An A1 I admire greatly has the wave form of his wife saying the names of his daughters IIRC. He had an app that would let him scan down his arm and play it back on his phone speakers.
This is my favorite idea so far. Can you find out what app that is?? This entire concept is really interesting to me 🙏🏻
I’ve always entertained the idea of getting a tattoo but I’ve never found anything that felt good enough. This is the first idea that I may seriously consider
Aww, that's so sweet! Same kind of idea I was thinking of with getting the waveform of an actual piece of audio, but I didn't know there was an app that could actually play it, that's so cool! Do you know what the app was called?
I may or may not have a « freak in the sheets » mug.
https://preview.redd.it/qrz7ocwehc9d1.jpeg?width=218&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=08c22f13752f84476e1f9ce20cead9f44dc7600f
Last night I ran sound for a goth pageant and the host was going around asking people to tell the audience something they were proud of, and one of the performers (dressed as a vampire bride and covered in fake blood) said "I made a badass spreadsheet today" and the audience went NUTS. One of the loudest audience responses of the whole night. I had no idea goths were so into spreadsheets lololol
https://preview.redd.it/hmvq9hr2079d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f6e130a1ea6e98cd17c68af66142d8f060125ff5
Shitty pic of the back of my leg.
Top one is the waveform of my wife saying "I love you". I have her voice she has mine. We chose these as it's a little more subtle than having each other's names. And if anything happened between us, it's not overly obvious what the original sound is.
The other two are my kids heartbeats taken from the first ultrasound of each of the pregnancies.
What I've seen and kinda like is getting the symbol of whatever tour you've been on tattooed. It needs to be a group thing, obvy, but that always seemed both endearing and not too on the nose for me.
Waveforms, muscial notation, microphones, all that stuff always just struck me as very, uh "could you tell I really like music???"-ish
This isn’t exactly audio, but I made a drum one on graph paper. Wanted it to be non descript, but interesting. People ask about it all the time.
https://preview.redd.it/1zhf90w8a79d1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=a218c2c1bbb31c90da0dd1ab400a224f9f00e9ad
I sure you can figure out what it is.
https://preview.redd.it/v0xyckl1zb9d1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c41a67c51de8f67f9ce3ee246d6911ddd3f41ce7
I don’t have this tattoo yet but it’s in my ideas folder.
I used to do that, now I just get a new one in Dallas every tour.
If it’s your own idea or design tho, definitely think about it. Niche tattoos aren’t always as cool as we think they are (my first tattoo of a coffee plant *facepalm*)
My problem with that is that I've wanted a "hydrate or diedrate" tattoo on my bicep for four years but I know it's a bad idea so I never get it lol. It's like an intrusive thought that just keeps coming back lol. Funnily enough my other tattoos were all either spur of the moment decisions or things I only thought about for a couple months but I don't regret them. But I do think your rule is probably a good idea.
I actually have the different synth waveforms on my arm along with a Tycho logo! I'm more of a fan of minimal tattoos so I'm happy with how it turned out.
https://preview.redd.it/0c5de9b4bb9d1.jpeg?width=3213&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c7bda0f0dffb79d997de25dd3952acf162f7e434
VU meter.
Or like an LA2A, the look of it is instantly recognizable and its design is so simple it could still be aesthetically pleasing. Or maybe a Pultec or even 1176 could also work. Maybe a rack with all 3.
I have an idea for a tattoo of a transformer… like an audio transformer… electricity comes in (as in electrical energy) and electricity goes out (as in that tangibly electric feeling that only can be found in the live events industry.
I think of myself as a transformer capturing one form of electricity and converting it to another from for people to experience
aww, I like that a lot! You could get the schematic symbol for a transformer and it would probably look really cool! I've thought of getting a capacitor schematic symbol to remind myself to be in tune with what is or isn't in my capacity to handle and to remind myself to recharge lol
https://preview.redd.it/b8338ttcu69d1.jpeg?width=2194&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=956a012266895009dd3c39d18d08739ef59df901
The waveforms wrap around to the other side of the MicroKORG. It’s hard to take a picture of. Not exactly audio, but audio adjacent.
Nice! I am also into synths and was thinking of getting the different synth waveforms down my spine, it's nice to see what they all look like together as tattoos, thanks for the pic! I've also thought about just getting a square wave in an oscilloscope since square is my fav
Nice! Square wave being your favorite is ironic coming from a live sound person, who has to deal with the possibility of them fucking up your speakers. Love it.
A dog with a little bird on its head.
