Why are sound engineers so snarky and cynical, often making demeaning jokes about musicians?

[Neperdun]

I found this text on Reddit and want to share

I asked ChatGPT: "Why are sound engineers so snarky and cynical, often making demeaning jokes about musicians?"​

ChatGPT answered:

Sound engineers have a reputation for being snarky and cynical, especially in studios or live shows. This comes down to a mix of professional challenges, technical expertise, and the way they interact with musicians.

It’s a highly technical job.

Sound engineering isn’t just about pushing buttons; it’s a complex job that requires skill, precision, and a deep understanding of acoustics, gear, and mixing. Musicians don’t always get the technical side of things, and when they ask for something unrealistic (like "Can you make my vocals sound warmer?" without explaining what they mean), it can test a sound engineer’s patience. Sarcastic responses are often their way of handling these situations.

Experience and professionalism.

Seasoned sound engineers have worked with musicians of all skill levels. Over time, they start noticing the same mistakes and unrealistic expectations popping up again and again. This repetition can make them cynical, leading to a "seen-it-all" attitude and a tendency to poke fun at common blunders.

Stress and pressure.

Sound engineers work under intense conditions, whether in the studio or at a live gig. A single mistake—bad mic placement, feedback, or a messed-up mix—can ruin a performance. With tight deadlines, demanding artists, and the expectation that everything must be flawless, sarcasm becomes a coping mechanism for dealing with the stress.

Dark industry humor.

Like many technical professions, sound engineering has its own brand of inside jokes and dark humor. If a musician asks for something impossible, an engineer might throw in a dry, exaggerated response just to highlight how absurd the request is. It’s not always meant to be mean—it’s just part of the culture.

Emotional detachment.

Unlike musicians, who are emotionally invested in their art, sound engineers focus on making the final product sound great. They’re not caught up in the emotions of the music; they care about clarity, balance, and technical execution. Their sarcasm might be a way of maintaining that detachment while dealing with artists who are often highly emotional about their work.

Creative conflicts.

Sometimes, musicians and sound engineers clash over creative decisions. A musician might insist on a certain effect or mix that the engineer knows won’t sound good. When artists push for something that the engineer considers technically or aesthetically wrong, it can lead to passive-aggressive remarks or snide comments.

At the end of the day, sound engineers’ sarcasm and cynicism aren’t necessarily about disrespecting musicians—it’s just part of working in a high-pressure, technical, and often chaotic environment. Plus, let’s be honest—sometimes musicians really do ask for ridiculous things!

...

p.s. how do You think - is it true?

original topic - on Russian

 

[ruffrecords]

Try changing "sound engineers" in the question to something else and see what happens.

Cheers

Ian

 

[pucho812]

I think it comes down to the fact that when a sound engineer shows up to a gig, they are prepared so that they don't make mistakes and do their best to adhere to that. VS playing an instrument where no matter how many times you practice you still could make a mistake and thus have to do it again and again and again.
It wears you out and you start the coping skills of dark humor, etc.

 

[JohnRoberts]

That is a snarky and demeaning question why ask or care what AI is programmed to answer?

JR

 

[Rusan]

I think it comes down to the fact that when a sound engineer shows up to a gig, they are prepared so that they don't make mistakes and do their best to adhere to that. VS playing an instrument where no matter how many times you practice you still could make a mistake and thus have to do it again and again and again.
It wears you out and you start the coping skills of dark humor, etc.

What Pucho said. I do agree with JR that the original question is kinda snarky, and inherently induces a certain stereotyped answer by its very nature. The best option is to just directly ask some live sound techs, and if you don't personally know any "real deal" techs I'm sure there's a live sound forum somewhere on the web where you could enquire.

But, since we're here and not there, I'll endeavor to answer from personal experience, for what that's worth (or not). I've ran live sound for literally thousands of performances, and have had two professional live sound tech friends as well as a few amateurs that were on another level. While that's not a large enough sampling to be scientifically accurate, I concur that the stereotypes claimed in the AI-generated answer are at least partially accurate in some respects, though not even close in others. For example, I only ever knew one tech who was vocally negative and aggressive, while everyone else I've known or dealt with over the years (including as a performer myself)) has been very professional, even when rightfully frustrated by some ridiculous antics on behalf of the talent. It's true: to be a good live sound tech, you must not only have great ears and be expert in acoustics, music electronics and sound engineering, but sometimes you must also have a thick skin and be a very patient babysitter...

