WHAT IS PULSE?
Pulse Music Journal is Saskatchewan’s hub for music indulgers. We ‘eat/sleep/breathe’ the music and entertainment industry – plug into our outlet while we highlight new music, recap live performances, and interview the biggest names, local legends, and the newest initiatives surrounding our local music scene. We are honoured to be a leading cultural staple in the Saskatchewan music and entertainment scene.
WE SUPPORT SASKATCHEWAN’S ENTERTAINMENT & MUSIC SCENE
Whether it’s reaching out to a newly released project, musician or creating a spotlight for local talent to be heard on any of our stages, as well as opportunities to be heard opening for larger acts on our full-venue stage. We look forward to reopen and launch our newest concepts that strongly support the local music in our city. The local music scene is super important to us – we are a small city, but we have big dreams. Let’s grow and support each other – putting Saskatchewan on the map for premium music and entertainment experience.
THE FACES BEHIND THE BEST CONCERTS, THE BRILLIANT AUDIO/VISUAL AND THE ‘TOP OF THE LINE’ EVENT EXPERIENCES IN SASKATCHEWAN
Broadway Theatre, Coors Event Centre, Amigo’s Cantina, The Fez, Vangelli’s Tavern, Black Cat Tavern, The Capitol Music Club, Lydia’s Pub, Louis’ Pub, – Andyy Coulic has worked hard to build his career, his name, and his exceptional work ethic in Saskatoon. No wonder all of the venues want to work with him. Andyy currently resides as the in-house Audio and Visual Technician for Coors Event Centre and Amigos Cantina. Andyy is an entertainment expert and not afraid execute a vision. Nothing is impossible.
Pro Plus Production is the Saskatoon’s elite production company, most known for WOW’n crowds’ – their repertoire doesn’t stop there. They have produced creative ideas for large festivals, weddings, fashion shows, corporate galas, charity fundraisers and everything in between. Before Pro Plus Production, Harley Steinke got into the industry as a entertainer, then promoter, and then eventually production of lights, sound, you name it. He has experience from top to bottom, making him capable of creating the ultimate experience.
We touched base with the ‘1-2 punch’ of the technical world Andyy Coulic and Pro Plus Production to discuss what happens behind the scenes to create the best concerts, where their careers started and much more.
–
“THE BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE”
– ANDYY COULIC
–
THEY SAY IF YOU DO WHAT YOU LOVE, YOU WILL NEVER WORK A DAY IN YOUR LIFE
FOR THOSE THAT WORK ALONGSIDE YOU IT IS EASY TO SEE THAT THE TIME AND DEDICATION YOU PUT INTO EVERY EVENT FAR EXCEEDS ANY WORK ETHIC, AND IS MORE OF ‘A WAY OF LIFE’. WHAT STARTED YOUR PASSION IN AUDIO ENGINEERING?
ANDY COULIC: My career in music production officially started in 2009 when i was 19. Prior to that – growing up I had friends in bands and I never played an instrument. So I was always the kid pushing buttons and trying to find a way to fit in. My sister had a friend in high school who I looked up to, he was the audio tech for the school drama productions. I followed in his foot steps. I didn’t really know what else I could learn, until I left high school. I got into recording and opening my own studio while working a full time job at a lumber yard.
In 2010 I left the lumber yard and began doing sound for All Ages Events, primarily hosted at Cosmo Senior Centre and Le Relais. Jordan Smith was my mentor when I first stepped into live audio. He gave me my start at Walkers Night Club and Lydias Pub, I was filling in for him when he had other work late nights at his studio. In 2011, I took over as the house tech at Lydias Pub – and I have been on the ‘up’ from there!
