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Put That Phone Away!

Smartphone use is increasingly becoming an issue at live events.

Put That Phone Away!

The smartphone giveth, and the smartphone taketh away. The proliferation of video cameras in connected phones was a boon to the music industry, which early on saw it as a replacement for MTV, a way to put artist clips in front of every Facebook and Instagram user on earth and stimulate ticket sales. But as smartphone proliferated, those clips became more like leaks in a boat than floats for it. Besides, artists were noticing that concertgoers were standing or sitting in front of them but staring into their phones instead of the stage. Talk about an ego deflater. Richard Branson, the Virgin impresario, has criticized contemporary music shows as “soulless,” where “everyone stands around looking at their phones.”

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Basel, Switzerland’s z7 is an example of a venue where a great staff can do a lot to make for a great show.

What Really Makes a Good Venue?

There are a lot of things that can make a gig bad: the weather, delayed or canceled travel (and the accompanying stress) and equipment breakdowns all come to mind. But when someone asks, “How was the show?” the reply is never “the weather was great” or “my flight was awesome, especially the sponge bath I had in Business Class” or “none of the gear exploded” (hmmm… anyone remember Phase Linear amplifiers?). Most often, what makes a great gig is the people who work it.

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Audio Networking for Churches

Audio Networking for Churches

If you have purchased a single piece of digital audio equipment over the past few years, you’ve likely had to consider audio networking when thinking about how it would connect or integrate into your sound reinforcement system. Sure, you could continue using analog audio interconnects, or even AES/EBU or MADI, but the ubiquitous nature of protocols like Dante and AES67 must have you wondering about their benefits. In fact, audio networking has come a long way since CobraNet’s heyday. Not only is networked audio more affordable than ever, it’s easier to configure, easier to manage and within reach of any sanctuary with a reasonable audio budget.

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Illustration by Andy Au

When I’m 65

It’s finally happened. The day that always seemed so far away has arrived with not quite as much fanfare as I had imagined, but certainly with more impact than I was prepared to receive. That’s right; I turned 65 years of age and while my inevitable demise is not as imminent as my life insurance policy makes it seem, the implications — as well as the realities of my chronological calculations — have sunk in. I am old, and the beginning of my twilight years has officially commenced.

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Leo Beranek

Happy Birthday: Leo Beranek Turns 102!

Born Sept 15, 1914 in Solon, Iowa, Dr. Leo Leroy Beranek has long been considered the industry’s leading expert voice on acoustics. This former MIT professor and founder of Bolt, Beranek & Newman (now BBN Technologies) has been a monumental force since his first publications in 1939, but it was his 1954 book “Acoustics” that still remains a classic in the field and has been updated over the years, and the current 2012 edition, “Acoustics: Sound Fields & Transducers” is still required reading for anyone seriously interested in the nature of sound.

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The 2016 Parnelli Awards will take place Oct. 22 at the Rio in Las Vegas

Reminder: Less than Two Weeks Left to Vote for 2016 Parnelli Awards

LAS VEGAS — The 2016 Parnelli Awards gala, hosted by Grammy nominated composer and guitarist Adrian Belew and honoring Richard Fernandez, Danny O’Bryen and Greg Mackie, is once again trending toward a complete sellout. As of mid-September, just two weeks after the Parnelli Awards ballot was finalized and made available online, the voting has been fast and furious, with reservations for the Oct. 22 event continuing apace. Voting from readers of FRONT of HOUSE and PLSN magazines will continue until Friday, Sept. 30, 2016.

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Comedian Sinbad will return to host the 32nd annual TEC Awards

32nd Annual NAMM TEC Award Nominees Announced

[caption id="attachment_125202" align="alignnone" width="800"]Comedian Sinbad will return to host the 32nd annual TEC Awards[/caption]

CARLSBAD, CA – The NAMM Foundation has announced the technical and creative nominees for its 32nd Annual NAMM Technical Excellence & Creativity Awardst. Comedian and actor Sinbad will return to host the event, held January 21, 2017, during the Winter NAMM Show. The NAMM TEC Awards are bestowed annually in celebration of the pro audio community by recognizing the individuals, companies and technical innovations behind today’s sound recordings, live sound, films, television, and video games.

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PSS, JBL Support Louisiana Entertainment Artist Recovery Program

BATON ROUGE, LA — Baton Rouge based Premier Production & Sound Services, LLC has teamed with JBL to create the PSS/JBL Louisiana Entertainment Artist Recovery Program. After the recent flooding in the Baton Rouge and surrounding areas, many local musicians, DJs and entertainers lost their audio equipment. This program will provide no cost use of JBL EON612 Stage monitor Powered Speaker Systems to those affected by the flooding. 

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Shure DDS 5900 Digital Discussion System

NYU Law School Selects Shure

NEW YORK — New York University School of Law selects the Shure DDS 5900 Digital Discussion System for the multipurpose meeting rooms in the Law School facilities. The system combines a microphone, loudspeaker, interpretation audio and user controls into one integrated system for sound in any sized room.

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