In my experience, "sarcastic" or "dry, exaggerated" responses and a "tendency to poke fun at common blunders" in the actual work setting just simply doesn't happen. If it ever does, it's done under one's breath. Having also been the talent performing on stage literally a thousand times, I know what it's like to be up there, so I readily overlook or ignore a lot of stuff, especially when it concerns inexperienced musicians who "haven't learned the ropes yet," so to speak. You can either make a snarky comment, which only incites distrust and conflict, or see it as an open-door opportunity to benevolently educate and instill valuable knowledge in someone, and maybe even make some friends.

However, you can bet live sound techs do most certainly have "their own brand of sarcasm, inside jokes and dark humor" that are shared exclusively within the confines of their small, unique fraternity. My one great pet peeve, the one thing I find intolerable, is someone who adamantly, arrogantly refuses to use proper mic technique after I've shown them the correct way (especially after the tenth time), because they're The Expert and know FAR more about microphones than the sound tech. With that, here are the "sarcastic, dark humor" titles I've assigned to the worst offenders:

The "Mic Eater" - Everyone knows this one; it's a well known term even among those who aren't sound techs. Mic Eater is easily identifiable by the fact he or she integrates theatrics into their vocal performance by combining it with their sword swallowing act. To be sure, most Mic Eaters will eat every mic, every time. However, the tendency of a small, rarely encountered but very dangerous sub-category of Mic Eaters to have half the capsule (or more) inside their mouth is highly dependent on how prone a particular microphone is to exhibit proximity effect, which they seemingly have a supernatural "sixth sense" of. Put a RE20 in front of them and they'll stand across the room, so that 60000dB of gain will still not net a usably strong signal, while giving them a ribbon mic will cause them to instinctively swallow it whole immediately, before they even know they've done it.

The "Air Raid Siren" - These are vocalists who have extremely loud and powerful voices, and think they must scream as loud as possible or it's not a good performance. Like some Mic Eaters, a particular subgroup of Air Raid SIrens also share a sixth sense that perceives how certain wireless mics' onboard electronics will distort badly when they yell, which they oddly seem to (A) delight in, yet simultaneously (B) clearly cannot hear.

The "Ol' Yeller" - While their title is taken from the classic American children's novel by Fred Gipson of the same name, that's where any similarities end. Ol' Yellers are those vocalists who are often quite capable of singing, but instead eschew actual singing in favor of yelling staccato blasts of air through their vocal chords at hypersonic velocity. Hence, "Ol' Yellers." The net effect is quite similar to that of a purposely misadjusted noise gate, except far more annoying. Closely related to the Air Raid Siren, except with poorer vocal control.

The "Silent Singer" - Silent Singers typically speak normally during personal conversation. However, for some reason their singing voice will only attain a maximum SPL of 20dB when a microphone is present. The exception to this rule is on extremely high SPL stages, where their max vocal SPL defaults to only 10dB.

Silent Singers seem to be proudly fulfilling some sort of life's calling to infuriate live sound techs and ruin the entire performance. Many are also notorious micophobes (see below), which makes it utterly impossible to get them sitting atop the mix without simultaneously amplifying all the stage bleed along with them and thus causing horrific phase issues in the FOH mix. That is, IF you can even amplify them to a decent level of audibility in the first place. Yes, gain before feedback is a real deal, as newbie sound techs will quickly discover when dealing with Silent Singers for the first time....

The "Sidewinder" - Sharing a moniker with a pit viper native to the desert southwestern U.S., Sidewinders are equally feared and dreaded and are known for their bizarre sideways mic technique. Sidewinders sing directly into the side of end-address mics, to ensure maximum comb filtering / phase anomalies. They may hold the mic with the barrel positioned vertically, horizontally, or at some in-between angle, but the capsule will still always be sideways with respect to the mouth.

