How the hell did I end up here? How does a guy with an intense fear of falling-who gets nervous on a stepladder-find himself on a warm Sunday night in June standing on a small platform 855 feet above the Las Vegas Strip and prepping to step off said platform into, well, into nothing but air?

In early May, the city of Nashville experienced some of the worst flooding in its history, which affected countless homes, studios, and venues, including the historic Grand Ole Opry House. Soundcheck, a large rehearsal facility and home to Shure's Nashville office, was partially submerged in up to four feet of water.

With a budget of nearly $250,000 per restaurant for AV systems, CEO and founder Steele Platt clearly places a premium on the sound systems that go into Yard House restaurants. And along with the usual 100 to 250 varieties of beer on tap, 23 of the newest Yard House restaurants are using Ashly Protea DSP hardware ne24.24M audio processing.

The Pinkroom nightclub in Miami's South Beach is hosting DJs and live bands with a new sound system including D.A.S. Audio Variant and Aero Series 2 loudspeakers chosen by Paradise Production Services.

The O2 in London recently hosted a rendition of Bizet's classic opera, Carmen. To convey both the power and subtlety of Bizet's music throughout the 18,000-capacity arena, Autograph Sound Recording Ltd. provided a Meyer Sound reinforcement system.

"Whether it's speakers on a stick or flying a PA, the only difference is the size of your toolbox."

Rob "Cubby" Colby is known to most as a world-class engineer whose career spans nearly four decades. His résumé covers many genres and reads like a Who's Who of artists, from the early days of Prince and Phil Collins to the artist he's currently touring with, Juanes. But this article isn't about microphones or mixing techniques. It's about Cubby and how he's endured and adjusted throughout the years...in his own words.

Soundco
AV Vegas

Venue
Home of Joan and Jim Hammer
Red Rock Country Club
Las Vegas, NV

Soundco
Zeo Brothers Productions

Venue
Sun National Bank Center
Trenton, N.J.

Soundco
Performance Audio & Lighting Systems

Venue
The Oil Palace
Tyler, Texas

Soundco
Beachsound Inc.

Venue
Central Broward Regional Park
Lauderhill, Fla.

Soundco
Ford Audio Service, Inc.

Venue
The Gorge Amphitheatre
George, Wash.

Soundco
Rent-A-Amp Sound, Stage & Lighting Co.

Venue
Pigeon Island
St. Lucia

When it comes to the world of live performance audio - be it from a perspective on production, mixing and even system and console design - Howard Page is one of "the guys." To say he has an impressive résumé is such an understatement that it is actually laughable. When A-list mixers including guys like Cubby Colby invoke your name as one of the people they really learned something from, then you know your legacy is pretty much assured.

FOH Engineer Ange Jones Supports Paul Weller's Return to The Royal Albert Hall

 

In May, Paul Weller returned to London's Royal Albert Hall to play five dates promoting his new album, Wake Up The Nation.

"This is a state-of-the-art facility with features you would normally only find in a building that was built from the ground up," Brad Garven says. "It was an unusual renovation."

 

Make that an extensive renovation.

Up until about a year ago, plug-ins were pretty much to domain of those using digital consoles and, more specifically, the Avid VENUE series. All of the console companies had their own plugs that came with the console, but the Profile was the one that really opened the door by allowing the use of any Pro Tools-ready plug-in live.

Once again, I find myself running late on the review, which undoubtedly makes someone pissed off at me. And as with most of the reviews I procrastinate on, I wish that I had done it sooner, because I usually find myself pleasantly surprised. This go-around, my victim is AKG's DMS 700 Digital Wireless RF system, using AKG's DSR 700 digital receiver.

The T-Series is the latest addition to the growing iLive family of digital consoles. Within the T-Series family, there are two different control surfaces, the T-80 and the T112. Both control surfaces are accompanied by two different MixRacks named the iDR-32 and iDR-48. The system that I was sent to review was the T112 surface with the iDR-48 MixRack.

This one is short and sweet. The ever-increasing use of computer firepower in the live sound biz has resulted in a plethora of laptops on gigs.

I recently did a small tour around a bunch of churches which included a choir that was mic'd via 14 large diaphragm condensers. It also included a very well-known artist leading the choir who wanted to hear the choir in her side-fill monitors.

In his April FOH Theory and Practice, Brian Klijanowicz discussed the concept of word clock. If you missed class that day, here is a brief recap: Every digital device employs an internal word clock circuit as a timing mechanism. Word clock determines sample rate, and its accuracy is paramount to audio quality.

Last month, we looked at a variety of location options for your house of worship mixing console. This month, we will investigate the all-important location and positioning of your FOH speakers.

