Hello everyone!
My name is Alexander Smith. I am the main author of reviews for the Techzelo site. In general, I am a sound director and came to blogging with a lot of professional experience in the field of sound equipment and musical instruments.
On the site I publish reviews and comparisons of popular (not the most popular, but promising) models of microphones, headphones and much more. I will try to give everyone and everyone high-quality and detailed recommendations that will help you choose the right equipment. This applies not only to technology for the needs of a wide range of users, but also for professional use.
Everyone will find here something for themselves. I emphasize this in my work. Further here I will tell you in more detail what my activity here is.
Who is Alexander Smith?
Let me tell you briefly how it all began, and what I did (and continue to do) until I came here.
From childhood I was interested in sounds. I paid attention to how the world sounds, singled out the soundtrack from films on TV (yes, I often “watched” them with my eyes closed). The world of sounds attracted me with something … It was inexplicable, and explaining with words is now also difficult. Simply, through this channel of communication, I felt the world best from the earliest years. This work has been predetermined for me since childhood. But, of course, as a child I dreamed more about the fame of my favorite rock musicians, I eagerly watched concerts of Queen, Nirvana and Metallica.
A deeper interest in sound came to me already at a more conscious age, when it was time to decide on a profession and a place for higher education. I studied theory and practice at the university, and subsequently became a certified sound engineer.
The main goal of the specialist’s work is to create an appropriate mood and perception for the audience, which the authors of the work or the organizers of the event are counting on. Therefore, a sound engineer must not only know the technique, but also be a creative person. Sound engineers work on regular jobs, and you can often meet those who are on freelance. I was always going to combine these directions and did what was necessary for the sake of financial stability and found time for individual projects where I could fully show my creativity.
So, in general, I worked in many niches. However, he always sought to do only what I like. And sound was an integral part of the work. There was a long-term work on television, I took short-term projects on the set of films from my acquaintance. It was possible to partially fulfill the childhood dream, having been with rock stars on tours as a sound technician. Subsequently, I focused on working in a large store of musical equipment and instruments. I continue to carry out individual orders for live concerts. I can’t do without energy and the drive that they bring to people.
It was also cool here, and I got access to a large amount of equipment that I could only dream of before. Over time, I realized that I would like to share the results of my research with people. For everyone to learn a little more about sound technology and satisfy everyday needs. So I became part of Techzelo music technology review site and write independent reviews here in parallel with my main work.
Who is the sound director?
What are the responsibilities of this kind of job? The set of professional tasks varies, and it depends on the job niche. Someone works in a recording studio, and someone works on the radio, and there is a lot of difference. Let me outline the main areas of work without breaking down into specific specializations. This will help you understand the variety in general.
He performs work on sound solution software. On stage, a specialist directs the arrangement of mics and performs preliminary tests to ensure that everything works perfect at concerts and events of different kinds (each of them has the individual specifics). In the studio to set up equipment for all the issues. He instructs musicians and others how to use all types of equipment (the musician knows what to do with the guitar, but does not always know how to deal with a wireless transmitter), you can’t do without it. He must also check the accurate and high-quality representation of speech and texts, the rhythm and purity of the sounding and environment, as well as the correct voice sounding of the performers in the radio studio. He records vocals at the radio and podcasts or live broadcasts. Another field of work is the installation of musical phonograms and related work on dubbing, mixing music and noise etc. If you come across such a job (sometimes very seductive fees sometimes happen), you can do sound at some party. It all depends on the event, either put music on the guests all evening, or create a whole sound show from scratch for the nightclub program according to their terms of reference (this is already more interesting for me).
An experienced niche specialist is very much appreciated in all niches. Therefore, my hot interest in the topic provided me with decent earnings and a large number of stable orders and new vacancies whenever there was an interest in trying something new.
What does it take to be a good sound engineer? Passion and desire to work in this niche in the first place. Musical hearing is also very important. Education plays a big role, but less often very competent self-taught people are found (everything here depends on the same desire and time spent). And you also need to know specialized software and technology. The ability to quickly understand the features of a particular model and device in place is very valuable. Concert activities will also require knowledge of directing and acoustics.
What to do to become a sound engineer? That’s a very interesting question. Everyone can just start discovering how to work with sound and practicing right now Complex and expensive equipment is not required, a computer will be enough to start. After making some progress it is a good idea to show our achievements to friends and get the response. You can also try to be a DJ from time to time, but you should continue study and always try to make something new and extraordinary. You can find and complete a lot of courses and seminars (both offline and online), but it is better to get higher education. It will provide a large amount of knowledge and a set of skills for career growth. If there is an opportunity to devote time to this, such a solution would be the best.
What reviews am I writing here?
Let’s take into account that I am the main content generator on the site. I constantly study equipment in various niches and directions, and do review articles.
I try to focus on what can be useful to a wide range of users. Therefore, more often I write about microphones and headphones of various types. But I do not plan to limit myself to this, and in the future I plan to deal with mixers, as well as musical instruments (guitars, drums, keyboards).
I promise there will be a lot of interesting and useful for everyone. I am not limited to any specific niches. Here is a place to review premium equipment and low-budget models for beginners. There will be models of famous brands and newcomers that are not known to anyone, but deserve attention now (and their equipment can already be bought, which is the most important). I’m talking about sound equipment for studios, for concerts, for audiences, conference rooms and churches, and for radio with broadcasting.
Attention is paid to everything that I can find and appreciate!
Sources of information for my reviews
There are many reviewers of sound equipment. However, as I noticed, there are two controversial categories of those who making microphones reviews and headphones reviews, and, especially, all about musical instruments (guitars reviews, synths reviews, drums reviews etc).
Firstly, we are talking about amateurs who create detailed and detailed reviews of technology. Often, they provide detailed information and demonstrate equipment in practice. However, they admit too many inaccuracies and inconsistencies with the real state of things, and their reviews cannot be taken 100% seriously. This is a matter of lack of professional understanding of things. Although it is clear that many of them love this business and try very hard, and its worth listening to high-quality and interesting reviews, it’s also worth staying attentive.
Secondly, I have questions for those who do superficial reviews. In other words, these are people who can understand the sound equipment, or may not have a practical idea about it. They collect expert opinions and user reviews, and create reviews based on the information received. Perhaps this can be useful, and here we read the real experience. But I want to hear a really existing, practical review from a real person, right?
Information based on user feedback is very cool. This allows you to draw up a general averaged opinion based on existing practical information. It is also useful to communicate with experts when creating reviews. All this I do in my work. But this is often not enough to give the reader and potential user a fully competent and accurate review that would reflect the real situation.
Successful review of sound equipment = Expert level of the author + Practical application.
That is, to third-party opinions, I almost always add a practical review. I research specific models on my own and draw conclusions based on the information that I personally found out. This is the only way to be truly useful to the reader.
In the process of creating a review, I move away from the detailed descriptions of each part and each stage of unpacking, and try to convey in a limited number of words the essence, the true meaning of the equipment. To understand everything about the device by reading a concise overview is the most convenient way, since not all people have enough time for long reading when they need a practical solution and answers. It is even about mixers reviews.
At the same time, I try to write in a consistent way, and not thesis. I believe that information should be lively and consistent, and not tattered and abstract.
I hope you find the answers to your questions and learn a lot about the subject of my interests. Enjoy reading!
Social Media Pages by Alexander Smith:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TechZelo/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/techzelo/