There is something innately moving about watching a live performance of your favorite band. The intimacy of seeing the artists in person makes the impact of their music a visceral experience. A lot of people even experience chills and goosebumps as the neurotransmitter dopamine floods through the body. For others, the stimulus can be so overwhelming that they faint, as seen in video of Michael Jackson concerts.
As a performing musician, I am drawn to live performances much more so than recordings. At gigs, I am able to appreciate stagecraft and the virtuosity of the artists as they play in front of me. The ability to put on a show and entertain, rather than just play your instrument, gives the performance so much more impact. I incorporate showmanship when playing live with my own band.
Whilst driving, I am usually listening to new music on SoundCloud in order to discern different audio mixing and production techniques by listening. It is a great way to train my ears by picking out individual parts of songs, such as mentally isolating the snare drum or EQ shape of a guitar. By doing this repetitively, it reinforces the neural pathways between my ears and brain, enabling me to listen more critically. An essential skill for any Audio Engineer to develop. (Hired Gun Recording Studio)
I spend a lot of time watching YouTube channels of audio professionals to gain a deeper understanding of Audio Engineering. YouTube has been an extremely valuable educational tool (also a source of many wasted hours) that I have used to improve as a musician, learn more about new equipment or software and discover new production techniques.
Social media sites enable me to stay informed about new events, gigs, the local music industry and new musical gear that I wish I had the time to try. They are also great platforms to engage with fans of my band and followers of my studio. (Facebook, Twitter)
My voracious consumption of media has been extremely beneficial to me by keeping me well informed and greatly improving my skills as a guitarist and Audio Engineer. Through the media that I use, I have learned many useful techniques and will continue to seek out knowledge.
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