Blossom Time Parade
DiGiGrid Powers Phil Wright’s Creative Toolbox
LONDON – Since turning freelance a few years back, sound designer Phil Wright has been building an inventory of his favorite tools. The DiGiGrid IOS has become an essential part of his kit.
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Audio for Belgium’s Boomtown Festival Controlled with Martin Audio MLA Compact and Mini Systems
GHENT, Belgium — ARC Productions provided sound equipment from Martin Audio to enhance the stage at the annual Boomtown festival in Belgium. The company says the Martin MLA Compact and Mini system not only directed the sound in front of the fans, it also reduced the level of noise dispersion beyond the concert area, which was a main concern.
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Summer Daze
Way back in my starving student days, summer didn’t mean three months of beach parties, but pouring on any additional work I could muster to self-finance my education. As an IATSE Journeyman, I could snag projectionist work, either running theatrical films or events ranging from closed-circuit, big-screen TV sports (mostly boxing matches) or corporate/convention gigs, for clients ranging from Mary Kay cosmetics to traveling spectacles designed to persuade car dealers to order more new Lincoln Continental models in the fall. And there was plenty of drive-in theater work, in case I wanted to do the 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. shift. There was also an additional hour’s pay each day to walk around the field with a cart full of parts to fix the clip-on 4-inch door speakers that customers liked to abuse in every conceivable manner.
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Twenty One Pilots
Emotional Roadshow World Tour
Like many original bands, Twenty Øne Piløts (TØP) have a distinctive and unique musical style that defies pigeonholing them into any easily defined genre, but has oft been described as “schizophrenic pop.” But whatever you call it, this Columbus, OH-based duo of vocalist/keyboardist/bassist Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun offers a sound that has increasingly caught on, and now grown to include legions of fans in nearly every country worldwide.
Brand New & Modest Mouse
Thunder Audio Makes Mighty Sounds on Co-Headlining Tour
Two major modern rock bands ignite on a blistering co-headlining tour. Twenty-four U.S. cities in just a month’s time, no additional support acts, both bands to play full headlining sets and alternate closing the show. Primarily playing major outdoor amphitheaters, Portland-based alt-rock veterans Modest Mouse and Long Island, NY emo-grunge band Brand New are artists whose styles demand both power and finesse.
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Calico Saloon at Knott’s Berry Farm
Sophisticated Control Tames the Old West Sound
In 1920, Walter and Cordelia Knott moved to the then-sleepy southern California community of Buena Park to farm 20 acres of rented land. They eventually founded a fried chicken restaurant, which by 1940 was serving as many as 4,000 meals a day and is now the world’s largest chicken dinner restaurant.
To offer waiting customers something to do and to pay homage to the pioneering spirit of his grandparents, Walter developed Ghost Town, eventually the first of Knott’s Berry Farm’s six themed areas. Today, that land is part of 160-acre Knott’s Berry Farm, America’s first theme park and the 12th most-visited amusement park in the country.
When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors
Lightning Safety Planning for Live Productions
Lightning kills thousands of people across the globe every year. Lightning also arrives with thunder, which acts an audible alert system that warns of dangerous conditions outside. If thunder is heard, anyone outdoors is in danger of being struck by lightning. A common myth is that it must be raining for lightning to occur. In fact, many lightning fatalities occur when rain is not falling. When lightning threatens, immediate action is required to promote life safety.
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Universal-Fit Earpieces for IEM Systems
In live performance, in-ear monitoring has changed everything. A rock-solid wireless transmitter combined with beltpack IEM receivers and accurate earpieces can significantly improve nearly any show or presentation. Not only can performers hear themselves far better than stage wedge mixes, but IEM use typically results in lowered stage volume. With a great IEM mix, the FOH engineer’s task becomes simpler, the audience get better sound and artists are happy — everybody wins.
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Peavey RBN 112 Ribbon Speaker
There are hundreds of models of 12-inch two-way, speaker-on-a-stick P.A. enclosures on the market from scores of manufacturers. And with good reason — this particular format offers a great combination of full range response with enough oomph to handle applications ranging from bread-and-butter corporate gigs to smaller venue music reinforcement in clubs, houses of worship — you name it. Add in an external sub(s), and such systems easily handle larger venues, all from a compact, easy to use system.
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Small Boxes, Big Sounds
A friend of mine in Vancouver, Canada, occasionally sends me surprises that are always very cool. These products are never big and loud, nor are they flashy and expensive. The items that arrive from Peter Janis at Radial Engineering are colorfully packaged, yet always contained within a simple metal box. Each product is of the highest quality and extremely efficient in accomplishing its particular application.
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