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John Ward and Crew

John Ward and Crew

It's happened many times since I started writing for FOH–a seemingly simple story assignment turned out to be much cooler than I originally anticipated. This one started as a detour on a trip to Vegas, where my primary task was to check out a Cirque du Soleil premiere. Sure, I've heard of Tim McGraw, and his latest hit, "Live Like You Were Dyin'," is one of my current faves. And all the women in the office love his…um… tight jeans. What I found when I got to the McGraw camp was a great sound crew who've worked together long enough to really be a team, and who know exactly what they're doing–even when they're improvising, turning last night's dinner leftovers into gear components.

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The Best of Both Worlds

In the early days, members of Daphne, Alabama's Eastern Shore Baptist Church worshipped in an old motel where the swimming pool did double duty for baptisms. But times have changed; in 2004 the congregation christened a brand new, built-from-the-ground-up 1,600-seat facility where a blend of both traditional and contemporary forms of worship is offered–complete with a 100-voice choir and full orchestra.

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Cutting-Edge Technology and Talented Personnel

"Next to offering the very best in equipment, the key to our continuing success lies in the experience and professionalism of our engineering and production talent," states Lane Rickard. "Quality and success can only come from the 'been there, done that' staff that makes up Power Plus."

Rickard founded Power Plus in Salt Lake City in 1984. The business was later moved to San Diego County, where it remained in operation until February 1998. After a five-year hiatus, during which time Rickard worked for another San Diego-based event production company, Power Plus incorporated and reopened in January 2003 as a full-service entertainment production company under its new name, "Power Plus Sound & Lighting, Inc.," with the goal of providing the best equipment and personnel at an affordable price for virtually any type of event. Today, Power Plus Sound & Lighting not only houses an impressive inventory of top-notch gear, but also a full range of technical, production design and management staff.

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From the Boardroom to the Bathroom

I was working in Austin, Texas for a company called Media Event Concepts doing mostly corporate AV support. It was the one job in my life that I can comfortably say I hated; however, at the time I merely had the wrong attitude. I now know that God put me there to ultimately learn a few things about life (mostly humility), but he also put me there to learn a thing or two about AV. Almost 10 years later, I'm employing much of the stuff I picked up way back when. Thank you, Gordon.

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Crest XRM X-Rack, Powersoft DIGAM Q4004, Soundcraft GB4

Crest Audio XRM X-Rack Mixer

By Jamie Rio

A lot of small to mid-sized sound companies avoid the jump to a monitor board because they fear the perceived cost and complexity of a second board and splitter snake. Of course, there is some investment required to take such a step, but Crest Audio has made setting up your own monitor world less expensive and easier than ever.

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Sometimes You Gotta Let 'Em Fail

Please don't touch the dial; there is nothing wrong. At the time of this writing, Richard Rutherford is immersed in the House of Worship portion of Pro Production 2005, so yours truly is sitting in. Yes, some magazine editors/sound guys actually go to church and therefore get tapped with the inevitable requests for donated gear and services. This is my latest take on that sticky subject.

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Speaker Positioning

Poor positioning of loudspeakers has been a pet peeve of mine for quite awhile. For outdoor situations and large, wide rooms, I can go with the flow of whatever install or system is provided. But there are many occasions, especially in narrow or "tight" rooms, where I come away shaking my head about speaker positioning.

Flat Front vs. Cocked

When the performance area is a narrow room, or a partially segregated performance area where the loudness is to be confined, the typical speaker stacks on the side of the stage should be slightly tilted or "cocked" inward. Of course, this may be a bit fruitless if you have been provided music store-grade top boxes with 90- by 40-degree horns. In that case, just cock them 15 degrees and prepare for wall splatter reverberation.

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John Shivers on 700 Sundays

While musicals and revivals continue to dominate Broadway, a number of high-profile personalities have bravely decided to stage intimate one-man shows. Leading the pack is Billy Crystal, whose autobiographical 700 Sundays has proven to be a sold-out sensation on the Great White Way. Deceptively simple in terms of sound and lighting design, Crystal's show is an emotional, moving piece about coming to terms with the death of his father during his teen years and his subsequent rise to fame.

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Insuring Your Future

Apropos of nothing in particular, it's time to discuss insurance. I put it that way because, like death and taxes, insurance is neither seasonal nor optional. Like the mythical Miller Time, insurance is timeless.

That's trying to put a handle on a topic that is, to most people, about as tedious as watching paint dry. Unfortunately, it's also a lot more complex (except down at the molecular level, but only for chemists). FOH mixers present a challenge to the insurance industry. First, what you do is seemingly obvious but has a lot of nuance: many mixers will toggle between subcontractor and independent status, with stints of out-and-out employment along the way, collecting both W-2 and 1099 forms in a single year. In insurance, as in life, when in doubt, always base decisions on the broadest indicators. For FOH mixers, that means carrying your own equipment and liability policies.

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Dave Kuhn and Melissa Britton; Marc Waithe

Dave Kuhn and Melissa Britton

Independent FOH and Monitor Engineers

Cincinnati, OH and Denver, CO

[email protected]

Dave Kuhn and Melissa Britton are an independent FOH and Monitor team who share many of their clients, including Dave Koz, Earl Klugh and Chris Botti. Dave is a 25-year touring veteran who currently mixes FOH and tour manages for jazz trumpeter Chris Botti. He has also toured with Natalie Cole, George Benson, Lee Ritenour, Was (Not Was), the Pointer Sisters and Barbara Mandrell, among others. Melissa Britton is an experienced audio engineer from Colorado, where she works for Dowlen Sound when not touring.

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Rider-Friendly Inventory

Hello Anklebiters,

I have been running my own sound business and mixing for other outfits for more than five years now and I have finally gotten to a place where I am mixing good shows and making good money, but my most recent obstacle has been riders. It seems like every new gig comes along with a rider full of stuff I don't own. I end up either renting gear or subbing out a show I can't handle. I just watch the money go somewhere else instead of to me. Can you help?

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It's All About Passion

Late in the afternoon, two days before Christmas, I got a voice mail on my cell phone from Howard Sherman, an NYC PR guy who does a lot of work in the pro audio market. "Bill," he said, "I know this is last-minute, but I have an opportunity to get someone in to cover the Kevin Spacey Beyond the Sea tour on its last stops in Vegas. The shows are the 26th and 27th. Can you do it?"

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