Meet the Student Oscar Mason

Words by Matt Thompson.

Meet Oscar from ACC Birmingham. As well as studying Studio and Live Sound Level 3, he also recently launched his own live sound business OMPS and he’s showing no signs of slowing down. We took some time out to sit down with him and find out how he got so busy and what the future holds.

Hi Oscar! Tell us a bit about yourself! Hiya My name’s Oscar, I’m a second year student at ACC Birmingham studying Studio and Live Sound Level 3. I have always enjoyed looking at the technology behind events and in recent years, I’ve found a particular interest in sound engineering.

What inspired you to get into live sound and how do you think it’s impacted on your work to date? I’ve been a Christian my whole life and that is where my interest began. Watching the team working together to produce the service each week and then seeing how the tech helps others to engage was something I always wanted to do. I still to this day enjoy facilitating a church service and I’m heavily involved in all technical aspects of the church now.

How do you approach an environment sound wise, what do you have to factor in and what are you looking for and doing to get a good result? When working in the events world, particularly sound engineering, it’s all about forward thinking and planning. When working in a new venue, finding out what is available in terms of power, location of outlets, PA placement, equipment provided by the venue and what I need to bring are all important details which help me as a sound engineer to plan and prepare to the best of my ability. Before every event, it is important to contact the bands playing to find out what instruments they have, who the vocalists are, if any of the vocalists also play an instrument and if there are any unique instruments that I’m going to have to learn mic-ing techniques for. Carrying out this preparation makes an event run so much smoother and reduces the chances of surprises when a band arrives.

What has studying your course at ACC brought to your work? My time at ACC has given me an array of opportunities that I wouldn’t have been able to access elsewhere. For example I have been given multiple opportunities to do sound in some of Digbeth’s most well-known venues such as The Mill. I have been able to also mix and use some of the best equipment available in the industry, such as the Midas M32 live console and the Audient ASP4616 in a state of the art studio facility.

What’s the best thing about doing what you do and have you learned anything that surprised you? The best thing about working with sound is seeing and hearing the crowd enjoying the show that you have been a part of creating. Furthermore, being able to support some amazing up and coming artists in their early years of growth is a really special experience.

One of the biggest things I have learnt is that working in the event industry is so much more than just plugging a cable in and moving faders up and down. It’s about helping to create those moments that artists and audiences will remember for years to come.

You run your own business. Tell us about that, how you started it, what it does and why you set it up? I started my business, OMPS, to help make an identity for myself in the business and to one day operate as a full scale production company providing sound, lighting and visuals for events around the Midlands and surrounding areas. Currently OMPS is undergoing a growth period and I am working on building it so that when I leave ACC at the end of this year, I can be selfemployed and enjoy all the benefits that it provides.

What challenges have you faced running your own business, and what advice would you give to anyone who wants to do the same? One of the biggest challenges I have faced in running my own business was starting it just weeks before the first COVID-19 lockdown. I had a busy summer of working on some great local events and gaining experience before starting at ACC in September but those plans changed overnight meaning many planned events were cancelled. It was so tough. But I adapted to the circumstances, built bridges to get over the mountains and got my business back on track. So my biggest piece of advice is to stick at it! Challenges will come on your journey and it’s easy to give up, but you MUST adapt and find ways round the problems you face.

Lastly, what are your future goals and plans? My biggest goal in life is to enjoy it. I want to see OMPS grow, become successful and be able to look at my business and see the progress we have made and be proud of what we have accomplished.

After finishing at ACC I plan to work alongside two of my greatest supporters, Hayden and Jacob, to grow OMPS and make it into the business I have always dreamed it to be!

Keep up to date with Oscar and OMPS on social media. Instagram: OMPS_Events Website: oscarmason.co.uk Facebook: Oscar Mason Production Services - OMPS