Adam Fuller runs sound at DIY venue the Sardine in San Pedro, and he told us all about it...
How long have you been running sound? How did you get into it?
I’ve only been doing live sound for about a year now, but I have been working full time in the music business for over 20 years. I’m primarily a recording engineer but have also spent a lot of time on tour as a tech and stage manager. I moved to L.A. when I was 19 years old and I started out as a runner in recording studios, eventually becoming 2nd engineer at Sound City Studios where I worked for 9 years.
Since then I’ve opened my own studio, A.Fuller Sound in San Pedro, and work primarily as an independent producer and engineer and roadie. I’ve record and toured with Fishbone, Black Label Society, Ozzy Osbourne and others over the years. Last year, I did some engineering on the Ozzy record, and it happened to win a Grammy. The best are the days where I record in my studio during the day, and do sound for the shows at Sardine in the evening.
How did you get hooked up with the Sardine?
As for how I started with the Sardine, it’s two blocks away from my studio and was my hangout spot. The main house audio engineer, Tito Hagler, needed someone to fill in while he was on tour. At first I declined the offer, because I was a studio engineer and didn’t have much live sound experience, but Todd Congelliere, one of the owners, kept on asking me. I could see they needed someone, so eventually I said I would help out temporarily. Been here ever since.
Any particular highlights? Which bands have been the best to work with?
The Sardine (and San Pedro in general) is definitely a place with a punk rock ethos and DIY mindset. In my opinion, it really is the hippest bar around. Being a life long punker myself, I’ve had the opportunity to mix several bands I listened to growing up. Mike Watt, FYP, Subhumans, the Dwarves, the Alley Cats and Dillinger Four to name a few.
But the thing is, there are independent bands coming from all over the country/world. There are a lot of great bands and artists that come through who are mostly unknown, and really could use more attention and exposure, and the mainstream music industry is nowhere to be seen. San Pedro has a definite punk rock history.
There is always reverence paid to the music scenes of the past and a sense that something important has already happened, but I feel it’s important to recognize what is happening now. There are times where it feels like the Sardine could be THE hub for independent music in L.A., and I try not to take that for granted. Who knows. San Pedro could become the next Seattle, if the right people were paying attention.
How would you describe the acoustics/layout at the Sardine?
The Sardine is a classic DIY spot with hardly any $$ spent on acoustic treatment, but it can actually sound really good. The main bar and venue (Sardine Room) is a former bakery, and the bigger venue next door (Whale Room) was formerly a grocery store.
Both rooms take bit of work to dial in the mix, but as long as you use your ears and the focus is on sound reinforcement rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, you can get bands to sound amazing in both rooms. I find if the band sounds good as a band, then the show will sound good. If the band doesn’t sound great in the first place, making it louder doesn’t really help that much!
What gear do you use?
The Sardine is a pretty simple setup. We have a Midas M32 in the Whale Room and a Midas M32r in the Sardine Room. Great sounding boards that are very easy to use. We have JBL mains and wedges with QSC amps.
We normally use Shure Beta 58s on vocals, sm 57’s or senn 609 on guitars, Beta 57 on Snare, Beyer D71 or Shure Beta 91 on Kick in, Beta 52 on the outside kick, Beyer D35D on toms and some secret 414 clones for overheads. On special occasions when I’m live recording, I’ll use AKG 451s on ride/hat, Lauten Snare mic, and Telefunken M81 or Neumann KMS 105 on vocals. I record and mix live shows on my Apple Laptop with ProTools Ultimate.
For more information, visit thesardinepedro.com.
