X2`s “Audio As Data” Approach Addresses Wireless

Transcription

Whitespace Wipeout?
X2’s “Audio As Data” Approach Addresses
Wireless Congestion Concerns
By Bill Evans
ThE NEws MagazinE For LivE Sound
JANUARY 2008 Vol. 6 No. 4
Led Zeppelin Gets the “Full Roar” Treatment
LONDON — Nineteen years after their last appearance, the three surviving members of Led
Zeppelin, together with John Bonham’s son Jason, took to the stage at the 02 Arena to perform
a tribute concert for their late record label boss Ahmet Ertegun, who signed them to Atlantic
Records in 1968.
At front of house was a Midas XL8 Live Performance System provided by Britannia Row, with
two engineers at the controls. Big Mick mixed the band — Jimmy Page on guitar, John Paul Jones
on bass and drummer Jason Bonham, while Robert Plant’s front of house engineer Roy Williams
handled Plant’s vocals and effects.
“I had known from before the start of rehearsals that two engineers would be doing the show,
one to look after the band and one to concentrate on Robert’s vocals and effects. Not the easiest
thing to do: two engineer, two pairs of ears and two egos! Mick and I have known one another for
over 30 years and are both from the Black Country, so that helped a lot.
“The XL8 let me have my own world to work in with just the vocal mic and eight effects —
leaving Mick to create his world without either of us getting in one another's way. No blood was
drawn, we had a blast and more importantly are still friends.” Look for full coverage in the February issue of FOH.
Association for Manufacturing Excellence Tours Crown
ELKHART, IN — As Crown International has transitioned to a leaner manufacturing approach over the past few years, the company’s endeavor has not gone unnoticed. As a result
of streamlining its manufacturing, further improving both efficiency and product quality,
Crown recently had the distinction of being a tour site for the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) 2007 International Conference in Chicago.
continued on page 8
Sacramento, CA — Yes, FOH has
been all over this one. We think it is important. Everyone who makes and sells wireless products for audio is scrambling to find
a way — be it political or technological —
to deal with the ever-tightening RF spectrum space available for our use.
Shure has been leading the political
battle in Washington and gathering interested parties to urge the FCC to consider live audio wireless in future plans.
Meanwhile, technological solutions —
ranging from a Sabine’s use of the 2.4
gHz band to Audio-Technica’s recently
announced (but still confined to boardroom applications) ultra wideband approach — have begun to emerge.
One of the most intriguing of these
new tech approaches is coming from a
small company
continued on page 5
Ring in the New Year
with Coop’s Boss
With the start of a new year, it seems
fitting that we go back in time to the
first FOH Interview ever: John Cooper,
FOH engineer for Bruce Springsteen. We
first spoke to him more than five years
ago at the Forum in Los Angeles when
he was mixing his first L.A. Springsteen
show. This time around, Bill Evans met
up with John, in Philly, during the latest
swing — the Magic Tour, which has the
same foundation, just bigger, with more
than 120 boxes in the air for arenas, and
still, that is sometimes not enough. Although stage volume is always a concern with Bruce’s three-guitar attack,
we learn the biggest challenge. “The
guitars are loud,” John says, “but that is
not the issue. It’s the crowd. Sometimes,
they are so loud that I have a hard time
getting the band up above the crowd.”
Turn to page 18 to find out how Coop is
doing it this time around.
Heil, Lectrosonics Join
Forces With New
Wireless Products
Fa ir v ie w Hei g hts, IL and Ri o
Rancho, NM — Playing on the concept
of “core competency” (doing what you do
best and leaving the rest to someone else),
a duo of highly regarded audio companies
has announced a “strategic partnership”
that will result in several new products.
Lectrosonics, manufacturer of wireless microphone systems and audio
processing products, and Heil Sound,
creators of microphones for recording,
live sound and broadcast professionals,
have announced they have entered into
a strategic partnership.
The first product resulting from Lecrosonic/Heil coupling is known as the
Lectrosonics UTPR20. Combining the
capsule from Heil Sound’s PR20 dynamic
microphone with Lectrosonics UT Series Digital Hybrid Wireless transmitters,
the new handheld wireless microphone
system combines Parnelli Award-winner
Bob Heil’s acclaimed dynamic mic technology with Lectrosonics’ digital/analog
hybrid technology,
continued on page 8
20
26
30
Installations
UMass’s Lipke Auditorium needed the
Goldilocks of sound systems.
Road Test
We see how the Allen & Heath iLive
and JTS line of mics measure up.
Product Gallery
We tell you where to stick it with
speakers on a stick.
Ad info: http//www.fohhotims.com
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www.fohonline.com
CoNtENts
What’s hot
Production
Profile
Feature
Features
18 FOH Interview
From solo acoustic to full-blown rock, John
Cooper chats about mixing “The Boss.”
20 Installations
UMass’s Lipke Auditorium needed the
Goldilocks of sound systems.
28
One guy and a mic — how hard can mixing
sound for comedian Dane Cook be?
If you only knew...
22 A Trickle of Technology
What’s on the bleeding edge right now
could be in your rack next year.
26 Road Tests
We live the iLive Digital Mixing System —
Allen & Heath’s leap into the digital mixing
arena. And, no doubt, you’re always looking for that perfect mic. We see how the
JTS line measures up.
FOH-At-Large
30 Product Gallery
Columns
36 Welcome to My Nightmare
From pink eye to a catastrophe with a
cherished trumpet, one not-so-lucky
sound guy sounds off on the “Golden
Trumpet Story.”
38 The Biz
Recent strikes could affect audio technology.
39 Theory & Practice
We dispel some myths about speaker
cables.
40 Sound Sanctuary
What it takes to be a hired gun for God.
40 Anklebiters
We dare you to dream up a new niche.
What’s hot
This month, we tell you where to stick it —
speakers on a stick, that is.
34 Vital Stats
...
From living around the world to having
owned over 500 pets, Tim Chapman, head
of marketing at Lab.gruppen, thrives on
experience.
37 Regional Slants
Like father, like son. Jay and Joe Stewart
make quite the tag team.
Departments
4 Editor’s Note
5 News
10 International News
11 On the Move
12 New Gear
14 Showtime
36 In the Trenches
44
“This is not Madison Square Garden” —
an all-too-familiar phrase.
FEEDBACK
It’s About Reinforcement, Stupid
Thanks so much for your recent thoughts on the system shootout you attended, and
the disturbingly familiar phenomenon of engineers turning musical performances into
sporting events.
Like any other engineer, I have my equipment preferences and prefer to have
headroom rather than not, but I'm always most satisfied with a show when it sounds
like musicians playing music together. I'll be as bold to say that this isn't even an idiomspecific standard; a metal act doesn't need to sound like a P.A. any more than your
city's philharmonic does. (I'm sure that if prompted, I could continue this rant for a few
thousand words...)
Thank you for using your column inches the way you do.
Andrew May
“It Was Soap Poisoning”
First, I want to tell you that among all the industry publications I receive, I look
forward to yours the most. It is a first-class magazine.
I don't know if you had a bad day or what, but I was a little put off by the language
you used in your column. Listen, I'm not a prude. I served four years in the Navy and
have spent the last 40 years working in the music industry either as a musician or
sound installer/provider. I'm not against swearing, but I think there is a time and a
place for everything.
By the way, I totally agree with you that there are too many people working in our
industry that do not listen. Some are too into their gadgets and forget to "mix,” while
others think the bass and drums are the most important things in the mix and bury
the vocals and everything else under them. It is especially disappointing when you
pay $50 or more to see a national act and have the experience ruined by a bad mix.
Anyway, thanks for a great magazine.
Randy Gartner
Randy Gartner Sound, Lighting and Electric
Robesonia, Pa.
continued on page 12
Editor’s Note
By Bill
Looking for a
Magic Bullet
Publisher
Terry Lowe
[email protected]
Editor
Bill Evans
[email protected]
Managing Editor
Geri Jeter
[email protected]
Associate Editor
Breanne George
[email protected]
A
Which got me thinking about my ness chops, work ethic and ears to
good friend of mine — not in
this business — has recently own never-ending searches for the back it up in a year, you will likely be
started a new line of work that magic bullet — that one key that will struggling just as hard, but now you’ll
requires a high level of organization. unlock the door to a perfect life of have payments to make on that nice
This guy is smart and talented and — peace, fulfillment, great gigs with cli- new gear.
My good friend Larry Hall spent
ents who don’t lie or try to grind you
like me — less than organized.
Over the past several months, I past the point of breaking even and most weekends last summer out mixhave watched as he searches desper- plenty of time for friends and fam- ing the Spinners, in addition to keepately for some tool that will give him ily and making music and, of course, ing a thriving regional soundco up
the ability to pull vital information to lots and lots of great sex. And some- and growing.
We would talk pretty much every
the top of the mental pile whenever how, no matter how many times I
he needs it. Books, computer pro- run through the keys on my ring, the Monday about the gigs that weekend,
grams, Web sites, actual human men- key to that door does not seem to be and the rigs varied wildly. The Spinners
tors — he has seemingly tried it all and there. Hell, I can’t find the door much carry no production at all, so it was P.A.
du jour. The reason Larry got and kept
is still searching for that magic bullet. less the key.
On a more mundane level, what the gig is because he understood that
Searching for the key that will unlock
his inner file clerk and turn chaos into is the magic bullet you are looking his job was to make the band sound
for? A new line array? A fancy digital great, whether he was on a PM5D with
organization.
He recently turned to another console? A bigger, nicer shop? A new a VerTec rig or on a road-worn PM4000
friend of mine who is in a similar busi- truck? As nice as all that stuff is, none and some beat up SRX boxes. Or even a
ness for advice and told him all about of it comprises a magic bullet. If you beat-to-hell Flashlight rig driven by an
the books and programs and Web sites, are struggling in a tough market, the old MI-grade console. No matter, you
and got an unexpected response. He new gear might make things easier for take the tools you have and figure out
was told that all of those things are a while, but unless you have the busi- how to make it work.
Which is really what it
great, but they are just tools,
is all about, no matter what
and that a tool without the
level we work at. There is no
knowledge of how to use
There is no magic bullet,
magic bullet, and if there
it is pretty useless. Specifiwas, there is a very real
cally, my friend, in reporting
and if there was, there
chance of the thing ricochetthe conversation to me, said,
is a very real chance of
ing and coming around to hit
“The problem is that if he is
you. So stop searching and
not mentally organized althe thing ricocheting and
just make it sound good. No
ready, none of those tools
coming around to hit you.
matter what.
will do him any good at all.”
Technical Editor
Mark Amundson
[email protected]
Contributing Writers
Jerry Cobb, Brian Cassell,
Dan Daley, Jamie Rio,
Steve LaCerra, Nort Johnson,
David John Farinella,
Ted Leamy, Baker Lee,
Bryan Reesman, Tony Mah
Photographer
Steve Jennings
Art Director
Garret Petrov
[email protected]
Production Manager
Linda Evans
[email protected]
Graphic Designers
Crystal Franklin
[email protected]
David Alan
[email protected]
Web Master
Josh Harris
[email protected]
National Sales Manager
Dan Hernandez
[email protected]
National Advertising Director
Gregory Gallardo
[email protected]
General Manager
William Hamilton Vanyo
[email protected]
Business and
Advertising Office
6000 South Eastern Ave.
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Ph: 702.932.5585
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North Hollywood, CA 91615
Front Of House (ISSN 1549-831X) Volume 6 Number
4 is published monthly by Timeless Communications
Corp., 6000 South Eastern Ave., Suite 14J, Las Vegas, NV,
89119. Periodicals Postage Paid at Las Vegas, NV and
additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address
changes to Front Of House, P.O. Box 16147, North
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4
2008
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News
Digidesign VENUE Ships 750 Systems Worldwide
DALY CITY, CA — Digidesign has announced that it has shipped over 750 of
its VENUE live sound systems to customers around the world. VENUE has traveled
with iconic bands, including Radiohead,
Paul McCartney, Barbra Streisand, Shakira,
Bruce Springsteen, Beck, Dixie Chicks, U2,
Black Eyed Peas, Dave Mathews Band, Tom
Petty and Pearl Jam, and mixed Ozzfest
and the Montreux Jazz Festival.
Stevie Nicks’ recent Crystal Visions tour
featured dual VENUE D-Show consoles,
with David Morgan handling FOH duties
and Brian Hendry handling monitors.
Morgan, whose clientele also includes
Steely Dan and Paul Simon, had been a
die-hard analog enthusiast, but got his
first taste of VENUE while on tour with
James Taylor earlier this year. Hendry,
monitor engineer for Aerosmith, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Joss Stone and the
Stray Cats, was impressed with the VENUE
system’s Virtual Soundcheck feature, and
immediately integrated it into his daily
routine, making it easy for him to adapt
his monitor mixes to any venue — with or
without the band on stage.
“My first experience of the VENUE system on tour was with the [D-Show] Profile,”
Morgan recalls. “I wanted a compact, fullfeatured digital audio desk for the theatre
shows with James Taylor. I was very impressed with the mic pres, the A/D converters, the EQ and onboard dynamics. The
software is rock-solid, and the hardware
is built for the road. I knew that with the
application of the plug-ins, I would easily
be able to move away from my favorite
analog desk and outboard devices with no
concerns.”
The Goo Goo Dolls are also using the
Digidesign VENUE live sound system for
their latest tour. Engineer/Mixer Paul Hager was attracted to the Digidesign VENUE
live sound system due to its Pro Tools
integration, and eventually got the band
to switch to VENUE for the band’s tour.
For front of house (FOH) mixing, Hager
brought in a VENUE D-Show console with
two 16-fader D-Show Sidecars that give him
instant access to the band’s mix across 40-input faders. Hager also makes use of the full
processing complement of five DSP mix engine cards, which support his extensive use
of TDM plug-ins. For monitor mixes, Engineer
Robert Windel uses a VENUE D-Show Profile
to handle the band’s onstage sound needs.
“The sound of the [D-Show] console is
great,” says Hager. “The mic pres are very
musical sounding.”
Windel agrees: “This is a very intense
gig for sonic expectations in that John
[Rzeznik, Goo Goo Dolls frontman] wants
an album-quality mix every night.” The
VENUE system’s Virtual Soundcheck feature, which works in conjunction with Pro
Tools, has been an added bonus for Hager.
“I have been using a less elegant version of
Virtual Soundcheck for the last few years
with other consoles and my Pro Tools rig,”
he explains. “It is nice not to have to have
four 192 I/Os. Because I come from about
10 years of Pro Tools experience, it’s just
made a lot of what I was already doing a
lot easier.”
Goo Goo Dolls Sound Engineer/Mixer Paul Hager persuaded the
band to switch to Digidesign VENUE because of the system’s Pro
Tools integration.
X2’s “Audio As Data” Approach
Addresses Wireless Congestion
Concerns
continued from cover
in northern California called X2, which has
figured out how to convert the audio signal
of a handheld mic to a digital data stream and
transmit it as such in the unregulated 900 mHz
range. “But wait,” you cry out. “Isn’t the 900 mHz
band already being used by everything from
wireless phones to blackberries?” Well, yes it is,
and this is where it gets interesting.
According to X2, in the new XDH4 transmitter, a proprietary digital data stream is
modulated on two separate RF carrier frequencies. In the XDR4 receiver, four separate
receiver sections work simultaneously to receive the two signals by way of two internal
antennae and two external ½-wave antennae. The system only recognizes correct digital data and disregards all other RF signals.
X2 recently announced a beltpack system
that uses the same technology with Audio
Technica lav, clip-on and headset mics, and
the new handheld ships standard with an Audix OM3 capsule. We should have our hands
on a pair of these soon to try to break them,
but that has not happened yet, so we can’t
confirm that. But, the brains behind X2 is Guy
Coker, who made the best wireless guitar unit
ever back in the late ‘90s called the X-Wire, so
he knows something about this. This could be
the start of something big…
www.fohonline.com
2008 JANUARY
5
News
PSS Supports Dennis DeYoung and Baton Rouge Symphony
BATON ROUGE, LA — Premier Production
and Sound Services (PSS) provided full audio
and lighting production for Dennis DeYoung’s
recent concert at the Baton Rouge River Center in Louisiana. The performance featured
classic hits from DeYoung’s tenure as front
man for Styx including “Come Sail Away” and
“Mr. Roboto,” as well as songs from DeYoung’s
solo albums. The Baton Rouge Symphony
Orchestra provided musical accompaniment
along with DeYoung’s current five-piece rock
ensemble.
Premier Production and Sound Services
provided a live sound reinforcement system
that included JBL VerTec line arrays supplemented with VRX and SRX Series portable
loudspeakers. The main P.A. system included
a pair of 13-element arrays, each including
nine VerTec VT4888 midsize enclosures and
four VT4887A compact line array enclosures
as downfill support. Two columns of four JBL
VRX932LA portable line arrays each were
hung flanking the main arrays for outfill cov-
erage. A single row of 18 SRX728S subwoofers arrayed in front of the stage provided lowfrequency output.
The subwoofers were progressively delayed from center to outside to form a controlled, cardioid coverage pattern. A total
of 16 SRX712M loudspeakers were used as
stage monitors. SRX722F loudspeakers provided additional front fill. Crown I-Tech 8000
amplifiers powered the system, which also included Soundcraft MH2 and Series 5 consoles
at front of house with an additional Series 5
monitor console.
According to Russ Bryant, co-owner
(with Brian Gordon) of Premier Production
and Sound Services, VerTec’s rider-friendly
features and easy setup factored into the
company’s decision to purchase the system.
“VerTec has become an industry standard. Its
coverage is smooth and even, it’s extremely
powerful for its size and is quite versatile
as far as the coverage patterns we can create with the arrays,” Bryant said. “The VerTec
speakers give us a large advantage in
accurately directing the sound. Being
in an arena, we were able to point the
sound directly at the audience, and the
VerTec line arrays gave us a lot of control in doing that successfully.”
Additionally, with the help of JBL’s
new VerTec v4 DSP presets, PSS quickly
and accurately tuned the system for the
Baton Rouge River Center. “With JBL,
Dennis DeYoung, front man for Styx, jamming at the Baton Rouge
they’re not just delivering loudspeakers, they’re doing everything they can River Center
on a personal level to make the system
Bauman’s technical expertise has been a huge
work for their users,” noted Bryant.
To that point, JBL’s commitment to cus- help since we purchased the system. We attomer service has ensured a successful rela- tended a recent VerTec training program sestionship between JBL and Premier Production sion in Northridge, where Raul Gonzalez, JBL
and Sound Services for years to come. The tour sound field engineer, took the time to sit
support of the JBL team has been unrivaled down with us and personally look at the specin my opinion,” Bryant noted. “The product ifications for the Baton Rouge River Center. He
development vision of David Scheirman, JBL talked through it with us and confirmed what
Professional’s vice president of Tour Sound, we already believed: that VerTec was the best
helped us decide to go with JBL, and Paul choice for us and for that venue.”
Washington State Political Gala Rocks Its Socks Off
BELLEVUE, WA — Washington State
Attorney General Rob McKenna announced his candidacy for reelection in
style at a recent breakfast gala attended
by over 2,000 supporters at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, Wash. Working
together with the Blue Danube production company and Hollywood Lights, Mills
Music of Seattle provided sound reinforcement for the event, deploying a Dynacord
Cobra-2 compact line array system.
“The Breakfast Campaign Kickoff started
at 8:00 a.m., and we rocked their socks off,”
says Ric Webb of Mills Music, who supervised sound. “Rob McKenna came onstage
to music from Pirates of the Caribbean, which
was a great way to get the guests going, and
the exit music was “Up Around the Bend” by
Creedence Clearwater Revival. This was our
amplifiers. Klark
first time flying the
Teknik
Square
Cobra, after a year
One EQs and
of stacking the
compressor/limsystem for a wide
iters for the back
range of outdoor
of house mix
and indoor shows,
joined a Dynaand we found the
cord CMS mixer
rigging to be an
at FOH. On the
absolute piece of
input end, EV’s
cake — so quick
new REV wireand easy. Everyless systems were
thing clicked into
place; we put the A Dynacord Cobra-2 compact line array system brought some piz- used with an N/
zazz to Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna’s reelecD767a handheld
frame on top and tion campaign.
and a new EV Pohad them flown in
larChoice Boundary Satellite mic placed
minutes.”
