Hay River (Apr 04/05) - Dana Cross helps people be heard.

Cross is an audio technician who provides sound for meetings and conferences.

Most recently, he provided the sound system - microphones, speakers, mixer and wiring - for a Deh Cho land use planning meeting on the Hay River Reserve.

Dana Cross of Hay River provides and operates the sound system at many meetings and conferences. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

A sound system for meetings is something many people simply take for granted.

"Your best compliment is when people say they didn't even know you were there," Cross says.

Some meetings are tense and the last thing participants want is to have problems with sound, he says.

"It really is important to have good sound so you can have an effective meeting."

Cross, 43, says he has been in various areas of audio for about 20 years - seven years on his own in Hay River - and is confident he can handle any problem that may arise. "There's always a challenge to fix something quickly."

While he notes there is a bit of pressure during meetings, he does not feel stress because of his experience. "With the sound stuff, it seems to be a natural thing for me to do."

Cross says he does about 12 conferences and meetings a year through his company HayWired Audio Productions. He provides all the sound, except for translation services. While sitting through all those meetings, he is usually busy ensuring the sound system is functioning properly and doesn't usually follow the discussion. "Generally speaking, I don't get a chance to absorb too much of it."

However, Cross has noticed one thing over the last seven years. He believes many people have become more comfortable speaking into microphones at conferences.

"They certainly have become, on average, more relaxed."

He believes people realize the historical value and importance of having their comments heard and often recorded.

People are also more used to hearing their voices coming out of speakers, he said, noting that can be quite strange at first.

Aside from providing sound for meetings and conferences, Cross works on a half-dozen live shows a year. That has included Folk on the Rocks in Yellowknife and other music festivals in Fort Smith, Fort Simpson and Fort Providence.

Cross has his own recording studio and is in the computer repair business with his One Stop Computer Shop.

He is also a musician who plays bass guitar in several Hay River bands.