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Portable Power: A Future Perspective

Future powering? Renovagen’s RollArray system is a roll-deployed photovoltaic (PV) solar system, designed to be quickly unfurled, providing up to 100kW (or more) of power from a transportable container.

Portable Power: A Future Perspective

Generators and portable power distribution are central to professional audio. Electricity is the preferred means of transferring energy. It is the lifeblood of all pro audio gear. The specific details of portable power distribution for pro audio are often outside the daily interactions of the local electrician. In these circumstances, it can fall to the audio practitioner to clarify the relevant codes and procedures to the electrical professionals in the name of event safety. A solid conceptual understanding of portable electrical power distribution should be a goal for all pro audio professionals.

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Fig. 1: Applying the inverse distance law shows that sound bleed reaching the figure-8 mic on a guitar cabinet placed 16-feet back from a 96 dB stage wedge is down to 70 dB SPL. Graphic courtesey Phil Selman

Utilizing Ribbon Mics for Live Sound

I discovered ribbon mics late in my career, after I’d been engineering for 20 years. I only knew the classics before that, such as the RCA 44 and 77-DX, which looked great in glass cases or featured in photos of music stars of previous generations. About 2001 I started using some of the newer generation of ribbon mics and I fell in love with them: the Royer R-121 and R-122, the AEA R84 and R88, along with standards such as the Coles 4038 and Beyerdynamic M160 and M500. I was hooked, with my ribbon mic collection eventually topping out over a dozen mics, ranging in date of origin from 1932 all the way to the present. But I used them primarily in the studio and became very familiar with their strengths. I learned to love the figure-8 pattern and recognize where it truly excelled.

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Sommer HQ-HDMI cables.

Sommer HQ-HDMI 4K Cable

LAS VEGAS – Sommer Cable America is introducing at the upcoming InfoComm 2016 the new HQ-HDMI cable, designed for loss-free transmission of digital UHD video and multi-channel HD audio data. With a maximum bandwidth of 18 Gbit/s, the 1080p HD video signals will be supported as well as UHD 4K resolutions up to 4096 x 2160 pixels, including the data transfer rates required by HDR.

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The main sanctuary at Hendersonville First Baptist Church, as seen from the balcony. All photos by Chris Demonbreun

First Baptist Church Hendersonville

Once named as one of the “ten best cities for families” by Family Circle magazine, Henderson, TN is a small town that’s just 18 miles northeast of Nashville. While officially part of the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area, Henderson still retains a small town feel, yet with that kind of proximity to Music City USA, residents there are very attuned to sonic quality — especially as part of their worship experience.

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The DiGiCo SD7 console providing the house mix at Atlanta’s Philips Arena for Passion 2016

The Heart of Passion 2016

Simulcast Audio Solutions for 40,000 Attendees in Three Arenas in Two States

Since they began in 1997, the Passion Conferences have long served to bring college students together for worship with a lineup of concerts and speakers. Over the years, they have expanded, with events and tours around the U.S. and the entire world. This year, with the promise that “three locations will be connected across two cities with a single heartbeat,” the conference was held simultaneously at three large venues in two different cities, all linked together to share content via an Optocore digital fiber network and satellite redundancy. The three-day conference saw attendance at more then 40,000 people, with six bands and six guest speakers to entertain the crowds in all three cities.

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Telstra Insight Center.

Meyer Sound Constellation Provides Acoustical Flexibility For Australian Telecom Company

SYDNEY – A Meyer Sound Constellation acoustic system is helping Telstra, one of Australia’s largest telecommunications and media companies, to inform and educate visitors at its Customer Insight Center (CIC) in Sydney. Installed in a 300-seat theatre, Constellation provides Telstra with the acoustical flexibility to hold meetings, concerts and multimedia presentations in the same space, helping to connect customers with the company’s range of cross-platform technology solutions.

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Solotech flew a full K1/K2 system for the 2016 Juno Awards.

L-Acoustics K1/K2 System Rocks Canada’s Juno Awards

CALGARY, Alberta, Canada –  The Juno Awards, Canada’s most prestigious music awards show, recently aired live on CTV from Calgary’s Scotiabank Saddledome and featured performances by many of the country’s leading music artists, including Alessia Cara, Bryan Adams, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Dean Brody, Jann Arden, Shawn Mendes, The Tenors and The Weeknd. But it was the performance by an L-Acoustics K1/K2 sound system—provided by another Canadian original, Solotech—that seamlessly kept the music sonically clear all night long. The system proved to be an ideal solution for Scotiabank Saddledome, which is a beautiful sounding hall with a unique hyperbolic paraboloid-shaped roof offering fantastic interior sightlines. That same design poses challenges in terms of weight limitations. However, the weight-to-power ratio of L-Acoustics’ K2 allowed the Junos to enjoy powerful system performance without concern for any weight-loading issues.

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The Venue 2 receiver

Lectrosonics Venue 2 and HHa Digital Hybrid Wireless

The world of wireless audio for live sound is tough, and truthfully, it’s not getting any easier, with ever-increasing RF traffic, fewer available UHF bands and the uncertainty of a spectra landscape that may (or may not) change at the whim of any future FCC rulings. Specifically designed to address those very issues is Lectrosonics’ Venue 2 Digital Hybrid Wireless modular receiver. Lectrosonics’ Digital Hybrid Wireless process delivers a wide 20 kHz audio bandwidth, compander-free audio and uses an analog FM carrier to transmit a specially encoded signal that delivers digital audio quality while remaining highly spectrum efficient.

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A series of concerts at the Red Hat amphitheater deployed a Martin Audio MLA Compact system.

Martin Audio MLA Covers Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in Raleigh

RALEIGH, NC – The recent Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in Raleigh, NC – with marathons and half marathon races – culminated in a series of concerts at the Red Hat amphitheater. Gavin DeGraw was the headliner for the first night with opening acts Jason Adamo and Mark Scibilia, followed by St. Lucia, Four Founders and Look Homeward celebrating the close of the marathon run. The challenge to overcome at Red Hat was controlling sound given the venue’s location in the heart of the city opposite the convention center with residential housing located close behind the amphitheater. RMB Audio deployed a Martin Audio MLA Compact system for the event for various reasons.

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The San Jose Sharks make their traditional shark’s mouth entrance onto the ice at the SAP Arena in San Jose — a multipurpose facility that doubles as a concert venue.

Big, Boomy and Cold: The Realities of Arena Sound

Tonight I have a little time off, and I am watching a Stanley Cup playoff game between the San Jose Sharks and the Nashville Predators. The game is being played at the SAP Arena in San Jose, CA. The Sharks’ hockey fans love that building. It’s loud and reverberant, with lots of hard reflective surfaces, and virtually no acoustical treatment — perfect for amplifying crowd noise to intimidate the visiting team. The very conditions that make an arena so perfect for hockey games make it an extremely challenging environment for live music shows. The building makes live music sound hard, unconnected and overly bright. It has never been one of my favorite concert venues. Plus, I am a devout fan of the rival Los Angeles Kings.

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