Each of these vignettes about the Nashville touring industry that we've been doing this summer, starting with the May issue of FOH, offers an opportunity to look at another aspect of what is the most highly developed touring sound, lighting/video and staging infrastructure in the world.

Miami and the surrounding South Florida area has long been one of the most competitive markets in the country, and one of the broadest - few can match its stimulating mix of big arena shows, clubs, large niches (Latin and dance/electronic) and, of course, parties.

We were scheduled for a new tour of a Steven Sondheim musical review. It required us to provide all sound (10 lavs and six handheld wireless), six monitor mixes plus side fills, some backline for an eight-piece orchestra as well as scenic elements.

As audio engineers, we spend hours of our time learning and mastering the technical aspects of how to create the perfect mix. We seek out and apply new technologies to enhance the sound in any given space as we experiment with innovative techniques of taking sound where it often does not belong.

Audio-Technica's AT2021 Cardioid Condenser Microphone promises an extended frequency response, high maximum SPL and wide dynamic range for acoustic guitar, overheads, piano and group vocals.

In Ear Systems, Inc. announced the release of its new triple-bore Fidelity 2x3 earpiece, now available on its website. The new triple-bore (one port for each driver) earpiece brings the highest capable volume of any earpiece the company has released to date. It combines a two-way crossover with three drivers (two low and one high), hence 2x3, to promise a loud and dynamic sound signature with extensive lows and accurate highs.

Audio-Technica expands its SpectraPulse Ultra Wideband (UWB) wireless microphone system with the rcu104 Receiver Coordinator Unit, which allows for an expanded SpectraPulse coverage area and strengthens the UWB signal through the use of multiple drm141 Digital Receiver Modules.

Audio Tool v. 1.0 is a new app from Performance Audio. It's a decibel meter, disk space calculator and audio reference all in one, well-suited for anyone who needs a fast, easy way to measure the sound levels around them, calculate recording times, or quickly find the definitions of commonly used audio terms.

QSC changed the R in RMX to a C for "contractor" and debuted the CMX series of amps. The CMX Series is available in four models: the CMX 300V, CMX 500V and CMX 800V, housed in a 2RU chassis design; and the CMX2000V, housed in a 3RU chassis design; with power ranges from 185 watts to 2500 watts per channel.

Renkus-Heinz is distributing the new Aubion x.8 8-channel A/D-D/A converter from Ahnert Feistel Media Group (AFMG), developed by AFMG and German hardware designers DSpecialists. The Aubion x.8 is designed to complement AFMG's EASERA and SysTune.

The ES5 from Westone Music Products offers musicians and others 25 dB average noise attenuation with sensitivity of 120 dB/mW and frequency response at 8 Hz -20 kHz. Impedance is 20 ohms, and the ES5 has five balanced armature drivers with a passive three-way crossover. Other features include replaceable cable, one year parts and labor warranty on internal components, user manual and carrying case. MSRP is $950.

Renkus-Heinz's CF/CFX Series modular point source line array loudspeaker system is targeted at small and mid-sized venues and can be flown, ground-stacked or pole-mounted.

Renkus-Heinz has added two new models designed for live applications to its Iconyx family of digitally-steered array loudspeaker systems: the Iconyx ICL-LM-R low-mid frequency module and IC212S-R subwoofer.

Avid's new VENUE MADI Option Card, introduced at InfoComm10, has been designed to open up new workflows to VENUE users and make it easier to integrate VENUE into any existing MADI environment using the industry-standard MADI protocol.

Among a bunch of other new gear (including a "convert any digital format into any other digital format" box that opens up endless possibilities), Midas brought their acclaimed digital mixers into a price range where they are very much within reach of even regional soundcos. The Midas PRO3 naturally features Midas mic pre's, as well as the popular VCA and POPulation groups, which allow users to navigate channels intuitively, without layers or pages of faders.

The M-300 Mixing Console provides a third console choice in the growing V-Mixing System lineup that also consists of Digital Snakes, Personal Mixing and Multi-Channel Recording. Its size and affordability allows smaller to mid-sized venues to replace their analog consoles with a digital mixing solution.

Line 6, Inc.'s XD-series line of digital wireless microphone systems includes two handheld cardioid microphone systems, XD-V30, shown here, and XD-V70, and two beltpack systems, XD-V30L and XD-V70L.

Electro-Voice and Audinate introduced the DM-1 Dante audio network card for the NetMax hardware family at InfoComm10. DM-1 may be installed in the N8000 or N8000-1500 chassis to provide high resolution, low latency audio transmission over IP networks.