Some Sidewinders also share "the sixth sense" of certain subsets of Mic Eaters and Air Raid Sirens, in that how off-axis they position the mic is directly proportional to that particular mic's degree of off-axis colorations. Even when blindfolded, these Sidewinders know whether the mic in front of them is cardioid, supercardioid or hypercardioid, and will automatically adjust the angle accordingly to achieve maximum "nasal effect" in the sound. They can also instinctively recognize omni mics, which cause them to immediately erupt into an involuntary, unbridled rage at their inability to effect comb filtering from it.

MIC-O-PHOBES: Micophobes have an irrational, paralyzing fear of microphones (microphonophobia), and are thus terrified to get within several meters of them. If only those pesky microphones weren't so frightening! Someone should produce "less scary" cosmetic skins for those sinister looking black and dark gray mics like the SM58 and e935, perhaps with Hello Kitty or Winnie The Pooh themes.

Microphonophobia has several variants, which are readily diagnosed in seconds by observing those afflicted.

Vertical Microphonophobia (Type A) - Characterized by holding the mic too low, usually at approximately belt level or lower. The most common type; about 70% of those suffering from microphonophobia exhibit this variant. It is also the most highly resistant to treatment: no amount of one-minute briefs on mic technique or pep-talk assurances that "your singing will sound TREMENDOUS if you hold the mic like this" can put a dent in it. Vertical micophobes are the most dedicated of the bunch, and not even hours of being subjected to the worst, most sickly inhumane medieval torture devices can sway them.

Horizontal Microphonophobia (Type B) - A form of microphonophobia characterized by holding the mic in front of one's body at great distance, usually with the arm fully extended.

Lateral Microphonophobia (Type C) - A form of microphonophobia characterized by holding the mic out to the left or right, usually with the arm fully extended as seen with Type B. I am totally amazed by their endurance; my arms get tired in that position after only about a minute. These particular micophobes are fully observant of the 1 to 3 distance rule based on the Inverse Square Law; they just simply observe it in reverse.

Relapsive Microphonophobia - A form of microphonophobia characterized by the sufferer temporarily overcoming their fear of microphones, only to suddenly relapse back into it. Those suffering from it are usually (unsuccessfully) attempting to work the mic for dramatic effect, with such episodes typically punctuated by elements of both Air Raid Siren and Silent Singer behaviors. The initial, Silent Singer-type interludes are normally accompanied by any or all (Type A, B, or C) forms of microphonophobia, while mic-eating almost universally happens during the Air Raid Siren portions, as they suddenly overcome their fear and shove the mic halfway into their mouth while screaming as loudly as possible. Repeat ad infinitum.

High channel strip input gain along with a 20 to 1 (or higher, adjust to taste) compression ratio are your best friends here. Not only does it somewhat save the otherwise train wreck of a performance, I find it hilarious to watch Relapsive Micophobes alternating between whispering and screaming as they furiously work the mic - while absolutely nothing happens. You can't even buy entertainment like that - it's possibly the most satisfying passive-aggressive amusement I've ever experienced.

Oscillatory Microphonophobia - Not a true microphonophobia per se, but nevertheless merits mention because it likewise creates much hardship for sound techs. It's known as "combination microphonophobia" when it incorporates both vertical Type A and horizontal Type B elements, especially when executed in random, ever-changing patterns.

Oscillatory microphonophobia is most frequently manifested as follows: the vocalist typically uses good mic technique while singing, but during pauses between vocal phrases they will quickly move the mic over completely beside their head to ensure maximum pickup of drum bleed (Type 1 oscillatory). Or, they'll pivot it down in front of them, directly on axis with their wedge monitor at a distance of half a meter (Type 2 oscillatory). A nervous tic? An attempt at performance theatrics? Gross stupidity? Maybe a little of all three? Only the Oscillatory Micophobe knows.

