Soundcheck Diaries

If you’ve been reading The Soundcheck Diaries and have been curious about the person behind the stories, this interview I did with Voyager LA offers a glimpse into my journey, my career, and the experiences that have shaped me as an audio engineer and as a person.

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Life & Work with Golden Preciado of Los Angeles / OC

https://voyagela.com/interview/life-work-with-golden-preciado-of-los-angeles-oc

Today we’d like to introduce you to Golden Preciado.

Hi Golden, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My journey into live sound started long before I ever touched a mixing console. I grew up in a family where music and audio were part of everyday life. My father, Evan Williams, was an audio engineer, producer, musician, and college instructor who taught Audio Engineering and Record Producing at Golden West College for over 25 years. From an early age, I found myself backstage, in recording studios, and around live productions, where I developed a fascination with the way technology could enhance an audience’s emotional connection to music.

That early exposure eventually turned into a career that has now spanned more than 20 years as a professional live sound engineer. Today I specialize in front-of-house, monitors, broadcast audio, and production management, mixing hundreds of live performances each year. My work has taken me from intimate jazz clubs and churches to festivals, corporate events, and large scale productions, where every show presents a new technical challenge to solve.

One of the most rewarding chapters of my career was serving as a Training Specialist and House of Worship Specialist at QSC. During my six years there, I had the opportunity to create training content, write technical articles for industry publications, teach at national conferences such as NAMM and CFX, and work alongside engineers helping shape new audio products. It allowed me to combine two things I love: solving technical problems and teaching others.

When my position at QSC ended during a company restructuring, I returned to freelance work full-time, expanding my client base while also pursuing a passion that had been growing for years—sharing what I’ve learned with the next generation of engineers.

That passion led me to launch Soundcheck Diaries, a blog where I share stories from real shows, practical audio techniques, and lessons learned from the mix position. Rather than focusing only on theory, I write about the real-world challenges that every live sound engineer encounters and how to overcome them. My goal is to help engineers become better at their craft while giving people outside the industry a glimpse into what happens behind the scenes before the lights go down and the music begins.

Looking back, I realize my career has never been just about mixing concerts. It’s about serving artists, supporting audiences, mentoring others, and continually learning. Live sound is one of those professions where you’re never finished growing, and that’s one of the things I love most about it.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’m reminded of the chorus from Cheryl Crow’s “Everyday Is a Winding Road.” If the path had always been easy, there would have been very little opportunity for growth. Looking back, many of my greatest challenges have also become some of my greatest blessings.

One of the biggest balancing acts has been raising our four children while building my career. Our oldest daughter was born in 2000, followed by twin boys in 2001, and our youngest son in 2007. Trying to be fully present both at home and in a career that often requires nights, weekends, and long hours hasn’t always been easy. I couldn’t have done it without my husband, Michael. We truly are a team in every sense of the word, constantly supporting one another so our family can thrive.

In recent years, many of my challenges have been health-related. As a former elite gymnast, I’ve always valued physical fitness and have continued to stay active through weightlifting. So it was especially difficult when I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023. Then, in 2025, I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation and underwent surgery. Those experiences taught me perseverance. Even on days when I didn’t feel my best, I continued to show up and do my work to the best of my ability. Today, I’m grateful to be in remission from cancer, and my atrial fibrillation is well managed.

Our family’s ongoing challenge involves our youngest son, who has significant disabilities. His needs sometimes require me to put my career on hold, and I’m completely at peace with that. Success isn’t measured only by professional accomplishments—it’s also measured by being present for the people who need you most. While balancing family and career isn’t always easy, those experiences have shaped me into a more compassionate, resilient, and grounded person, both professionally and personally.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a live sound engineer. While most people see the musicians on stage, my job is to make sure every person in the audience hears the very best performance possible. That involves balancing every instrument and vocal, managing the stage monitors that the musicians rely on, and often creating a separate mix for a live broadcast—all in real time. Every venue is different, every audience is different, and no two performances are exactly alike, so each show requires both technical precision and artistic judgment.

Simply put, my job is to make the band sound amazing. When I’m mixing, I don’t feel like someone standing behind a console—I feel like I’m another member of the band. The final sound the audience experiences is my responsibility, and I take that responsibility seriously. My goal is for the audience to become completely immersed in the music and forget there’s even a sound system involved.

What sets me apart is that I’m a musician and singer first, and a technical engineer second. The mixing console, microphones, signal processing, and loudspeakers are simply the tools I use to create an exceptional musical soundscape. Because I’ve spent years performing on stage myself, I understand what musicians need to hear, how instruments should fit together, and how a mix should feel—not just how it should measure. I know how to use EQ and dynamics to create clarity, depth, and emotion while allowing every instrument to have its own place in the mix.

I’m also known for my ability to adapt under pressure. Live sound is unpredictable. Equipment fails, performers improvise, and every room reacts differently. I often describe my approach as “audio triage”—identify the most important issue, solve it quickly, then move on to the next until everything is stable. Staying calm and making good decisions in real time is one of the most valuable skills a live sound engineer can have.

One of the primary venues where I work is Campus JAX in Newport Beach. Between Campus JAX and my other freelance clients, I mix approximately 250 shows each year. Depending on the event, I may be responsible for front-of-house only, or I may simultaneously manage front-of-house, stage monitors, and a broadcast mix for the venue’s live stream—all by myself. Campus JAX has been independently recognized as the Best Live Music Venue in Newport Beach, and I’m proud to play a role in helping deliver the level of audio quality that artists and audiences have come to expect there.

For me, success isn’t measured by whether people notice the sound engineer. Success is when the audience is captivated by the performance, the band walks off stage knowing they played their best, and the technology becomes invisible because it simply worked. If I’ve helped create a memorable musical experience, then I’ve done my job.

As proud as I am of the shows I’ve mixed, my greatest sense of accomplishment comes from teaching others. Whether I’m mentoring aspiring audio engineers, training church sound volunteers, helping a band solve technical problems, or sharing practical lessons through my writing, I love passing on what I’ve learned. My father always told me that our true legacy isn’t the work we do ourselves—it’s the knowledge we pass on to the next generation. That’s a philosophy I’ve carried with me throughout my career, and it’s one of the reasons I continue to teach whenever I have the opportunity.

What’s next?
Earlier in my career, one of my dreams was to tour as a front-of-house engineer for a nationally recognized artist. I still think that would be an incredible experience, but life has taught me that our plans don’t always unfold the way we expect.

If there’s one lesson I’ve learned over the years, it’s that life is fluid. We can make plans, but circumstances often redirect us in ways we never could have anticipated. I’ve learned to make plans but hold onto them loosely cause some things are simply out of my control.

Looking ahead, I’m excited to continue growing as a live sound engineer while expanding Soundcheck Diaries as a resource for the live audio community. I want to keep mixing great shows, continue sharing practical knowledge with other engineers, and help raise the next generation of audio professionals.

Above all, my faith has shaped the way I think about the future. I trust that God will place me exactly where He wants me to be. My responsibility is simply to be faithful with the opportunities He gives me, enjoy the journey, and trust Him with the outcome.