As we head into the summer season—even in a flat-out crappy economy—it means time for festivals, fairs and other outdoor one-offs. We may be coming out of the mire a little earlier than other places but things at least appear to be slowly picking up in Las Vegas. After a really slow few months, more than one company I know of out here is running up to three shows deep some weekends.
In the months before this venue opened, I posted a blog on ProAudioSpace about “iconic” venues that are all too often all rep and no substance. In other words, they may be famous but they sound like crap. And I must admit that part of what had driven it was a show I had just seen at the old Joint at the Hard Rock. In fact, it was one of two closing performances with a big rock band that made their name in the 1980s.
Once again, the call came via ProAudioSpace.com. Would I be interested in coming out to cover the Robin Thicke/Jennifer Hudson tour and The Pearl, the high-end concert venue at the Palms Hotel that was covered in FOH back when they were building it? I really liked the idea of the venue, but the one show I had seen there left me underwhelmed because the room was under subbed, and with an act as great as the Black Crowes, that is well nigh unto a sin.
Long before Billy Joel hit the first notes on his piano during the inaugural date at The Show, a new venue at the Agua Caliente Casino, Resort and Spa in Rancho Mirage, Calif., Kevin Rummel was walking into a meeting to fine tune the room’s audio, lighting and projection systems.
For a PDF of the May 2009 Buyers Guide, CLICK HERE .
When the first packaged kits containing a complement of microphones for miking a drum kit first appeared, they were really seen as either a way for mic makers to make a few extra bucks by selling several mics at once or a way for the inexperienced to get a package of mics that would all work together properly.
For all those sound persons feeling guilty about not stimulating the Elkhart Indiana economy, consider buying a Crown XTi6000 power amplifier. I got the blunt reminder after looking at the rear panel and seeing the decal with the U.S. flag and the words “designed and manufactured in the USA.”
Many engineers may have a box full of high-quality mics, but finding the one that’s “just right” is often difficult. Of course, many factors come into play when choosing a mic. Sometimes it is relative to the register or timbre of the singer, sometimes the venue size plays a role, or it may just be what’s available at the time.
We knew that the revenue mode for the music industry was shifting to live performances more than a few years ago, back in 2002, when Princeton economics professor Alan Krueger established that 31 of the 35 top-grossing music artists that year made more money from concerts than from record sales, a trend that has continued through most of the decade.
When Steve Boyce, sound reinforcement director at Morgan Sound in Lynwood, Wash., explains the services that the company offers, he’s very clear about what is on the menu. It’s one thing: sound. That’s all, nothing more.
I vaguely recall that sometime in the late 1990s I received an evaluation copy of a piece of software from Digidesign called DINR (Dynamic Intelligent Noise Reduction). At the time it was one of the earliest (if not the first) software plug-ins I ever encountered, and, to be honest, I didn’t get it.
One of my rules I have held fast on is the “no 2-ohm” loading of power amplifier outputs. But back when I was buying my first real power amplifiers, the thought of 2-ohm loading capability was a godsend. This was because I had limited funds for power amplifiers, and the two Peavey M-3000 power amplifiers I bought for around $300 each was carefully thought through.
Written by From a Posting on ProAudioSpace.comUm, Hi, Mom....
This didn’t happen to me but to someone that I know well. One of the band members had brought a groupie back to the bus, and after they had finished, she used the loo not knowing about the rules. Driver told her there was a $200 fine as he had to empty the tank. Since all she had were the (very skimpy) clothes she was wearing, she suggested they come to some other arrangement, and vanished with the driver into the lounge at the back.
The great thing about mixing in the same house of worship week after week is that you become very familiar with the sound of your room. The not-very-good thing about mixing in the same house of worship week after week is that you soon accept the sound of your room as being correct when it may not be. Understanding the physical attributes of sound and how it reacts in your house will allow you to improve the sound in that house.
I have been investing quite a bit of time lately to studying various philosophy, religion and new age disciplines and I’d like to share with you some of the practical insights I have had in regard to utilizing some of these techniques in the world of audio.
Sennheiser’s G3 wireless systems include receivers with a switching bandwidth of 42 MHz with 1,680 tunable UHF frequencies. All third-generation receivers also offer a one-touch synchronization feature letting G3 transmitters communicate with G3 receivers via an infrared interface to simplify setup.
The Venue SC48 features an all-in-one design, with all I/O, digital signal processing and tactile control into one compact console. The unit also features support for professional audio plug-ins and built-in Pro Tools LE integration.
Bag End’s double 12-inch subwoofer is available in both a passive installation version (Model D12-E-I) and a powered version (Model PD12-E-I) featuring Bag End’s built-in modular Minima One amplifier.
The 1600VP’s variable polar pattern with remote control allows the user to precisely adjust the shape of the pick-up pattern to provide the best gain before feedback from a remote location using the mic cable.
; "The New Joint at the Hard Rock, Las Vegas")
; "Robin Thicke at the Pearl")
; "The Show at Agua Caliente")
; "Crown Xti6000"){kind=small}
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; "Front row, from left: TJ Loehman, Rose Andrews, Aaron Fisher, Adam Holloway, Steve Boyce, Tim Harding . Back row, from left: Charlie Morgan, Brett Rudy, Adam Kozie")
; "Minimizing cabling losses")
; "Welcome to My Nightmare")
; "Kurt Tischer")
; "George Ryan")
; "The Fifth Beatle")
; "Sennheiser Evolution Wireless G3")
; "Digidesign Venue SC48")
; "Bag End Double 12 Subwoofers")
; "Astatic 1600VP")
