On the experience of the sound guy: LA trip part two

(pretty sweet hotel room, eh?)

First, of all, let me say that I'm a sound-tech. My job on this trip was to monitor the audio levels of microphones for individuals speaking/presenting at a sales conference. What follows is a sort of musing on what a sound-tech experiences, which is of no importance whatsoever, so don't read it.

I must preface this by saying that the nature of this conference was such that presenters were speaking one after another in the same room, thus there was no opportunity for 'sound check', which would largely eliminate the problem I am about to describe.

One thing I realized is that a lot of people unintentionally make it difficult for the sound tech to properly set their audio. Problem is, for a sound tech, that inevitably makes you look bad or at least mediocre. For example, a lot of times the first thing a person says when they get onto the stage (their mic has been turned on, but the sound tech has not yet had a chance to establish a good level for them), is "can you hear me?"... okay, this is a natural thing to want to know first, before proceeding, but it is generally bad news for the sound tech, and here's why:

As soon as you arrive on the stage, the first words out of your mouth gives the sound person time to adjust your level, so chances are people cannot hear the first four words you blurt out. When this happens, as it inevitably does, there are a few choice strategies used by speakers to deal with it, other than to simply continue talking at the same volume, waiting to hear themselves and receive feedback from the audience (the correct response, but one that rarely happens)

"Can You Hear Me?" ("No.") -- strategies used by presenter on stage:

1. Talk louder or directly into mic
2. Look at sound guy baffled
3. Stand there frozen and silent

1.
When they talk louder, or pull the mic to them and talk directly into it, it is more likely that the sound tech will overshoot the level. It's not that this is a big problem, it just sounds bad and it's obviously stupid.

2.
When they look at the sound guy baffled, this is no big deal as long as the the sound guy gives them a 'thumbs up', or a 'keep going' (roll of the hand) motion. Then they resume talking as the sound tech sets the level and all is good. If the sound tech does not give any signal, other than an "I dont know what the fuck you should do" (shoulder and palm lift), see the following scenario:

3.
The worst thing a presenter can possibly do is stand there silent. The entire point of the first few words is to get the level right. If the crowd couldn't hear you, the sound tech is now turning up the sound on your microphone. However if you stand there silently, he or she cannot tell if they are turning it up too loud or loud enough. When you begin speaking again, perhaps it is blastingly loud and feedback-inducing...did you ever think of that?

The truth is, none of this is really that bad, however it really shouldn't be this difficult, and the short 'bad-sounding' moments are often remembered more than the majority of time when the audio runs smoothly. I guess that's just the way it is.