This week you start things off digging into the craft that separates good gigs from great ones. You’ll get the playbook for prepping and surviving sub gigs, learn (again!) why a splitter snake earns its place in your rig, and sort through the real options when you need a mic mute switch that actually works. Then you wrestle with a question every working band faces today: are fan-posted videos helping your brand or hurting it? It’s the kind of practical, in-the-trenches breakdown that reminds you to Always Be Performing, whether the camera’s rolling or not.
Then guest co-host Jesus Hernandez joins, and you trace his path from a Portastudio kid to the engineer bands trust with their sound, along with the philosophy he’s built along the way: you’re serving people’s ears, and the console is your instrument. You’ll hear why you should ask a band what they want to sound like before you touch a fader, why learning to mix yourself turns your engineer into a producer, and how routing a digital mixer keeps everything simple when the power flickers. He shares the gear that’s earned his trust, hard-won war stories from the road, his time subbing as a bass player in Nashville, and life on tour with a Phil Collins and Genesis tribute. By the end you’ll be listening to your own gigs with sharper ears and a hungrier inner critic.
- 00:00:00 Gig Gab 539 – Monday, June 22nd, 2026
- 00:01:32 Prepping for and playing Sub Gigs
- 00:04:25 The benefits of splitter snake
- Listener Questions
- 00:09:55 Mark-What’s the best MD Mic Switch?
- 00:20:25 Mark-Are fan-posted videos good or bad?
- 00:24:36 SPONSOR: OneSkin. Get 15% off OneSkin with the code GIGGAB at https://www.oneskin.co/GIGGAB #oneskinpod
- 00:26:54 Guest Co-host: Jesus Hernandez
- 00:28:20 Lady and the Tramp Start taught him to record multi-track
- 00:34:27 A2 at a local theater
- Then the A1 went on vacation, and Jesus became the A1
- 00:35:38 Then a jazz club
- Sound reinforcement at the most basic level
- Ultimately what you’re trying to serve is people’s ears.
- Use your eyes to serve that purpose.
- 00:37:38 Recording was rough at first, but you learn!
- 00:41:24 Ask the band: what do you guys want to sound like on the recording?
- “Take a picture of the band, then paint on top of it!”
- 00:32:36 For live sound: how do you find out what the band sounds like?
- Before arriving: listen to the band’s records (or the band they’re covering)
- 00:47:26 When doing sound, consider yourself a band member
- “Playing the console” – The mixer is an instrument
- I’m controlling the arrangement
- 00:48:50 Singing the praises of bands that can set levels on stage
- 00:49:20 A band whose levels are ALL over the place
- So bad the band was sent home after the first set.
- You have to be your hardest critic
- 00:53:25 Learn to mix yourself, then your engineer can go from problem-solver to producer!
- 00:55:26 “If the power goes out at the mixer, you’ll still sound good”
- Fixing it at the source
- The night the power-flickered and factory reset the mixer!
- PreSonus StudioLive
- 01:00:19 Keeping it as simple as possible
- Soft-patching, routing, matrixes, oh my!
- Learn how to route a digital mixer
- 01:06:39 The downsides of strictly analog
- 01:13:38 Bands vs. Reunion Gigs
- 01:18:25 Bringing an analog mixer…and no snake!
- 01:24:50 Soca Music
- 01:26:00 Time for some war stories
- 01:31:46 Subbing in Nashville as a bass player
- 01:08:21 On the road with Face Value, Phil Collins & Genesis Tribute Band
- 01:37:24 Jesus Hernandez Home Studio
- 01:38:23 Gig Gab 539 Outtro
The post Sub Gigs, Mic Mutes & the Art of Mixing Live with Jesus Hernandez – Gig Gab 539 appeared first on Gig Gab.
Dave Hamilton, a seasoned tech enthusiast, podcaster, and publisher, has dedicated the past three decades to aiding computer users globally. Known for his insightful advice and valuable product recommendations on the Mac Geek Gab podcast, Dave also enjoys an esteemed reputation as the founder of BackBeat Media, a network of fiercely independent publishers. His online publishing journey took off with The Mac Observer, an acclaimed Apple news site he co-founded in 1998 and led to its successful acquisition in 2021.
Beyond his tech-savvy persona, Dave embraces a vibrant life filled with music and family in the New Hampshire seacoast. He passionately performs with bands Bitter Pill and Fling, among other musical projects, creating a harmonic balance between his love for technology and music. Alongside his wife, Lisa, he raised their two children amidst this symphony of innovation, passion, and independent spirit, showcasing the power of embracing one's interests and using them to make a meaningful impact in the world.