PRO PLUS PRODUCTION HAS BECOME SASKATOON’S ELITE PRODUCTION COMPANY
NOT ONLY FOR NEXT LEVEL LIGHT SHOWS AT CONCERTS BUT DUE TO THE PASSION YOU HAVE IN THE INDUSTRY. WHETHER THEY ARE A STADIUM SIZE PRODUCTION BUDGETS OR AN UP AND COMING LOCAL PROMOTER/ARTIST HOSTING THEIR FIRST SHOW – YOU BRING THE SAME TOP NOTCH PRODUCTION TO EACH SHOW. YOU WANT TO PROVIDE THE BEST POSSIBLE EXPERIENCE TO THE ARTIST AND FANS, WE SIT IT TIME AFTER TIME ON THE STAGE AT COORS EVENT CENTRE, AS WELL AS FESTIVALS LIKE BASS IN THE BUSH, ELECTRIC SKY MUSIC FESTIVAL AND MANY MORE. THE HEART YOU HAVE FOR THE INDUSTRY SETS YOU APART FROM THE REST. WHY DO YOU DO WHAT YOU DO?
HARLEY STEINKE: I entered the industry in the early 2000’s as a breakbeat music fan. My passion for this music eventually led me down the long winding road of promoting and djing at local events and ultimately starting a production company called Pro Plus Production. Every employee at Pro Plus Production has found their way into our company by excelling at what they do and having a genuine interest in their craft, which extended beyond the monetary pay outs. We like working with customers who are passionate about creating an exceptional end product. When we meet event organizers who want to provide a well thought out design concept for their attendees, we feel compelled to put in the work and go the extra miles as well. Our team has always been committed to pushing the boundaries of Audio, Lighting and Video designs. At the end of the day we strive to produce a high-end service that both our customers and our company will be proud of.
Introducing Granville Island Brewing’s Sip Easy Lager – The Munich style Helles Lager is supremely sessionable & refreshing. The ideal balance between full flavour and easy drinking. It’s a no-compromise light lager with all the quality and taste you expect in a craft beer. 120 calories (per/355mL) 4.3% alcohol.
Bright, Crisp, Easy-Drinking Lager – Brewed in BC
A STAPLE IN THE MUSIC SCENE IN SASKATOON.
YOU HAVE WORKED AT PRETTY MUCH EVERY VENUE IN SASKATOON AND DOZENS ACROSS CANADA. WHEN GUESTS WALK INTO A ROOM AND THE SONGS HIT THEIR SOUL ON A WHOLE NEW LEVEL, THEY LOOK AROUND FOR YOUR FACE – KNOWING ANDYY COULIC MUST BE THERE. YOU HAVE BECOME A MENTOR IN YOUR FIELD, USING COORS EVENT CENTRE AS YOUR CLASSROOM. WHAT IS THE #1 THING YOU WOULD LIKE ASPIRING SOUND AND AUDIO TECHNICIANS TO KNOW?
ANDYY COULIC: The biggest thing I remind every tech is to always remember that we have a cool ass job and to always push to keep learning new things. A lot of techs stop pushing themselves and become complacent, which then they become the typical bitter old sound tech. Nobody enjoys working with someone who isnt happy, and our job is probably one of the coolest out there! Always grow, always excel and you will always be happy.
YOU HAVE TRAVELLED ALL OVER CANADA AND THE WORLD, MIXING ARTISTS. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE BAND TO MIX?
ANDYY COULIC: My favourite artist that I have personally worked with would be Jonathan Roy. He is based out of Quebec, I was his tour manager and tech. His music, the band, the experiences I had with him were all great! Jonathan had a gypsy lifestyle and lived in a camper; relating to that and being able to bond over our shared interest made our work relationship a lot stronger.
The Living Room Stage at Shambhala Music Festival in British Columbia. The Audio and Lighting Production proudly supplied by Pro Plus Production since 2015
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE EVENT YOU HAVE BEEN APART OF?
HARLEY STEINKE: It’s really tough to pick a favourite. Local community events such as fashion shows, fundraiser galas and music events have always been our favourites. We have worked with so many creative people willing to step outside of the box with a desire to create unique experiences for their customers. A lot of these events are supporting great causes and it has been an honour to help these people realize some their creative goals while also supporting important community driven events.
