SpotlessEmu372

I've been listening to podcasts for a while now, and I've noticed that I'm not discovering new shows like I used to. I think part of the problem is that popular platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify don't really surface new content well. Their algorithms seem to prioritize established shows and popular episodes, which makes it hard for smaller creators to get noticed. I've been relying on word of mouth and online forums to find new podcasts, but it's not efficient. Has anyone else felt this way? Are there any platforms or strategies that work for discovering new podcasts?

I've been to a few concerts recently and I've noticed that the soundcheck process can be super inconsistent. Sometimes it's done hours before the show and the sound is perfect, but other times it's rushed and you can tell the band and crew are still tweaking things during the performance. I was listening to a podcast recently about the tech side of live music and they mentioned how some venues have really outdated sound systems that make it hard to get a good sound. Has anyone else noticed this? Do you think it's more of a venue issue or a promoter problem?

So I just finished mixing a 3-hour indie rock show using my Yamaha CL3 console... and the sound was a disaster. The mains sounded muddy below 200Hz, the monitors had zero definition, and the vocal snare bleed was out of control. I A/B tested the same setup on a DiGiCo SD12 at a friend’s venue last week, and the clarity difference was night/day?? How is this even possible? Both systems used the same L-Acoustics K2 line arrays and d&b audiotechnik V-Shape subs...

Here’s what I’ve checked:

• SPL meters read 110dB at the mix position (per AES60-2017 standards)
• EQ curves matched the venue’s Smaart measurements
• Latency was 2.3ms on the CL3 vs 1.8ms on the SD12
• Preamp gain staging was identical (-18dBu nominal)

But the CL3’s midrange just feels... compressed? Like there’s a 2kHz shelf I can’t dial out. I’ve tried 5 different firmware versions (2.30, 2.41, 2.52) and the issue persists. Is this a hardware limitation with the CL3’s analog front-end?? Or am I missing some secret trick in the V-Net 3 software??

I’m booking bigger venues now, but if I can’t solve this... I’ll be stuck using a rental SD12 for every show. Any FOH engineers here with CL3/DigiCo war stories? What’s your go-to fix for midrange muddiness in live PA systems?