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Tips and Tricks: Is That Really a Line Input?

Tips and Tricks: Is That Really a Line Input?

How to make sure you get what you want out of a pre-amp.

At Aphex, we manufacture outboard microphone preamplifiers. We believe that they are great sounding, and that opinion is shared by thousands of users. We did notice, however, that a few customers complained that they could not hear the quality improvement that they were expecting. When we inquired as to how our preamplifiers were interfaced into their systems, we found that almost all the problems arose from the confusion over whether or not an input that is labeled “line” is a true line input.

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Taking God on the Road

It may not be rock ‘n’ roll, but the band sure rocks

Over the last several months, I have talked to you about installing worship sound systems, dealing with the church hierarchy, training volunteers, getting paid, etc. What I have not spent any time on is mixing church, gospel and worship groups and going out on the road with a worship band.

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Turning Up the Heat

Chris Chandler matches up well with the wild rock show that is the Flaming Lips

Since the early ‘90s Chris Chandler has had an FOH seat for one of the most exciting and creative rock ‘n’ roll shows played onstage, led by Wayne Coyne and his merry band of pranksters known as the Flaming Lips. From the lead singer getting bounced into a crowd at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in a huge clear ball to space ships onstage to a cascade of balloons bounding down from the rafters to the entire band dressing up in animal costumes, Chandler has seen just about everything.

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Ace of Sound

Mike Goodreau deals a hot hand of audio

Mike Goodreau began his “life in sound” as a drummer, and he was also the guy smart enough to acquire the P.A. for his fledgling rock band. That happy circumstance put him on the path to a thriving career as a sound company owner and mix engineer who’s served hundreds of events over the past 20-plus years.

 

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Riedel Communications

Go along for the ride

Who: Riedel Communications, Inc.

What: Manufacturer of sophisticated digital intercom solutions for customers worldwide for use in the broadcast, pro audio, event, sports and theatre industries.

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Keep It Covered

Slam, bam, thank you, man.

Brian: So, Ken, why is it that even when we hire the best help we can find, they never seem to be able to take the same care with our gear that we do? I know most of this stuff is built with the rigors of the road in mind, but it’s still all got delicate little electronic circuit boards inside.

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Shure Applauds Bipartisan Support for Legislation to Protect Wireless Microphone Systems

Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV, fourth from left) are (L/R) Shure’s Mark Brunner and Jeff Krull, Mark Dennis (Cirque du Soleil), Bill Evans (FOH Magazine), and Scott Harmala (ATK Audiotek).

NILES, IL— Sandy LaMantia, President and CEO of Shure Incorporated, today praised several legislators who are supporting H.R. 1320, The Interference Protection for Existing Television Band Devices Act of 2007. The bill, introduced by Representative Bobby L. Rush (D-IL), seeks to protect users of wireless microphone systems and other devices that transmit in the television band from harmful interference from new devices. Representatives Mark Steven Kirk (R-IL), Shelley Berkley (D-NV), Jim Cooper (D-TN), Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) and Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) have pledged their support for the bill.

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Sister Hazel Takes the Hard Rock Park Road to Myrtle Beach with Sennheiser

NASHVILLE, TN — A galaxy of Sennheiser and Neumann microphones and a TRUE Systems Precision 8 mic preamp system were on hand at the Memphis, Nashville, and Atlanta Sister Hazel shows for the band’s all-acoustic "The Hard Rock Park Road to Myrtle Beach Tour." Sister Hazel headlined a traveling exhibition of the Beatles' famed Magical Mystery Tour Bus in support of the future 140-acre Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The tour hit Hard Rock Cafés between New York and Atlanta before a finale at the Myrtle Beach site.

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Martin Audio MA Series Power Amps

The three new Martin Audio MA Series models — MA18K, MA12K and MA9.6K — are designed to use Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) technology to achieve higher efficiency. Martin says these amps can deliver 95% of the input power into the speakers, with a 5% loss dissipated as heat. They are reduced in size and weight and also contain patented design features to control parameters such as distortion, frequency response, slew rate, damping factor and bandwidth. The amps use switch-mode power supplies and power factor correction to maintain a steady current draw on the mains supply.

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Dallas House of Blues Opens with Electro-Voice XLC DVX

DALLAS —The latest addition to the successful House of Blues brand opened in Dallas on May 8 with an inaugural performance by Dallas native, Erykah Badu. The new venue includes a 1,625-capacity music hall, a 400-seat restaurant, special events facilities, a company store and a Foundation Room consisting of a private lounge and fine dining area for members. The sound system features the latest XLC DVX line arrays from Electro-Voice, along with a full compliment of EV P and CP series amplifiers, Midas mixing consoles and Klark Teknik Square One signal processing.

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Give It a Name: NEXO Calls It NXStream

REDDITCH, ENGLAND — The three days of the Give It A Name indoor shows in late April are seen as the start of the U.K. festival season, as up-and-coming new alt-rock bands rotate through three venues in England and Scotland. With up to 12 acts a day going through each stage of the early spring festival, this was a great opportunity for an army of different front-of-house engineers to get their hands on the NEXO GEO T line array, running the newly launched NXStream management software.

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