In addition to the Cobra system, Webb on the podium. “That is a very cool new
and his crew deployed EV QRx115 loud- device from EV,” says Webb. “This whole
speakers as front fills, powered by EV TG-7 system delivered great performance at ev-
ery step in the signal chain. The Cobra-2
can easily handle events for thousands of
people, though it packs up easily into the
back of a small truck.”
“The Cobra delivered a great balance
of muscle and intelligibility,” Webb adds,
“meaning the playback music had plenty
of power to boost the atmosphere, while
the speeches were crisp and clear. And,
of course, flying the boxes kept the sightlines open. We received compliments
from a number of ranking party representatives present, telling us that in all the
years they’ve hosted similar events, they’d
never had such high quality production
and sound. This was our first time working with Blue Danube, and it was a great
success — we look forward to working together again soon.”
Baby Boomers Get a Dose of Thunder
BOSTON MA — This year’s Life@50+ National Event and Expo welcomed 25,000 attendees
from all 50 states and 10 countries at the new
Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.
Hosted by AARP, a nonprofit organization
formerly known as the American Association
of Retired Persons, the three-day extravaganza
6
JANUARY 2008
featured musical performances by Tony Bennett, Earth Wind & Fire and Rod Stewart. San
Diego-based MSI Production Services teamed
with Thunder Audio (Taylor, Mich.) to provide
sound, lighting and video for the event.
The sound system included 48 MILO highpower curvilinear array loudspeakers and 24
MICA compact high-power curvilinear array A-T wired mics on backline. An assortment
loudspeakers. The main arrays were augment- of MJF-212A high-powered stage monitors
ed by 20 M’elodie ultracompact high-power and UM-1P narrow coverage stage monitors covered the performers and presenters.
curvilinear array loudspeakers.
Freeman gives particularly high marks to the
As Ken Freeman, MSI’s technical director
observed, the venue was a challenging one Galileo loudspeaker management system.
“This is the second time I’ve used the Galifrom an audio perspective. “It’s a very wide
room, probably 100 feet tall at the center and leo, and the simplicity of it is really impressive,”
very live. The spoken presentations were a he said. “We were able to configure everything
very significant part of the event, so it was im- from the front row with just a tablet PC. And
portant to design a system that could deliver two Galileo 616 boxes really made for a great
both musicality and intelligibility in the face of interface. Because they have so many inputs
and outputs, we were able to connect both the
such a large, reflective environment.”
Low -frequency content was covered by 20 entertainment and production mix consoles,
700-HP ultra-high-power subwoofers arranged and only needed to change patches, rather
in cardioid pairs to reduce low-frequency build- than reconfigure everything.”
up on stage. “Lars Brogaard, Rod Stewart’s engineer, had mentioned that he
always does cardioid pairs with the
700-HPs, and we were really impressed
with how effective it is,” said Freeman.
“The bottom end was clear and powerful out in the house, but there was no
‘boominess’ at all up on the stage.”
A Yamaha PM5D RH handled
primary FOH duties, with a DM1000
providing submixes of all playback material. EW&F brought in
their own DiGiCo D5 console. SenThe Life@50+ National Event and Expo included performances by Rod
nheiser wireless mics dominated,
Stewart, Earth Wind & Fire and Tony Bennett.
with a mix of Shure, Sennheiser and
www.fohonline.com
News
Lorie Line Accompanies Pop Chamber Orchestra on Latest Tour
BUENA PARK, CA — Pianist Lorie Line is
currently performing over 80 concerts on the
Glory of Christmas tour, accompanied by the
Pop Chamber Orchestra. This year’s tour is
centered on Line’s concert grand piano and
features many traditional Christmas carols.
The audio system, provided by Reach Communications, includes 14 NEXO GEO S1210
boxes for the main line array with two S1230s
positioned eight per side, along with 24 GEO
S8s for the side hangs.
NEXO Alpha S2s are used for subs, PS 8,
10, 15 Series for side fills and monitor wedges, PS 8s for front fills, two NX242, NXES4 and
NX241 are used for processing along with five
PS-TDV2 controllers. A Yamaha M7CL-48 digital audio console is used for front of house
mixing by Scottie Pakulski, accompanied by
Reach Systems Tech Matt Dellwo, and a Yamaha DM1000 is used by Monitor Engineer
Todd Behrens.
The tour production staff was looking
to move to a line array with 75–80 degree
horizontal coverage rather than point-source
boxes,” states Dan Brown of Reach Communications. “I knew the NEXO cabinets fit their
specs, and that the new GEO S12 cabinets
would compete very favorably with other
speakers in the same category. In my opinion,
the GEO S12 is much smoother in the highs.”
“Our experience with the earlier GEO S8
product was highly favorable in many different venues,” adds Mark Brown. “For this
reason, we were looking at the GEO S12 as a
Association for Manufacturing Excellence Tours Crown
lution, which since 2001 has consolidated 11
batch-and-queue lines into two manufacturing
cells and two assembly cells, as well as reduced
lead time from five days down to only 12 hours.
AME’s Jeff Albrecht presented Crown Senior VP
of Operations Larry Coburn with a plaque “in
recognition of [Crown’s] commitment on their
journey to excellence.”
“It was quite an honor for Crown to be chosen as one of the AME tour sites this year,” notes
Coburn. “Selected companies such as Toyota,
Ford and Boeing, which have all been toured in
the past, are the ‘Who’s Who’ in manufacturing.
The way to tell that you’re doing well is recognition from outside experts, and we are very
proud of that recognition.”
AME tours are valuable in that they allow participants to benefit from the unique
experiences of the host sites. By personally
seeing how other manufacturers have successfully taken measures to become more efficient, improve quality, minimize employee
turnover and so on, those concepts can then
be taken away by visitors and implemented
in their own operations. AME tours also facilitate cross-industry networking, further helping companies share knowledge and learn
from each other.
Cofounder/Vice President of MidAmerica Sound Corporation Dies
GREENFIELD, IN — Robert D. King
II, 54, cofounder and vice president
of Mid-America Sound Corporation in
Greenfield Ind., passed away Dec. 29,
2007.
Rob and partner Kerry Darrenkamp
founded Mid-America 26 years ago. In
the 1970s and early 80s, Rob was the
company’s head monitor engineer and
earned the respect and admiration of
many national artists of the time for
his acute mixing abilities, professionalism and gentle nature.
As vice-president, Rob was instrumental in the growth and success of
Mid-America Sound. In his off time, he
enjoyed fishing, spending time with
his grandchildren and riding his Honda
Gold Wing. He will be greatly missed.
Monitor Engineer Todd Behrens, FOH Engineer Scottie Pakulski
and REACH Systems Tech Matt Dellmo for pianist Lorie Line’s
the Glory of Christmas tour
“I love the clarity and intelligibility of the
Yamaha console and NEXO system,” notes
Pakulski.
Heil, Lectrosonics Join Forces
With New Wireless Products
which eliminates the effects of companding.
The new UTPR20 will have a distinctive look when compared to the standard
UT transmitters in the Lectrosonics line. The
UTPR20 employs Heil’s grill basket and capsule identifier ring. At the foot of the transmitter, it features a gold-colored battery
access ring to match the unit’s overall color
scheme. Featuring 100 mW RF power that
facilitates long-range application usage, 256
synthesized frequencies and full compatibility with Lectrosonics Digital Hybrid Wireless
and analog receivers.
Lectrosonics will showcase the new
UTPR20 at Winter NAMM in January 2007 and
anticipates delivery of this product in February 2007. MSRP is estimated at $1.695.
CORRECTION
In the December The Biz column,
we refer to the new Prudential Center in
Newark, N.J., as the “Presidential Center.”
Which, as one former president might say
was “Not Prudent.”
Founded in 1985, AME, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping companies with
continuous improvement and their pursuit
of excellence, annually holds an international
conference, one of the highlights being the
opportunity to tour a variety of leading manufacturing and service facilities. The most recent
AME conference was held at the Chicago Hilton & Towers in November, and even though
tour sites are seldom located more than an
hour’s drive from the conference, nearly three
dozen attendees chose to travel twice that distance in a bus to Elkhart, Ind., to see Crown.
According to the visitors, who came from
respected companies as diverse as Boeing,
Honeywell, Volvo, Hallmark, John Deere, Oral-B,
Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Labs, HON, Z Corp
and Raytheon among others, there were five
key manufacturing aspects that most impressed
them. These included: computer displays of
work instructions, preventative maintenance
and drawings on press brakes; training videos at
workstations for all shifts; Crown’s training center; the overall cleanliness of the factory; and the
employee culture of continuous improvement,
organization and minimal downtime.
Following the factory tour, Q&A session and
overview of Crown’s lean manufacturing evo-
step-up for larger venues, but with the same
NEXO GEO sound quality and design features
including similar rigging versatility. A major
decision maker in timing our purchase was
the introduction of the full line of NEXO GEO
S12 cabinets, including the GEO S1230 cabinet (30-degree array module), which serves
as the bottom cabinet in most of our array
configurations for the S12 rig.”
After hearing the GEO S8 system on other shows, Dan Brown explains that Pakulski
was sold on the NEXO GEO S 12 system. “Being able to easily change the rigging is just
another plus with the S12 cabinets,” notes
Brown. “It lets you have a very versatile cabinet that can be used in many situations with
minimal changes.”
News
Celine Dion Takes Vista 5 SR on World Tour
USB device. An expandable I/O array accommodates the available Studer D21m
Series cards, including CobraNet and Aviom A-Net. MADI is used along the optical snake link from stagebox to the FOH/
monitor processing rack.
“We’ve had great support from Studer,”
Desjardins concludes, “but I think Jamie
Dunn from Studer USA made the difference. He spent many hours with us in Las
Vegas. Given that our audio setup is a bit
unusual for FOH and monitors, he was able
to build two different setups really quickly,
and it worked the first time. That made
a positive influence on us regarding the
choice of Studer consoles.”
Pictured with the Studer Vista 5 SR during system setup and rehearsals for Celine Dion’s upcoming Taking Chances world tour
are (left to right) FOH Engineer Francois “Frankie” Desjardins, Tour Manager Denis Savage, Studer USA Sales Manager Jamie
Dunn and Monitor Engineer Charles Ethier.
NEW YORK — Following her five-year,
700-plus performance run with A New Day
at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace Las Vegas, Celine Dion is now poised to embark
upon her first world tour in eight years.
Her highly anticipated return to the road,
which is in support of a new album, Taking
Chances, will employ a pair of brand new
Studer Vista 5 SR digital live sound consoles.
Purchased by Quebec-based production company Solotech, which has been
providing sound, video and lighting systems for Dion since 1992, the two Vista 5
SR desks will handle front-of-house and
stage monitor duties throughout Dion’s
entire 2008–2009 world tour.
Commencing with its first show on
Valentine’s Day in Johannesburg, South
Africa, the concert itinerary is scheduled
to run at least a year and visit an array of
venues ranging from intimate ballrooms
to huge stadiums across South Africa, Asia,
Australia, the U.K., North America and Middle East.
During tour rehearsals in Las Vegas,
Dion’s FOH Engineer Francois “Frankie”
Desjardins explains his reasons for selecting the digital Studer Vista 5 SR consoles.
“All of the systems we considered sound
good and offer similar features. But, for
me, the top three reasons for going with
the Vista 5 SR were easy. Number one, it is
very compact and light. Since we will be
taking the console with us throughout the
tour”  the production will only carry its
complete P.A. system on the European and
North American legs of the tour  “weight
is very important. And its small footprint
means that we can place it within the audience” without taking up valuable seating
space.
Denis Savage, Dion’s FOH engineer
and now tour manager, says that mixing
onstage monitors for the Taking Chances
tour, a task that will fall to Charles Ethiere,
will be particularly complex.
“We have a number of sound sources
and other elements locked to video that
need to be sent to different artists. Because we are planning [to provide] 16 stereo monitor mixes, the Vista 5 SR’s routing
flexibility is a big deal for us.” The front-ofhouse Vista 5 SR features 64 mono inputs
(54 plus 10 spares), 36 stereo inputs (15
plus eight effects returns and five spares),
eight aux mono outputs (seven effects
sends plus a spare), 10 aux stereo outputs
(eight sends to stage plus two spares),
eight stereo group busses, four master
stereo and four stereo matrix busses; all
channels and outputs feature full signal
processing. The monitor Vista 5 SR offers
64 mono and 36 stereo inputs, routing to
16 aux mono and 20 aux stereo outputs,
plus a master stereo and 20 stereo matrix
busses.
The Vista 5 SR console is a road-ready
version of the standard Vista 5 and features Studer’s powerful Vistonics graphicsbased user interface. The patented display/
control technology uses encoders mounted directly into TFT screens that provide
access to all channel and output settings.
The system is supplied with preset configurations to handle front-of-house and
monitor applications. A stand-alone Config Editor streamlines the setup of the Vista
5 SR’s channel/bus topology, with all setup
parameters for each show capable of being saved and recalled from memory or a
www.fohonline.com
2008 JANUARY
9
International News
Club Extends with Out-of-this-World Martin Installation
AMSTERDAM — For many years, the
legendary rock club, Milky Way, born out of
the 1960s flower power era, featured one
of Martin Audio’s pioneering Wavefront 8
systems. But after a stringent multisystem
evaluation earlier this year, the club opted
to upgrade to a three-way Martin Audio
W8LM Line Array solution in their main
“MAX Room.”
The venue’s Senior Sound Engineer
Joost Evers revealed that there were two
main reasons for keeping faith with Martin
Audio: “the quality of the sound and our
long relationship with their distributors, TM
Audio.” He knew this would not only provide
the venue with guaranteed service, “but the
confidence that we were buying the best
equipment with the correct system setup.”
But TM Audio Project Manager Jaap
Pronk admits that prior to commissioning,
much experimentation with the system design and expert fine-tuning were required
to achieve optimum effect. For the latter,
he turned to one of Holland’s well-known
sound engineers and system designers,
Hugo Scholten.
The change in approach was caused by
the fact that part of the venue’s renovation
at the beginning of the year involved removing the back wall and extending the depth of
the room by 10 meters to increase its capacity to 1,500. Increasing the stage depth to six
meters and repositioning it under a ceiling,
which had now increased to a height of five
meters to accommodate a lighting bridge,
had a profound effect on the acoustics.
“Since the stage is hollow, it was also
acting as a bass resonator when we groundstacked the WMX subs,” declared Pronk. Instead, he proposed that six WMX subs be
flown from each side of the stage —alongside 10 W8LM (and W8LMD downfill) clusters — with the sub frequencies steered by
the three Martin Audio MA4.8 amplifiers to
which they are assigned. At the same time,
careful optimization of the mid-highs was
required since the W8LMs now had to fire
even further down this narrow, elongated
rectangular room.
The system was set up using Martin
Audio’s proprietary Display and ViewPoint
software and fine-tuned by Hugo Scholten.
Explaining the rationale behind
the design, Jaap Pronk says, “While
the requirement was to create coverage that was as wide as possible,
providing even coverage in front of
the stage was also paramount.” This
was achieved by simply placing a
W8LMD at the bottom of each array — giving a 140-degree spread.
Since the W8LM/LMD arrays are
mounted on a track, these can be
re-angled and retracted when the
adjustable stage is used in its smaller configuration.
The Martin Audio installation — Milky Way, Amsterdam’s 60s-inspired rock club, blasts into the 21st
boosted by new S218/W8C sidefills century.
Joost Evers and the venue’s chief sound
— forms the centerpiece of a complete new cabling infrastructure that in- and light engineer, Dirk de Vries, now have
cludes stage, monitor and system EQ patch- consistent coverage across the floor and up
ing, with integrated matrix-mixing (offering to the small balcony. This is precisely what
tie lines to the Melkweg’s recording studio), the Melkweg needs for the vast range of
and transformer-based channel splitting to shows it promotes, and no matter which
FOH, monitors, recording studio and broadway the 1 meter by 2 meter modular stage
cast trucks. The wiring architecture was de- sections are configured, the Martin Audio
signed by TM Audio and Ampco/Flashlight P.A. can be repositioned accordingly, with
the correct system settings enabled.
Group sister company, Engine.
NEXO Jams with Jazz Artist Chick Corea, British Rock Band Squeeze
PRAGUE and LONDON — Jazz pianist
Chick Corea arrived in Prague to give a
concert at the prestigious Smetanova Hall.
RentalPro provided a NEXO GEO S8, CD12
front-of-house PA and a PS Series stage
monitoring system. Although undemanding in terms of inputs — just 12 — sound
reinforcement was controlled by an EtherSound network.
RentalPro flew NEXO GEO S8 arrays on
either side of the proscenium arch stage,
tucking the cabinets closely next to the
decorative statues. Each array comprised
nine S805s plus one S830 downfill box, completed by two CD12 subbass units on the
floor below. Four pieces of NEXO’s PS8 cabinets were used as frontfill. A small number of
PS10s were flown for the small section of the
audience sitting behind the stage area. More
PS10s were also used as stage monitors.
Powered by CAMCO Vortex 6 amplifiers,
the system was processed by NEXO’s NX242
loudspeaker management processors, fitted
with ES4 cards to facilitate EtherSound network control of all systems from the front-ofhouse position where the show was mixed
on an InnovaSon SY48 console.
10
JANUARY 2008
It was a high-profile show, which also
had systems out on popular pop/rock band
Chinaski (NEXO GEO T with CD18 subs) and
with Czech superstar Aneta Langerova, performing in the Slovak Republic (NEXO GEO
D and CD18).
NEXO GEO tangent-array P.A. systems
also supported British band Squeeze’s latest
tour. SSE Audio Group supplied the system.
At front-of-house, Engineer Tom Wiggans and System Tech Chris Snow watch
over a NEXO GEO Series inventory, which
has changed its components as the band
has moved into the larger venues. In the early stages of the tour, when the shows were
playing in civic halls and theatres, Wiggans
was working with NEXO’s newly released
GEO S12 Series, one of the first engineers to
do so in a sizeable live-concert application.
“SSE had already tried out the new
S1230 cabinets as infill for larger GEO T rigs,”
explains Wiggans, “and in this role, they are
absolutely superb. For the first part of this
tour, we found them invaluable because
they fly really well and are very quick to
put up, but they are also very happy to be
ground-stacked. In some of the smaller ven-
Stage setup for British rock band Squeeze
ues where you can’t fly anything too heavy,
we were able to split the 12-box hangs, and
that worked incredibly well.”
Wiggans points to another touring bonus with the new S12 Series, namely that
only eight of CAMCO’s Vortex 6 amplifiers
were need to run the whole system — two
hangs of 12 GEO S12 enclosures, plus eight
CD18 subs.
For the closing shows of the tour in
London, Manchester, Liverpool and Dublin,
SSE has swapped the GEO S12s for NEXO’s
flagship GEO T cabinets, giving Tom Wiggans his first opportunity to mix the system
loaded with the new NXStream management software.
“I liked GEO T before,” says Tom, “I love
it now with NXStream. It’s much easier to
time align, and the new software has delivered a massive improvement in the low
end, addressing what might be called a
grey area between the CD18 subs and the
GEO T modules.
“A characteristic of NEXO systems is that
you can make a tiny adjustment and really
hear what you’ve done, immediately, even in
www.fohonline.com
big, boomy arenas. With GEO T, I can listen to
my left and right buss through headphones,
take them off and hear exactly the same
thing from the arrays in front of me.”
At front-of-house, Tom Wiggans was
piloting a VENUE system, incorporating
the main D-Show work surface and Sidecar extender. His first experience with the
desk came while looking after a Pro Tools
HD system for FOH Engineer Davey Cooper on the Manic Street Preachers tour at
the beginning of the year. As a result, he
requested VENUE for the Squeeze tour and
purchased his own Pro Tools HD system to
complement the remainder of this production, which was supplied by SSE Hire.
