Caleb Anderson is one of the main sound engineers at the Garage in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. He told us all about it...
How long have you been running sound? How did you get into it?
I got my start in sound engineering more than ten years ago when my church needed volunteer techs. As a teenage guitar player I was an aspiring rock star, but I found out that I also really enjoyed the art and science of recording and mixing music. I went on to attend McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul to study music production.
How did you get hooked up with the Garage?
My high school band played some of our first real shows at the Garage, and I discovered some great Twin Cities bands by going to shows there. I knew it as a place that fostered young local talent and provided one of the only all-ages spaces in town to play and see shows. About a year and a half ago, a friend of mine was doing some social media and marketing work for the organization and told me they were looking for more techs. I jumped at the chance to get some more front-of-house experience; I was hired, and with my previous experience got trained in and on the roster pretty quickly.
Any particular highlights? Which bands have been the best to work with?
Shows run the gamut from young local acts who haven't played many shows to established touring acts. I love working with the young bands because they're excited about playing in our space, and it's fun to see them honing their skills and bringing their friends in. I have done some shows with great bands from out of town; Noahfinnce is a great artist from the UK who I got to work with. Thank You I'm Sorry with Anita Velveeta and Fend was another highlight: three of my favorite Minneapolis bands in one go!
How would you describe the acoustics/layout at the Garage?
The Garage is a 350 cap room, with a large (about 50'x25') stage and a sound system by Electro Voice. The room started life as a public works garage, and ironically the shape of the space lent itself pretty well to a music venue. The room is tuned very well, and large enough that we can mic every instrument up and have plenty of room to play with levels. Not like some spaces I've worked where you have to fight to get vocals louder than drums and guitar cabs!
What gear do you use?
We use a Midas M32 in the Garage's main room. It's a very flexible digital mixer, with all the ins, outs and processing we need to handle whatever comes at us. It has some lovely reverbs and delays built in. Our mic locker is equipped with all the usual suspects: SM57s, SM58s, Sennheiser 609s, and a host of EV and Sennheiser drum mics.
For more information, visit catalystmusic.org.
