ABOUT

SCOTTIE BALDWIN

Front-of-House Sound Engineer

scottiebaldwin@me.com

A Minneapolis Start

Sound engineer Scottie Baldwin hit the heights of his game at a young age.  A native of the Twin Cities and in his early twenties, Baldwin worked from 1990 through 1994 as the drum technician for no less than Minneapolis mega-star Prince.  Baldwin learned a lot from the Purple One during his four-year stint, and he left the educational environs of Paisley Park to embark on a career as a FOH Mix Engineer.

Around the World and Back Again

Over the years he has worked with Jolin Tsai, A-Mei, Wang Leehom, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Scissor Sisters, Duran Duran, Stevie Wonder, ‘Earth, Wind and Fire’ and other world-class acts.  However, Baldwin left a distinct impression on the demanding Prince, and found himself called back in mid-2000 to provide his FOH engineering expertise once again.  Needless to say, if Prince calls you, you’ve got something substantial to offer.

“Music is why people are there at the shows. That’s why I like to hear comments on live sound from people that don’t know anything about the equipment or process - just pure reaction to what they hear. It is not unusual for me to invite audience members into the mixing area before and after the show so they can see and hear about the process."

“Audience members often come by the console after a show and say they could hear everything, yet their ears don’t hurt, like that is unusual for that to happen to them!” 

"In retrospect I’m glad I didn’t go to an audio engineering school and to have cut my teeth in the Minneapolis clubs. That hands-on experience helped me to get my break as a drum tech for Prince in those early years and really gave me the musical background for which I was looking. I developed my ear for live sound on a more instinctive level. To me, it’s all architectural. It’s about building upon a solid foundation of fundamental principles of sound, and for the audience to enjoy the results.”