mixcloud, Spotify, Deezer, and TuneIn Radio.

Also, a video version of this podcast is now available on YouTube as well.

Enjoy the show!

Chapters:

00:00:00 – Coming up…

00:01:02 – How Ryan got his start in recording and live sound

00:06:13 – Breaking into Nashville: Blackbird, Darkhorse, and Taylor Swift 00:08:59 – How did you make the transition from studio to live sound?

00:13:43 – How has live sound gear changed from when you started? 00:17:38 – What is wrong with how most live engineers mix kick drum and drums?

00:20:44 – Why you should always build your mix around the quietest elements first

00:23:23 – Does vocal placement in the mix differ by genre live versus in the studio?

00:25:56 – Are more guitar players ditching real amps for simulators on the road?

00:27:43 – When and how did you add tour managing to your front of house role?

00:29:50 – What does tour managing actually involve beyond booking hotels?

00:33:00 – What venues do you love and which ones make your job a nightmare?

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