Amsterdam-based sound supervisor and audio engineer Huub Lelieveld has spent the past 25 years travelling the world, delivering live mixes and broadcast sound for some of the biggest events in the calendar. Speaking to Headliner from his home studio in Amsterdam, Lelieveld reflects on his career to date, the realities of working on large international productions, and why Lawo consoles have become a key part of his setup.
Like many audio professionals, Lelieveld’s career began with a love of music. “I started as a musician. I played bass guitar and studied music technology at a conservatory here in Holland. I never finished it, but I always knew I wanted to make a living with music,” he explains. “Music studios were already on the decline back then, so I figured if I worked in broadcast audio, I could still use nice equipment and probably make a living. That was the plan.”
The turning point came when he first saw a broadcast truck. “When I saw these big outside broadcast trucks, I figured, yes, that's what I want to do,” he says. Starting with Dutch company Videohouse, which later became part of EMG, Lelieveld began working in live TV production. “I’ve been doing this for a long time, but I still love it. It’s more than liking it - it’s a constant obsession.”
Last year, Lelieveld worked on a wide range of global projects, including the Joy Awards in Riyadh, Madonna’s Copacabana Beach concert, Andrea Bocelli’s AB30 celebration in Tuscany, David Gilmour live at Circus Maximus in Rome, Pinkpop Festival, and the UAE Union Day broadcast, to name just a few.
“Last year was actually quite typical for me,” he says, acknowledging the varied projects across Europe and beyond. “Those types of international jobs are quite common. Maybe 10 a year. And then there’s the regular work I do here in Holland, like chat shows, Champions League games, and national football broadcasts. I really like working in sports broadcasting, too. It’s fairly complicated because it's in 5.1 or Atmos, and you’ve got multiple feeds going to different countries. Technically, I really enjoy it.”
He explains that when it comes to live shows, preparation is critical and flexibility is key. “You have to prepare as much as possible. Getting all the signals clean and in time is the first challenge,” he explains. “For a tour, the setup is the same every night, but for a broadcast, we’re the last ones to arrive, and we're not the priority. So, actually getting what you need from the touring crew in time is key.”
To help him deal with the demands of live broadcast, Lelieveld almost exclusively uses Lawo consoles, and he says the ability to react quickly during live shows is what sets Lawo apart for him. “I’ve used Lawo on almost every major show this year,” he says. “Aside from Madonna in Rio, everything else was on Lawo.”
“The main thing is flexibility. On a Lawo desk, I can change the setup, from stereo to mono to 5.1, while I'm live, without using a mouse. I can change anything on the fly,” he furthers. “That’s really important. Especially on a show like the Joy Awards, where there were three orchestras and the schedule kept changing.”
Lelieveld first encountered Lawo consoles after an earlier period working on analogue Studer desks and early AMS Neve digital consoles. “When we had to move to digital, we tested different consoles and ended up with Lawo,” he recalls. “At first it’s a bit different compared to other consoles, but once you get used to it, it's the fastest system out there.”
In such high-pressure, live environments, mistakes and problems are part of the job, but experience helps, as he explains. “Things go wrong all the time, faulty equipment, unexpected things, but the goal is that nobody notices. That’s really the core of my job.”