PART ONE
From Remote Mentoring to International Sound Engineering
It is one thing to help a client set up a home studio via a Zoom call; it is quite another to fly across the world to ensure their dream doesn’t hit a technical wall. This is the story of how my two-and-a-half-year working relationship with Derrick R Brown moved from the spare room to the stage in Marmaris, Turkey.
A Partnership Built on Persistence
My journey with Derrick began over two years ago when he contacted AudioSupport.co.uk to revive a non-functioning studio. Our early work was foundational, focusing on the “boring but essential” infrastructure that allows creativity to flow:
- The Essentials: I provided a specific “shopping list” of powered USB hubs and high-quality cabling to resolve intermittent data dropouts and get his hardware communicating correctly.
- The Long Game: We transitioned into weekly remote sessions, moving from basic DAW setup into music production and content creation for TikTok.
- Pride in Progress: Seeing Derrick transition from technical frustration to releasing music has been incredibly rewarding. Helping him live a life full of purpose and musical enjoyment is exactly why Audio Support exists.
The Catalyst: The 2024 Technical “Glitch”
In September 2024, Derrick took his first steps toward live performance by booking shows in Turkey, one of his favorite holiday spots. We prepared a set involving original tracks and soul covers, all anchored by his Boss RC-505 Loop Station.
However, live sound is a different beast than studio recording. A technical failure at the venue—compounded by the lack of an on-site engineer familiar with connecting a loopstation to a sound system—hindered that first experience. For a performer, there is nothing more disheartening than having the “tech” stand in the way of the “talent.”
Derrick, however, is a true artist. Instead of giving up, we spent the following months troubleshooting. We used a series of open-mic nights in the UK as a “proving ground” to practice rapid equipment setup and build his confidence under pressure.
The Manchester “Deep Dive”
As 2025 arrived, we realized that the “ambiguities” of international house PA systems remained our biggest threat. To eliminate the guesswork, I drove to Derrick’s home in Manchester for an intensive “pre-tour” technical audit:
Gain Staging & Level Balancing: The RC-505 can be volatile in a live PA mix. We went through every stored track to ensure volume levels were consistent (normalized) so the front-of-house engineer wouldn’t have to “fight” the faders.
Set Flow: We refined the transitions between songs, ensuring the output levels remained cohesive whether he was performing a stripped-back soul cover or a layered original track.
The Support Team: During this visit, I met Derrick’s wife, Sheryl. She is a total legend and an incredibly warm person who became an integral part of the support team, handling the logistics that allow a performer to focus on the music.
A Leap of Faith
As a specialist, the idea of Derrick facing another technical failure alone really bugged me. While Audio Support usually operates remotely, I realized that to truly guarantee success, I needed to be there in person.
I decided to commit to the trip as his personal sound engineer. Stepping out of my usual remote-support role was a significant shift, but my commitment to Derrick’s vision outweighed any hesitation. My mission was clear: to provide the technical safety net that would allow Derrick’s talent to shine without interruption.
Arrival in Marmaris
Stepping off the plane in Turkey, the heat was the first thing that hit me—the second was the realization of the task at hand. We weren’t in a controlled studio anymore; we were at the mercy of local power grids, unfamiliar mixing desks, and the unpredictable acoustics of an outdoor venue.
As we carried the gear into the first venue in Marmaris, I saw the look of relief on Derrick’s face. He knew that this time, he wouldn’t be fighting the equipment. He could just be a singer.
In Part 2, I’ll dive into the specifics of the Turkey shows, how we handled the “on-the-fly” mixing challenges, and the moment Derrick finally reclaimed the stage.