He says that the Pro Tools TDM plug-in
support was the main reason for switching
to VENUE. “I wanted to reduce the amount of
outboard — also if it’s a plug-in, you don’t
have to worry about power supplies overheating.” Wiggans is also making extensive
use of the McDSP plug-ins, especially the
MC2000 multi-band compressor. “And the
desk sounds so neutral, I can use the plugins to create any vintage sounds I need.”
On the Move
Sennheiser Electronic Corporation has
promoted Robb
Blumenreder to the position of industry team
manager, Music Industry. Blumenreder started his career at Sennheiser in 2002. In his
new role, Blumenreder
plans, develops and
manages short and
long-term strategies Robb Blumenreder
for all aspects of marketing and distribution
of Sennheiser products
to the music industry
channel in the U.S.
The company has
also appointed Ben
Escobedo to the newly created position
of associate product Ben Escobedo
manager, Music Industry Products, including the Evolution wired and wireless lines,
the classic dynamic microphones and studio monitor headphones.
(L to R) Robin Slaton, director of design/director of marketing; Jeff Moore, vice president of
sales; CEO Mike Belitz; Chris Zerbe, director of
sales & marketing.
Ultimate Support has announced the
addition of key players to its new managerial team: Jeff Moore as vice president of
sales, Chris Zerbe as director of sales and
marketing and Robin Slaton as director of
design/director of marketing.
As VP of sales, Moore will manage Ultimate Support’s three sales markets — U.S.,
International and OEM — as well as oversee
customer support.
In his role as director of sales and marketing, Zerbe’s responsibilities include the
design, implementation and management
of company sales and rep training programs. Additionally, he will manage company media marketing programs through
Web-based promotions and print advertising and interface with national and independent dealers on new product marketing efforts.
In July 2007, Ultimate Support welcomed back Slaton as director of design/
director of marketing. During his original
tenure, Slaton designed Ultimate Support’s TS-90 TeleLock speaker stands,
TS-80 speaker stands, Genesis guitar
stands, IQ X-stands and Colorado custom
microphone stands.
Symetrix, provider of signal processing technology for
the installed sound,
broadcast and recording markets, has
named S~WAVE Marketing, located in San
Diego, Calif., international rep of the year.
Under the direction of
Kris Jackson, S~WAVE
handles the Symetrix,
SymNet, Lucid and Kris Jackson
AirTools brands in Asia, Australia, New
Zealand and the South Pacific regions.
Harman International Industries Inc.
has announced that
Blake
Augsburger,
president and CEO
of the Harman Pro
Group, is expanding
his
responsibilities
effective Jan. 1, 2008,
when he assumes the
newly created position of country manager — Harman USA. Blake Augsburger
In his new assignment, Augsburger will report directly to Harman International CEO
Dinesh Paliwal. As country manager of Harman USA, Augsburger will be responsible
for the management of support functions
that cross divisional and business lines. In
addition, he will serve as the chief spokesperson for Harman in the United States to
build brand equity. He will also serve as
liaison to the chief executive officer for
implementation of group directives.
Allen Rowand, sound engineer, sound
designer and consultant with 10 years
of technical experience in the Broadway theatre sound
industry, has joined
Metric Halo. Rowand,
who has worked for
Masque Sound and
PRG, has been a beta
tester for Metric Halo Allen Rowand
for five years. He will be working to provide
current and prospective users with a program
of training classes, as well as online tutorials.
Meyer Sound has announced the
appointment
of
Mauricio Saint Martin as
director of Middle East
sales. In his new post,
Saint Martin will be responsible for company
sales throughout the
Middle East and North
Africa, as well as on the
Indian subcontinent.
During his 18-year ca- Mauricio Saint Martin
reer in pro audio, Saint Martin has gained experience in contracting, sales management and
international distribution. Prior to his recent appointment at Meyer Sound, Saint Martin served
as international sales director for QSC Audio.
www.fohonline.com
2008 JANUARY
11
New Gear
Soundcraft GB2R
This 19-inch rack-mountable
mixer is designed specifically for
smaller installations in churches
and performance venues, or for
small portable PA systems. Available in two versions, the GB2R
offers either 16 mono inputs to a
stereo mix output, or a 12.2 version with 12 mono inputs, two
full-feature stereo inputs and two
group busses, each model having
six auxiliary sends.
Emphasis has been placed on
Soundcraft GB2R
operational simplicity, clear and
intuitive layout and peak audio
per formance. The Soundcraft GB2R
inherits both the GB30 mic preamplifier and GB30 equalizer designs from the
larger GB4 and GB8. For ease of installation, the connector section is contained in
a rotatable pod, allowing cable access from the top of the mixer if sat on a tabletop or from the rear when mounted in a 19-inch rack.
On the stereo inputs of the 12.2 model, connectors are provided for both mic
and line inputs. With mic signals routed to the local channel, the line inputs are
available as stereo returns to the main mix bus. Two stereo returns and a twotrack (CD replay, for example) input are provided, which means that the GB2R-12.2
model can offer up to 26 inputs to mix in a mixer 19 inches wide. Every input has a
pre/post switchable direct output for recording or effects sends, while an internal
universal voltage PSU avoids external power supply connections.
Heil Sound PR 35 Dynamic Microphone
Drawing on the technological advancements within the PR 30, Heil Sound has introduced the PR 35. Designed with the vocalist in mind, the PR 35 features a
1.5” diameter dynamic element that is mounted on an
internal Sorbothane shock mount.
New Heil Sound technology features a dual-wound
voice coil with a magnet structure of neodymium, iron
and boron, which create a magnetic field the company
claims is 10 times stronger than traditional magnets of
other microphones.
The PR 35 is designed to have a frequency response
extending from 40 to 18,000 Hz and output level of
-52.9 dB @ 1000 Hz. A two position roll-off switch is
provided to help control unwanted low-end. Its polar
pattern is cardioid, and the microphone comes in a
black steel frame and grill. All units are shipped with a
Heil SM-5 mounting assembly and a hard shell attaché
style carrying case.
Heil Sound PR 35
www.heilsound.com
Letters
continued from page 2
www.soundcraft.com
Mixing As an Art Form
Your editorial for December rings true in so many ways. I can’t tell you how
many times I get called in to mix shows because the P.A. guys can’t seem to get
it sounding right.
I think the problem starts with where most engineers get their experience.
Think about it. Most of the guys who are running the boards have grown up wrapping cords and moving equipment on tours until they get a chance to run the
board on a show of their own, and eventually wind up owning their own equipment and doing gigs of their own.
But the biggest part of their music experience is technical, not the creative
end of the product. They know which piece of equipment will make the artist
sound good, and their knowledge of signal path, SPL, delay stacks, etc., cannot
be matched. But that is only a small part of what should come through that new
stack of line arrays that they’ve balanced the signal for so that the audience is afforded the best sound possible.
The best engineers have a history in music as an art form. When doing orchestral or choir gigs, I often surprise directors by asking for a conductor’s score so
that I can follow along. I usually get raised eyebrows and the question, “You can
read music?” It often gets me the call back for the next time that group is ready to
do another show. By having a “feel” for music, knowing where the changes come
in a chord progression, where the oboe solo should stand out, when it’s time for
the high tenor in the quartet to be bumped up to fill out the barbershop sound,
it’s those times that you can’t replace musical experience.
Both sides of the fence will argue that their way is best — that’s the nature
of the engineer species. And when it comes down to it, neither side could exist
without the other. But when it comes down to mixing a live show, and giving it
the mix that will have people walking away in awe, thinking that it sounded just
like that CD they have at home, that’s where the hearing of the music becomes
more integral than just listening to it.
RapcoHorizon LTI-1 Stereo Interface
Designed for connecting
laptops, MP3 players or any
other stereo 3.5mm audio output to a professional audio
mixer, the LTI-1 is equipped
with built-in ground lift
switches and a -20db pad. It
also features left and right XLR
outputs.
The LTI-1 is available
through The RapcoHorizon
Company dealers and is priced
at an MSRP of $135.
RapcoHorizon LTI-1
www.rapcohorizon.com
Michael Farrel Sound for the Masses
Even the Free Cocktails Didn’t Help…
I just finished reading your December Editor’s Note, and I couldn’t wait to write
this e-mail telling you that you were right on the money. Years of frustration trying
to get people to listen, including my kids I might add. I really enjoyed that article.
I could not agree with you more about the demos this year. What is it about
volume that gets these guys testosterone going? It just rang my ears and made
me uncomfortable being there. I too have heard most of those systems sound
better in other environments.
Another thing that bothered me about the demos was the fact that they
took self-powered, self-processed speaker systems, hooked up four computers
and proceeded to make it sound like crap. I’m afraid that even the free cocktails
didn’t help. Kinda sounded like the engineers for all systems had been hitting the
bar early.
Mike Borne
President
Allstar Audio Systems, Inc.
Smyrna, Tennessee
Showtime
Pollstar’s Top 10 Tours of 2007
The Police Reunion Tour 2007
CREW
Sound Co/Provider: ClairShowco
FOH Engineer: Michael Keating
Monitor Engineer: Ian Newton
System Engineer/Crew Chief: Kirk Shreiner
& Jay Summers
Monitor System Tech: Aaron Foye
System Techs: Tom Ford, Shaun Clair, Sean
Baca, Larry Wilson
Soundco
ClairShowco
GEAR
FOH
Console: Yamaha PM5000
PA: Clair Brothers i-4, S-4, P-4, P-2, R-4, & S-4
Subs
Monitors: Clair Brothers 12AM, Clair
Brothers ML-18
House Amplifiers: Crest, QSC, and Carver
amplifiers
FOH Gear: Clair iO w/wireless tablet and
Smaart
dbx900 w/ 903 cards
Empirical Labs EL-8
Manley EL-OP, Summit DCL-200
Lexicon 480L, Lexicon PCM 70
Lexicon PCM 90
Lexicon PCM 91
TC Electronics 2290
TC Electronics D-Two
Aphex 612, TC Electronics 1128
CREW
Sound Co/Provider: Morris Leasing Inc.
Tour Manager: David Farmer
Production Manager: Ed Wannebo
Production Assistant: Jill Lowery
Assistant Tour Manager: Robin Majors
Audio Designer: Phil Scobee
Morris Leasing Tour Support: Jason Barbour
Lead Rigger: Jason Schoultz
Rigger: Jimmy Vaughan
Stage Manager: Bobby Lowe
Temporary Stage Manager: Tom Nisun
Load Master: Dwayne “Buzz” Gibson
Band Gear Tech: Melvin Fults
Band Guitar Tech: James “Catfish” Wingate
Soundco
ClairShowco
Band Gear Tech: Zak Godwin
Carp/Key Tech: Terry Fox
Carp/Stage: Kevin Fiore
Carpenters: Hugh Horn, David Ogle
FOH Audio: Bryan Vasquez
Monitor Engineer: James Everett, Phil
Robinson
Sound Systems Tech: Matt Naylor
Sound Fly Guy: Chris Moss, Robert Fenelon
Sound Techs: Justin Meeks, Jamison Beck
GEAR
64 Electro-Voice X-Line cabinets (flown)
40 Electro-Voice X-line subs (flown)
12 Electro-Voice X-line subs (ground Stacked)
MON
Console: Yamaha PM1D
Personal Monitor Systems: Sennheiser G2
Monitor Amplifiers: Crown and Carver
amplifiers
Mics: Audio Technica AT4050, Beyer M88,
Beyer Opus 87, Beyer Opus 88, Neumann
KM184, Sennheiser E-609, Sennheiser E-865,
Sennheiser MD-421, Shure Beta 52, Shure
KSM32, Shure SM57, Shure SM58, Shure
SM91
Wireless Mics: Shure U4D, Sennheiser 500
Soundco
CHIP WATERFIELD
Kenny Chesney
ST
ST
Morris Leasing Inc.
32 Electro-Voice XLC (delays)
40 Electro-Voice XLC (on
stage)
132 Electro-Voice P3000RL
amps
4 Electro-Voice Net Max
N8000 system controllers
2 Yamaha PMSD consoles
(monitor)
1 Midas XL8 console (FOH)
2 Midas DL 431 splitters
4 Midas DL 451 I/Os
2 Midas DL 461 routers
10 Midas DL 471 processors
1 Klark Teknik DN 6000 Analizer
Justin Timberlake Future Sex/Love Sounds Tour
CREW
FOH Engineer: Andy Meyer
Band’s House Engineer: Scotty
Reikowsky
MON Engineer: Kevin Glendinning
System Engineer/Crew Chief: Jonathan
Edmonds
Assistant System Engineer: Patrick
Murphy
System Techs: Bill Mervar, Chris Nichols,
Kevin Kapler, Steve Rhodes
GEAR
FOH
Console: Digidesign Venue D-Show
PA: Showco Prism
Monitors: Showco SRM
House Amps: Crown
Apogee Big Ben
Avalon 737sp
BBE 422a
Clair IO
dbx 120x
Digidesign onboard plug-ins
Midas XL-4 D2
TC Electronics D-Two
Waves L2
MON
Console: Digidesign Venue D-Show
PMS: Sennheiser G2; Future Sonics;
Ultimate Ears; Sensaphonics
Amps: Crown
MON Equipment: Eventide Eclipse;
Digidesign onboard plug-ins
Wireless Mics: Audio-Technica Artist
Elite 5000 Series w/T4100 transmitter
Mics: Audio-Technica AE3000, AT4050,
ATM350, AE2500, ATM450, AT4041
Start the New Year
off right
with
LIVE SOUND, Theory & Practice
Mark Amundson’s
first book
Order online at
14
JANUARY 2008
www.pslnbookshelf.com
www.fohonline.com
ST
Celine Dion A New Day
GEAR
FOH
Console: Solid State Logic MT+, Yamaha O1V
FX: TC Electronics System 6000, TC Electronics FireworX, 2
Eventide Eclipse, Lexicon 960L
Dynamics / EQ: 2 XTA SIDD, Z System z-CL6, Junger B42,
Drawmer Masterflow, Weiss Gambit EQ1
Mics: Sony MDR-7506 headphone, Alesis Masterlink, Marantz CD
recorder
Soundco
Solotech
CREW
Sound Co/Provider: Solotech
Sound Designer/FOH Mixer: Denis Savage
Monitor Engineer: Charles Ethier
Crew Chief/FOH Mixer: Frankie Desjardins
RF Engineer: Marc Theriault
Systems Techs: Dave Torti, Kevin Paul, Brenda Loring, Neil
Shurmur
Speakers: MAIN Left/Right: Meyer Sound Lab M3D (x8 each
side), Meyer Sound Lab MSL-4 (x3 each side), Meyer Sound Lab
CQ-1 (x1 each side), Meyer Sound Lab M1D (x1 each side), Meyer
Sound Lab USW-1P (x4 each side), Meyer Sound Lab SB-2 (x2
each side)
Center Cluster: 20 Meyer Sound Lab MICA, 12 Meyer Sound Lab
M3D SUB
Under Balcony: 28 Meyer Sound Lab UPM-1P
Front Fill: 12 Meyer Sound Lab MM-4
Surround: 5 Meyer Sound Lab UPA-1P, 4 Meyer Sound Lab UPA2P, 38 Meyer Sound Lab UPM-1P, 4 Meyer Sound Lab UPM-2P
Speaker Processor: 2 Meyer Sound Lab Galileo, 1 Meyer Sound
CEU-MM4, 5 BSS 9088II, 8 BSS 9008II, 1 BSS 9000II
Sound Analyser: Meyer Sound Lab SIM II system, Sencore DA795
Amps: 4 Crown CTS4200, 2 Crown CTS8200
Soundco
Van Halen
Sound Image
CREW
Sound Co/Provider: Sound Image
Band Engineer: Orris Henry III
Crew Chief/House Technician: Greg Looper
Monitor Engineer: Gary Sangunit
Assistant Monitor Engineer: Micah
Goldfarb
Systems Techs: Fumi Okazaki, Jason Pender,
Manny Barajas
CREW
FOH:
Wired Mics: 4 Audio Technica 4011, 4 DPA 4060, 4 Neumann
KM 184, 2 Neumann KM150, 3 Sennheiser Evolution 602, 10
Sennheiser Evolution 835, 5 Shure SM-57, 12 Shure SM-98, Shure
KMS-27
Wireless Microphones System: 16 Sennheiser SKM 5000 with
KK105 heads, 16 Sennheiser SK5012, 16 Sennheiser EM3532
ST
GEAR
FOH
Console: 2 Digi Design Profile
Speakers: V-dosc, DV-dosc, JBL 4880 subs,
Wideline
Amps: Crown I-T 8000s
PMS: Sennheiser G-2s, Shure P6HW, UE-7s
Hardwired Mics: AKG 414BXLS, Beta 52 & 58,
C451, Country Man DIs, Crown CM-311AE,
EV-PL-20, KSM-27, -32, -44, Optigate PB-5,
Radial JDI MK111, Sennheiser, E-904, Shure,
SM-57, -57, -81, VP-88,
Wireless Mics: Shure UR4D, UR-1, UR-2 with
Tim McGraw & Faith Hill Soul 2 Soul II Tour
FOH Engineers: John Ward, Paul Boothroyd
MON Engineers: Johnnie Branham, Martin Santos
System Engineers/Crew Chiefs: Dave Dixon, Jason Vrobel
Recording Engineer: Heath Stimmel
System Techs: Ryan Lawless, Dustin Ponscheck, Jason O’Dell
RF Tech: Pete Erskine
MON
Console: Yamaha PM1D, Yamaha DM2000, Solid State Logic
X-Rack, Midas XL-88
FX: 4 Eventide Eclipse, 4 Lexicon PCM-91, Lexicon 960L, TC
Electronics M4000
Dynamics / EQ: Millenia Media NSEQ-2, Meyer Sound Lab CP-10,
2 Meyer Sound Lab VX-1, BSS DPR901, BSS DPR404
Mics: 7 Aura shaker, Shure E500, Ultimate EARS UE-10
Personal Monitors: 10 Sennheiser SR3056 transmitter, 20
Sennheiser EK3053 beltpack receiver, 3 Sennheiser AC3000
antenna DA, 4 Sennheiser A12AD antenna
Misc: Shure P6WHT, Alesis Masterlink, Marantz CD Recorder, IFR
2975 RF Analyser
Beta 58s
Equipment: Avalon VT-737SP, CD-01U Pro,
KT-DN6000, Midas XL-88, XL-42s, Panasonic
SV-3800, Tascam CD-RW901s, XTA DP-226
MON
Console: Midas H3000, Yamaha M7CL
Speakers: Arcs, Sound Image 2x12s and
1x15s, Wideline
Amps: Crown I-T 8000s
Equipment: BSS FCS-926, 900I, DPR-404,
TCS-804, Shure DFR-22, XTA GQ600, TC
M3000, Tascam CD-01UPro
Soundco
ClairShowco
GEAR
FOH
Consoles: 2 Digidesign Venue D-Show
Amps: Crown and QSC
Equipment: Lexicon 480L, dbx 903, Summit TLA-100
MON
Consoles: 2 ATI Paragon PIIM, Yamaha PM1D
PMS: Westone; Sennheiser G2 IEM; Ultimate Ears
Mics: Shure, Audio-Technica, Sennheiser
PA: Clair Brothers i4/i4b
ST
ST
www.fohonline.com
2008 JANUARY
15
Showtime
Soundco
Rod Stewart
ST
CREW
Band Engineer: Lars Brogaard
House Engineer: Ali Viles
Monitor Engineer: Sven
Jorgensen, Toshi Kumagai
Crew Chief: Ali Viles
System Engineer: David Vinnicombe
Assistant Engineer: Martin Walker
Systems Tech: Brian Thorene
GEAR
FOH
Console: Digico D5 Live 112EX
Speakers: Meyer Milo, Meyer 700 HP
subs, Meyer Melodie
Equipment: TC M 6000, Smart Research
C2
Hardwired Mics: AKG D112, C451, C414,
C419; Avalon; BSS DI; Neuman 184; Shure
SM 57, SM 91,
Wireless Mics: AKG PT 4000
Soundco
Sound Image
MON
Console: 2 Digico D5 Live 112EX
Equipment: Lexicon PCM 91, Smart
Research C2, Summit DCL 200, Yamaha
SPX 990
Personal Monitor Systems: AKG SST 1,
Shure
Genesis Turn It on Again tour
Hyperson SA
CREW
Sound Co/Provider: Hyperson SA Switzerland
Monitor: Alain Schneebeli
Assistant: Jerome Burri
FOH Engineer: Michel Colin System Engineer: Manu Gares
System Techs: Vince Villard, Bernard Natier, Chris Hauri I
ST
GEAR
FOH
PA: Avalon 737, Digidesign Venue, Lab.gruppen LA 48
amps, L-ACOUSTICS V-DOSC, DV-DOSC ARCS, SB 218, Lake
and BSS FDS-366 processing, TC 6000
Mics: Beyer and Shure Wireless
Wedge: L-ACOUSTICS 115 HI-Q + L-ACOUSTICS DV sub;
Lab.gruppen LA 48 amps
MON
Avalon 737, Sennheiser personal monitors, Yamaha PM1D
Josh Groban
ST
Crew
Sound Co/Provider: Maryland Sound International
FOH Engineer: Mickey Beck
Monitor Engineer: Will Miller
Crew Chief: Chris Leonard
System Techs: Fumi Okazaki, Lonny Wayne
MON
Console: Yamaha PM1D and PM5d
Processing: ATI, Dolby DLP, Lake Mesa, Lexicon 960
Wireless: Sennheiser, Shure, Professional Wireless
Power Distro: MSI
Packaging: MSI
Gear
FOH
Console: Yamaha PM1D and PM5D
Speakers: VerTec 4889, 4880A, 4888, 4887A
Amps: Crown I-Tech
Mics: AKG, DPA, Sennheiser, Shure,
Soundco
Maryland Sound
International
Soundco
Rascal Flatts Me and My Gang Tour
Sound Image
CREW
FOH Engineer: Jon Garber
Monitor Engineer: Stu Delk
Crew Chief: Landon Storey
SystemsEngineer: Pete McDonough
Systems Techs: Jermery Moore, Jason
Blackburn
16
JANUARY 2008
GEAR
FOH
ADK plug-in and record rack
Crown IT8000
DBX 4800
DBX System Architect
Digico D5 112ex
12 QSC Wideline
Tascam CDR
TC M5000
TC D-Two
90 4889 VerTec
32 4880 VerTec
MON
Crown IT8000
14 dbx 160
Professional Wireless
Sennheiser G2
Shure UR4D
Shure PSM 700
3 Sound Image Single 18”
8 Sound Image G2
6 4889 VerTec
2 Yamaha PM5000
6 Yamaha SPX 990
ST
FOH Interview
By BillEvans
Magic Tour crew. Back row left to right: System Tech Ray Tittle, Monitor Engineer SL Monty Carlo, System Engineer Europe
Klass “Bob” Bolender, System Tech Rob Zuchhowski. Front row: System Engineer John “Boo” Bruey, FOH Engineer John
Cooper, System & Protools Engineer Brett Dicus, Monitor Engineer SR Troy Milner.