Outside of the Province of Saskatchewan, Shambhala Music Festival has definitely been one of our favourite concert/festival events. We have been providing services there for 10 years now. The last 5 years have given us the opportunity to supply Audio and Lighting production for The Living Room Stage and really try to push the boundaries of this space.
AUDIO ENGINEERS ARE THE MOST VALUABLE ASPECT OF A SHOW
HOW AN ARTIST SOUNDS ON STAGE HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE AUDIO ENGINEER MIXING THE MUSIC FOR THEIR FANS. EVEN THOUGH AUDIO ENGINEERS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF A SHOW, THEY ARE ALSO THE LEAST ACKNOWLEDGED. WHAT DO YOU WISH MUSIC FANS ATTENDING THE CONCERT KNEW ABOUT YOUR ROLE AT THEIR FAVOURITE SHOWS?
ANDY COULIC: Something I struggle with on show nights is when tours come through and either the production crew or artist is having a bad day/off day, it reflects in the performance of the crew and artist. Often that reflects on me not doing my job properly. Some shows at Amigos Cantina, the artist comes with their own tech. Amigos is an extremely tough room to mix in, and a lot of techs struggle in there. So when I have fans of the band come up to me and ask me why I am not mixing or why it doesn’t sound as good as it normally does, I have to explain to them why I am not mixing. It can leave a bad taste in the fans mouth because “Amigos butchered that bands set” even tho it was their own crew struggling in the room or just having an off day. So my role as house production is to ‘hand the reins off’ to someone else for the night; even if I am still there.
YOU ARE KNOWN FOR MIND BENDING, REALITY ALTERING LIGHT SHOWS
BUT PRO PLUS PRODUCTION IS SO MUCH MORE THAN AN AMAZING EDM SHOW. WHAT OTHER SERVICES AND EVENTS ARE YOU INVOLVED IN?
HARLEY STEINKE: We serve a wide demographic of events from large concerts/festivals, weddings, fashions shows, corporate gala’s, charity fundraisers, and everything in between. We have also spent a lot of our time designing, integrating and maintaining fixed installations for local clubs, restaurants, churches and other event spaces. Since COVID-19 we have seen a large need for online streaming services. People want to take their events and services online and we are happy to help our customers achieve exceptional results in the online event space.
AUDIO ENGINEERS GET THE BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE, BUT IS IT REALLY?
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PART -OR- BIGGEST PET PEEVE ABOUT BEING IN THE MIDDLE OF THOUSANDS OF SCREAMING FANS?
ANDY COULIC: We have the best seat in the house 100%. We also make it the best seat in the house. When you tune a PA System, FOH is usually the one spot in the room thats completely in phase. Tuning a PA system, if you’re experienced enough you can tune a PA System so FOH (Front of House) is the “sweet spot” in the room. Obviously we do our best to make sure the entire room sounds great, but there is always one spot that just sounds better than anywhere else. Sometimes the hardest part of being in the middle of the room surrounded by thousands of fans, is not having a big enough buffer to be able to stay completely focused in dialing in the mix. Especially during the first few songs of a set when youre working your ass off to get things sounding the way you want it to. Having someone trying to tell you to ‘turn up the vocals’ is a very frustrating thing because they have no idea how to do your job and its not as simple as just literally turning up the vocals. Having someone not know the issues you’re having that day, be it with the band or the gear, its not always just a simple fix like turning something up. Maybe the band is too loud for the room, the artist could have a cold and is singing quieter than normal/holding back, or the PA System wasn’t tuned or operating at full capacity. I have struggled a lot of shows, sometimes it is out of my control, but I always do the best I can!
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR IN-HOUSE TECH ASSETS, CLICK HERE.
UPCOMING EVENTS
WHAT EVENTS WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO…
LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT’S TO COME…
