LAS VEGAS — The 2009 Parnelli Awards will feature a new twist. For the first time, technology as well as people will get props at the ceremony scheduled for Friday Nov. 20 in Orlando, Fla. But don’t expect this unique event that has always been about the people in the live event production industry to turn into another gear fest. “We have fought against adding a gear element to the Parnellis for fear of diluting what it is that makes them special,” said FOH Editor Bill Evans. “I mean, there are gear awards out there that are just ridiculous. ‘Best Wireless Vocal Mic for a Female Singer on a Tuesday Night in Iowa.’ The categories are so narrow in an obvious attempt to ‘honor’ as many advertisers as possible that they become meaningless.”
The answer for the Parnellis was to keep the number of awards to a minimum and to focus on technology that has—or has the potential to—change the way we all do our jobs. Of course, technology is expressed in terms of products, but very few products will be recognized as “game changers.”
“After much thought and discussion, it was decided to limit the awards to just one per major category,” said FOH Publisher and Parnelli Producer Terry Lowe. “We will give one award for audio, one for lighting one for video and one for staging. Just four awards. Winning an Indispensable Technology Award will really mean something.”
The nominees for the 2009 Indispensable Technology Awards—Audio are:
Speaker Technology: Adamson T-21 Subwoofer
A combination of new materials and very high power handling and SPL can mean the ability to do large shows with half as many subs as previously needed. A huge boon when trying to keep touring transportation costs under control.
Microphone Technology: AKG DMS 700 Digital Wireless System
The white space wars are still raging, and this offering from AKG sounds great and bypasses the interference issue. Digital means no companding to screw up the signal, and it is priced lower than some of its traditional wireless competitors
Console Technology: DiGiCo SD7
Instead of building on proven processing, DiGiCo went to a whole new platform that effectively leapfrogged every other digital console out there. Plus, the integration of technologies from markets as far removed from audio as automotive and aerospace has allowed for a level of control and ease of use that will be hard to match.
Processor Technology: Digidesign VENUE System
Yes, it is a console system. But by bringing the world of processing plug-ins from the studio to the stage, Digidesign has forever changed the way we look at signal processing. It’s about the software, not the box.
Wireless Technology: Kaltman Creations Invisible Waves
Yes, the mic category was for a wireless mic, but this is different. By designing a robust and user-friendly GUI for the venerable Win Radio, Kaltman has brought the power of a tool once used only by wireless gurus to a market wide enough to include any sound company using wireless on a gig at a price that is about one 20th of competing high-end analyzing systems.
Amplifier Technology: Lab.gruppen PLM Series
Just as signal processing is migrating into the console, drive processing is moving into the amp. The PLM, with its integration of the Dolby Lake processor as well as Audinate’s Dante digital transport, is one the leading edge of that migration.
To vote, go to www.parnelliawards.com/vote.