From solo acoustic to full-blown rock — on tour with “The Boss”
I
t seems a fitting way to begin a new
year. More than five years ago, as the
very first issue of FOH was just starting to take form, I met and spent the day
hanging with John Cooper at the Forum
in Los Angeles where he was getting
ready for his first L.A. show with Bruce
wasn’t about the P.A. Knowing that stage
volume is always a concern with Bruce’s
three-guitar attack, I asked about it. “The
guitars are loud,” he says, “but that is not
the issue. It’s the crowd. Sometimes they
are so loud that I have a hard time getting
the band up above the crowd.”
“It’s the crowd. Sometimes they are
so loud that I have a hard time
getting the band up above the crowd.”
— John Cooper
Springsteen. The result of that afternoon
was the very first FOH Interview ever.
That show sported a huge JBL VerTec
rig courtesy of Audio Analysts who have
been the sound providers for The Boss
since 1991. This latest swing — the Magic
Tour — has the same foundation, just
bigger, with more than 120 boxes in the
air for arenas, and still, that is sometimes
not enough. When I met up with John at
the show in Philly (during AES in October
— the trip from NYC and back was an adventure, including getting lost in Camden, N.J., trying to get back to the city.
But that’s a story for another time…), he
told me that it was loud inside, and that it
18
JANUARY 2008
This is the first E Street Band tour in
a while, but there was an acoustic jaunt
and The Seeger Sessions shows. The last
time we talked was the stadium leg of
The Rising tour.
At the time we got together, the tour
was just starting. Philly was in the first
week of official shows that you could buy
tickets for, and some details were still being tweaked. For example, the original
staging had a lighting truss positioned
directly in front of the line array, where
the spot operators were stationed. Besides inspiring pity for the lampies who
were directly in the line of fire, it made
for a challenge at the front of house posi-
tion. That positioning was set to change
on the next tour stop. On any tour of this
size, you make adjustments as you go.
Here’s a look at how Coop is doing it this
time around.
FOH: OK, let’s start with the particulars
and a little review. Tell us about the
tour and how long you have been with
Springsteen.
John Cooper: It’s hard to believe that
I’ve been mixing Bruce now for more than
six years. Rehearsals for this tour started
in September in Asbury Park, N.J., at
Convention Hall, On the beach! The first
hard-ticket show was in Hartford, Conn.
— although we did some charity shows
in Asbury Park and The Meadowlands.
What else have you been doing to stay
busy since then?
Frankly, I try to stay home as much as
possible and spend time with my sons.
But when I have to, I will venture out. I
mixed Dashboard Confessional on a couple of tours in 2004; I mixed Patti Scialfa
(Bruce’s wife). I did a lot of fill-ins and
one-offs, and last summer, I spent a couple of weeks with STYX. Then it was on to
system engineering responsibilities with
Projekt Revolution working with Pooch.
That backed right into the Magic tour.
During that time, Bruce also did two
other major tours of the U.S. and Europe.
www.fohonline.com
In 2005, it was Devils & Dust (a solo acoustic show that still managed to be more
than 30 inputs) and last year’s The Seeger
Sessions tour with an 18-piece band. So I
stay as busy as I want to be.
What kind of system are you driving this
time around?
The Magic tour is once again an amazing Audio Analysts rig with packing and
infrastructure that is very flexible to use
and easy to move around. The P.A. is 64 JBL
VerTec 4889s and 32 4880s for mains and
sides, with eight JBL 4887s as front fill.
Another 48 JBL 4887s are spread across four
columns around the back of the arena. The
show seats in 360 degrees with the stage at
the end of the arena, and all shows are sold
to capacity. At the front end, we are using all
Crown iTech amps with Dolby Lake processors with full Crown IQ control.
You recently made the switch to the
Digidesign Venue.
Yes, and I have been very pleased with
the change. I’m using a 96-channel Profile
with no external hardware whatsoever for
the mixing — all plug-ins, which is a first
for me. It really is a great way to work. The
sound quality is amazing. We also have a
ProTools HD4 rig out for multitrack capture
of all shows, which we archive and send to
the vaults.
“I could not do this without
the help of the best sound
crew I have ever had the
pleasure of touring with.”
— John Cooper
Are monitors on Venue as well?
No. We have two monitor positions.
Troy Milner mixes stage right, and Monty
Carlo mixes stage left. They are using
Yamaha PM1Ds on this tour.
Did the experience of the Sessions tour
play into your approach here?
Really, not at all. They are worlds
apart as far as approach goes. Sessions is
all acoustic instruments, and The E Street
Band is a rock band in the fullest extent
of the term — “Balls to the Wall,” I’m on
Fire,” that sort of thing.
Stage volume can be a huge issue with
this band. How loud does it get, and
what have you done to deal with it?
With the Sessions band, you don’t
have the stage volume to contend with,
so you are mixing much more subtly than
with the dramatic approach required for
mixing E Street with its stage volume.
It’s quite a battle, and it’s really hard for
someone who has not heard it on that
stage to understand what you’re dealing
with up there. Bruce’s guitar is on STUN!!
It is a fierce thing to contend with. You
have to learn how to work with it, or it
will kill you.
What’s with the slippers?
I spend more time at FOH than I do at
home. Might as well be comfortable.
Tell us about the TelePrompTer setup
on the console. (Brilliant idea, BTW.)
Bruce has always been known for
calling “audibles.” There is a set list, but
there are lots of changes to the set list.
Last year on Sessions, it was really crazy,
so I thought that the next time out, I
would have our prompter operator Dan
Lee drop me a composite feed in monitor world; then, in turn, he would run it
out to FOH on a spare RG6 line. (The Profile uses two Quad RG6 runs for 96 channels and respective redundant backups.
I have a third Quad RG6 for Video Sync
and use a line in it to get out to FOH.)
We went out and got one of those seatback video screens that you put in a car,
and I have it mounted on the console so
I can follow the prompter and get a little
warning when Bruce calls an unexpected
tune mid set.
What else should we know about?
I need to mention the guys on the
sound crew, I’m very fortunate to have
the amazing opportunity to sit in the
hot seat and mix this great show. I could
not do this without the help of the best
sound crew I have ever had the pleasure
of touring with. These guys are amazing.
All are self-starters, and each is a very
good mixing engineer in his own right.
They make my job a lot easier by doing
the great work they do.
www.fohonline.com
2008 JANUARY
19
Installations
This One Is Just Right
UMass’s Lipke Auditorium Needed a System
That Was Not Too Small, But Not Too Big.
By DavidJohnFarinella
O
ver the past couple of years, the audio/visual team at the University of
Massachusetts in Boston has been
captaining updates of the school’s auditoriums. First came the ballroom in the school’s
Campus Center where a brand new $1 million
audio system was installed. Then, in 2007,the
Lipke Auditorium was finished; next will be
Snowden Auditorium.
The Campus Center Ballroom is one of
the school’s social hubs with small concerts,
dances and performing arts events being
held in the beautiful room. Lipke is one of
the school’s largest teaching auditoriums and
doubles as a 500-seat performance venue;
Snowden is a 200-seat venue that hosts a
number of musical events, including performances by the UMASS jazz band.
According to the school A/V Technical
Coordinator Jeffrey Wade, updating Lipke
was a priority because of the room’s use.
“Lipke was in dire need,” he reports. “The last
time that room was updated was 2001, and
20
JANUARY 2008
The Herbert Lipke Auditorium seats approximately 500 students and is used for lecture classes, movies and guest speakers.
it was very limited. The sound system that
was in there was just a pair of EAW JF80s
that covered the 500 seats. It was okay, but it
wasn’t sonically awesome.”
The work done in the Lipke was purely
an equipment purchase and install, Wade reports, and there was no acoustic treatment
work required. “The place was acoustically
treated way back,” he says. “They did something right, because there was hardly any slap
back or reverb in the space. The only thing we
had a problem with was HVAC, because it’s
the original system, and there’s no way we
can shut it down.”
The Install
INST
The $60,000 installation project that debuted in October 2007 was done with the
help of Simon Davis at HB Communications.
Early in 2007, Davis and Wade spent a couple
of months checking out systems from JBL
and EAW, the two companies that are typically tapped so that acoustic consistency is
maintained on campus.
After listening to systems
from both, Wade turned
his attention to Meyer
Sound. “We were looking
for something that would
do well on the budget,
and we didn’t want to put
a gigantic line array in the
space,” he explains.
The team from Meyer measured and shot
the room before telling Wade that the room
could be covered with
four UPJ-1Ps. The choice
was good, he reports,
because they wanted
something that was nonobtrusive and economically responsible. “We’re
a state school; we just don’t have a lot of
money,” he says. “It’s all public money. The
amount of money [we spent on] four Meyer
speakers would have been the same price
point if we went out and bought a set of
EAWs or JBLs and a power amplifier. Here, all
I had to do was run audio up to the speakers, provide an AC jack right behind the
speakers and, boom, we’re done. You can
run three of these speakers off one 20-amp
circuit. So, they are highly efficient.”
After installation, Wade fired the system
up and was impressed. “I got anywhere from
20K all the way down to 43 with just two
speakers on each side,” he says. “It just blew
me away. There was no need for a subwoofer, because we didn’t want to go that crazy,
but we have on the patch panel where if, in
the future, we needed to get more robust,
we can just buy a Meyer subwoofer and jack
it in. The beauty of it all is that we can grab
an output from their line driver, and we’re
ready to rock.”
Most of the events in the Lipke Auditorium are educational, including some of
the largest classes held on campus, as well
as a line of seminar events featuring wellknown public figures. When the room is set
up as a classroom, a media director lectern
is rolled onto the stage that includes a DVD/
VCR combo player, a Shure UHF wireless microphone and a jack for a laptop computer.
The audio is run through a Mackie Onyx
1640 board.
The change from the old system — a
podium with a wired microphone through a
Shure four-channel board to the JF80s — is
astonishing for professors and students alike.
“The sound was terrible,” Wade recalls. “Now
we have this natural-sounding system that offers enough reinforcement to cover the room.
It’s just amazing how good it sounds.”
While the room is used for educational
dates, there are the times when it’s pressed
into service for performances and community events. For instance, Wade says, a local
church group that comes complete with a full
band uses the room on a weekly basis. “We
are a public university, so anybody who signs
up for it can use that room,” he says.
The system at the front of house position is similar to the one in the media director lectern — a Mackie Onyx 1640, the DVD/
VCR combo and laptop jack. Any additional
microphone inputs are sent to the console
via a snake that is located at the front of the
stage. A pair of old JBL boxes are located
in the booth for monitoring purposes, although the position is open so the sound
can be heard directly in the room.
The Proof Is in the Playing
INST
The room’s first noneducational test came
a week after the installation was complete
when WUMB, the school’s NPR-affiliated nonprofit, folk-music-only format radio station
held a concert in Lipke. “They’ve done stuff in
the past in that space, but they were always
leery to do so because of the acoustics of the
space,” Wade says. “They just didn’t like it, or
the existing sound system just wasn’t up to
snuff, so they hated doing any of their musical performances in that space.”
To convince the radio station personnel
that things had changed, he brought them
into the room. Apparently, it was enough, so
when the station booked the local folk trio
Red Molly, the group played in Lipke. “There
were three musicians, all female, with one
playing fiddle, one guitar and one an upright
bass. They performed the old-fashioned way
— with one condenser mic in the center and,
as their part came up, they would move forward to sing or play. The place was packed
with 500 people, and the coverage was incredible. The music was so natural that if you
were in the back row, you could swear that
they were right there.”
Feature
By SteveLaCerra
LaCerra
A Trickle of Technology
What’s on the Bleeding Edge Today Could Be in Your Rack Next Year
Yamaha
PM1D
I
f you’ve ever had the chance to watch the
original Star Trek series (by original, I mean
the show ca. 1966 with Shatner, Nimoy et
al.), it’s astonishing to observe how many technological prophecies were written into those
scripts. Handheld communicators, miniature
cartridges containing computer data, keyboards
and touch screens for computer interfaces, talking computers that display photos and even a
cloaking device are all Star Trek fantasies that
have manifested in our world as common devices like cell phones, floppy disks (later, thumb
drives) and everyday computers. Now, if I could
only figure out teletransportation…. Keep in
money) to, like rent and health insurance. Call
me back when the price drops down to earth,
and when you’re done beta-testing it. Announcements of “high” technology give us a
glimpse of what we can expect in the not-toodistant future, whether they are as simple as a
programmable coffee makers or as complex as
a programmable mixing console.
Case
FOH
Case in
in Point
Point
Let’s take as an example the digital mixing
console. When Yamaha announced the 02R digital mixer, it was way out of my financial league,
and the base configuration didn’t include all the
I (and I’m sure some of you) can be guilty of
turning my attention thoroughly off when I
see some kind of new super-whiz-bang gadget
that some hot-shot tech company has just
invented and unleashed on the marketplace
— at a price somewhere near six months’ pay.
Yamaha
M7CL-48
22
www.
mind that these devices were dreamt up during
a time when a CPU with around 64 kilobytes of
memory employed vacuum tubes and took up
more space than your living room.
As the world of science fiction continues to
creep into our reality, the cost of such technological gadgets starts in the stratosphere and
inevitably trickles down to a point where the
working person can begin to think about incorporating them into his or her life. Once upon
a time in these pages, we talked about what’s
come to be known as Moore’s Law — the manner in which computer processing power doubles roughly every 18 months, while the cost of
this processing power remains relatively stable.
That concept is almost as true for audio professionals as it is for an office manager looking at
new desktop CPUs. I recall the first digital multitrack I ever laid eyes on: It was a 4-track 3M machine, way bigger and certainly more delicate
than any Studer analog multitrack. It probably
cost several hundred thousand dollars at the
time and was in constant need of attention. If
my memory serves correctly, there was a gauzelike cleaning mechanism that wiped dust off the
tape as it passed the heads to prevent errors. It
ran at 44.1 kHz/16-bit, and sounded pretty darn
good for early 1980s digital recording technology. Now, I can carry in my pocket a 16-bit/44.1
kHz digital recorder that has onboard DSP, records for four hours to solid-state media and
costs 500 bucks.
The reason I bring this is up is that I (and
I’m sure some of you) can be guilty of turning
my attention thoroughly off when I see some
kind of new super-whiz-bang gadget that some
hot-shot tech company has just invented and
unleashed on the marketplace — at a price
somewhere near six months’ pay. Yeah, I’d love
to have that right now, but unfortunately there
are other diversions I must pay attention (and
.com
TDIF expansion cards I’d need to run my studio.
More than once, I dreamt of Santa leaving that
desk under the tree. Eventually, I managed to
scrape together the cash to get an 02R into my
studio, and it changed my life.
First, it sounded good and was way quieter
than any analog mixer I’d used. Second, it was
rock solid: It never crashed, and the automation
performed exactly as it was supposed to (which
is more than I can say for some of the newer
digital recording desks I’ve recently worked).
Third — amazingly enough — it wasn’t difficult
to learn how to use. Sure, I had to consult the
manual every now and again, but it was in a
“how do I do XYZ” or “does this thing do ABC”
manner, not in a “how do I get audio out of this
@^#%&^!! thing” manner. Fourth, I could store
every console setting, including fader moves,
mutes, scene changes, effects, pan, EQ — and
truly recall them on another day, if a remix was
necessary. I always imagined how cool it’d be to
have an 02R on the road, and indeed some engineers with bigger budgets (and larger trucks)
took them out live.
Shortly thereafter, Yamaha rocked the
world with the PM1D. Here’s all the inputs you
need: comps and gates on every channel, comprehensive EQ and filters, onboard effects of an
SPX nature that we’re all familiar with, and you
don’t have to patch any of it because it’s all on
board. Thanks guys for taking my gear lust up
to another level. “Wonder if I can fit that in the
living room?”
The PM1D was expensive — way more
than an analog console with a similar number
of channels. But I just knew that Yamaha had
something else up their sleeve, and that was
the PM5D. Now we’re talking. Plenty of channels, expandable onboard effects, a plethora of
I/O options, a few less faders than a PM1D, yet
under $50,000. Sign me up.
Feature
And
FOH
And Others
Others Chime
Chime In
In
Not to be left standing at the alter,
DiGiCo introduced the D5 Live, upping
the ante with pressure-sensitive touch
screens; Studer developed the Vistonics panel, the first (and only) interface
to feature rotary encoders actually set
into the touch screen. Digidesign rolled
out the Venue and D-Show, and Midas
introduced the XL8.
While these guys were giving new
meaning to the term mortgage, cell
phones were getting smaller, and companies like Motorola and Analog Devices were developing their next generation of DSP chips.
