Remote West is Peter Baird mixer*consultant*musician
Four decades in television audio and a lifetime in music. I have opinions on nearly everything related to sound and music, some of them useful. I've done broadcast mixes that were heard and enjoyed by millions, and mixes I like equally as well that stall out on YouTube at 5,000 views. I'm a decent bass player, used to be an average trombonist. Every Thursday I publish a Best New Music playlist on Apple Music. Two Emmy® statues, five nominations.
And a note about the website: it's taking me much longer to get caught up than I anticipated, so consider this site to be under construction for the foreseeable future. Thanks for your indulgence.
COMPETENCIES
Mixing
The thing I get paid for. Comedy, music, variety, talk (chat, as the Brits say), or news. It's storytelling done with fun toys.
Audio Consulting
Presented with a challenge, I can cobble together a solution that leaves everyone congratulating themselves.
Music
As a player I hear things differently. As a career audio engineer, I can translate between those two worlds.
HIGHLIGHTS
The Greatest Night of My Audio Career
4 March 2014
The Purple One showed up and executed a takeover of the show. Not that Arsenio minded. One of the few times we shot a show that didn't air that night, which was a good thing because we didn't finish taping until well after 9pm. We would have missed all the delivery windows anyways.
Prince stepped into my truck around 9:30pm and listened to a playback of the first tune. "Well, that's not going to work," he said when he heard my line mix. Six hours later he stood up. We had mixed three tunes, and I was starting in on the fourth. "You've got this," he said, and walked out the door. An hour later I had finished the tune and was staggering home.
I have been asked since how much of the mix is me and how much is Prince. And I can say with absolute certainty, despite the fact that he never touched a fader or even got off the couch, it's 100% Prince. He got things out of me I didn't know I could do.
CERTIFICATES
Pro Tools Operator Music
Pro Tools Operator Post
Dante Certification Level 3
AWARDS
Emmy® Award, Live and Live-to-tape Sound Mixing, The Wayne Brady Show 2003
Emmy® Award, Best Evening Newscast, KTLA 2021
Emmy® Award, Best Evening Newscast, KTLA 2022