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We Are Controlling Transmission

We Are Controlling Transmission

We live in a media saturated environment, where we are constantly receiving and processing excessive amounts of information, which we then file and store away in the recesses of our overworked and over-stimulated brains. Often we disseminate this information as verified knowledge, with, more often than not, only a partial understanding of whatever the subject might be. All of us lead busy lives, and there are only so many hours in the day that can be devoted to following up on all the information we receive in that given time. Between work, family and whatever civic duties one might have it becomes increasingly difficult to find the time for more than the headline news, and even if we find the time to actually read a paper we, more often than not, skim the headlines and give a quick read to the article before moving on to the next headline. With all the information that we are required to process, it's not surprising that we take what we need from any given article or sound bite and then spew it back out with the authority of an expert. It is also not uncommon for us to be a bit cynical about some of this information we receive due to the fact that it is often wrong.

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Adventures In Mixing

For those of you who do not recognize the name Howard Page, you should. His audio credits include Van Halen and Sade, as well as the design and creation of six sound consoles, including the Showco Showconsole, one of the first digital mixing desks (OK, digitally-controlled analog). In addition, Page currently serves as director of engineering for Showco, part of Clair Brothers Audio. In a career measured not in years but in decades, Page has mastered the art of the live mix, so there is little wonder why many in his native Australia refer to him as "The Legend."

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More Beer! Uh, More Power!

We were playing a street dance, and they told us there was a generator for us to use. When we got there we found that the generator's distro panel was 150 feet from the stage, and the generator was in an alley behind a fence and 12 feet below the street level. Oh, and the generator was being shared by us and all the street vendors. (Uh-oh.)

We got everything plugged in and checked the power meters on the FOH rack, and discovered that the generator was cranked up to 130 volts, so my guy had to walk around two buildings to get to the generator to turn its output down to a reasonable level. We continued with our setup and got ready to start sound check, when the GFI on the distro panel popped.

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Mackie Onyx 24.4 and Face Audio 1200TS Power Amplifier

Mackie Onyx 24.4

by Jamie Rio

Everybody needs a mid-format, midsized board. Well, maybe not everybody. My grandmother doesn't need this size of a mixer, but you know what I mean. If you supply sound reinforcement for some of the millions of school, city, church, club, park, small fair and carnival shows that happen every year in this country, then you need a midsize board.

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Spending God's Money

I am certainly not attempting to be blasphemous with the title of this piece. If anything, I just want to add a little levity to the very serious task of getting a realistic budget when delving into a house of worship sound project. If you read my last piece (and I hope you have), I described my modus operandi for approaching worship sound. I'll give you the Reader's Digest version.

First, I talk with the musical director and the pastor, priest, rabbi, etc. Then I go to a service and listen. Next, I get into the sanctuary and crank up the existing system. After that, I simply offer my recommendations. Let me make a quick point here. I belong to a church and believe in a God. It is a fact that many churches believe that the money they collect from their members is God's money. Keep this in the back of your mind when you are making your pitch. It's also a good idea to visit some of your local houses of worship just to listen to the systems.

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Mind Games

In previous Theory and Practice installments, I have gone over many lists of things to do while setting up for the show, but it's a whole new game once the show starts. From the sound check, you should have your performance mix roughed in, or at least your usual fader starting locations for vocals and the various instrument inputs. And once the performance is started, all your senses are required. This means a lot more than the standard "no alcohol consumption" bromide. (Repeat after me class: "It robs you of your high-frequency hearing temporarily.") "All senses required" means a mind emptied of all non-performance issues as the show starts. See the board, be the board. Or, if you prefer, get your Jedi on.

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Keith Rubinstein Weathers Slava's Snowshow

I guarantee that you've never seen anything like Slava's Snowshow. It will transform your perception of clowns in the way that Cirque Du Soleil has reinvented our idea of the circus. The two-act show features a yellow clown and his green companions wandering the stage, improvising various gags and parodying many famous movie or theatre clichés, from two people lost at sea to two lovers parting at a train station. And they do so in brilliant and unconventional ways. The costumes are wild, the set pieces are surreal, and the climactic "blizzard" that engulfs the audience has to be experienced to be believed. Make sure you stay during the intermission, too, as the clowns come down from the stage to wreak havoc and play around with the audience.

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Remote Considers the Options

We've been on a roll lately in discussing how digital technology is changing the business models for the live sound industry. Few aspects of music have escaped unscathed, and live recordings are no exception.

The onetime "ne plus ultra" of the live LP, Frampton Comes Alive, has transitioned from milestone to artifact. In the RIAA's list of alltime top-100 albums, only one, Garth Brooks' Double Live, made the top ten, one of the few on the entire list. Steady declines in the number of conventional (I'm using that word for a reason) live recordings were countered to a degree by the explosive growth of music on DVD; from 2000 to 2004 the category grew by double and even triple digits annually. However, 2005 was a watershed year that saw the sector cool off and decline by 4%.

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New Mixer Launches

DALY CITY, CA — Digidesign has announced the new Digidesign Mbox 2 Mini, a USB-powered Pro Tools LE system. The Mini is the newest and smallest member of the Mbox 2 family.

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Mobile Switches Switchers

BOCA RATON, FL — Mobile Studios, developers of fly pack systems, have selected FOR-A's HVS-500HS HANABI 1 M/E HD switcher for the company's new mobile production console. The MS7HD is a portable live production system capable of multi-camera shooting, targeted for use by corporations, houses of worship, universities, sporting event producers, government video producers and independent production companies.

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Black and Peas Play Back Nine

FARMINGDALE, PA — Sponsored by 84 Lumber, the 84 Lumber Classic is a PGA event held at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort's Mystic Rock golf course, and this year's Classic featured back-to-back concerts with Clint Black and the Black Eyed Peas, with a movable stage and audio system provided by Satin Sound Systems of Hermitage, Penn.

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Sound System Demos in Quebec

MONTREAL, QUEBEC — The Midas XL8 live performance system was demonstrated in a series of sessions held in Montreal during the last week of October. Midas representatives Richard Ferriday, Jim Pfitzinger, Mitch Mortenson and Mick Whelan were on hand to introduce the XL8 system to attendees.

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