How does that affect my life? Here
is one example: The Mackie tt24 provides a 24 x 12 x 3 analog I/O (plus
another 24 digital channels), the nowexpected EQ, dynamics and filters on
every channel, on-board effects, scene
store and recall, 24 digital I/O via LightPipe and optional expansion cards for
full DSP on the 24 digital channels. It
has a touch screen interface, and you
can get it for under $10,000. There it is
again, La Cerra’s Star Trek Trickle Down
Principle: Expensive technology eventually makes it way down to the working man.
Futurecast
FOH
Futurecast
What’s next? Well, if I knew exactly
where technology was going, then you
and I would be discussing this over martinis on the French Riviera. However, we
can get some hints from the latest developments in the world of live audio.
In addition to an affordable digital desk
with some pretty serious audio muscle,
Mackie has taken a big stab at a source
of aggravation for every live sound company: the snake.
Mackie’s DS3232 Digital Snake solves
a bunch of long-standing problems. Microphone preamps are located at the
stage where they belong and are remote-
ly controlled from the desk (keeping the
preamp close to the mic reduces possibility for RFI as well as degradation of the
mic signal). Signals are sent to and from
the stage using Cat5 (“Ethernet”) cable,
which is way lighter and cheaper than
copper multicore. A full DSP package
is included with the DS3232, providing
4-band EQ plus dynamics, pad, phantom
power and high-pass filter for all 32 input
channels. All of these parameters may be
stored and recalled from the desk.
The Roland Systems Group has
been busy with expansion of their VMixing System. At AES last fall, Roland
announced the M-400 Live Mixing Console which features 48 channels, 18
buses, 56-bit internal processing, EQ
and dynamics on every channel and a
USB interface for recording to a USB
drive or storing and recalling M-400
libraries. Also newly introduced to
the V-Mixing System is the S-1608
digital snake, little brother to Roland’s
S-4000 snake. As the name implies,
the S-1608 is a small format (16 in/8
out) digital snake containing highquality mic pres that are remote controlled from the mixing desk.
Roland’s REAC (Roland Ethernet
Audio Communication) is used to
transport audio that’s been converted
to digital data at 96 kHz/24-bit resolution, via Cat5e cable. The companion
S-0816 complements the S-1608 with
8 analog ins and 16 analog outs, expanding the capabilities of the system
to accommodate larger setups (try
that with copper multipair). There’s
even a dedicated splitter (S-4000 SP),
which enables extension and splitting
of the REAC data stream for simultaneous broadcast and recording purposes.
AES showcased additional small
format/big technology mixers such
as Studer’s Vista 5 compact digital
console with that same Vistonics interface as the big boys, as well as the
Allen & Heath iLive-80, which uses
similar technology at a way lower
price point.
The bottom line here is that you
can’t ignore high-end technology because it ultimately works its way into
your life somehow or another. Think
about that when you see the Dexter
from Jazz Mutant. It’s a control surface for DAW programs like Logic Pro,
Sonar and Cubase. It provides touch
screen faders instead of physical sliders.
Hmmmm…faders without any moving
parts…
Steve “Woody” La Cerra is the front-ofhouse engineer and tour manager for
Blue Öyster Cult. He can be reached via
email at [email protected]
Road Test
Allen & Heath iLive Digital Mixing System
Allen & Heath iLive Digital Mixing System
By NortJohnson
W
ith the rapid move toward digital
mixing in the live arena, it may
seem to some that Allen & Heath
is late to the party. But keep in mind that
this company put out its first digital mixer
almost a decade ago — a small-powered rig
called the ICON — that is still being used
for smaller applications today. The iLive is a
huge jump forward and moves A&H firmly
into the fray, giving them a fighting chance
in the digital mixing market.
The Gear
RT
A&H has developed a user-friendly architecture — the iDR10 stage rack system.
FOH setup is a breeze and took approximately 30 minutes. The control surface on
the console was amazing and quite easy
to figure out if you have any computer and
mixing experience at all.
Each of the 64 input channels has a
gate, parametric EQ, compressor, limiter
and delay. All your shows can be stored in
the console and saved to a USB key. The
engine room of the mix has all the power
and processing for 64 input channels and
32 mix outputs. You can patch dynamics,
third-octave graphic EQ and delays on each
of the 32 mixes and put together a virtual
rack of effects processors. Unlike some systems where you have a set number of, say,
EQs to spread throughout your outputs, all
processing is available all the time.
The “processing-strip” interface on these
systems has the feel of analog consoles,
which makes it easy for old salty analog
users like me. They have a one-knob-perfunction rotary control with switches and a
display that gives the engineer a quick look
over all the settings at a peek of the screen.
Everything can be displayed on the
touch screen. You can also add an external
touch screen via the VGA input for those
of us with big fingers! The touch screen is
no smaller than any other digital consoles.
With that said, the industry needs to get hip
to all of us mixing animals with one eye and
big paws. I would like a 32-inch please!
Channel processing is comfortable offline and online with the system manager
software, which can run on your laptop. This
is all transmitted via TCP/IP over Ethernet.
Both the surface and the iDR10 Mix-Rack
are equipped with hubs, making it easy to
use the network. You can access the chan26
JANUARY 2008
nel mix processing like EQ, delay, etc., to set
up the system from a laptop. The preamp
mic/line controls are like you would find on
any analogue console.
There’s a peak indicator, and all the
preamp parameters can be remotely controlled from the desk and stored in the
scene memories. If the channel is assigned
to a digital input, then the gain gives you
a +/-24 dB trim. This was the highlight of
the day for me. The preamp sounded clean
compared to other digital systems I've experienced.
We liked the control layout — it makes
the dynamics very easy to use. The signal
level is played behind the threshold setting,
and the gating point is easy to find. You can
listen to a side chain to check the key filter
frequency.
The four-band, fully parametric EQ with
HF and LF bands are all selectable for shelving
and bell response. The display quickly shows
you the overall picture — just glance at the
touchscreen and the values are displayed.
Delay is included on all input and mix
channels for time-alignment, and input delay gives you the ability to align the speakers. This enables you to pull out a key stage
source like a guitar rig, percussion, etc. This
works for better clarity in venue reinforcement. Parameters are also displayed for
time, distance and temperature compensation. The delay is accessed from the channel
thumbnail view of your screen.
You can have a compressor on every input channel and mix master that shows its
own set of controls. There’s a similar layout to
the gate, also a side chain filter and a signal
level display behind the threshold setting.
The third dynamic processor can provide
a limiter to each input channel and mix master.
The input limiter can be switched to become
a de-esser, giving the operator a compressor
and a de-esser on key vocal channels. Every
dynamics processor is instantly available.
Insert points can be assigned to any input or mix. There is an insert on indicator
and an IN switch to toggle the inserted processing either in or out.
You can press any SEL key to bring up
the page you want on the Touch-Screen.
Press and hold to PFL the signal at any point
in the signal chain or hold with the COPY,
PASTE or RESET the keys to edit if you like.
The system has a high pass filter that,
Jay Phebus at FOH
The “processing-strip” interface on
these systems has the feel of analog
c o n s o l e s , w h i c h m a ke s i t e a s y f o r o l d
s a l t y a n a l o g u s e r s l i ke m e .
when deployed, you just dial in the frequency from 20 to 400 Hz. This eliminates
unwanted low-frequency pops and noises…a nice touch.
Up to 32 equalizers are available, and
the 25 bands provide standard ISO frequencies. Settings can be adjusted via the screen
or moved to the faders for quicker response
and more precise control. When you ring out
the system, the fader view presents all bands,
the mix master and level control. Frequencies are displayed on the strip LCDs, which
automatically change in color to indicate the
EQ mode. An EQ fader’s “off key” will change
the faders back to normal mode.
The iLive has two FX engines. Internal
“short” stereo FX returns can be assigned to
channel strips on the desk surface without
using up input channels, giving you up to
68 sources feeding the mix. Up to four more
FX engines can be assembled from a DSP
processing option for a total of eight.
Up to eight user passwords are available
on the iLive for covert restricted access. This
enables system protection from critical configuration, communication and parameter
data being accidentally erased by users.
The Gig
RT
I met up with the crew mixing blues
boy Joe Bonamassa at the House of Blues in
Chicago. I have worked shows at this venue
since its inception in the mid-90s and have
known the current E.V. system since the install. I am very familiar with the house.
What a treat to go to this venue to see a
young rockin’ blues icon like Bonamassa to
check out the new Allen & Heath iLive System. I
expected a huge learning curve like all the other digital desks I have road tested. This was not
the case. I met Jay Phebus (tour manager/FOH)
at load in, and just a few short hours later, after
a great tutor by Phebus, I was confident in my
ability to work with this system. Phebus opened
up on the quick with an enthusiastic sermon.
“The nice thing about this desk is everything is here. All your processing becomes
immediately digitally accessible and extremely accurate and easy to work with,”
he says, as we look through his wares. “The
coolest thing about this console is that
your gate, compressor and your limiter all
have LEDs. As soon as you dial it and connect, you start getting gain reduction. It’s
the most accurate gate, compression and
limiter I have ever seen. Even beyond how
accurate it is, these desks sound amazing.”
Phebus tells me that in a festival situation, engineers for each act can be given
permission to store input channel names
and colors, along with all associated processing, and that includes sound-check or
on-the-fly prepping. This gives you total
recall for each engineer. This is done by using the Scene Manager software program
without changing the system fader-strips,
bus structure or graphic EQ settings.
There is a lot more to this system than
space allows. I guess Phebus put it best —
“How easy is this!”
What It Is: Digital Mixing System.
Who It’s For: Touring and regional soundcos, festivals and larger installs.
How Much?: MSRP, as reviewed, $49,999.
Pros: Very easy to use with a short learning curve. Excellent sound. Plenty of processing
horsepower.
Cons: Backlighting on touchscreens could be a little brighter, and a bigger screen would
be nice for those of us with big fingers.
www.fohonline.com
Road Test
By JamieRio
A
s long as I have been in the sound biz, I
have been looking for a better microphone. Not because I have been dissatisfied with the standard models most commonly
used, but because I started my career in music
as a singer. And, as a singer, I am acutely aware
how a mic can color one’s voice. Well, if a microphone can make a voice sound different, then
can’t it make an instrument sound different?
Of course, the answer is yes and, therefore, my
never-ending quest to find a better (or at least
different) microphone.
Now, if you will indulge me, I would like
to go back to the last winter NAMM show for
a moment. On Saturday, I found myself in the
FBT booth. For those of you who may not know,
FBT is an Italian company that manufactures a
large variety of speaker enclosures. While I was
checking out their booth, I ran across a JTS microphone display. I knew FBT did not manufacture these mics, but I thought maybe they had
JTS Microphones
To round out the instrument selection, FBT
sent the NX-9 microphone. This condenser mic
will work well for hi-hats, overheads, acoustic
guitar, etc. With a frequency response of 60 to
18,000 Hz, this 8.1-ounce unit sports a simple
cardioids pattern. Well, those are the models
folks, let’s see how they did.
RT
The
The Gigs
Gigs
I had an opportunity to test the JTS US1000D receiver and Mh-8990 handheld mic at
the annual Reno, Nev., marathon. The gentleman who started the race and called out the
finishers used the wireless microphone. He
was up and down the street and in and out of
the crowd, yet never dropped the signal. The
mic also has good tonality and a handsome
finish. My only criticism is that I was getting a
little more pop from my speaker than I wanted.
However, that could have been the fault of the
speaker himself.
NX-2
I used the NX-8.8 on one of the background vocalist
with good results. But I would suggest you know your
singer before you pull this one out.
acquired the company. Tom Concorde, the FBT
USA vice president, informed me that FBT had
recently become the exclusive U.S. distributor
for JTS microphones. I told Tom I would like to
field-test a few models, and that is how they
ended up here in this FOH review.
RT
The
The Gear
Gear
I know specs can be boring, but it is important to know your tools.
FBT sent me an NX-8 moving coil dynamic
mic for vocals. This microphone weighs in at
8.6 ounces, it has a frequency response of 50 to
16,500 Hz and receives its sound in a cardioid
pattern rotationally symmetrical about the mic
axis. This is a handsome piece of gear (for that
matter all the mics have a good look) dressed in
JTS blue paint and sporting a steel mesh ball. I
also got the NX-8.8 vocal/instrument condenser
microphone. This model weighs in at 10.2 ounces, it has a frequency response of 60 to 18,000
Hz, comes in a supercardioid pattern and, like all
JTS mics, wears a coat of blue paint.
For my wireless needs, I was sent the US1000D receiver and Mh-8990 handheld microphone. The receiver has almost 1,000 UHF channels, four preset groups of 16 channels each,
true diversity technology, anti-interference design to work with every computer device, balanced XLR and unbalanced outputs — all in a
half-rack metal housing.
Of course, FBT had to send me a selection of
instrument mics. The NX-2 is a moving coil dynamic mic listening in a supercardioid pattern
and designed for kick drum or bass. The unit
weighs a hefty 28.75 ounces, has a frequency
response of 20 to 12,000 Hz and incorporates
an adjustable locking mount that screws on
your mic stand.
The NX-6 is also a supercardioid patterned
dynamic mic. Smaller and lighter at 21.5 ounces
with a frequency response of 60 to 16,000 Hz,
this microphone is designed for drums, percussion, guitars, etc. — It’s pretty much a multipurpose microphone.
I set up sound for the annual spaghetti
dinner the evening before the race. The entertainment was a two-piece techno band, but
it did need me to mic an acoustic guitar for a
couple of songs. I used the NX-9 condenser
mic. This microphone has a lot of sparkle and
air without sounding too brittle. I really liked it
on the acoustic guitar, but I have also enjoyed
the sound of it for overheads, congas, timbales
and bongos.
My next outing with the JTS mics was a local gig with a blues band. At this show, I used
every microphone that FBT sent. On the kick
drum, I selected the NX-2 bass instrument
mic. This is a rock solid microphone with good
isolation from other stage sounds and can accurately translate the low-end punch of a kick
drum.
On the snare, I used the NX-6 dynamic
mic, and I think this is my overall JTS favorite.
It sounds great on a snare, but also excellent
on a guitar or any percussion, trumpet or sax.
It is small and easy to place with its own built in
clip. It’s just an all around great tool.
Of course, I used a pair of NX-9s for my
overheads, and they did what they are supposed to. For my lead vocalist, I pulled out the
NX-8 dynamic mic. This microphone sounds
great for the standard vocalist with a deep
proximity effect and good off-axis rejection.
As a singer who listens to a lot of vocals, I
would say this mic sounds a good as any of my
regular dynamic vocal mics, and it’s sweet on
a trombone.
I used the NX-8.8 on one of the background
vocalist with good results. But I would suggest
you know your singer before you pull this one
out. This mic would probably make Axel Rose
sound pretty bad, whereas it could make Frank
Sinatra (if he were alive) sound great.
I think that about covers the JTS mics that
FBT sent me. All in all, these are pro sounding, handsome microphones at a competitive
price. As far as their durability, give me a year
or two, and I’ll get back to ya.
NX-9
NX-6
NX-8
JTS NX Series Microphones
JTS
www.jts.com.tw/
Distributed in the U.S. by FBT
www.fohonline.com
2008 JANUARY
27
Production Profile
A Thundering Rainbow?
Rainbow Production Services and Thunder Audio Team
Up for Dane Cook’s Rough Around the Edges Tour
By BillEvans
W
hen I got the call asking me to
go out and cover a tour by a
comedian named Dane Cook, I
had two reactions. The first was, “Who the
hell is Dane Cook.” And the second was, “It’s
one guy and a mic. How hard can it be?” I
was in for an education on both counts.
It’s All About the Coverage
PP
I arrived onsite and hooked up with FOH
Engineer Bruce Andrews just as they were
getting ready to make noise. The show is
in-the-round, and they are playing — and
selling out — 14,000–15,000-seat arenas.
Andrews, who spends much of his time running monitors for prog-rockers Queensryche, says that even with just one mic, this
show is a lot harder.
“Arena’s are not built for music,” he
says. “They are built for sports, and getting even a rock band to sound good can
be a challenge. When you are looking
at a comedian where every word has to
be clear in every seat, it is much harder.
Queensryche is easy compared to this. In
a rock show, if a part of a lyric is a little
indistinct or smeared, it is not a huge
big deal. Here, if you miss one word, that
could mean missing the punch line, and
the joke falls flat for part of the audience.
That is just not acceptable.”
So, how do you guarantee even coverage for 15,000 of your closest friends in
rooms with reverb times meant to amp up
a sports crowd, not make a single voice totally clear and distinct? With a system big
enough for most rock concerts, that’s how.
Solid Sound, Nutty Show —
Let’s Do This
PP
Michael Martell is the president of
New Hampshire-based Rainbow Production Services and also acted as the production director and designer for the tour. “It
was decided early that we would need to
build a system that answered to the uneven
shape of an arena, working in-the-round,”
he explains. “That being the case, I thought
of the system as needing to accommodate
multiple zones in the near, moderate and
far fields of the room.
My audio designers and I really wanted
to create as many zones as reasonably possible, given the time constraints of a daily
two-system tour. We decided to use two
columns of 16 Meyer Mica to cover the extreme depth on the short ends of the room
and four columns of 12 Meyer Milo with
two Meyer Milo 120s at the base of each to
cover the corners of the room.
A series of Meyer UPJs around the lip of
the stage helped to fill in the gap between
the bottom of the array coverage and the
money seats close to the stage. We used six
Meyer MJF-212A monitors to cover Dane
on stage. The system really worked well
with some of the newer arenas that just
seem to climb forever along the center line
of the arena floor. The Micas covered that
area very well, while the Milos gave us the
push we needed to get to the back corners
of the room; the Milo 120s covered the floor
very well.”
OK, let’s take a step back. Did he say two
systems? He did. This was a whirlwind tour,
covering some 25 cities (almost all singlenight stands) in the space of about six weeks.
Given the size and complexity of the system,
they needed two rigs so one could be in transit to the next city while the other was in actual use. Enter Detroit’s Thunder Audio.
The Logistics of Leapfrogging
Thunder knows a bit about leapfrogging
two systems, having done it on numerous
Metallica tours over the years. Thunder V.P.
Paul Owen is adamant that this kind of “two
companies, two systems, one tour” situation
was made a lot easier by the choice of gear.
“We have done duplicate stadium systems all over the world, and the most consistent results have been with the Meyer
rigs. The great thing is that no matter where
you get the box, you know that any two
will sound exactly the same. Spoken word
is always the hardest kind of performance
because it has to sound exactly the same
in every seat. When Rainbow called and
asked if we could provide a duplicate system, we were confident that we could do it
and make it sound the same, regardless of
which rig was in which venue.”
Event: Dane Cook Rough Around the Edges Tour 2007
Dates: November & December 2007
Venue: 25-city North American tour
Crew:
Production Director: C. Michael Martell
Production Tour Manager: Stephen Shaw
Production Manager: Scott Tkachuk
Audio Designer: Ian Silvia
Lead Rigger: Patrick Ryan
FOH Audio Engineer: Bruce Andrews
Lighting Designer: Brian Clarke
Audio System Technicians: Scott Canady, Roz Jones, Eric Roupe
Lighting System Technician: Chad Hallman, Rich Jorn, Stephen
Pitzer, Bill Whitney
28
JANUARY 2008
PP
FOH Engineer Bruce Andrews
Of course, working with two sound
companies is about a lot more than just
gear. There has to be a level of trust and respect and a willingness to work as a team.
“You have to do what is right for the artist,”
says Owen. “As long as you keep that at the
forefront, and everyone plays fair in the
sandbox… I mean, there’s a lot of money
being spread around, and as long as everyone plays nice and the pot is split fairly,
there are no problems.
“This is a great, amicable working situation,
and the relationship between the two companies is good. Who knows, you may see the two
of us leapfrogging systems this summer.”
The routing for the tour was largely
completed before it was ever contracted. It
was clear that most of the dates were decided based on flights using a private jet for
Dane. The original concept for the tour was
to hire a different vendor in each city; Rainbow was asked to coordinate production
needs for the entire tour and cover all the
production for the Northeast dates from
its warehouse in New England. “We knew
right away that it had to be one system that
could conform to the differing seatscape of
all 25 arenas for the production to allow the
artist to do his thing,” says Martell.