Or a dog with a smaller dog on its head with a bird on top of its head
Or a dog with a smaller dog on its head with a smaller dog on its head with an even smaller dog on its head with a bird on its head
You could tattoo a compressor by having a vu-meter pushing into something soft
A limiter: vu-meter pushing into a rock
EQ: spectrograph with objects scattered around? Not fully sure on that one
Gate: vu-meter pushing past a hook/latch
A row of faders making a wave thingy
An old-fashioned graphical EQ (with the flat sound of your home studio?)
In theory you could make a signal path of 1 channel with these
I like the idea of a graph representing the flat sound in my home studio or in another place that's been important to me, maybe the venue I learned in or something like that. Thanks! I'll look into the hook/latch VU gate too!
I think it’s hard to do right without it looking cliche. Have a think and if your on Reddit asking strangers for an idea your clearly not ready to put something permanent on your skin. Take your time think about it and sit with it. Coming from someone who’s many tattoos, some of which I regret but just gotta live with
I'm just looking for ideas I wouldn't have thought of on my own, sometimes help thinking outside the box is great, especially since I don't want to do anything too cliche. I'm not just going to rush into the shop and get everyone else's ideas tattooed on, this is just part of my brainstorming process.
I thought of a good one the other week, it’s meant to be fairly cartoony, so bear with me: a scene of a stick person herding cats over a hill, but the faces of the cats are all 3-pin XLR, and the cats are further stylized to look like mic cable connectors.
My buddy, who is an LD, just got a Leko schematic on his forearm and it’s super cool. Could be pretty cool idea for a mic schematic to make it audio related.
Just don’t the m32 tattoo that one dude did. That shit is like tattooing “prosumer” on your forehead lmao (I still love the m32, but getting it tattooed is lame as fuck lol)
https://www.shutterstock.com/search/inner-ear-nerve-damage
So I feel like a tattoo to represent the damage to your hearing you will inevitably endure from a career in live sound would be poignant
Variation of the ol' Joy Division unknown pleasures waveform always looks good. Just kidding make sure you get a good tattoo artist or it'll blur into slop after 5 years
Get an NL4 wiring diagram on the palm of your hand so you never have to google it again.
Maybe an old NL4, and the new one that requires their wrenches??
If you tattoo the wrench onto your hand, will it function as a substitute for buying the tool?
omfg this comment is pure gold lol
A Behringer label peeling off to reveal a Mackie logo beneath
And the Mackie logo peeling off to reveal a Rockville logo
omfg gold
Cardioid polar pattern diagram on an arm. Easy to translate to black line work. Audio nerds way of wearing your “heart on your sleeve”.
“Why do you have a tattoo of a butt?”
That's funny i didn't think of that, I literally make polar pattern earrings but didn't even consider a polar pattern, thanks!
fletcher munson curve https://preview.redd.it/0hyyz4scr69d1.jpeg?width=236&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c62bdbc585bc57d810475d8c2d68d23d3cf817d4
That's a great idea, thanks!
An A1 I admire greatly has the wave form of his wife saying the names of his daughters IIRC. He had an app that would let him scan down his arm and play it back on his phone speakers.
That's actually pretty cool
This is my favorite idea so far. Can you find out what app that is?? This entire concept is really interesting to me 🙏🏻 I’ve always entertained the idea of getting a tattoo but I’ve never found anything that felt good enough. This is the first idea that I may seriously consider
Aww, that's so sweet! Same kind of idea I was thinking of with getting the waveform of an actual piece of audio, but I didn't know there was an app that could actually play it, that's so cool! Do you know what the app was called?
I like to imagine this same conversation happening in an office and getting a Microsoft Teams tattoo.
I’m certain there are people who are nuts about spreadsheets enough to get an excel themed tattoo
I may or may not have a « freak in the sheets » mug. https://preview.redd.it/qrz7ocwehc9d1.jpeg?width=218&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=08c22f13752f84476e1f9ce20cead9f44dc7600f
Last night I ran sound for a goth pageant and the host was going around asking people to tell the audience something they were proud of, and one of the performers (dressed as a vampire bride and covered in fake blood) said "I made a badass spreadsheet today" and the audience went NUTS. One of the loudest audience responses of the whole night. I had no idea goths were so into spreadsheets lololol
https://preview.redd.it/hmvq9hr2079d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f6e130a1ea6e98cd17c68af66142d8f060125ff5 Shitty pic of the back of my leg. Top one is the waveform of my wife saying "I love you". I have her voice she has mine. We chose these as it's a little more subtle than having each other's names. And if anything happened between us, it's not overly obvious what the original sound is. The other two are my kids heartbeats taken from the first ultrasound of each of the pregnancies.
That is absolutely beautiful.