Besides the obvious annoyance factor, Type 2 oscillatory microphonophobia presents a uniquely dangerous health hazard to rookie sound techs, because it places them at grave risk of repetitive motion injuries of the index finger from pressing the mute button 30 to 40 times per minute in order to thwart disaster. However, more experienced sound techs have learned to mitigate the risk by switching fingers frequently, and also by turning Mr. Oscillatory's wedge monitor down by 15dB.

Microphonophobia, in all its forms, is an incurable disease. It is extremely resistant to logic, common sense, simple 20-second instructions on how to use a mic correctly, and all other known forms of treatment. Also, note that these maladies frequently manifest in multiples of two or more for synergistic effect. For example, while not all Mic Eaters are Air Raid SIrens, fully 99% of Air Raid Sirens are also Mic Eaters. Likewise, while not all Micophobes are Silent Singers, virtually all Silent Singers are Micophobes. Tri-combinations are of course even worse than bi-combos, with perhaps the most egregious one also unfortunately being one of the most common, which is Air Raid Siren, Ol' Yeller and Mic Eater.

I won't even get into Monitor Jockeys, Stage Flies, Lead Singer's Disease, or any of the other types we have to deal with, let alone the stress and pressure for everything to happen flawlessly without so much as a single glitch, every time. The best you can do is grit your teeth, do everything in your power to yield a good performance and keep everybody happy, and hope the next one is somehow less stressful. So, there you have it. ChatGPT may be able to write a somewhat ballpark answer, but ChatGPT's never had to deal with what real sound techs have had to deal with.... In closing, I leave you with The Soundman's Prayer.

THE SOUNDMAN'S PRAYER

Our Soundmen,
Who art crammed into booths
Hollow be thy wise counsel upon ignoring ears.
Thy performers come,
Their complaining be done,
On stage, about monitors no less.
Spare us this day from equipment failures,
And equalize those who feed back against us
As we compress against them.
Lead us not to blown tweeters,
And deliver our amps from overheating
For this is the life:
Our job is thankless
With blame and murmuring against us forever,
Amen.​

There, I dare ChatGPT to top that....

 

[JohnRoberts]

What Pucho said. I do agree with JR that the original question is kinda snarky, and inherently induces a certain stereotyped answer by its very nature. The best option is to just directly ask some live sound techs, and if you don't personally know any "real deal" techs I'm sure there's a live sound forum somewhere on the web where you could enquire.

I've been a member at https://forums.prosoundweb.com/ Since some time last century. Real deal live sound guys post there, and they insist on using real names.

JR

 

[Neperdun]

Back in the pre-playback days, a well-known band (let’s keep the name a secret ) decided to get revenge on their sound engineer for past pranks.

The concert starts—music’s blasting, the band’s playing, the singers are singing…

But there’s no vocals. Not a single mic is working.

Panic erupts. Techs are scrambling, tracing cables, checking every connection, flipping switches—pure chaos.

After a frantic search, they finally figure it out…

The vocalists weren’t actually singing. Just moving their lips.

 

[Brian Roth]

Inverse of a drummer I knew years ago. He would hold a "fart noise" maker by the snare mic during song breaks. For those unfamiliar, actor Leslie Nielson demonstrates:



Bri

 

[JohnRoberts]

Teasing co-workers is as old as the hills. Back in the day when I would go on service calls to recording studios, I would lurk near the back of the room and whistle softly at around 8kHz.... usually within a few seconds the studio owner would dive for the faders to save his expensive studio monitors.

JR

 

[Brian Roth]

Teasing co-workers is as old as the hills. Back in the day when I would go on service calls to recording studios, I would lurk near the back of the room and whistle softly at around 8kHz.... usually within a few seconds the studio owner would dive for the faders to save his expensive studio monitors.

JR

Hopefully that studio owner didn't blame his new AMR desk for a rogue 8k tone.... <g>

Bri

 

[JohnRoberts]

Hopefully that studio owner didn't blame his new AMR desk for a rogue 8k tone.... <g>

Bri

Nah this was back when I was designing and supporting Loft Consoles, before Peavey/AMR.

JR

 

[analag]

A sound engineer and an audio electronics engineer rolled into one is twice as snarky. Snarkier than a mod, lol.