After quickly assessing the routing and
determining that they could safely cover 16
of the 25 dates, Martell started calling other
Meyer production houses to cover the remaining nine. “Paul Owen from Thunder
was one of the first to get back to me,” he
says. “I had initially contacted Paul to cover
the first date in Toronto and a later date in
Detroit from Thunder’s location in Michigan. Paul was an amazing help in that he
was able to not only cover those dates and
several others, but he was able to pull together a system that mirrored ours exactly
— right down to the last speaker box. After getting through the first few dates, Paul
and I had a quick discussion, and he agreed
to help us out on the western portion of
the run. When all was said and done, Thunder was able to cover us on eight of the
remaining nine tour dates with some fairly
extreme routing. This was a huge logistical
relief in that I didn’t have to work out multiple contracts for services and work with a
new crew every day.”
“It’s All About the Artist”
PP
Owen maintains this as the mantra for
any successful tour, and it is a concept that
Rainbow also reflects. “The biggest mistake
would have been to allow the gear to place a
single demand on Dane and control how he
performs,” says Owen. “The production package had to disappear as soon as Dane entered
the arena floor each night, and I’m happy to
say that it did just that,” agrees Martell.
Thunder Audio Crew: David Bernas, George Chapman, Steven Dumas, Keith Jex
Crew Bus Driver: Carl Wall
Truck Drivers: Richard Baker, Paul Black, Russell Boyd, Terry Martin,
Audio Gear - Two Complete Systems:
Main Hangs: (48) Meyer Milo & (8) Meyer Milo 120 High-Power curvilinear array Loudspeaker over (4) hangs
Short-field Hangs: (32) Meyer Mica Compact High-Power Curvilinear Array Loudspeaker over (2) hangs
Subs: (4) Meyer 700HP Ultrahigh-Power Subwoofers
Stage Monitors: (6) Meyer MJF-212A High-Power Stage Monitors
Signal Processing: (2) Meyer Galileo Loudspeaker Management
System with (1) Meyer SIM3 Audio Analyzer
Control: (1) Yamaha PM5D-RH Console
www.fohonline.com
Dane Cook’s Rough Around the Edges tour at Wachovia
Spectrum in Philadelphia.
“It was imperative that Dane not be
able to tell that we were using two complete systems from start to finish.” continues Martell. “One guy standing alone with
a microphone in front of 18,000 people
every night is tough enough without having to worry about each system performing differently each night. It was clear
from day one that Dane was well aware of
what he was working with. He could hear
the subtle differences in each room even
with completely identical rigs.”
Andrews echoes that thought: “When
he comes out for sound check, if there
is anything just slightly off, he knows it
right away. He tends to work the mic a
lot, getting right on top of it and cupping it like a rapper for effect at certain
points in the show. We have been able
to make sure that the sound — even the
extremes — are the same from night to
night.”
A sense of continuity among the
crew was also important. “Dane had to
be able to roll in each and every day
and see the same faces at front of house
and throughout the rest of the production management, regardless of which
rig was in the air.” In other words, no
one had to think twice if they needed
a question answered about production.
They knew who to ask to get the answers right away.
“Managing a tour that required the
spontaneity of working with a physical
comedian like Dane, with a system that
had to be tuned to make every seat in
constantly changing 18,000 seat arenas sound perfect — on a tour that had
some of the most extreme routing in my
25 year of touring — was a trying experience,” says Martell. “But it was a great
deal of fun, and I look forward to doing
it again.”
Dane Cook’s Rough Around the Edges tour at Wachovia Spectrum in Philadelphia.
Business
Owners and
Managers:
Make sure your staff
is up-to-date on the
industry by having
them read Front Of
House every month.
Send your company
an e-mail with our URL
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subscribe/
and encourage them
to get their own
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www.fohonline.com
2008 JANUARY
29
Product Gallery
i
Speakers-on-a-St ck
T
his class of portable P.A. gear has
gone through some weird twists
over the past decade. Not so long
ago, the kind of portable powered systems that sit on tripod speaker stands
were the norm for smaller gigs, but
as technology rocketed forward, the
humble speaker-on-a-stick became an
“anklebiter only” tool and was widely
dismissed by most in the middle-levelsand-up of the pro audio industry.
But lately, things are changing
again, and what had become the exclusive domain of Mackie and Peavey and
other working guys’ companies is being
embraced by the likes of L-ACOUSTICS
and d&b, who are putting out high-end
versions of these boxes. In addition,
JBL’s VXP series of line-array-on-a-stick
products has completely turned this
niche on its head.
The products on the following
chart run the gamut from lean-andmean working machines to audiophileapproved tools, and the prices reflect
that range of style and pedigree. As
always, look at the specs, make a decision based on your needs and your
business, and let your ears be the final
judge.
KS Audio Spirit self-powered subs/self-powered tops
Grund Audio Design GP-310A, GP-313A, GP-315A
STAGING • LIGHTING • SOUND
Order online TODAY at
www.plsnbookshelf.com
A practical
guide to
understanding
PA systems,
applications
and operation,
from Yamaha
Corporation of
America. Exploring Sound
Reinforcement is a major work
produced by Keyfax NewMedia in
conjunction with Yamaha Corporation of America that looks at all
aspects of buying, assembling, and
operating sound reinforcement
systems.
Now fully
updated to
reflect the latest
advances, the
second edition of
Basics of Video
Sound is a primer
for anyone
wishing to learn
about recording
sound. It
describes the principles and processes
involved in obtaining professional results
in educational, training and corporate
environments.
Your #1 Source for continuing education.
Exploring
Sound
Reinforcement
Order online at
www.plsnbookshelf.com
KV2 Audio
kv2audio.com
KS Audio USA Corp
ksaudiousa.com
JBL Professional
jblpro.com
Grund Audio Design
grundorf.com
EAW
eaw.com
Community
Professional
communitypro.com
Cerwin Vega
cerwin-vega.com
Carvin
carvin.com
Behringer USA Inc.
behringer.com
Bag End
bagend.com
Company
Finished wood cabinets
High-impact injection molded polymer
TA6000-R
EUROLIVE
B412DSP
Baltic Birch construction with polymer
coating.
Baltic Birch
EX12
112P
18 mm multi-layer
Birch plywood
78.2 lbs.
3” nitride titanium diaphragm compression driver with geometry phase plug
and neodymium magnetic structure; 12”
woofer with Active Impedance Control
(AIC) voice coil technology and neodymium magnetic motor structure.
Coaxial 12” LF, 1.4” HF
63.8 lbs.
1 x sub; 2 x 10 plus 2 tops each 1 x 8 + 1
Sub 110 lbs.
Top 25 lbs.
52 lbs.
Sub 72 lbs. Top
36 lbs.
SAT
Spirit selfpowered sub/ selfpowered tops
1 x sub 18” plus 2 x tops each 10 + 1
18 mm multi-layer
Birch plywood
11-ply Birch plywood
VRX918SP
11-ply Birch plywood
Neodymium magnet differential drive
woofer
VRX932LAP
85 lbs.
12” LF woofer; 1” compression driver; HF
Injected molded plastic cabinet; toroidal transformer; internal cooling fan
GP-312A
Neodymium magnet differential drive
woofer
68 lbs.
12” LF woofer; 1” compression driver; HF
Injected molded plastic cabinet; toroidal transformer; internal cooling fan
GP-310A
40 lbs.
65 lbs.
1 x 1.4” exit (3-inch voice coil) HF driver
1 x 15” LF woofer (sealed)
Baltic birch.
NT56
58 lbs.
1 x 1.4” exit HF driver; 1 x 12” LF woofer
(vented)
Baltic birch.
JFX260i
58 lbs.
LF: 15” carbon ring cone, cast frame
MF: 6.5” with Ferrofluid
HF: 1” Community UC1
Birch plywood
SONUS 3594
48 lbs.
36 lbs.
Birch plywood
SONUS 1296
HF Driver: CD34B, voice coil 34 mm
MF Driver: FR8C, 8” voice coil 2”
LF Driver: FR8B, 8” voice coil 2”
58 lbs.
unknown
LF - 15” Neodymium w/ 3”VC driver
HF- 1” exit Neodymium compression
driver
LF - 15”
MF- 6”
HF- 1”exit compression driver
74 lbs.
65 lbs.
27 lbs.
40 lbs.
Weight
15”-long excursion driver
12”-long excursion driver
2-6.5” woofers and 1–1” high frequency
1-12” woofer and 1-1” high frequency
Drivers
LF: 12” carbon ring cone, cast frame
HF: 1” Community UC1
Multi-ply hardwood
Baltic birch
Abs injection-molded enclosures
CVA-28
LS1503
LM15
High-impact injection molded polymer
Finished wood cabinets
PTA1200-R
EUROLIVE
B415DSP
Cabinet
Model
Product Gallery
1,000 W
450 W current enhancing, switching lowfrequency amplifier; 50 W, low IM distortion;
Class AB, high-frequency amplifier with
transformer balanced output.
Sub 800 w/each top 800
Sub 1600 w/tops 400
127
127 dB sustained
output, 130 dB
peak
126 db
129 db
136 dB SPL at 1m
126 dB SPL peak
DPC-2 internalamplification output
(at nominal load: 1,500 W peak, 750 W
continuous; DPC-2 output as (continuous IEC-shaped pink noise into rated load
impedance).
DPC-2 internal amplification output
(at nominal load): 1,750 W peak, 875 W
continuous; DPC-2 output as (continuous IEC-shaped pink noise into rated load
impedance).
-
-
127 dB longterm, 133 dB peak
130 dB peak, 124
dB longterm
123 dB cont./130
dB peak
122 dB cont./129
dB peak
128 dB at 800 W
101 dB SPL,
1W/1M (130 dB
max)
99 dB SPL, 1 W @
1 meter
128 dB @ 1m
127 dB @ 1m
120
127
SPL
450 RMS/900 program
300 W RMS/600 program
self-powered — 1,000 W LF, 500 W HF (both
4 Ohm)
500 W LF; 200 W HF; 500 W full-range
LF: 200 W RMS/MF: 100 W RMS / HF 50 W
RMS
LF: 200 W RMS/HF: 50 W RMS
400 W/continuous & 800 W peak
400 W/continuous, 800 W peak)
475 W/continuous, 950 W peak
460 W/140 W
460 W/140 W
Full-range 300 w program
Full-range 500 w program
Power
YES
NO
XLR
Balanced XLR input with
XLR through output
XLR
XLR inputs, Speakon from
sub to tops
No, but full speaker system,
management processing, analog controller, built-in sub and
tops incl. EQ, limiter, crossover,
time alignment.
No, but full speaker system,
management processing, analog controller, built-in sub and
tops incl. EQ, limiter, crossover,
time alignment.
Audio input connector,
XLR with loop through
Audio input connector,
XLR with loop through
XLR In/Out
XLR In/Out
Neutrik PowerCon, XLR,
loop-thru
2x Neutrik NL4 Speakon
Nominal 8 Ohm
Nominal 8 Ohm
XLR/F Balanced 1/4” TRS &
XLR/M 1/4” TRS
Speakon and 1/4” connectors
Neutrik combination XLR
1/4” combo jacks.
$3,875.00
$2,700.00
$6,900.00
$12,000.00
$3,199.00
$2,249.00
$729.00
$629.00
$5,325.00
$1,830.00
$799.00
$599.00
$999.00
$399.99
Direct
$269.99
Direct
$739.99
$589.99
Mic/line XLR balanced
input/XLR balanced line
output
Mic/line XLR balanced
input/XLR balanced line
output
$750.00
$1,540.00
Price (List)
Speakon NL4
XLR In/Out
I/O
DSP-based resident input
module
DSP-based resident input
module
NO
NO
gunness focusing & digital
limiting
NO
NO
NO
YES
NO
NO
YES; 24-bit
YES; 24-bit
NO
NO
DSP
50.7 lbs.
47 lbs.
Bi-amplified 2-way system, featuring 400
watts maximum burst power that drives
the 112” cone woofer and 1.75” V.C. compression driver
12” neodymium LF/1” HF
2008
QSC Audio Products
qscaudio.com
HPR122i
Unity U15P
Painted Birch plywood
11-ply Birch ply trapezoidal arrayable
box
Molded composite cabinet
NX55P
Yorkville Sound, Inc.
yorkville.com
High-impact plastic
MSR400
Yamaha
yamahaca.com
12” Cone transducer LF driver, 3” voice coil;
1.4” diaphragm compression HF driver
15” neodymium vented LF/3 x 5” MF/1.75”
HF mounted on conical Unity horn
50.6 lbs.
12” LF driver and a 1.4” HF compression
Birch plywood cabinet, finished in
black textured paint with perforated
metal grille backed with reticulated
foam.
www.
60 lbs.
110 lbs.
33 lbs.
Passive coaxial speaker system with an 8”
LF woofer and 1” exit compression diver
3/4” 13-ply baltic birch with Radian’s
scratch-resitant,waterproof Duradian
finish
NuQ-12DP
RPX-108P-V
RPH-1594
78 lbs.
Molded enclosure
PR 15P
2” compression driver; and is available in
60 x 40 and 90 x 40 horns; can be passive
or bi-amp; woofer section features a wool/
carbon composite cone with a 4” voice coil.
34.5 lbs.
RX14 a.4” titanium compression driver;
12” woofer w/ 2.375” VC and neodymium
magnet
13-ply Baltic Birch plywood
42 lbs.
LF: 1 x 12” veined high-pass box HF: 1
x 1.41” throat (3” titanium diaphragm);
horn-loaded dispersion (87 x 67 from 500
to 10,000 Hz)
41 lbs.
PR 12P
54 lbs.
70 lbs.
12” LF, 1” compression driver
15” LF
6.5” horn-loaded MF
1” compression driver
40 lbs.
26 lbs.
High-output precision titanium compression driver; neodymium transducer.
High-output precision titanium compression driver; neodymium transducer.
31.5 lbs.
78.2 lbs.
Coaxial 8” LF, 1” HF
Coaxial 12” LF, 1.4” HF
woofer with Active Impedance Control
(AIC) voice coil technology and neodymium magnetic motor structure.
RX14 1.4” titanium compression driver;
15” speaker w/2.375” VC and neodymium
magnet
Molded enclosure
DVS 12
Plywood trapezoidal cabinet
Birch plywood with water-resistant phenolic glue; waterproof scratch-resistant
black paint finish;
WT2
Plywood trapezoidal cabinet.
WT3
Molded cabinets
SRM350v2
Molded cabinets
Baltic Birch
108P
SRM450v2
Baltic Birch
112P
coating.
Turbosound
turbosound.com
Radian Audio
radianaudio.com
Peavey
peavey.com
Outline North
America
outline.it
Martin Audio
martin-audio.com
Mackie
mackie.com
L-ACOUSTICS
l-acoustics.com
kv2audio.com
.com
LF powered by 400 W class H; HF powered
by 100 W class AB+B amplifier.
600 W LF/150 W MF/150 HF
450 W LF/100 W HF
100 HF - 300LF
Class-D, 800 W LF, 800 W HF, 100 v-230 v
auto-sensing PSU.
200 W RMS/400 W program
1,200 W program/2,400 peak
LF: 200 W peak dynamic power; HF: 70 W
peak dynamic power.
LF: 200 W peak dynamic power; HF: 70 W
peak dynamic power.
400 cont. 1,600 peak
Lf 400 W and 1,200 W peak, HF 60 W, 240
W peak.
Switchable 2-way or 3-way active
300 W class-D, fast recovery LF amp/30 W
HF amp.
165 W class-D, fast recovery LF amp/30 W
HF amp.
500 W/250 W
1,000 W
Class AB, high-frequency amplifier with
transformer balanced output.
131 dB peak
127 dB
125 dB
121 dB (1m)
127dB continuous, 133dB peak
119 db continuous, 125 db peak
129 db -135 db
120 dB
120 dB
129
129dB peak
133 dB
127 dB peak @
1m
121 dB peak @
1 m.
123 dB
127
peak
NO
1/1
2 each 1/4” TRS and XLR
2 each 1/4” TRS and XLR,
also 2 1/4” line and XLR
mic input
Analog processing includes
60Hz or 100Hz rolloff, 2 band
EQ and 2 channel mixer
DSP includes 3-way crossover,
time alignment (including 0-10
ms subwoofer alignment delays), component protection,
limiting and EQ
XLR-3-31, XLR-3-32,
phone (all balanced)
XLR-M (input), XLR-F (loop
through)
Speakon NL-4
NL-4 connectors
$799.00
$1,899.00
$999.00
$699.00
$4,036.58
$775.00
$2,199.00
$499.99
$449.99
Combo XLR-1/4” input,
mic or line level; two 1/4”
line level inpus with concentric level controls
Combo XLR-1/4”, mic or
line level; two 1/4” line level
inputs w/concentric level
controls
$1,638.00
$2,399.00
$3,109.00
$899.99
$699.99
$3,295.00
$3,875.00
2
N/A
N/A
Mic/line input and passthru connector
Mic/line input and passthru connector
XLR
XLR
NO
Yes, 96kHz user-adjustable
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
N/A
N/A
NO
NO
YES
YES
XLR through output
Vital Stats
Lab.gruppen/TC Group’s
Tim Chapman
By KevinM.Mitchell
BUSINESS
Who: Tim Chapman, head
of marketing, Lab.gruppen
Where: Kungsbacka, Sweden
(just south of Gothenburg).
New Lab.gruppens at Norwest Productions
When founded: Lab.gruppen was
founded in 1979; since 2002, it has been
part of the TC Group.
What: Creating sound reinforcement
products for the professional audio industry — designs and manufacturers
power applications and powered loudspeaker management systems.
How many: 130 personnel.
Number of products in catalog: 25 plus.
Pride of Sweden: “We are extremely
proud to design and manufacture in our
home country, which goes against current trends.”
People might be surprised to
know: “Swedes are k nown for their
innovations. Swedish inventions include: the per fec ted design of the
zipper (Gideon Sundbäck); the re frigerator (Carl Munters and Baltzar
von Platen); the computer mouse
(Håk an Lans); and the pacemaker
(Rune Elmqvist).”
“I’ve had at least 500 pets — or at least it
seems that way. I’ve had ducks in a flat in Brighton with parrots and a mynah bird…chows that
loved ravaging skunks, and suicidal guinea pigs…”
Current big clients using products
include: Schubert Systems, DB Sound,
PRG, Scorpio Sound (U.S.); Sound Explosion (Canada); Brantley, ML Executives,
Concert Sounds (U.K.); and others in
Demark, Japan, Brazil, Australia, Greece
and Quatar, among others.
Previous lives: Before working for
Lab.gruppen, Chapman worked with
Meyer Sound, Crest Audio and First
Audio distribution, among others. Before that, he was a music promoter, recording engineer, hotel and restaurant
owner, travel agent and even a used
car salesman.
Recent projects of note: MGM Grand
Hotel and Casino, Detroit; Centro Cultural Miguel Delibes, Spain; Galea, Greece.
Best part about my job is... “The people I get to meet and know and occasionally befriend in this industry.”
Recent company highlight: “ The new
PLM Series of Powered Loudspeaker
Management systems were introduced
late last year. This is the first fruit of
the collaboration between Dolby Lake
and Lab.gruppen. The product integrates two channels of Dolby Lake
processing technology with the power
amplification derived from Lab.gruppen’s FP+ Series.”
That’s a rhetorical question, right?
“I moved from Northern California to Turkey to the U.K. and ended
up working for a company in Sweden owned by Danes. I went from a
near-perfect climate to a hotter one
to an often cold and gray place and
work for a company based in an often
much colder and grayer place. What
am I, mad?”
34
2008
www.
Lab.gruppen factory
PERSONAL
Family life: Gediz
(spouse), Merlin (son)
and Begum (daughter).
Animal
rights
and
wrongs: “I’ve had at
least 500 pets — or at
least it seems that way.
