- in Production by Bobby Owsinski
Tour Management And FOH Mixing With Ryan Goldbacher On My Latest Podcast
On this week’s episode, Tour managers and artist teams: see why logistics without leadership burns an artist’s budget, with FOH engineer Ryan Goldbacher.
Ryan traces his path from Blackbird and Dark Horse Recording, including setting up microphones for a young Taylor Swift in 2006, to Shooter Jennings, where he admits he struggled on his first tour management run and may have cost the artist tens of thousands because he did not yet know how to settle shows correctly.
The experience taught him that effective tour management is less about booking hotels and collecting checks than leading people, supporting the band . . .
. . . and asking for help before uncertainty becomes an expensive mistake.
That same discipline shapes his approach to live sound:
- start with the quietest and most important elements, especially vocals and acoustic instruments,
- build the mix around them,
- and treat the kick drum as a full-range instrument instead of simply a bass source.
For artists, engineers, tour managers, and anyone building a career in the music industry, Ryan’s story shows why taking the next step before you feel fully ready can open doors, but staying valuable requires humility, strong judgment, and people you trust enough to call when you do not know the answer.
You can hear it at bobbyoinnercircle.com, or via Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Mixcloud, Spotify, Deezer, and TuneIn Radio.
Also, a video version of this podcast is now available on YouTube as well.
