Most FOH engineers think the most important part of the job is the mix. It's not.

Your mixing skills are maybe 20% of the job. Probably less. If you can get a decent mix (vocals clear, band balanced, nothing feeding back), you've cleared the technical bar. The rest of what separates working engineers from unemployed ones has nothing to do with EQ curves or compressor ratios.

Here's what actually matters.

After many tours as a FOH engineer, I've learned that a good mix doesn’t start at the console. It starts before you ever touch a fader.

You can have the best ears in the world and know every trick in the book, but if the fundamentals aren't right, you're fighting an uphill battle. Here's what actually matters, in order of importance.

If you're running plugins live at FOH with LiveProfessor or Waves SuperRack Performer, you've probably wondered which digital audio protocol gives you the lowest latency. I tested USB, Dante, and MADI using an Allen & Heath SQ-6 to find out.

Here's what I learned.

I've been thinking a lot about my role as a live sound engineer. After 20+ years in this industry, I've landed on a philosophy that guides every show I work: nobody bought a ticket to hear my mix.