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TC Electronic M350 Dual Effects Processor

TC Electronic M350 Dual Effects Processor

Back when I reviewed the TC Electronic M300 Dual Effects Processor, I made it clear that the M300 spelled the end of Yamaha SPX90’s reign as the utility effects processor for instrument effects. Now, TC Electronic has upped the ante with the M350. The latest processor includes 15 new re-verb algorithms and multi-effects. An AU/VST compatible software editor to fully automate parameters and presets for Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) use seals the deal. Having fallen in love with the simplicity and sound quality of the M300 — from my perspective — the M350 has unexpectedly promised and delivered on its goodness. 

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Mackie Quad EQ

If you asked me what I thought was the most important piece of outboard gear in a soundman’s arsenal, I would say, without hesitation, a good graphic EQ. Whether you agree with me or not, you can’t deny the importance of this type of gear. Well, Mackie has pulled out all the stops with its new digital Graphic QuadEQ. I don’t know the backstory on the research and development of the EQ, but this new device can do just about everything that you would want a graphic to do and more. 

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NEXO GEO-T, GEO-D, GEO CD18 Subbass

What’s the biggest problem doing live sound for a monster truck rally or a motorcycle supercross event? Well, lemme ask you this: What’s the best day of the week for a monster truck or supercross show? If you didn’t say “SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY!” in your loudest and deepest TV an-nouncer voice — well, you just haven’t been watching enough late-night TV. When the commercial for your event delivers teeth-rattling SPL, your rig better be able to bring it. And when Yamaha recently gave us a call to check out the Supercross finals at Sam Boyd stadium, we got a chance to see if NEXO could do just that.

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Hugh Bennett Productions Keeps Its Focus

Concentrating on people and product over price brings success in Nashville.

In a town where you can find a sound company on just about every other corner, the team at Hugh Bennett Productions has made its mark in Nashville as one of the region’s top companies. Michael Allen, who was serving as the company’s supervisor before purchasing it in May, attributes the company’s lon-gevity to concentrating on people and product over price. 

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Those Darn Kids

So, I am hired to design/set up a show at a high school and train the guy after me how to run sound. It’s a pretty simple setup for this show (four headsets, four floor mics and four choir mics plus tracks from a CD), so I figure with about three weeks to go until show, I should have plenty of time to set up and train this guy.  

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Sound Does Travel in Space

Clair Bros.’ crew makes sure sound is everywhere on The Dark Side of the Moon

Pink Floyd’s dark, introspective music, combined with their bleak world view, made for powerful, if somewhat depressing songs — especially as Roger Waters took more creative control of the band in the late ’70s and early ‘80s. So I was caught a little off-guard when I spoke to the crew of the Roger Waters Dark Side of the Moon tour, and every single person referred to the tour as “Happyville” — and no one was joking. Bob Weibel, the tour’s systems engineer, didn’t want to tell me too much about the gags in the show because he “didn’t want to ruin the fun.” I guess when you’re touring with a rock legend and making him sound amazing you can afford a little levity. 

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How to Handle Those High-Stress Moments

One of my coworkers came to me the other day and asked me if I could handle a sticky situation with one of our clients. He told me that he couldn’t handle another problem because he was getting overwhelmed, and all he wanted to do was to go home. I was more than happy to help remedy the situation, and what was presented to me as a major issue was, in actuality, an easily resolved minor quandary. This, of course, does not make me a hero, nor does it make me a better person than my coworker, but it does cement in my mind the reason why I am such an advocate for labor. After all, the outcome of any gig is dependent upon clear thinking and the deftness of the crew. 

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Rolling Hills Is Alive with Music

One modern church gets maximum sound for a minimal cost.

When the members of the Rolling Hills Christian Church started to discuss a multipurpose room built with top-notch audio and video gear to help them reach out to the community, Mark Thompson, principal of Clarity Audio Systems, was tapped for his expertise. 

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Envisioning the Future

An Oregon house of worship upgrades its audio with digital advances and state-of-the-art sound equipment. 

A few days after workers finished the new sanctuary and massive thrust stage of the First Baptist Church in Eugene, Ore. — with little re-hearsal time in the space, and less time for the technical staff to comprehend the full scope of their options — the Oregon Bach Festival or-chestra and choirs, under the baton of conductor Helmuth Rilling, took the stage to perform Bach’s Mass in B Minor to a packed house of 1,250 eager classical music fans. 

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Get Your Fingers Gooey

Touch-screen technology eases the transition to digital.

Back in the mid-1990s, when Klark-Teknik introduced its DN3600 graphic equalizer, the company literally touched on a concept that was way ahead of its time for the audio industry. In addition to being programmable, the DN3600 was one of the first graphic EQs to not feature sliding faders on the front panel. The DN3600 had a backlit LCD screen displaying 31 “virtual” sliders (one per EQ band). When the DN3600 was introduced, it was (and is) cool, not just because the front panel was unique and looked nice, but because the graphic interface made a great piece of audio gear easy to use. 

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