|
|
Archives
| Ravinia: Good People, Good Times, Good Music |
|
|
|
| Written by Bill Evans |
Most festivals are just shows with a few more acts and a somewhat longer run. But Chicago’s Ravinia is not just another festival. Opening in May and ending in October with multiple acts almost every day, it is really more of an install — kind of semi-temporary, but an install all the same.
Ravinia’s history is a long one. This huge park in the northern suburbs
of the Windy City is privately owned, and the festival, run by a
voluntary board of directors, has been ongoing for more than 100 years.
Yes, you read that right. “Long-running” festivals like Summerfest have
nothing on this event.
Note we said listening to, not “seeing.” That is because less than a third of the audience is seated in the covered amphitheater in front of the stage. The majority of the audience is found on blankets and camp chairs with picnic baskets and catered dinners on a large grass area near the stage. None of them can see the stage at all. Sound is provided via a large distributed system of speakers mounted in the trees throughout the park. In a time when rising ticket prices are making it harder and harder to sell out a show, a ticket into the park for Sheryl Crow was just $20 and a seat in the “pavilion” $60. When she played in Vegas a week later the prices were more than double that amount. Those things alone would be enough to make Ravinia stand out, but the relationship between the union, a local sound company and a large soundco known mostly for its work on Broadway makes for an interesting look at where the industry is heading.
Mike Gotshall is a former band guy who went to work for the old dB Sound (now a part of CLAIR) when it was time to get off the road. A few years ago, he went out on his own and started A Sound Choice. “We mainly provide wireless services,” he says. “Mics, in-ears, a lot of theater work, which is how I got to know the guys at Masque Sound.” For those of you who don’t know, Masque is a New York City-based soundco known chiefly for its Broadway theater work, but one that is increasing its presence in touring as well. Remember, the business is about people and relationships, which is how a smaller company scored what is arguably the biggest gig in town. “For private parties and smaller events around town, I use my smaller audio systems,” says Gotshall. “I use Masque Sound to provide the audio equipment for my concert tours, theaters, plays and some of my corporate events. That’s the great thing about my relationship with Masque. It enables me to look for the bigger events and have the confidence that Masque Sound can provide and design the type of systems to satisfy my clients’ needs.”
Bottom line is bigger gigs without the overhead of owning and maintaining a big system. And this is a big system. (See gear list sidebar.)
Remarking on his working relationship with Mike Gotshall and IATSE
Local 2, FOH engineer Norm Kruger, Masque Sound Audio Specialist Paul
Klimson said, "Ravinia is a genuinely unique venue. A portion of the
audience is in an expansive lawn area creating a dynamic with a more
relaxed environment — picnicking and listening to music. Mike and Norm
were committed to improving the sound quality while still maintaining
that atmosphere. We helped them accomplish those goals by scrupulously
considering each hanging placement and splay angle. The Meyer Sound
MICA compact line array speakers were an excellent choice. They made a
big difference in keeping excess energy from spilling onto the lawn."
Good People, Good Times Back to the people and relationships thing. Norm Kruger is IATSE’s audio guy at Ravinia, and has been for 20 years. He knew Mike and A Sound Choice through their theater work (which in a union town like Chicago is going to be all IATSE all the time). When it came time to bid the gig, A Sound Choice’s theatre rep and their relationship with Masque (and via masque, Meyer Sound) made for an attractive package. One that won out over much larger operations with roots in the touring industry.
Ravinia 2008 Gear List MICROPHONES AKG C451EB pre-amp w/3pos rolloff black/silver 6 AKG C414B xls multi pattern mic 2 AKG CK1B cardioid capsule-black 6 AKG C414B/ULS four-pattern mic w/3position roll off 4 Audio-Technica AT4050/cm5 multipattern studio mic 4 Beyer M88TG n(c) hypercardioid mic 2 Earthworks M30 omni-precision mic 1 EV RE20 variable d super cardioid 1 Shure Beta 91 cardoid condenser drum mic 3 Shure Beta 57 super cardiod mic 6 Shure Beta 58 super cardiod mic 8 Shure Beta 87a supercardioid mic 14 Shure Beta 98 mini supercardioid (rpm 108) mic 20 Shure Beta 52a dynamic kick drum mic 3 Shure Beta 56 swivel mount instrument mic 4 Shure C98D cable for Beta 98/91 w/ ta4f-ta3f 23 Shure ILP1 inline preamp for SM98/SM91 2 Shure ILP3 inline preamp for Beta 98/91 21 Shure KSM32/CG cardiod studio condenser mic 4 Shure SM58 dynamic cardoid mic 7 Shure SM57 dynamic cardoid mic 12 Shure SM81 cardioid instrument mic w/10db attenuation 8 Shure VP88 stereo condensor microphone 1 Sennheiser E609/MD409 dynamic super-cardiod drum mic 4 Sennheiser MD421U cardioid mic w/ 5 pos. bass rolloff switch 8 Sennheiser MKH40/cardioid studio mic 10 PROCESSING Alan Smart compressor 2 dbx 1046 quad compressor/limiter 1 Drawmer DS404 quad noise gate 1 Eventide H8000 multichannel multi-effects processor 1 Klark Teknik dn-360/30-30 dual 1/3 oct eq Lexicon PCM80 digtal fx processor 2 Lexicon PCM91 digital reverberator 2 Meyer Galileo 616 loudspeaker management system 1 Summit DCl200 tube compessor-2 ch. 1 XTA DP224 2~in/4~out speaker management system 2 XTA DP428/448 audio management system 1 Yamaha SPX1000 digital multi-fx prosc 1 CONSOLES Midas Verona monitor console 1 Yamaha PM5D-RH digital mixing console 2 Yamaha M7CL 48-channel digital mixing console w/bridge 1 Yamaha DSP5D 10u rackmount expansion for pm5d 1 SPEAKERS & SPEAKER PROCESSORS L-ACOUSTICS 115xt two-way monitor wedge 6 Meyer 650-P self-powered subwoofer 2x18 8 Meyer CQ1 self-powered loudspeaker 1 Meyer MICA System 24 Meyer MSL-4 self-powered speaker 6 Meyer UPA-1P self-powered speaker 4 Meyer UM-1P self-powered monitor speaker 9 Meyer USW-1P self-powered 2x15 subwoofer 3 Meyer UPM-1P self-powered speaker 6 Meyer UPM-1P ma self-powered speaker w/manual attenuation 2 Meyer M’elodie compact line array weather protected Dont get FRONT of HOUSE? Click here to subscribe now. 
|
||||||||||||||
: Will Huffman, Local 2 monitor engineer; Tom Carlson, A Sound Choice FOH system tech; Mike Gotshall, A Sound Choice president; Norm Krueger, Local 2 FOH engineer; Tim Christenson, A Sound Choice monitor system technician; and Sam Amodeo, Local 2 master sound technician.',400,259,0,0); "Pictured at Ravinia Festival FOH position are, (L to R): Will Huffman, Local 2 monitor engineer; Tom Carlson, A Sound Choice FOH system tech; Mike Gotshall, A Sound Choice president; Norm Krueger, Local 2 FOH engineer; Tim Christenson, A Sound Choice monitor system technician; and Sam Amodeo, Local 2 master sound technician.")
; "Inside the pavilion")
; "The BoDeans performing")
; "The BoDeans in concert at Chicago's Ravinia festival")
; "A crowd shot inside the Pavilion at Ravinia")
; "The BoDeans performing")
| <Previous | Next> |
|---|