DiGiCo/Waves SoundGrid is geared for DiGiCo users, Waves enthusiasts and anyone else who wants the plug-ins fully integrated into a DiGiCo console, with easy access to the benefits of Waves technology.

EAW's compact, high-output QX Series, aimed at venues ranging from sports arenas to houses of worship, outdoor stadiums, performing arts venues, theaters and clubs, extends the "big horns in compact packages" characteristics of the company's AX Series.

EAW announced two additions to its KF Series loudspeaker line and three integrated NT variants, for use at corporate AV events, small-to-medium-sized live sound reinforcement, performing arts venues, houses of worship, retail spaces, ballrooms, theaters, theme parks and elsewhere.

EAW announced 10 additions to its JF Series of high-definition two-way loudspeaker systems, including four comprehensively integrated NT models. Designed for a wide range of contractor and system integrator uses, the new JF and JFNT Series units are touted for being scalable, compact and light in weight, suited small and medium-sized sound reinforcement applications.

JBL Professional (C6236) recently introduced its PRX600 Series active portable loudspeakers, which includes the PRX612M, PRX615M, PRX625, PRX635, and two subwoofers, the PRX618S and PRX618S-XLF.

Roland Systems Group's S-0808 Stage Pocket, developed in partnership with Ace Backstage, is designed to allow the RSS by Roland S-0808 to slide in and out of a nesting frame that secures it for use while in the pocket. It also lets users take out the S-0808 and place it on stage near the audio source.

Danley Sound Labs recently announced the SM-60M and SM-60F, two new molded horn loudspeakers. Both the SM-60M and SM-60F feature Tom Danley's synergy horn technology. The SM-60F is designed to deliver full-range content, whereas the SM-60M delivers mid- and high-frequency content only.

Crest Audio's E-Lite series amps are built on a high-speed class D design with a switch-mode power supply to reduce weight while increasing reliability, thermal efficiency and output power. The E-Lite 1800 and E-Lite 1800 DSP offer 900 watts per channel, and the E-Lite 3000 and E-Lite 3000 DSP have 1500 watts per channel. Both versions weigh less than 10 pounds and can be used in parallel, stereo and bridged modes.

Ashly Audio's pêma (Protea Equipped Media Amplifier), a powered processor,  combines Ashly's DSP functionality with the company's amplifier functionality inside a two-rack space unit.

Turbosound's six-model Compact series includes four passive trapezoidal loudspeakers and two subwoofers, all outfitted with rigging features suited for portable live sound and fixed installation applications.

The Club Series Tempoflex from Sommer Cable is designed for permanent installations and mobile applications for theater and other live performances, particularly those where the mikes are allowed to dangle from truss.

The Mackie SRM1801 Powered Subwoofer delivers 1000 watts of Class-D power in a lightweight portable design. The 18-inch woofer is designed to deliver high output, and active electronics include a precision crossover and tuning filters for accurate bass response.

EAW recently announced two new subs-one passive and one powered. The SB2001 Subwoofer, pictured here, which goes beyond the company's SB1001 with a dual 21-inch cone driver, provides more than double the volume of air displaced without a significant increase in size.

Lectrosonics' Aspen line of DSP matrix audio processors, now shipping, includes the SPN1624 matrix mixer, the SPN16i input-only module and the SPNConference telephone hybrid unit for teleconferencing. Features include TCP/IP control over Ethernet, unlimited input expandability, real-time clock, 48-channel matrix bus, 1 Gbps expansion port and 48-Volt phantom powering for all inputs.

The Smart DI from Optogate features an integrated microcontroller and an LCD display to address some of the problems commonly associated with traditional DI boxes: the need to hunt for signals between stage and desk, the lack of fine adjustments of the input signal and the "pop" heard when connecting or removing an input connector.

The Radial PowerPre microphone preamplifier fits inside a standard API style lunchbox frame. Its differential design and discreet components deliver up to 60dB of gain with low noise. The simplicity of the design is reminiscent of vintage equipment, and it avoids zero-cross distortion and other limitations imposed by off-the-shelf op-amps.

Martin Audio's MLA Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array uses optimization software and a new cellular array design to "take the guesswork out of daily system design," according to R&D director Jason Baird. "We are convinced that MLA is a game-changing product."

The Radial J+4 is a high performance line driver designed to take -10dB consumer devices and amplify them so that they can easily integrate with professional level +4dB devices. It is fully equipped with 100 percent discreet electronics which deliver greater than +17dB of gain while transformer isolation eliminates buzz and hum caused by ground loops.

Rational Acoustics's Smaart v.7, the culmination of an two-year development effort, is also the first version of Smaart designed and released solely by Rational Acoustics, who purchased the brand from EAW in November 2009.