I’ve had ducks in a flat
in Brighton with parrots and a mynah bird…
chows that loved ravaging skunks, and suicidal
guinea pigs. I mustn’t
forget the cat that gave
birth on my leg under
the bed covers…today
it’s simply an affectionate moggy [a cat of unspecified origin] called
Posh Paws that walked
into my life recently off
the hillside.”
Tim Chapman
If and when I get on vacation, you’ll
find me... “Right where I am now —
in my house in Turkey. Or in the U.S.,
visiting my son and daughter in New
York City and with other friends in the
States.”
The best concert I probably ever saw
was... “Lou Reed, Montreux Jazz Festival. It was unbelievably fab all around.”
.com
If I could have lunch with any person
living or dead, it would be... “Alice Waters. Okay, so I’m a terrible foodie. But for
years and years, I wanted to eat at Chez
Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., and, courtesy
of Meyer, I got to be in that area.”
If I could tell my younger self one
thing it would be... “Don’t think for
one minute that things will get any less
weird, whacky, adventurous, odd, exciting or uncontrollable as you get older.”
Welcome To My Nightmare
The Golden Trumpet
band music with the monogrammed music
stands and everything. As I was doing my final onstage checks, I began to ask the band
members if they were all set, etc. My back was
to the house, and Cecil had set up his trumpet
behind me on one of those tiny little trumpet stands on the floor. This is where I should
mention that the trumpet was actually made
of gold, or gold plated, and did not look like
a normal trumpet — it was REAL GOLD and
VERY special to him.
So here I go, walking backward, talking to
the orchestra when, CRUNCH! I stepped right
on this thing and just about bent it in half.
Maybe it was my weakened state, but I think,
mixed in with the gasps of the orchestra, I
heard both Mr. Welch and the trumpet let out
a small scream at this moment. The look on
the faces of the orchestra members told it all.
After what seemed like a year, I turned
around to face Mr. Welch, who had the same
look on his face that you might expect of a
person who had just watched his dog being
run over. I started apologizing immediately,
but I could tell that this was only making it
worse. It all goes blurry after that. We did a
very tense sound check, and the shows went
on with a different trumpet. I remember seeing Cecil, soaking the Golden Trumpet in ice
water in an effort to remove the mouthpiece,
which was pushed far into the instrument
and bent. When I saw him later in a stairwell,
neither one of us would look the other in the
eye. He left the ship after two days, and I never saw him again. The guys in the band never
let me forget it, though.
I would like to take this opportunity to
apologize once again to Mr. Welch, if he sees
this, and to let him know that it was a huge
nightmare for me too — the largest of my
career. I think about it all the time. I visited
cecilwelch.com before writing this, but I
can’t tell if the trumpet was repaired or is
still in service. Needless to say, I feel sick
about this, and I think if I were to ever
have the opportunity to run sound for
Mr. Welch again, I would most likely
grow a beard and tell him that my
name is Sven or something
and hope he doesn’t
recognize me.
Bobby Beck
Barter Theatre
Abingdon, VA
Image by Tony Gleeson
I
n 1997, I was employed as chief sound engineer aboard the world-famous RMS Queen
Elizabeth 2 ocean liner. I was having a great
run, and things were going smoothly. Then,
as we came through the Panama Canal and
stopped in Acapulco, I contracted conjunctivitis, commonly known as pink eye, in both eyes.
I think I stayed in my cabin for one whole
day, but by the second day, I had to return to
my duties. I still was not feeling well, and my
eyes looked like they were bleeding, but worldfamous trumpeter Cecil Welch (from the Henry
Mancini Orchestra) was coming on board to
play a few nights with the house big band. I was
very excited, as I still love mixing big bands, and
we all knew that Cecil was going to bring down
the house (or ship in this case.)
Well, I let both of my helpers leave the
ship to load up a small boat with gear for another artist coming onboard and left myself
to set up the big band alone. Things were going really well — I met Cecil, set up his two
microphones quickly and started setting up
microphones and monitors for the band. But,
I did not mention to anyone that I was ill, because I would be quarantined to my room
and not allowed to work. This would have
meant no sound for the show. But I also offered no explanation for why my eyes were
so red (I mean really, really red!)
Having just left Acapulco, I can only guess
what these people were thinking at the time.
Anyway, I set up the entire band upstage of
Cecil, who was to have the entire stage area
to play on. The band was positioned upstage
on a bandstand, just like the old days of big
www.tonygleeson.com
In The Trenches
Calvin L. Williams
Dave Morrison
Quote: “No worries.”
Owner
Audio Visual One Presentations
Michigan Center, MI
517.748.9300
www.av1presentations.com
[email protected]
Services Provided: A/V, sound, staging,
lighting, communications and security.
w
Clients: University of Michigan Hospital,
Foote Hospital, Consumers Energy,
Lifeways, Inc., Sparton Corp, ESPN, ABC
Sports, NASCAR, Jazzin’ on Jefferson street
festival, Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, Southfield Chaldean Festival.
Quote: "Whatever it takes: We pride ourselves in going above and beyond what
our customers need or require to make our
event first rate.”
Personal Info: I have been mixing sound
for over 30 years. My first professional job
was mixing Dave Brubeck. Since that time,
I have worked with artists from every genre
of music from Ray Charles to Alice Cooper
 over 750 national acts.
Hobbies: NASCAR
Equipment: ISP HDL-4215 line array,
Ground Stack Mongoose line array, Midas
consoles.
Don’t leave home without: My Smaart
Live and My Treo.
Music Production Supervisor
University of California, Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, CA
831.459.4238
[email protected]
Personal Info: Grew up in Scotland and
was a drummer in my youth. I moved to
California and managed a nightclub (I
introduced Johnny Cash onstage); toured
with INXS. I own a 1976 Ford Capri, and
love my wife and kids.
Services Provided: Event production
management, live sound reinforcement,
lighting design.
Hobbies: Photography, watching soccer
(Liverpool), and spending as much time as
I can with my wife and two sons.
Clients: Been in the business for almost 20
years now and have worked with almost
every genre of music and every artist from
Alison Krauss to Ice-T. Currently, I manage a
university venue, so I am mostly limited to
the various student ensembles here, but still
have groups like Ladysmith Black Mambazo
come through. I get my rock ‘n’ roll fix each
time my friend Tony Levin comes to town.
Equipment: Former Soundcraft user. Recently upgraded to the awesome Yamaha
M7CL. Heavy Sure microphone user, also
partial to Sennheiser and Beyer Dynamic.
Don’t leave home without: iPod (has walking music and pictures of my family on it,
as well as games to play during downtime),
shades, comfy jacket and a positive attitude.
If you’d like to see yourself featured in “In the Trenches,” visit www.fohonline.com/trenches to submit your information or email [email protected] for more info.
36
JANUARY 2008
www.fohonline.com
Like Father,
Like Son
Jay and Joe Stewart Make a Strong Team for SR Audio.
By DavidJohnFarinella
W
hen the father-son team of Jaygarick and Joe Stewart decided to go
into business together, there was
no doubt who was going to get the title of
president, Jay jokes. At the same time, the duo
wasn’t hung up on titles back then, and they
are not now. After all, Dad is Dad.
Both Jay and Joe had been working in the
music business for decades, each running a
studio and helping artists from around their
West Bloomfield, Mich., home base. The jump
to live music came when Purity, one of the
gospel artists Joe was working with, needed
some help with a live show. “So, we would buy
a piece of P.A. here and there,” Jay recalls, “like
a mixing board, then a couple of speakers and
some amps. In over a year, we had a small P.A.
system.”
That small P.A.was pressed into service for
a number of gigs, including performances by
Purity and a handful of corporate events. In
2004, the two decided to incorporate as SR
Audio. Then they started to look for a medium
sized P.A. that would enable them to work with
better-known acts in larger venues. That led
them to purchase an assortment of JBL SRX
boxes along with amps by Crown and a Midas
console. “That system did a few thousand people very well,” Jay recalls.
it, we could stick with it.” At the same time, Jay
reports that the company is currently looking
into purchasing an L-ACOUSTICS V-DOSC rig.
Regional Slants
big tours all the way down to keeping
in mind how we started, which was two
speakers on a pole, and still service that
customer with the same level of respect,
knowing that the type of gear we are going to bring is excellent for those types of
jobs,” he says.
Having that collection of gear has
given SR Audio the means to provide
a level of service that, Jay believes, has
helped the company succeed. “Our
(Left to right) Issac Graham, Jaygarick Stewart and Joe Stewart
thing, whether it’s a large job or a small
job, has always been to do the very best
we can as a company — where we give
“Me and my father’s business model was
to make sure that we could expand into a the customer more than what they paid for,”
world-class company that could service super he says.
continued on page 43
rs
A Growth Spurt
The business began to grow, and the SR
Audio list of gear expanded right along with
it. Picking gear was important, as it is for any
developing regional company. The Stewarts
made their choices after noticing what was
appearing on riders. “It was a combination of
what we were seeing that we could afford to
buy and what we thought we needed to buy,”
Jay says. “That’s how we prioritized, so as we
got larger jobs, we got some of the more à la
carte pieces on the riders. Once we got past
affording things, then we were able to get a
P.A. that was actually on riders, plus sounded
good. That’s where we are now.”
These days, SR Audio boasts boxes by
Meyer and EV, including the company’s
X-Line line array as well as a number of XLC trap
boxes. The systems are powered by a combination of Crown Macrotech and EV CP Series
amps. The key is flexibility, since the company’s
recent clients have included soul, rap and rock
artists as well as corporate events. For any kind
of speaker-on-a-pole job, SR Audio sends out
EV QRx or Meyer UPA-1 boxes. “If we’re doing
a larger arena or theatre stuff, we tend to go
with XLCs,” Jay reports, “because they’re easy
to put together pretty fast, and you add more
boxes when you need to fill up the space.”
The Meyer and EV equipment was purchased, he explains, because it offered them
coverage without having to buy a wide variety
of boxes. “We tried to stay away from the line
arrays where you had so many of these kinds
of boxes for the long throw, and so many of
these boxes in the middle, and then so many of
these down fill boxes,” he says. “We needed to
have stuff that was compact; once we bought
www.
.com
2008
37
The Biz
A Strike Out
I
n early November, a few days af- “I t does feel a bit weird,” he conceded,
ter Local One of the technical and but added that it was just one of the
stagehand union IATSE had gone idiosyncrasies that makes mixing on
out on strike against Broadway shows, Broadway a unique career.
I was standing at the FOH position in
BIZ
the H ilton Theatre on West 43rd Street, The Strike
The IATSE strike lasted 19 days —
a half block from Times Square. The
H ilton is home to the musical version far longer than the four-day musicians
of Mel Brook ’s film, Young Frankenstein, strike of 2003 — and its economic imand was one of the few shows still pact will be commensurately devasrunning, as the H ilton Theatre’s union tating. Box office takes have climbed
contrac t had been established sepa- relentlessly during the last decade, setting new records almost every year, inrately from most of the others.
At the Meyer LCS digital console cluding the 2006–2007 season, when
was Simon Matthews, the show ’s audiences paid $939 million to see an
front- of-house mixer and a union array of shows, including a bumper crop
member (as are all FOH mixers work- of musicals, that have made FOH mixers
ing Broadway shows). We were talk ing some of Broadway’s most crucial technishop a few hours before a Friday eve - cians. And all this happened at a time
ning per formance of the show — one when recorded music sales continued
of the few bulbs, along with some Dis- to spiral downward. Worse, the strike
ney shows, in the other wise blacked- was timed, purposefully or not, to coinout marquee that was Broadway dur- cide with the start of Broadway’s busiest
ing the strike. I asked him if he felt season: the period from Thanksgiving
odd still work ing when all the other week through New Year’s. This time petheatres were ringed with picket lines. riod often sustains shows through the
By DanDaley
winter doldrums, when tourists avoid
New York’s chill and snow.
B u t i t g o t w o r s e . T h e I AT S E s t r i k e
began days after the Writers Guild
o f A m e r i c a’s o w n w a l k o u t . W h i l e
t h e W G A’s w o r k a c t i o n h a d b e e n
mainly read in a Hollywood cont e x t , t e l e v i s i o n w a s t h a t s t r i k e ’s
more digital processing and control of
the multipoint speaker systems. Carin
Ford, who is mixing The Color Purple,
is running Cadac’s Sound Automation
Manager (SAM) on her Cadac J-type
console. When she mixed Les Miserables a decade ago, Ford used a Cadac
A-type console with no automation.
Several executives from pro audio
manufacturers let me know — of f the
record, but in no uncer tain terms —
that the cumulative ef fect of these
work stoppages would include cutbacks
in spending on audio technology.
f i r s t c a s u a l t y. T h e “ p e r f e c t s t o r m”
of labor unrest was due to begin in
m i d - N o v e m b e r, w h e n n e w s w r i t e r s
at CBS television voted to strike
as well, thereby reducing news anchors to reading wire copy during
the nightly news broadcasts.
BIZ
The Aftermath
At deadline, the theatres were again
lit, but the other two work actions continue; however, the implications for
live sound, and for the pro audio industry in general, were already apparent.
Aside from the lost income to FOH mixers and other audio techs, several executives from pro audio manufacturers
let me know — off the record, but in no
uncertain terms — that the cumulative
effect of these work stoppages would
include cutbacks in spending on audio
technology. On Broadway specifically,
some speculated that a few of the marginal shows would close during the
off-season, and that others in developmental or out-of-town tune-up phases
would never set foot on Broadway due
to investors backing off in the face of
labor turmoil and an increasingly precarious general economy.
This all comes at a time when the
music industry has turned to live performances as a primary source of revenue. It’s also a time of transition for
sound on Broadway, as the theatres
move toward digital consoles and
G iven Broadway ’s intens e mixing chara c ter is tics, the 1 7 micro phone channels the show used then
s tretched her to the limit. With more
than dou ble as many channels on The
Color Purple, “ There’s no way I cou ld
mix this s how withou t a u tomation,”
s he s ays. The s hows’ a u dio is g etting
fa r more complex — Young Frankenstein has more tha n 2 0 0 s ou nd effec ts, tr ig g ered by the FOH mixer,
the ba cks tag e A2 , the lig hting cons ole’s a u tomation, the condu c tor and
the drummer. Anything that restrains
investment in upgrading Broadway ’s
a u dio r is ks giv ing u p the k ind of
technical sophistication that has
ma de this new g eneration of Broa dway musicals r ival cinema sound in
qu a lit y and complexit y.
In 1988, the last writers strike
l a s t e d f i ve m o n t h s ; i n 2 0 0 3 , t h e m u s i c i a n s s t r i k e d a r k e n e d B ro a d w a y fo r
a m e re fo u r d a y s. B u t b o t h d e v a s t a t e d t h e i r re s p e c t i ve i n d u s t r i e s. T h e
Lo s A n g e l e s T i m e s re p o r t s t h a t t h e
w r i t e r s s t r i k e c o u l d c o s t Lo s A n g e l e s
o ve r $ 2 1 m i l l i o n a d a y, w h i l e C ra i n’s
B u s i n e s s e s t i m a t e s t h a t N e w Yo r k
l o s t m o re t h a n $ 5 m i l l i o n fo r e a c h
d a y o f t h e I AT S E s t r i k e. N o w t h a t
l i ve c o n t e n t i s s t a r t i n g t o re a c h p a r ity with canned content in the ent e r t a i n m e n t b u s i n e s s, t h e re a re n o
m o re s e c t o r b a r r i e r s — w h a t h u r t s
o n e h u r t s a l l.
Here are a couple of things you can do to help speed the circuit sniffing
process. Most electrician’s wire venue receptacles are in daisy chains; in other
words, they are series of receptacles all on the same circuit. If you are an astute observer of the venue’s receptacles and think like an electrician trying to
wire the room for the first time, you may correctly guess that the receptacle
farthest upstream chains back to the breaker panel. The reason for guessing
your best regarding the farthest receptacle is that each downstream receptacle still has the buzzing current flowing through it, and the sniffer can be
used near the suspect receptacles to pick up this buzzing.
— From Mark Amundson’s November 2007 Theory and Practice article
“Poor Man’s Power Distribution.”
38
JANUARY 2008
www.fohonline.com
Theory and Practice
Speaker Cables —
You Get What You Pay For
By MarkAmundson
Y
eah, we all have a techno-ignorant
past that we have to bear, especially when it comes to speaker
cables. I remember when speaker cable
for the P.A. system was that clear plastic stuff with copper and nickel/copper
wires inside that we bought innocently
at some retail store. Eventually, we realized that cheap is as cheap does, and
better speaker wire leads to a listenable
improvement in sound quality. This column is intended to dispel some myths
about speaker cabling and to help you
think about the right way to choose
high-power handling cables.
We all have seen the coils of speaker
cables on hooks at retail music stores
(with good, better and best mentioned)
and glibly assumed that we had options
like 16-gauge, 14-gauge and 12-gauge.
Then we saw the hyperbole on oxygenfree copper (OFHC), cable polarity and
other techno-gibberish hyping up the
offerings. Then there are the connectors: from guitar plugs (phone plugs),
dual banana plugs, stripped leads and,
finally, Speakon connectors.
Sins of the Past
TP
As much as I tried to be a saint when
choosing speaker cables, I fell into gigs
that forced me to do almost unimaginable things with wire. I started out with
16-gauge Radio Shack speaker wire because that was the beefyest stuff they
sold. And, of course, not thinking that
there were other sources of heavy-duty
speaker wire, I just went with the usual
practice and terminated the cable with
banana plugs and guitar plugs because
that’s what the amps and speakers had
for jacks.
When I first started doing hired-gun
gigs in the mid-1980s, I fell into using
a typical club P.A. system that most
rock ‘n’ roll bands toted around. Of
course, I knew something was amiss
when I was handed coils of 14-gauge
Romex (house wiring), complete with
banana plugs on the ends for both the
Perkins Bins and the amplifiers. Yes, it
was a pain in the ass to straighten out
the solid conductor wire for the speaker
runs, and coiling up at the end of the
night was no thrill either, but it did get
the job done.
Forward Progress
TP
Eventually, I found the right suppliers like Full Compass Systems and others that sold two-conductor stranded
speaker wire in heavy gauges and nice
black rubber jackets. Today, my speaker
cable trunk has cable brands like Royal,
Carol and Coleman, and every cable is
12-gauge, 4-conductor, with Speakon
NL4s on the ends. Yeah, I keep some
Speakon to banana plug and Speakon to
phone jack adapters just in case I have
to mate up with someone else’s wiring.
But 12-gauge is not necessarily the end
remaining is the speaker cabling impedance. So, solving for a 20-damping factor with a 4-Ohm speaker load gives us
a 200 milli-Ohm impedance loss budget
for the cable and the connectors.
Since I highly recommend using Neutrik Speakon connectors for modern
speakers and amplifiers, their three-milliOhm-per-contact loss has a very small
effect on getting a good damping factor.
But remember, you have eight contact
losses, at least, if you think about two
conductors, plugs and jacks at the amplifiers and speakers. Then there are the wire
gauges and resistivity per choice. Twelvegauge has 1.65 milli-Ohms per foot, and
14-gauge has 2.62 milli-Ohms per foot. I
only use 16-gauge speaker wire for connecting my Marshall Stack amplifier and
16-Ohm speaker cabinet these days, but if
you have to use it, it has 4.17 milli-Ohms
per foot resistivity.
When choosing the right speaker cables for
the application, the first criterion is getting
the correct wire gauge.
choice; you may need some 10-gauge
wiring, should you need super-highpower subwoofers to drive from a distance. More on this later.
Calculations
TP
When choosing the right speaker
cables for the application, the first criterion is getting the correct wire gauge.
When I discussed speaker damping factor a couple of years ago, I mentioned
a typical number of 20 or higher as acceptable. Typically, damping factor is
expressed as a ratio of impedances with
the load impedance of the speaker as
the numerator and the source impedances as the denominator. Since most
amplifiers have small milli-Ohm source
impedances, the main source impedance
Now that you are armed with the
specs, you can calculate the “goodness” of
the speaker cables. For example, a 50-foot
length of 12-gauge speaker cable with
Speakon connectors has a total of 100
feet of wire for the circuit, or 165 milliOhms. Adding the four times three milliOhm contact losses brings the assembly
up to 177 milli-Ohms. For four-Ohm loads,
this is just under the 200 milli-Ohm budget, and is definitely not hitting the budget at two-Ohm loads (100 milli-Ohms).
