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Zach Bright – Sound Engineer Zach Bright originally from Buffalo, NY now spends his time traveling around the country with amazing and talented artists such as Toby Mac, Skillet, and Mad Dog. While not on the road, Zach spends his time residing in Nashville, TN. After studying for a semester at The Contemporary Music Center on Martha’s Vineyard, MA, he decided to leave Indian Wesleyan University to pursue a career in the music industry. At the young age of 21, Zach has accomplished many life goals and has experienced things people like myself could only dream of.
Thank you for sitting down with me and talking a little bit about what it is like getting started in the business and the projects you have worked on in the short amount of time you have been in the industry. First of, while on tour, what is your title?
I usually am the Tour Audio Patch/Monitor Engineer. For the opener.
You also work in the studio. What is your title in the studio?
I guess you could call me the Assistant Engineer/Drum Tech/Extremely awesome Coffee Tech.
Since you spend so much time in both places, which do you prefer, studio or tour?I prefer the actual work in the studio, but I also enjoy touring life and traveling.
Who all have you toured with?
I have toured with Toby Mac, Skillet, Shonlock, Brandon Heath, House of Heroes, and I am about to go out with the band Mad Dog to SXSW festival as the Stage Manager/Drum Tech/Monitor engineer.
What’s a normal day on the road with any one of those artists consist of?
A normal day starts at 8:30 a.m. when I wake up and crawl out of my bunk on the bus. I get dressed and crawl into the venue looking for catering to grab a quick bite. From that point on I get to work, unloading the truck and moving gear to where it will live for the show. After the gear is unloaded I begin to set the stage, set up microphones, run cables, set monitors, and side fills. After this we have line and sound checks, then the show. I mix in-ears for the opening act, help the local hands get the set changes and pull cables for video during Toby's set. After the show is done, I do everything in reverse and pack the truck, after that I crawl back into my little bunk, and sleep till the next day.
What has been the best city to work in on tour?
So far, it doesn't seem to matter what city you are in while working, it only matters when you have a day off. If that’s what you are talking about, then I like both Portland and Seattle so far.
What is the best venue to work at?
Best venue so far was the Gibson Amphitheater in LA. The local crew guys were amazingly cool and good at their jobs. We setup super fast and loaded everything out in 42 minutes. Also, the dressing rooms and catering were sweet. Oh, and an added bonus: the theatre is inside of Universal Studios so we snuck on to five or six rides in the afternoon.
Who have you worked with in the studio?
In the studio I have worked on various custom records for mostly independent and smaller artists, artists like, Johnny Swim, Mad Dog, and Mike's Pawn Shop.What does a normal day in the studio look like?
Studio work varies day to day. Some days it feels more like being a janitor, other days it means setting up a session, choosing and placing mics, patching outboard gear into the chain and attempting to get some basic good tones to make the producer or engineer happy. After that, it is a lot of punching the computer in and out of record while the producer talks the musicians through their parts. Other days, it can be heading to someone else's studio and assisting the producer with other basic duties, or, like last week, tuning and choosing drums to get proper tones for an album.
So since you have worked in multiple studios, which has been your favorite?
Both Blackbird and Oceanway are awesome. Huge rooms, tons of gear, and sweet consoles, but I also love our studio in Franklin, TN: EMac. It has its own charm and it always feels great going back there after being on a tour.
What has been the most rewarding project you worked on?
I don't know... all the projects I have done with Bryan Lenox (Yamaha Entertainment Group) have been awesome, they are fun to work on and always have great results.
Who has been your favorite artist to work with, studio or tour?
Toby Mac has been my favorite artist to work with. He is very nice and always seems to stand for what he believes in. He demands a lot from people that work for him, but he always treats them very well.
Have you ever had a bad experience either in the studio or on tour?
I have had some trying days in the studio, usually just a misunderstanding between engineers and the producer. The producer sometimes comes off as overbearing or inconsiderate because he wants something done and doesn't realize it means a ton of extra work for the engineer, things like that.Since you are so young and you have so far to go with your career, where do you see yourself in five years?
I have no idea what I will be doing in five years. Hopefully something related to music, and not a real job. I am happy to do whatever I am supposed to do. I don't really worry about it, I just kind of fall into things.
Do you have ideas on a dream job? Something you have always wished for?
Dream job? Pretty much anything where I can make just enough money to live and be around music, art, or production.