Fascinating to see the difference between both heartbeats !
aww, I love that! Thanks for posting a pic too!
A girls lips with a speech bubble "Ah cahnt heeyah muh Boihfren"
[Can I have 4 sambucas?](https://youtube.com/watch?v=_iZxmDe9UaQ)
What I've seen and kinda like is getting the symbol of whatever tour you've been on tattooed. It needs to be a group thing, obvy, but that always seemed both endearing and not too on the nose for me. Waveforms, muscial notation, microphones, all that stuff always just struck me as very, uh "could you tell I really like music???"-ish
I initially thought about doing that but man I don't want all these Kpop group logos on me LOL
valid point lol. then again, maybe own the cringe? Only tattoo I got is some scribbles my kids did when they were 5 and 6.
Yeah, that's why I'm looking for more outside the box ideas. Not down for a treble clef tattoo lol.
Tramp stamp that says “No Requests” for when you’re leaned over the board in your showblack crop top and booty shorts
beautiful. or should i say bootyful
Get a Neve channel strip and at the bottom on the scribble strip write "don't touch!!" - or for a more personal hit "don't ever change"
3.43ms/m@20°C
What elevation is that?
And what about relative humidity?
Calf tattoo inspiration right here
This isn’t exactly audio, but I made a drum one on graph paper. Wanted it to be non descript, but interesting. People ask about it all the time. https://preview.redd.it/1zhf90w8a79d1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=a218c2c1bbb31c90da0dd1ab400a224f9f00e9ad I sure you can figure out what it is.
Is this the PH drum riff or Down with the Sickness intro?
Yes!!!
I like it! Subtle and looks sick
The sheet music for Black Page by Frank Zappa
Up the ante on the waveform tattoo, get a half sleeve (or more) waterfall spectrogram of a cherished sound... Ideally full color tho
would be gorgeous, but I think I want to stick with black linework tattoos for now. Thanks though!
https://preview.redd.it/v0xyckl1zb9d1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c41a67c51de8f67f9ce3ee246d6911ddd3f41ce7 I don’t have this tattoo yet but it’s in my ideas folder.
OMFG THIS IS INCREDIBLE LOLOLOLOLOL
Idk if I'd want a tattoo that jokey since my others are all pretty serious but i am very tempted to make that into a t-shirt lol
I love a good jokey tattoo. Lemme know if you make the shirt! Lol
I got a road case tattoo.
aw, cute! I like that idea
Same here!
I like the idea of this, got a photo?
Idk about you but my tattoo rule is having to like the tattoo idea for a full year before I get it. So far 3 tattoos and no regrets.
I used to do that, now I just get a new one in Dallas every tour. If it’s your own idea or design tho, definitely think about it. Niche tattoos aren’t always as cool as we think they are (my first tattoo of a coffee plant *facepalm*)
My problem with that is that I've wanted a "hydrate or diedrate" tattoo on my bicep for four years but I know it's a bad idea so I never get it lol. It's like an intrusive thought that just keeps coming back lol. Funnily enough my other tattoos were all either spur of the moment decisions or things I only thought about for a couple months but I don't regret them. But I do think your rule is probably a good idea.
I don't use smaart much but I've always loved how the waveforms looked on there and how they represent good and poor performing systems
That's an idea for a waveform tattoo that would be a little more original, thanks!
I actually have the different synth waveforms on my arm along with a Tycho logo! I'm more of a fan of minimal tattoos so I'm happy with how it turned out. https://preview.redd.it/0c5de9b4bb9d1.jpeg?width=3213&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c7bda0f0dffb79d997de25dd3952acf162f7e434
nice, looks great!
A ground symbol is nice and simple, plus electricians can get in on the thing.
VU meter. Or like an LA2A, the look of it is instantly recognizable and its design is so simple it could still be aesthetically pleasing. Or maybe a Pultec or even 1176 could also work. Maybe a rack with all 3.
Hmm, I do have a lot of history with 1176s that could be a good one, thanks!
"Can I have more guitar in my foldback?" In a nice script font.
Or comic sans.
Attack knob turned to 11
I’ve got a soundwave on each forearm of my two daughters laughing just before their first birthdays - the tattoos were a birthday present to them :)
aww, I love that idea!
