What does it take to make a stadium sound perfect?

In this episode of The Best 5 Minute Music Podcast, live sound engineer Precious Tawo shares his journey into the world of FOH (Front of House) engineering, touring, and live concert sound.

From humble beginnings to working alongside Davido on major stages across Europe, Precious opens up about the pressure, responsibility, and real-time decision-making that comes with mixing live shows for thousands of people.

We talk about how he got started, the difference between studio and live sound, what happens behind the scenes at concerts, and the moments audiences never see. This episode is a deep dive into the hidden world behind live performances and the people responsible for how music is experienced in real time.

If you’ve ever wondered what happens behind the sound at major concerts, this conversation is for you.

@thebestmusicpod

Takeaways:

• Precious Tawo's journey from a humble hotel worker to a renowned sound engineer is truly inspiring, showcasing his passion for sound and music.
• He hilariously recounts his first experience in the sound industry, revealing the trials and tribulations of learning on the job.
• During the festive season in Calabar, the atmosphere is electric, filled with excitement and vibrant celebrations that get everyone in the spirit.
• The importance of mentorship is highlighted, as Precious shares how his boss took an interest in him and guided him through the industry.
• Learning through YouTube and hands-on experience played a crucial role in Precious's development as a sound engineer, proving that passion can lead to expertise.
• The podcast emphasizes the unity and joy that music brings to large crowds, as Precious describes the thrill of connecting energy from stage to audience.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Davido
• 520
• The Reverence Place
• Philippe Roach
• Cross river State Entertainment Co.
• Kamba

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & YouTube

📲 Follow @thebestmusicpod & @kambathecreator

20,000 People, lights in the air, bass shaking the ground.

One artist and a crowd waiting for a moment they'll never forget.

But before the first note hits, before the crowd sings a single word, someone has to make sure the sound feels perfect.

What exactly do you do?

My job is basically transferring the same energy that is on stage to the crowd.

From arenas across Europe to front of house for DeVito, we sit down with the engineer responsible for what thousands of people hear.

My name is Precious Tao, based in Nigeria, Calabar.

This is Precious towel, the best five.

Minute music podcast featuring K5 big vibes only.

What's up?

Welcome to the stars.

All right, all right, all right.

Hi, my name is Precious Tawo.

I'm a sound engineer, production manager and the convener of a worship committee called the Reverend Please for me, live sound.

I would say I came in by mistake.

That's what I'll say.

I first of all was working for the hotel and event center.

So it was 520.

I went started from the hotel first.

Where exactly is 525 to 0 in Calabar?

So it's a hotel.

I got in there as a facility person which is basically just a glorified position for an errand boy because we're basically for generators, maintenance, stuff like AC and the rest.

And then after I did well in the hotel for like six months, I was now moved to the airline event center to work in the facility department cuz they were short staffed there October of that year.

The CEO then always have his children coming from outside of the country to spend the festive period with him.

And something happened that changed my whole life.

I. I've always been someone that loved sound and the rest.

Like I hear sound in church or what have you and I see musicians play.

But I've never had the patience to even learn any instruments even up to date because I want to jump like a puma.

But they announced that they wanted to do an event called Beer festival then.

And they're supposed to rent, I think rental for equipment.

They were about I think four point something millionaire.

And I was like why would I spend 4 point something to rent when we can buy this big car, this big car, do this, I do this and then it will work.

And they're like okay, fine, if you give you x amount of money, can you do that?

I was like yeah, they gave me the money.

I went to one of the biggest markets in Kaba called West Market where we bought the speakers locally.

What did I really know about sound then?

So I bought like the fake speakers, then bought cables, went on YouTube.

I'm a proud student of YouTube.

Went to YouTube to learn like everything I need to learn.

Then I was even DJing at that point.

I had virtual DJ on my laptop.

So I got the whole speaker, spent like three days trying to get sound out of the amp box that it was as I then.

And then it worked.

So when it got into November of that year, I just told my dad I was tired.

And then my dad used to be the immigration officer in charge of passports for tourism bureau.

So he had a friend then which is my boss till date, Philippe Roach, he's South African.

And he told him that I was interested in joining what the government had then called Rent and Road, which was a scheme to have young persons being trained by foreigners in the technical field based on the equipment they had then.

I want to be part of those guys.

Not part of the guys even operate the equipment.

Let me just be close to the stage where I can run around the stage.

And then fast forward one year after my dad called me that they've accepted that they're going to take me in.

And I was like, ah, I'm in earning 18k.

And then this is 200,000 for one month.

I did my normal math, 200,000 divided by how many months before this money finish, I'll get more money because I didn't have a plan of anything outside that after resigning it was basically do this thing for this month after when you reach January we'll go.

And I went in there to do sound and everything and on reaching there I can never forget the first day.

I wore like the white shirt, nice pan trousers, nice loafers, going there to Gambia.

In my bag I had Danny crested shirt which is a Jebo Hustler in front.

And I had my jean shot in my back too.

Hoping when I get to work I'll change to that look all nice and everything.

After the interview they just told me to enter the vehicle street that we're going to the warehouse.

I entered the vehicle and it was a helocs.

I entered the back of the helocs feeling all fly.

Just getting to the warehouse, I saw boys loading 40 foot trucks the longer ones actually the ones that carry cow I saw them moving things the next thing I was introduced to the head of sound then Osage that I was going to be part of the sound department and he told me to meet Then Jimmo was his assistant and I met Jima Jimmo was saying what am I waiting for?

That I should go and join our load I had to strip everything I wore my shorts, my Jabo Hustler T shirts looking off like started loading with style I saw boys lifting up flight cases that were meant for 10 people and two people were lifting them up I was like ah, this boy is safe we finished loading two trucks because that was the Million Park Two trucks?

Two trucks.

I was expecting to enter the Hillocks again and go they told us to jump into the back of the Hillocks and I was like this kind of work safe me to add my small street cred so I sent at the back of the Hillocks I hid my face down until we got to Millennium Park While setting up my boss Osagi, which is still my boss AGI above Osagi was head of and I asked me to look for a 5 meters EP5 cable 1 I didn't know 5 meters was the length 2 I didn't know that EP5 was the kind of cable 3 I didn't know what it looked like well, being where I am, told me to ask questions well, I went into a flight case in front of me I was digging it for 40 minutes he didn't stop me next he called one young guy there to come and show me the cable the guy just walking majestically picked up the cable and gave ah, my ego was bruised and I told myself that I must know all the equipment in this company I went that night we closed around 2:33 and our call time was.

7Am Honestly listening you say all this is surreal for me because I myself grew up in Calabar and I definitely understand everything you're saying But I'd like you to paint a picture for our listeners what it means, how it feels in Calabar during the festive period so.

Rental road Then it was Cross river State Entertainment Co.

It was 29 into 30th morning around 3am Then I went home and I spent two hours at night, one hour is actually downloading PDF files and what have you.

And I slept for I think just one hour, one hour 30 because as at 6 o' clock I can remember very well.

I was up, I taken my bath, I was heading to the venue cuz the plan was we have to get to the venue by 7am on the dot.

So after that first day, yada yada yada started doing what I was doing with them, learning and everything.

And my boss personally took interest in me.

Osagi Coming up on the best five minute music podcast everybody calls me Pull my jump Engineers want to be on the board.

As at that time was not about being on the board.

If you say A is in A then no A is actually there.

And just like that, that's how a young man begins his journey to greatness.

Shout out to Precious for staying with us.

Don't forget to like share and follow.

We are the best music pod and Kamba the creator.

Kamba is spelt K A M B A the creator and see you on the next one.

One, two, three.

Don't.