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Rocking with Church Unusual

Rocking with Church Unusual

Set in Arlington, Texas on more than 50 beautifully landscaped acres, at the heart of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, is High Point Church (www.churchunusual.com), one of the fastest growing ministries in the country. Known as "Church Unusual," HPC's worship style has obviously struck a major chord with the public; from modest beginnings in 1999 among friends and relatives who gathered at the home of Pastor Gary Simons and his wife April, it has grown to encompass a 5,000-seat auditorium within a 423,000-square-foot complex that services 20 different ministries. And–according to Pastor Gary's master plan–this is only the beginning.

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Who Do You Need to Know to Get Hired?

Recently I was privileged to sit on a panel at Pro Production 2005 that was moderated by Glenn Goodwin of the Spark Agency, and sat in the company of fellow panelists Sandra Bartsch, Ken Freeman and Pam Scrape. The panel was poised with the question frequently asked by vendors trying to break in to the event production market. "Who do I need to know?" This was an easy topic for me, as I have used a basic philosophy for years.

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Friendly Fire

As the technical manager of a mid-sized community theatre, one of my duties is to review all proposed special effects for safety. About a year ago I was presented with a situation that reminded me to expect the unexpected.

A local organization that provides an educational alternative for "at-risk" high school students rented our theatre to present an anti-gang themed play created by their students for presentation to other local high school students. The director of the group called me to ask permission to use a pistol in a fight scene. After a brief conversation about rules regarding firearms, I asked him to drop by with the gun so I could check it out.

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Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys is out in style, with a tour whose vibe is '30s with a modern twist. With her band all dressed in white, the stage draped in curtains and Alicia's vocals smooth yet vibrant, her theater/arena tour is selling out everywhere. We spoke with FOH and monitor engineers Tony Blanc (pictured) and Chris Schutz about the show.

Tony Blanc: For Alicia's tour, we are out using Showco/Clair Bros. and their propriety cabinets, the Prism system. The venues have varied from theaters to arenas; hence the P.A. size has constantly varied in size. The basis of the system comes with sub-bass, and the "Gray" nearfill boxes.

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Community DXP4800 and M12, MIPRO MI-808, PAS SW-2.2P

Community DXP4800 Processor and M12 Monitor

By Mark Amundson

Community Professional Loudspeakers has a long history of creating innovative products for touring and install audio applications. In this latest era, both the DXP4800 Digital System Controller and M12 tour-grade stage monitor are proof that innovation is not the exclusive province of large multi-brand corporations. I received both the DXP4800 and the M12 for this road test review.

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Get to the Source

So many times we have discussed the evil trinity of church sound: incorrect speaker placement, stage wedges and live drum kits. These always seem to be a dark and persistently integral part of the learning curve when it comes to getting great sound to the congregation. There are many reasons why this is the case, but there are only two general reasons why this destroys the faith of the FOH volunteer and his ability to do a great job. First, the person can only mix what he gets, and second… he can only mix what he gets!

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I Need More Power, Captain!

As we head into the outdoor gig season, there's always a lot of concern about the subject of scrounging for power for the show. Now, the big shows can demand genny trailers and venue/city electricians for hookups, but many of the smaller performances are left to people who think any electrical access is enough to get the job done. In the past, I have written about power distribution and load balancing; but let's think about not having enough power and what to do about it.

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Keeping Those Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Sounding Squeaky Clean

Set on the French Riviera and inspired by the movie with Michael Caine and Steve Martin, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels tells the tale of a professional trickster, his cohort in crime (a chief of police) and the young charlatan who wants to learn more about the art of the con, particularly as it applies to rich single women. Co-starring John Lithgow and Norbert Leo Butz as the con man and his protégé, both of whom compete to swindle a young heiress out of $50,000, this Broadway musical is wittier and more fun than you might think, and it features some catchy musical numbers to boot.

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Mini Me, Mini You

I remember once being invited to a manufacturer's demonstration of a digital microphone in Nashville. I had been truly looking forward to it–the notion that one of the last two pieces of the pro audio puzzle that had evaded digitization was about to be brought into the fold was exciting.

When I arrived, the microphone was set up on a stand for the throngs to marvel at. But cynic that I am, I began to sense that the Emperor's New Clothes might be hanging on this rack as well. Chatting up the sales rep, I kept asking how the "digital microphone" worked, and kept getting elusive answers. However, each question brought us closer to the core of the matter, which was that this was a perfectly normal powered transducer that, like all microphones, turned the energy of moving air into a variable pulse palpated by the diaphragm and turned that into (very analog) electrical impulses. The digital part had to do with an A/D converter that was mounted in the rear of the microphone casing. This was a digital microphone in the same way I'm a pilot because I sit in the first row behind the cockpit on an MD-80.

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John Murchison and Tricia M Ellsworth

John Murchison

Owner/Engineer

JRM Audio

Redondo Beach, CA

[email protected]

www.electricblue.net/JRMAudio

Quote: When life looks like Easy Street, there is danger at your door.

John Murchison started his live audio career in 1978 mixing FOH on a Tapco board for a country-rock cover band. "We played at Mrs. Jay's Beer Garden in Asbury Park, N.J., next to Bruce Springsteen's famous Stone Pony Bar," he notes. Since then, John has relocated to sunny Southern California, where he started JRM Audio. He currently provides sound for local bands, clubs and outdoor concerts and festivals, including the Ojai Jam Band Festival Benefit, Cubensis, Grampas Grass, Electric Blue and Sticky Fingers.

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Taking Business Into Your Own Hands

Hi Guys,

I've got a question and a complaint. So maybe you can help. I run a small sound company, but about half of my work comes from working for larger sound companies. The problem is that I am getting almost no work from the mid-sized companies I usually get gigs from. This has been going on for some time now. Are things just slow, or am I a bigger loser than I thought? What's your assessment on the state of live sound?

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Surviving the Squeeze

The following is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the semi-innocent.

Much as the conventional wisdom holds that being the middle child sucks, those in the middle of the live event audio world may be feeling that the world is lined up against them right about now.

A few months ago, we ran the news that San-Diego and Nashville-based Sound Image had aquired Chicago's db Sound, instantly rocketing them to at least the number two spot when it comes to pure size among national sound companies. At the same time, larger regionals are moving up to be considered by many as national companies. (Thunder Audio out of Detroit is a good example. Although they were nominated for a "Hometown Hero" award this year, with clients including Metallica and Garbage, many readers feel Thunder no longer qualifies as a regional company.)

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