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Live is More Alive Than Ever

Live is More Alive Than Ever

Someone once said, there are three kinds of lies: "lies, damned lies, and statistics". Looking at the stats of the music business in the last couple of years can be dismaying: despite a bit of a bounce last year, CD sales remain relatively stagnant and down more than 20% over the last five years; last year, of course, was a fairly dismal one for pop music concerts, and since neither all the king's horses nor all the king's men can put Ashlee Simpson together again (although CAA will try), it's possible the public's mistrust of when it's live and when it's Memorex could become a hardened attitude.

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Chad Stewart and Michael Hayes

Chad Stewart

President

Stewart Sound

[email protected]

www.stewartsound.net

Quote: Every day is a good day!

Chad Stewart is the touring engineer for the Peter Mayer Group (www.petermayer.com), although he has also worked with artists such as Ricky Skaggs, Arlo Guthrie, the Arden Presbyterian Singing Christmas Tree and Doc Watson. "I am very fortunate to have the Peter Mayer Group position," he comments, "and more importantly, I am blessed to know those guys and call them friends." Chad is also a guitar player and singer, and has two children, Alex and Abby–"the best kids on the planet," he claims.

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Mix & Match Gear

Dear Anklebiters,

After years of working for other outfits, I am finally on my own. The one issue I have run into a few times, however, is not having enough of my own gear for a show and having to rent additional equipment. This in itself is not so bad, but occasionally I have mixed and matched amps, monitors and Front of House speakers. What is your take on this practice?

Charles Leighter

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Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Geez, have I used that headline before? Maybe. With any luck, it was for another magazine or at least a long time ago. This is one of the pitfalls of doing this for as long as I have been in an editor's chair for some publication or another. Between these editor's notes, news stories, editorials, columns and reviews, I have shot my big mouth off in print hundreds of times, and not repeating yourself can become a challenge.

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Got Blues?

The major misconception about blues is that it is sad, simple music for the downtrodden masses.

Likewise, many FOH engineers toil under the misconception that mixing blues is "easy and simple"–perhaps even "boring"–as compared to doing sound work for artists in other genres.

Imagine having to mix 12 bands, of varying blues styles, for a scheduled 10-hour show, doing only a line check (blues fest schedules rarely allow for soundchecks), under a hot sun (or in inclement weather), without attracting the attention of or ticking off the local decibel police, and making sure the plug is pulled in time to meet the town curfew. And let us not forget–since a blues festival is a once-a-year event, there's no room for inadequacy. Event organizers are extra critical of the mix. In some cases, these events are integral to a town or city's tourist trade. If you can't achieve a good crisp, clear sound that doesn't offend the audience (which is normally composed of anyone from ages one to 90), or if too many festivalgoers are complaining that they "can't hear the vocals," chances are you won't be invited back. Now that's pressure.

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Babysitting the Sound Guy

Being an audio provider requires that one read the band rider to ensure that the necessary equipment is present for the show. Another part of the audio provider's job is to be in contact with the venue in regard to power requirements, load-in and load-out access, and schedule. The audio company must then transport the system, set it up, tune it, ring it out and then, as the system tech, make sure that the comps and gates are properly inserted, effects are returned correctly, all speakers are in phase, there are no ground loops and that every piece of equipment is operating at its optimum capacity. Once this is achieved, the audio provider can then sit back and relax as the visiting engineer takes over and has all the fun of mixing the show.

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Paul Allshouse

Under the name of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Alvin Ailey's mission and vision of American dance has been thriving for more than 46 years. The AAADT brings a wide variety of Ailey's 79 ballets and more than 190 works by more than 71 choreographers to audiences across America and around the world. Under the ubiquitous title of "Sound Engineer," Paul Allshouse is master of all things audio for AAADT. While he believes deeply in the values and goals of the company and each performance, at the end of the day, he has a job to do, and doing that job means battling some very familiar demons. Having started with the company in September of 2003, Allshouse tells us a little about audio design on the fly, life on the road and abroad, and the oldest battle in the book–fiscal responsibility while delivering the best show possible.

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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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