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Night & Day

Night & Day

I have been privileged to provide audio gear and production for Good Charlotte on a few occasions and the band has always sounded great–a fact that I attribute not only to the equipment, but to the professionalism of their seasoned engineers. I was scheduled to arrive at the Good Charlotte show at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia to interview their audio engineers, but true to form, I got overbooked and couldn't make it. Fortunately, I managed to catch up to Vince Buller (monitors) and Gary Ferenchak (FOH) in cyberspace for a conversation, and they were sporting enough to make the dialogue happen.

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Too High-Tech for Hockey?

Owned by the City of Anaheim and managed since 2003 by Anaheim Arena Management, LLC, the Arrowhead Pond opened in 1993. In addition to being home to the NHL's Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, the Pond hosts major sporting events and yearly shows such as the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and the Disney on Ice, and books major concerts each year. Some of those events pushed the limits of the arena's previous console–a 16-input analog board with eight subs, eight matrix outs and four aux outs.

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The Spirit Runneth Over…Me

During my meager eight-year career in live sound, I have only feared for my safety on two occasions. One was an angry rap concert with no security to speak of, which isn't surprising, but the other was a Pentecostal revival.

Being a Christian, I always enjoy working church-related events, especially those which are, to some degree, more energetic than the ones I've experienced in my entirely Southern Baptist upbringing. But this was an evening I'll never forget.

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Old School

The music on the current Robert Plant tour is a mix of different eras and vibes. Some covers, some tunes from the new record, some of the solo hits from the '80s and '90s and a whole bunch of Zep. Most of the band backing this rock and roll elder statesman consists of kids–what's left of the Brit trip-hop unit Portishead. Likewise, the production is a mix of state-of-the-art Meyer MILOs mixed with old-school stalwarts, including Midas H3000s at both FOH and monitors, and lots of screaming Turbosound wedges on stage.

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Crest Audio HP-8 Mixing Console, Furman AR-15 Voltage Regulator and Power Conditioner, beyerdynamic

Crest Audio HP-8 Mixing Console

By Mark Amundson

When the Crest Audio HP-8 Mixing Console was first announced at Winter NAMM 2004, it sparked a great deal of anticipation. Finally, here was a console with pro features at an anklebiter price. But we got through the better part of a year before we actually got our hands on one and, truth is, we were underwhelmed. A call to Crest engineering confirmed that they were aware of the same issues we had noted (manufacturing and not design-related) and said they were being addressed. We opted to wait to review the HP-8 until that happened and it appears to have been worth the wait.

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Flying High

[We're pretty sure that Richard Rutherford is on vacation this month. He'll return with his insights in our October issue. We're pretty sure… –Ed.]

Talk about a mega church. While some church sound systems can get dicey when the size of the congregation reaches into the thousands, production company Band World of Toronto, Ontario, had an interesting challenge on their hands while rigging the site of this year's 58th Session of the General Conference for the Seventh-Day Adventist Church–the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Mo. The venue, which serves as the home base of the St. Louis Rams, has a capacity of 70,000.

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Wireless Microphones

My favorite saying is, "Everything is an antenna, some things just work better than others." When it comes to wireless microphones for live sound, the rules of the game are stacked against wireless mic manufacturers. The best we can do as users–and operators–of wireless mics is to understand the situation and play it to our best advantage. This article takes a practical look at how to best operate wireless mics and introduces some rationale into how things are done.

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Gently Padding The Pillowman

One of the most compelling plays on Broadway in recent memory, the Tony Award-winning The Pillowman stars Billy Crudup as a writer of morbid, Grimmlike tales that are being replicated by a child murderer. When the police of his totalitarian country (Jeff Goldblum and Zeljko Ivanek) haul him and his dim-witted brother in for questioning about the homicides, they are faced with issues of trust, truth, fate and freedom of expression. Further amplifying the dark drama unfolding onstage is the music of Paddy Cunneen and the sound design of Paul Arditti, which interlock to create an ominous, unsettling atmosphere for the show.

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Road Dogs and Studio Cats

I was sitting in Nashville airport one day in July, waiting for weather to clear at LaGuardia. My gate shared a seating area with the adjacent gate, where delayed Los Angeles-bound passengers were also waiting for air traffic control to give their flight the all-clear. Someone tapped me on the shoulder and I turned around to see Bruce Bouton, pedal steel player extraordinaire, standing there surrounded by other top studio Nashville names, including guitarist Jerry McPherson, whose work appears on tons of records for artists like Amy Grant and Toby Keith, and keyboardist Jimmy Nichols, who has equally impressive credits. What was more surprising than finding this concentration of studio talent together outside of a recording studio was that they were all part of singer Reba McEntire's touring band, headed out to play the last date of her 2005 tour in Paso Robles, Calif.

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Nick Savarino and Steve Poulton

Nick Savarino

Owner, FOH Engineer

Megawatt Sound and Lighting Systems

Amite, LA

[email protected]

Quote: Don't just pray for something you want; give thanks for what you already have.

I am a 53-year-old drummer and a junior high and high school band director. In 1984, while playing drums in a local band, I bought a small sound system consisting of lower level gear to use with my band. I started doing sound system rentals on a small scale as a sideline/hobby to my playing and teaching career. What started out as a hobby–providing sound and lighting systems for bands in small clubs–has grown into what is now a fairly serious regional sound company, Megawatt Sound and Lighting Systems, which provides state-of-the-art gear and experienced personnel for fair, festivals and large clubs, as well as production for national acts who pass through our area.

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New Kid on the Block

Dear Sirs,

I don't have my own sound company. I don't even have a job working for a sound company. I am currently graduating high school and volunteering at my local church, but I have aspirations of one day owning my own company. However, I currently have very little experience and would appreciate any advice you can give me on what are the most important things to consider when mixing live sound. I am an Anklebiters fan and I want to thank you for considering my request.

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Odds and Ends

Lots happening out there this month, but nothing that I am inspired enough about for a whole 700-word column. So, let's do a collection of short bits, shall we?

The Squeeze Is, Apparently, On

A few months back, we talked about the consolidation at the top end of the live event audio world and how it might result in a squeeze on mid-sized providers. It seems like that vise is beginning to tighten. In just the past couple of weeks, I have heard about some mid-sized companies that are struggling, and rumors of ballooning deficits are running rampant. At the same time, word on the street is that some of the big boys are tightening the screws. One regional provider looking to move up into the touring world said that he had been told that one national company "will not be under-bid. If I bid $100, they will come in at $50."

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