Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Beyond the Song

Pinback soundman Kris Poulin never gets bored at the board.
Pinback soundman Kris Poulin never gets bored at the board.

A soundman is tasked with making a live concert sound like a recording, whether the stage environment is an open space in a rainstorm or a room the size of a walk-in closet. Kris Poulin is the soundman for San Diego–based indie-rock band Pinback.

Like many sound engineers touring with recording artists, Poulin got his start mixing bands in clubs and studios and earned his reputation by word-of-mouth.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“In the beginning, you work as hard as you can, even if it’s a band you can’t stand or there are difficult people to work with,” says Poulin, who has manned the mixing board for Pinback since 2004.

“Then it snowballs... I have toured with Black Heart Procession, the Album Leaf, and I’ve been a part of pretty much anything related to [Pinback’s] Rob and Zach.”

Poulin has mixed Pinback in every sort of acoustic setting, from the outdoor Cactus Festival, an event that attracts thousands to Belgium annually, to the historic Spreckels Theatre downtown. His job requires a study of every song and the ability to hear beyond melody, beat, and lyrics.

“The primary thing is to listen for problems with specific frequencies,” Poulin says. “Obviously, feeding back, but to a lesser degree, a loss in frequency ranges. I’ve heard Pinback hundreds of times, so it’s programmed into me, almost like muscle memory.”

There is no room for error in a live setting. Poulin must keep sound quality consistent, despite everything from low ceilings and high winds to a lack of electrical outlets. If concert sound is compromised, audience members have been known to seek out the soundman for punishment. Like a gig in New York that haunts Poulin to this day.

“There was something wrong with the house system that led to intermittent drop-outs throughout the show,” says Poulin. “Between myself and the three technicians who worked at this club every day, we could not find the problem. One audience member was so upset that she came up to the mixing board and punched me between the shoulder blades. She gave it everything she had because it kinda hurt.”

Pinback will kick off its summer tour June 11 at the Casbah.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

At 4pm, this Farmer's Table restaurant in Chula Vista becomes Acqua e Farina

Brunch restaurant by day, Roman style trattoria by night
Next Article

Extended family dynamics

Many of our neighbors live in the house they grew up in
Pinback soundman Kris Poulin never gets bored at the board.
Pinback soundman Kris Poulin never gets bored at the board.

A soundman is tasked with making a live concert sound like a recording, whether the stage environment is an open space in a rainstorm or a room the size of a walk-in closet. Kris Poulin is the soundman for San Diego–based indie-rock band Pinback.

Like many sound engineers touring with recording artists, Poulin got his start mixing bands in clubs and studios and earned his reputation by word-of-mouth.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“In the beginning, you work as hard as you can, even if it’s a band you can’t stand or there are difficult people to work with,” says Poulin, who has manned the mixing board for Pinback since 2004.

“Then it snowballs... I have toured with Black Heart Procession, the Album Leaf, and I’ve been a part of pretty much anything related to [Pinback’s] Rob and Zach.”

Poulin has mixed Pinback in every sort of acoustic setting, from the outdoor Cactus Festival, an event that attracts thousands to Belgium annually, to the historic Spreckels Theatre downtown. His job requires a study of every song and the ability to hear beyond melody, beat, and lyrics.

“The primary thing is to listen for problems with specific frequencies,” Poulin says. “Obviously, feeding back, but to a lesser degree, a loss in frequency ranges. I’ve heard Pinback hundreds of times, so it’s programmed into me, almost like muscle memory.”

There is no room for error in a live setting. Poulin must keep sound quality consistent, despite everything from low ceilings and high winds to a lack of electrical outlets. If concert sound is compromised, audience members have been known to seek out the soundman for punishment. Like a gig in New York that haunts Poulin to this day.

“There was something wrong with the house system that led to intermittent drop-outs throughout the show,” says Poulin. “Between myself and the three technicians who worked at this club every day, we could not find the problem. One audience member was so upset that she came up to the mixing board and punched me between the shoulder blades. She gave it everything she had because it kinda hurt.”

Pinback will kick off its summer tour June 11 at the Casbah.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Dia de los Muertos Celebration, Love Thy Neighbor(Hood): Food & Art Exploration

Events November 2-November 6, 2024
Next Article

The danger of San Diego's hoarders

The $1 million Flash Comics #1
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader