How Music Works: What it takes to do sound for Muse

Loyalty and job security are not synonymous with the music industry, but when a band reach a level of worldwidepopularity and able to sell out stadiums, then they become distinct possibilities.

Just ask Marc Carolan. The Irishman has been working as front of house engineer with Muse since 2001. Carolan, an autodidact, got his start recording bands and mixing live shows for labels such as Dead Elvis and bands such as Wormhole, Sack and Bawl. While doing live sound for JJ72 - who were opening for Muse that year - his skills left an impression, and Muse asked him to mix their live show. He's been on the road with them ever since doing sound in theatres, arenas, stadiums and everything in between.

A typical tour lasts between 14 months and two years. “As a rule of thumb though, you rarely spend more than three weeks on the road in one stretch, usually followed by a week’s downtime at home,” says Carolan. “There would also be a longer break around Christmas and other longer breaks during the cycle.”

Muse might be one of the biggest rock bands on the planet, but they had to grow from filling those small venues to packing stadiums for months on end. The band's second album Origin Of Symmetry was released in 2001, the year they hired Carolan.

“I was lucky in that Muse’s rise was not meteoric,” saysCarolan. “So as a crew we had time to grow and adapt as things got bigger.”

The Muse Audio Crew
Carolan is an integral part of the Muse Audio Crew, as they're known to fans, which includes engineers that look after each part of the sound setup for stage including monitors, PA, stage sound and the overall system.

“Some of our core crew have been together more than 14 years now,” says Carolan. “I’m very lucky that Muse have the cream of the touring industry working for them. Every department - sound, lights, video, staging and rigging - need to work in harmony to achieve a really good show that builds from scratch every day and disassembles every night for months and months on end.”

That hard work starts before a tour in pre-production, taking into account what venues they will encounter and what the artists want. Using that to come up with a “spec” that outlines what sound equipment is required and how it will be realised.

“With larger tours, everything has to be very much planned in advance,” explains Carolan. “For stadium shows, we might start planning up to a year in advance. On Muse, I’ve used the same PA company (Skan) for over 10 years, and they’ve kind of grown with me, meaning I get fantastic support. Good planning means smoother days during the tour.”

Day-to-day show setup
Carolan's main tasks day-to-day on tour include the installation of the sound system which, unlike regular shows, is brought on tour for optimum and maximum performance. He explains a typical set-up.

“Typically, the system engineer will measure the venue first thing in the morning with a laser rangefinder. Using these measurements, we do a 'prediction' which tells us the optimum height and angles we use for the speakers.

“Once the PA is 'flown', I’ll generally listen to some tracks to optimise how the PA is sounding and working. I’ll walk to all parts of the venue to get idea how things sound everywhere.

We’ll do a linecheck, making sure everything is in order before the band arrive, usually in the afternoon. Once the band are happy and soundchecked, the hours can crawl along until showtime. I still get butterflies before the show, no matter how many times I’ve done it.”

And Carolan is always sure to mix for the cheap seats. “I always try and find the worst seats in the venue and try to get things sounding good there,” he explains. “The nature of mixing for Muse means leaving the mixing desk during the show isn’t an option for me. I have a very good and experienced crew who have worked with me for some time, who’ll constantly walk around the venue during the show. They have wireless control of the different zones and can tweak the PA should they need to.”

As for the skills required in being a front of house engineer, Carolan - who has no formal training but years of experience - says that English, Physics and Maths would give some solid foundations for audio engineering. Beyond that, he counsels constant study and proactivity.

“Listen to how others mix, learn what it is you like and what you don’t,” he offers. “Any experienced engineer will tell you they still do this. Try and find your own style.

“Don’t wait for opportunities to come along, go and find them. Try and get involved with good new music. Make the most of breaks when you get them. They will be few and far between.”

Downtime in the Sun
When there is downtime from a Muse show, Carolan meanwhile continues to co-run Suite Studios in Dublin, spends tiime with his wife Dara and daughter Daisy, enjoys windsurfing and would like to mix more records.

However, with their seventh album Drones released last month and with tour dates lined up until November, the Muse show juggernaut continues with Carolan, as always, at the controls.