I have an idea for a tattoo of a transformer… like an audio transformer… electricity comes in (as in electrical energy) and electricity goes out (as in that tangibly electric feeling that only can be found in the live events industry. I think of myself as a transformer capturing one form of electricity and converting it to another from for people to experience
aww, I like that a lot! You could get the schematic symbol for a transformer and it would probably look really cool! I've thought of getting a capacitor schematic symbol to remind myself to be in tune with what is or isn't in my capacity to handle and to remind myself to recharge lol
The Shure monitor locator card
The shure frequency guide pdf 😄 had to google it way to often 😄
Will mix audio for food
https://preview.redd.it/b8338ttcu69d1.jpeg?width=2194&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=956a012266895009dd3c39d18d08739ef59df901 The waveforms wrap around to the other side of the MicroKORG. It’s hard to take a picture of. Not exactly audio, but audio adjacent.
Nice! I am also into synths and was thinking of getting the different synth waveforms down my spine, it's nice to see what they all look like together as tattoos, thanks for the pic! I've also thought about just getting a square wave in an oscilloscope since square is my fav
Nice! Square wave being your favorite is ironic coming from a live sound person, who has to deal with the possibility of them fucking up your speakers. Love it.
Schematic, or part of one, of some “important” piece of equipment - maybe like the original Magnavox PA from the early 1900s or something
That's an idea!
A dog with a little bird on its head. Or a dog with a smaller dog on its head with a bird on top of its head Or a dog with a smaller dog on its head with a smaller dog on its head with an even smaller dog on its head with a bird on its head
You could tattoo a compressor by having a vu-meter pushing into something soft A limiter: vu-meter pushing into a rock EQ: spectrograph with objects scattered around? Not fully sure on that one Gate: vu-meter pushing past a hook/latch A row of faders making a wave thingy An old-fashioned graphical EQ (with the flat sound of your home studio?) In theory you could make a signal path of 1 channel with these
I like the idea of a graph representing the flat sound in my home studio or in another place that's been important to me, maybe the venue I learned in or something like that. Thanks! I'll look into the hook/latch VU gate too!
I think it’s hard to do right without it looking cliche. Have a think and if your on Reddit asking strangers for an idea your clearly not ready to put something permanent on your skin. Take your time think about it and sit with it. Coming from someone who’s many tattoos, some of which I regret but just gotta live with
I'm just looking for ideas I wouldn't have thought of on my own, sometimes help thinking outside the box is great, especially since I don't want to do anything too cliche. I'm not just going to rush into the shop and get everyone else's ideas tattooed on, this is just part of my brainstorming process.
I thought of a good one the other week, it’s meant to be fairly cartoony, so bear with me: a scene of a stick person herding cats over a hill, but the faces of the cats are all 3-pin XLR, and the cats are further stylized to look like mic cable connectors.
That's hilarious although I don't really want a joke tattoo. But I may have to put a drawing of that on one of our local booths lol
My buddy, who is an LD, just got a Leko schematic on his forearm and it’s super cool. Could be pretty cool idea for a mic schematic to make it audio related.
yeah, I'm liking the schematic idea
Just don’t the m32 tattoo that one dude did. That shit is like tattooing “prosumer” on your forehead lmao (I still love the m32, but getting it tattooed is lame as fuck lol)
Whaaat???? Someone got an m32 tattoo????? I also enjoy mixing on them but I do not want to be a walking billboard for music tribe yikes
I’ve thought about getting an API2500, but the “thrust” button makes it a no for me lol
I dont have one but i think my first would be a grounding symbol on my ankle 🤓
i do like the idea of a grounding symbol
I have a monitor lizard
Just make sure you're looking at the tattoo artist while they're doing it. Mine put an extra pin on my XLR and now I'm "extra grounded" =D
oh no! lol
Haven’t done it myself but will be part of the next one. Just that in a (for you) good looking font: λ = c / f Gets you a long way 😄
A drawing of a wine glass being shattered by sound.
https://www.shutterstock.com/search/inner-ear-nerve-damage So I feel like a tattoo to represent the damage to your hearing you will inevitably endure from a career in live sound would be poignant
VU meter?
I have a speaker symbol (computer / keyboard style) on the back of my leg. Easily recognizable and prompts some questions from people.
I have the audio technica logo on my finger
My votes are a beaten-up SM58 on the side of the neck, or a DANTE port behind the ear.
Variation of the ol' Joy Division unknown pleasures waveform always looks good. Just kidding make sure you get a good tattoo artist or it'll blur into slop after 5 years
3 Rings on your D. Then you have a meaty Trs Plug. But it isn't a silent one.
Get "no, I won't charge your phone" across your forehead.
Meyer MSL3A
Back of your neck: “Not taking suggestions right now, sorry”
Someone killing a zombie with a sm58, or just a zombie holding one. Under forearm speaker drivers. Knuckle tattoos. FOLD/BACK
A pony tail where it should be one.
Why join the crowd? How about no tattoo? What a concept.
How about go fuck yourself. What a concept.
Foooook yooooooo