This is why I have a cow when I hear about
two-Ohm loading, especially with longer
cables feeding the load.
Desired Setups
FIGURE 1
AMP
RACK
CABLE
SPKR
STAGE
TP
To make the best of things with
real-world speaker cables, Figure 1
and Figure 2 show real-world practices
on running speaker cables. Sticking to
simple ground stack speaker systems,
Figure 1 shows the best practice of placing the amplifier racks directly behind
the speakers. Then, cabling up with
around four-meter (~15 feet) speaker
cables keeps the wiring and contact
losses negligible with 12-gauge cables.
Quickly running the numbers, 30 feet
of 12-gauge is 49.5 milli-Ohms, and 12
more milli-Ohms of contact loss makes
it 61.5 milli-Ohms of total cable loss.
Figure 2 describes the smaller soundco scenario with a single amp rack setup.
With 15-foot speaker cable runs for the
short side speakers, and 50-foot runs for
the long side, it is important to watch
the loading and keep the wire gauges
beefy. I know from my experience that
I can stock my speaker cable trunk with
15-foot, 30-foot and 50-foot speaker
cables and cover almost all of the main
speaker and monitor wedge runs without having too much excess speaker cable coiled up at the speakers. If possible,
keep excess speaker cable length a bit
on both the amplifier, and mostly at the
speaker side, in case locations of speakers and amplifier racks have to change.
Techno Conclusions
TP
Do not fall for the hype on speaker cables. All copper used in cabling is oxygen
free, otherwise we would all be replacing
cables from brown and green corrosion
growing out the connections. There is no
“direction” on speaker cabling, as the amplifier and the speaker (load) complete
a circuit with electrons traveling both
ways in each conductor as we are talking
about alternating current signals (AC)
of audio waveforms. You can buy your
raw speaker cabling from electrical supply stores, not just music or pro-audio
stores. And, in a pinch, you can snip off
the ends of an extension cord and make
a speaker cable. At least stay away from
using Romex wiring.
FIGURE 2
STAGE
AMP
RACK
CABLE
CABLE
SPKR
AMP
RACK
CABLE
SPKR
www.fohonline.com
SPKR
2008 JANUARY
39
Sound Sanctuary
Hired Gun for God
W
hen I think of worship sound, I
generally put this end of the biz
into two categories. First, there
is the owner-operator guy like me, who installs systems in small churches and mixing
services during the week or on the weekends. Then there is the large regional or national company that has the resources and
ability to install large complex systems into
any church or large venue.
Now, the big guys may not have any
more knowledge than the smaller outfit,
but they definitely have a larger network
of clients. This is where I share some common ground with a mega sound company.
I am always looking to increase my network of clients. And one of the most effective ways I have found to do this is to be
able to mix at any location using whatever
gear is present and having the ability to
make it always sound great. I guess that is
the definition of a hired gun. The only difference is that I am specifically looking at
this from a worship sound prospective.
I think as we get into this topic
you will see that developing an ability to mix anywhere at anytime will
ser ve your business, whether you are
bouncing from church to church, rock
show to rock show or bar mitz vah to
bar mitz vah.
So, if you will indulge me, I would like
to tell you about my experiences as a hired
gun for God.
Family Gear
SS
Just last Sunday (as I am writing this
piece), I mixed at the Crescenta Valley Community Church, which is located a short distance from my office in Pasadena, Calif. The
church was having a special guest musician
and his band. Since I had never mixed at this
particular house of worship, I decided to visit the place before the event. I realize that, as
hired guns, we don’t always have the opportunity to visit our next venue. However, this
room was not far from me, and the pastor’s
wife allowed me to look in.
When I got to the church, I saw that they
were using a Midas Venice for their mixing
needs. I have owned and used this console,
so I didn’t have to familiarize myself with this
piece of gear. The room had three JBL speaker
bins hung in a cluster that were powered by
three QSC amps and equalized by a Behringer
Ultra Curve Pro. Five of the six Midas aux sends
were used for a personal monitor system, and
one was used for the effects send. I fired up the
system, put in a familiar CD, and just listened.
I know the Ultra Curve, so I asked if I could
make some small adjustments to the rooms
EQ and save it as my own program. I was
granted this request and proceeded to conform the room to my personal taste, saved my
work to a new program and set the room back
to the previous program. I arrived early the day
of the event, set up mics, direct boxes, etc., for
the visiting band and ran a sound check with
the band and the church choir. The two services went off flawlessly, and the pastor and staff
were thrilled with my work.
This church is now a regular client. An
outreach is planned that will incorporate my
sound company services, and I may be installing a new digital board in the sanctuary.
This is the ideal result I want and you should
want as a hired gun.
New Tools
SS
Last month, I was called to mix a Mexican
Christian rock band at Magic Mountain in Valencia, Calif. There was no chance for me to
visit the venue, so I just inquired as to what
console I would be mixing on. It was a Yamaha
M7CL digital board. I have mixed with digital boards, but I had no previous experience
with the Yamaha. So, I got online and checked
out the board. I found a tutorial program and
ran through it a half dozen times prior to the
show. I also found out that Yamaha offers digital mixing classes in various cities, and I plan
to take one in January 2008. I also went online
and checked out the band’s YouTube site. The
By JamieRio
band hails from Durango, Mexico, and toured
as a four-piece with back-up sequencing. I was
fortunate that this was a simple outfit, which
made my job much easier.
I showed up early at Magic Mountain for
the band’s sound check and found that the Yamaha M7CL was very user friendly (thank God).
The show went smoothly, and the band was
well received by about three thousand fans. The
only complaint I have about the Yamaha board is
that there is only one screen for all functions —
it would be nice if there were a separate screen
just for the effects. But I was not at the gig for the
purpose of reviewing the console. I just wanted
to do a good job, and I did. The band was pleased
and asked me if I wanted to go on the road with
them, but I had to decline.
However, because of my success at
Magic Mountain, I was called by another
Hispanic Christian band to mix them at the
Vault in Long Beach, Calif. I won’t go into the
details of that particular show, but I think
you can see that by developing the ability
to work as a hired gun for worship sound
or anything else, you can open an endless
number of doors for your business. There
is also no shortage of online material and
information on any piece of gear you may
find yourself working with. So, sharpen your
skills, get out of your comfort zone and go
mix for God or whomever.
Anklebiters
By BrianCassell & KenRengering
Where Is Your Bread Buttered??
Brian: It seems like only yesterday we
were ringing in 2007, and here it is 2008
already. And the New Year brings a couple
of cold, slow months in the event business.
All the holiday shows have come and gone,
and yes, they all paid in cash, but I still have
to keep the heat on until business picks up
when the snow melts. Maybe you’ve got it
easy out there in Vegas, but what can I do
to keep the money flowing?
Ken: Selling plasma to pay for the
new plasma purchase from Christmas?
No, we have our share of slow periods out
here, too. Those acts and bands that keep
me in this dog-paddling-my-ass-off-tostay-above-water lifestyle to which I have
grown accustomed, I get new or revised
material from and shop it to my clients
who need or use those acts for shows. It’s
a new year; this is the time to throw those
Hail Mary passes for the dream gig, the
consistent gig, the high-paying gig. Many
people are planning their strategies for the
year, so butt your head in and give them a
reminder of who the best sound company
is in your state, county, city or zip code! The
worst thing they could say is some version
of “no.”
Brian: Yeah, my other challenge is that
I’ve just moved. The big clients are still
close enough to make the drive, and they
weren’t really any farther away before, but
40
JANUARY 2008
I need to make some inroads in this new
community and get some of the local
gigs. Even if they aren’t huge shows, some
steady work will help.
Ken: Yeah, bread-and-butter gigs are
tough out here as well. The consistent
money is a real factor in budgetary planning, especially for purchases. So it’s time
to hitch up the pitch. This can never be
bad; as I think even getting a “no” means
you went through the process. The tough
part is identifying what is a bread-and-butter
gig for you — how much gear to commit
versus how much money is in the deal or
potentially in the deal.
Brian: I’m thinking about diversifying
my business a bit, but I’m going to have
to get creative to find a niche market to
fill. I’ve done some installation work in the
past, but that has always been as a subcontractor to some of the big boys in town. I
really need to get out there and sell some
systems myself. Even if I do some small
installs, the profit from selling equipment
will help support the income from the labor. And as with anything, if I do the work
right the first time, other customers won’t
be far behind.
Ken: That sounds like a great idea! Make
sure your company is licensed and insured
to perform these new duties. I have done a
few installs myself, but have always had to in-
clude some phrase
in the contract
like “Ken is not licensed or insured
to perform install
work and can only
recommend or
advise, etc.” Pretty
lame, I know.
Having done
a bunch of highprofile installs
in the past, any
c h a n c e o f yo u
getting the maintenance contracts
for some of those?
Brian: Yeah, I wish. I’d love to have
a maintenance contract on some of the
work I’ve done for other companies.
What’s interesting is that I’ve found contractor’s insurance to be very affordable,
especially if you stay out of people’s
homes and stick with commercial work.
You just have to do enough of it to warrant the cost of insurance.
I just want to dream up some niche I
can fill. It’s time to get creative and come
up with something new and different to offer. It’s only a matter of what to offer.
Ken: Hmmm, that’s a toughie since
I am still trying to perfect what I al-
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ready know. Manger Scene audio, New
Year’s Eve guru — everything I can think
of seems to be seasonal, and a limited
market at best. How about hitting up
the Muzak purveyors in the area? Maybe
you can do some build-outs or improvements and be the mall music master. You
know your 70 volt stuff?
Brian: Background music systems?
Run, do not walk...far, far away! I couldn’t
think of anything more boring to build.
Maybe there’s money in it, but I don’t think
there is even any equipment to mark up
doing those. There will be no Z-meter in
my future.
Marketplace
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COMPANY
ADVERTISER’S INDEX
PG#
PH
Adamson Systems Engineering
AKG
A-Line Acoustics
Allen & Heath
Audio-Technica U.S., Inc
Crown International
d&b Audiotechnik
D.A.S. Audio
dbx Professional Products
EAW/ Loud Technologies
EV, Electro Voice/ Bosch
FDW-W
Full Compass
Hear Technologies
Heil Sound
JBL Professional
Martin Audio
Meyer Sound Laboratories
OVO/Mega Systems
QSC Audio Products
Radial Engineering/Cabletek
Rane Corporation
Shure Incorporated
Soundcraft
Spectra Audio
TMB
Westone Music Products
Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems
24
35
8
23
37
25
5, 6
11
21
7
C1, 13
30
9
8
12
17
19
C2
10
31
41
3
C4
29
38
15
4
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905.932.0520
818.920.3212
814.663.0600
800.431.2609
330.686.2600
574.294.8000
828.670.1763
888.237.4872
801.568.7660
800.992.5013
248.876.1000
608.227.2040
800.356.5844
256.922.1200
618.257.3000
818.894.8850
519.747.5853
510 486.1166
210.684.2600
800.854.4079
604.942.1001
425.355.6000
800.257.4873
888.251.8352
212.744.2255
818.899.8818
719.540.9333
714.522.9011
http://foh.hotims.com/12796-130
MARKET PLACE
Consolidated Audio Technology/ Gabriel Sound
ISP Technologies
Hi-Tech Audio Systems
New York Case/Hybrid Cases
Sound Productions
42
42
42
42
42
973.831.7500
248.673.7790
650.742.9166
800.645.1707
800.203.5611
Like Father,Like Son
continued from page 37
“We give 110% so that our word of
mouth is great.”
So much so that the company has expanded from Michigan to Florida with a satvice clients as far south as the Bahamas. One
of the company’s short-term goals is to build
a strong client base through south Florida
and Georgia. “There’s a lot of business down
there that we hear about,” Jay says.
have great people to work with who will
help us with our situation,” he explains.
“When it comes down to it, we’re a small
operation. We only have a handful of employees; my father and me pretty much
run the day-to-day stuff. I don’t have an
exact recipe for getting it all completed,
but we seem to get jobs done.”
pool of 15 to 20 freelancers is available.
Quality
QualityBegins
BeginsatatHome
Home
rs
Even as he has his eyes on the south,
Jay is aware of the fact that SR Audio
has to tend the home fires while growing. The key, he says, is the split of responsibilities between father and son. “If
I go out on the road, he’s able to keep
things in the office going and vice versa.
The key thing is for us to make sure we
the only type of expansion that SR has been
undergoing over the years, since the company has added lighting, staging, video and
installation services.
The SR Audio team has used its talents
on a collection of recent gigs, including an
event that featured evangelist Juanita Bynum, a concert by The Whispers at the Op-
URL
era House in Detroit,
the House of Prayer’s
annual concert and
a corporate talking
head event put on by
developer Dave Bing
while showcasing the
Watermark condominiums project.
According to Jay,
the plan is to continue
to carefully grow the
business. “We’d like to
get to where we can
take on multiple tours
at the same time as
the regional stuff,” Jay
says. “We’d like to expand the audio more SR Audio provided sound and lighting services at a pregame rally at the 2007 Orange Bowl.
as far as physical size, but keeping in mind explains, “so we have to make sure that
that we can do it only as fast as we can ac- every job we do is going to get us five to
six other jobs. That kind of model is what
tually guarantee the quality.”
“We don’t have a big footprint,” he keeps us going.”
www.fohonline.com
www.fohonline.com
Month
2005
2008
JANUARY
43
43
FOH-At-Large
By BakerLee
How Do You Get to the Garden?
T
Making the Point
Image by andy au
he idiomatic phrase “This
is not Madison Square Garden,” when directed at an
audio company, sends a universal meaning that is not bound by
either state lines or time zones.
While I am certain that the names
of other major event institutions
have been employed in the same
allegorical fashion as Madison
Square Garden, it appears that
evoking the image of this iconic
venue epitomizes all that is grand
and glamorous in the concert
world. Though I am New Yorkbased and have often worked at
“The Garden,” I have also done
shows in almost every state and
have traveled extensively around
the globe. Regardless of where I
go, the aforementioned axiom
keeps popping up.
…IT ’S NOT
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN…
FOH
It could be that the people who
feel the need to impart this pearl
of wisdom just assume I am not familiar with any other large venues
that can be called upon to make
their caustic point, or it might just
be that these same people are the
ones lacking in their awareness
of other venues. For those who
feel that I am sounding like a New
York snob or denigrating their
favorite venue, let me say that I
have worked in bigger and even
grander arenas than the emblematic MSG, and I know that it is not the quintessence of grandeur. Still, I do not often
hear the phrase, “This is not Red Rocks,” or
“This is not the Wachovia Center.” For that
matter, Los Angeles, a well-known and vibrant entertainment mecca, has a plethora
of large venues to choose from. Yet, I rarely
hear, “This is not the Home Depot Center”
or even, “This is not the Staples Center.”
COMING NEXT
MONTH...
Installations:
The Salt Lake Tabernacle
mixes modernization and
preservation.
Product Gallery:
Get small with
subcompact line arrays.
The Biz:
Festivals mean big profits
for the concert industry.
band, the production may well consist of only an 8-foot by 8-foot stage
with a pipe and base backdrop, one
tree of four Source 4 lights and two
powered speakers on stands. However, even this might seem like too
much for our unwitting client.
I usually find myself explaining
to the client that I am not randomly
bringing in equipment, and that
there have been extensive conversations between the band and
me as to what might be needed to
make the event a success for them
on stage as well as the select few in
the audience. It doesn’t matter, as it
is always too much for the client.
In my estimation, it is a simple
formula: A good production requires audio, lighting and staging,
enough power to run the event, and
the proper amount of labor to make
it happen in a safe and timely manner. From that point on, it is all interpretation as to how much, what size
and how extensive it needs to be.
Intimate or Underserved? FOH
Though it might be an expression used in
Calgary, Canada, “This is not the Pengrowth
Saddledome,” is not the slogan an exasperated client might exclaim to an audio company
to make their point. The people of Providence,
R.I., might cite “This is not the Dunkin’ Donuts
Center,” but it’s not an expression I ever hear.
Large concert events that require large concert production roll into Saskatoon, Canada,
on a regular basis, but I almost never hear the
ironic “This is not Saskatchewan Place.” No, as
far as I can tell, “This is not Madison Square
Garden” is still the favorite pejorative term
used by those who are unwittingly faced with
a large invoice or a truckload of equipment
for their not-so-large venue. This stinging
little MSG barb is bandied about so loosely
that it has even been slung at me when the
equipment list has not been that extensive or
the expense not so great.
In their defense, these innocent production specialists are just unaware of what it
takes to stage a show, and because of ego,
greed or folly, they book a name act into a
small space without considering the overall
requirements of said band and show. Now,
even though I am just an audio guy, I am not
an insane audio guy. Believe it or not, I can tell
the difference between a tiny little space and
friggin’ Madison Square Garden.
Unfortunately, many of us audio guys
are the recipients of some foolish client’s sardonic wit, but regional audio companies, unlike their touring counterparts, do not always
have the luxury of doing gigs in sheds, concert halls or theatres, and a good portion of
the company’s income is derived from shows
performed in the restaurants, offices, social
halls, bookstores, private residences and catering facilities booked by these very same
mordant clients.
Doing the Right Thing
FOH
How is it that we, as audio providers, manage to turn into the villainous production
company when it is we who try to do the right
thing? It usually starts out as an innocent phone
call from someone who has received a band
rider and has no clue as to what it all means. The
band, a well-known touring act, has agreed to
play for either a promotional event or some private function and has sent the producer/client
their full concert rider. After a few pointed questions to the client as to the size of the venue,
amount of expected audience members and
nature of the event, we are able to establish the
venue’s audio needs, thus leading to the next
step in the process — to get in touch with the
band’s production manager to determine the
exact needs of the band. Sometimes, a band
will decide to play in an unplugged format, or
possibly the singer will come and sing to track.
Maybe the artist will agree to do an acoustic
performance, but regardless of their intended
design, I always let the client know that there
are a few production needs I deem necessary
for a successful show.
Other than the right sound system for the
room, as well as the proper monitoring for
the musician(s), there is a definite need for a
stage as well as some sort of lighting system.
Depending upon the configuration of the
www.fohonline.com
Recently, I was called upon
to provide Faith Hill with an audio system and backline setup.
The show was scheduled to take
place in a large sound stage in
Manhattan with about 300 of the
artist’s fans in attendance as she
performed and recorded the last
set of her world tour. The producers were attempting a low-key,
intimate event and decided that lights and
staging were not included in that concept.
While the audio was stripped down to fit
the room with two EAW 850s over two 850
subs per side, we still had a Midas XL-4 at
front of house with a full rack worth of outboard gear. A PM5D was the monitor console, and the monitors were all Clair 12AMs
and personal monitors.
Though I strongly suggested a stage
and lights, the decision was made to place
the drummer and keyboard player on risers,
while Faith and the rest of the band played
from the floor. Now, I understand the concept
of intimate and low-key and, by definition,
300 attending a Faith Hill concert is just that,
but when these faithful intimates jump to
their feet, Faith Hill then appears to be playing below sea level.
With only the studio’s ceiling fixtures
lighting the room and stage area, the focus of
the show gets lost, and the capability of the
band to magically transport the audience (be
it ever so intimate) is diminished. That said, if I
point this out (as I am wont to do), some producer will always be sure to remind me that
“This is not Madison Square Garden!” Well, let
me declare that I don’t know much, but I do
enjoy a good euphemism when I hear one
(be it ever so over used).
So, in response, allow me to say that as
good as one might be at their job — when entering my little world of production, it would
behoove one to stop living in “Their own private Idaho,” because “Toto, I have a feeling we
are not in Kansas anymore.”

X2`s “Audio As Data” Approach Addresses Wireless

Transcription

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