I started with Saturday memorial services. The pastor called. "Just two handheld mics and the podium." I loved serving, especially in those hard times.
That turned into Sundays mornings behind the Soundcraft MH2 40+4 — a real touring console, every channel used. At first intimidating. Then welcoming, even embracing, as I learned to tweak those vocals and shape the acoustic guitars.
Then guest concerts Sunday nights. "Can you run sound? Just a guy with two guitars... And he's bringing an engineer."
Guess what happened!
No sound engineer, of course. The singer had two guitars. And another vocal. Drums. An electric guitar. Keyboard. Mandolin. And a violin who literally showed up 30 seconds before it all started.
And it was awesome!
I was hooked. And I had the confidence to believe I could really do this.
I wanted my own gear. But every forum post said the same thing: "If you don't spend $200 on a mic and $50 on a cable, you're wasting your money." At those prices, volunteers and small venues could never get started.
So I registered AudioGearFinder.com with a simple idea — find quality affordable gear, write honest reviews, help the little guy build a rig without going broke.
I bought a little Behringer 8-channel, a PreSonus StudioLive 16 upgraded to 32. Bought budget speakers, cables, mics. Cable boxes. Ran small concerts around San Diego. Learned by doing. Turned gear over at break-even or a profit while teaching myself the craft. Teaching others.
Now? I volunteer at a mega-church youth group. Five hundred kids on a Wednesday night. Running sound and teaching students to do it. It's energetic, exciting, evangelical, and in all ways awesome!
Oh. The site never got built. The domain sits. Thirteen years of renewals, waiting for someone with the time to execute what I only dreamed.
Got a dream? Maybe AGF has been waiting for you.