Sound engineers love nothing more than thinking they know best, and an innate part of that is having some strong opinions on equipment, and none more contentious than those on loudspeaker systems.

But every now and again, something happens that pulls us up short, makes us realise that our contribution to the big picture is pretty insignificant, and perhaps realigns our approach to pretty much everything.

In June, Steve Watson passed away, to what appears to have been a sudden heart-attack. He was about 50 years old. Steve Watson was a giant amongst sound engineers. His experience was truly deep, having been involved in a huge variety of craziness from avant-garde performance art to all four 2012 Ceremonies.
Steve rarely spoke about his family. He had two kids, now in the latter stages of their teens, with Glenda, a touring caterer, from which he was separated. Following his death, they went to see a short tribute to Steve which was shown on screens in the afternoon.

In the past two years, two others passed –Jock Bain, who sadly committed suicide and of course Martin Audio’s very own human dynamo Rob Lingfield, who finally succumbed to cancer after giving it everything he had to fight it.

What all three have in common is the fact they all put work first, and in Steve and Jock’s case to the extent that everything else came a poor second – it was work for work’s sake. They lived and breathed it, gave it their all and if they weren’t working were restless and unfulfilled.

There are two simple kinds of answers to the questions “why, and what for?’, but one’s right and one’s wrong. Unfortunately, it seems that most seem to opt for the wrong one as the implications of the right one are often too painful. If one were to ask a group of people in the production industry what drives them, those under the age of thirty five would say something like “because I love music’, or “because I get to travel a lot and have a great time with my mates’ or something similar. Those more mature ones might say something along the lines of “got to keep working’, or “because you’re only as good as your last gig’. Very few, some, but not many, will give an answer that alludes to making a living to support a home and a family – a reason that most “normal’ people would appreciate.

The fact is that there is a great deal of ephemeral satisfaction to be had, but what are the real long-term benefits of being a perpetual jobbing soundie? Steve Watson was a great engineer, but in his mind he was only ever as good as his last gig. He was yet another victim to the fear that if he doesn’t do it, somebody else will. Every freelancer knows that feeling, very few have the courage to believe in themselves sufficiently to stand back occasionally and focus on loved ones, home, friends outside of the industry.

We all sign up to unwritten loyalty agreements, casual contracts that rely on the good nature of those being “contracted’ to be there at the whim of the artist, hopeful that a small amount of reflected glory might bounce off us and shine brightly in the eyes of others. It may well do for a short while, but there will come a time when reflected glory doesn’t cut it anymore for those left at home to deal with “normal’ life – running a home, raising kids. Certainly there is a place for those who prefer to escape the trappings of family and relationships, commitment and sharing. However it pays for us all to take an occasional look at ourselves and take stock of our situations and how our involvement in the “music biz’ can affect the ones we love – the “biz’ that takes no prisoners, that strives to promote the new, promote the ego.

We can bang on all we like about the gear, and no doubt that having the right gear, makes us sound good, really good. But in the end it’s all about the people, and without the people the gear is nothing. If we put all our energies into trying to make everybody love us by working until we drop, in the end we just hurt ourselves and those that love us.

Life’s too short. We only get one chance. Work isn’t everything.