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You Can't Get [It] There From Here… Or Can You?

You Can't Get [It] There From Here… Or Can You?

You can tell what part of the pro audio industry is healthy and what part is struggling pretty easily just by keeping your ears open to conversations around you at the Audio Engineering Society show. Over the past few years the phrase heard with increasing frequency went something like, "It was, of course, designed for the studio, but we are seeing lots of them used live." This phrase gets me on a couple of levels. First, I am filled with gratitude that I do not own a recording studio, and second, depending on who says it, that phrase is either illustrative of the direction we are heading in the live event audio field, or it is total marketing BS. Example: Yamaha's DM 2000 mixers were designed as production mixers for recording and perhaps some smaller broadcast operations, and they were as surprised as anyone else when nearly half of the units sold ended up in the live arena. On the other hand, a several-thousand-dollar mic that ships in a shock-mounted titanium case with a bodyguard won't be on any stage I am working. Sorry, but I still ask, "What happens when it gets dropped?"

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On the Bleeding Edge

Last month we talked about a lot of things in our rapidly changing world of digital audio, one of which was copy protection of audio software. Copy protection has long been a problem for companies that manufacture all sorts of software. Several years ago I had a conversation with a rep at an AES who told me that his company's program had approximately 1,000 registered purchases but an estimated 30 times as many users with illegitimate copies of their program. That's a lot of lost revenue due to cracked code, and it's totally unfair to folks who are trying to stay afloat developing software. If you really like using a program, and you'd like to see its continued support, ante up just as you would for a piece of hardware. Now I'll get off my software-soapbox and get on with it.

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If You Build It, They Will Hear

With the proliferation of outdoor amphitheatres in recent years, the onus increasingly falls on sound designers to integrate audio systems that are capable of performing in less-than-ideal conditions. In turn, it's up to manufacturers to provide these designers with state-of-theart technology through the development of powerful, controllable and versatile audio components. These advances in technology, combined with the creativity of designers, have led to dramatic improvements in lawn delay systems for amphitheatres, or "sheds."

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Heads Or Tails

With so many choices for gear on the market today, it's a wonder that anyone can make heads or tails of it. Cutting through the marketing hype to determine what is really needed for a good audio system can be challenging for professionals, as well as the staff and volunteers at smaller venues like churches or theatres that may not eat, sleep and breathe live sound on a daily basis. FOH sat down to talk with Steve Raslevich, president of Northern Sound & Light (NSL) to get some insight into the market. NSL often gets calls from customers who know what they want after browsing the information on the NSL web site, but still need help interpreting the marketing verbiage using the real world experience of the sales staff.

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Things That Make You Go Hmmm…

Maybe it's the fact that, as the owner of a mid-level company, I never get the chance to slow down long enough to get complacent, and instead find myself looking at every aspect of the rig, crew and all the other details that can make or break a gig, examining them over and over again to make sure nothing is missed. Or maybe when you travel with the same act for a while you just naturally get used to a specific way of doing things. Or maybe it's both. Whatever. But I had a gig recently that made me think about what we think about.

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We Are Controlling Transmission

We live in a media saturated environment, where we are constantly receiving and processing excessive amounts of information, which we then file and store away in the recesses of our overworked and over-stimulated brains. Often we disseminate this information as verified knowledge, with, more often than not, only a partial understanding of whatever the subject might be. All of us lead busy lives, and there are only so many hours in the day that can be devoted to following up on all the information we receive in that given time. Between work, family and whatever civic duties one might have it becomes increasingly difficult to find the time for more than the headline news, and even if we find the time to actually read a paper we, more often than not, skim the headlines and give a quick read to the article before moving on to the next headline. With all the information that we are required to process, it's not surprising that we take what we need from any given article or sound bite and then spew it back out with the authority of an expert. It is also not uncommon for us to be a bit cynical about some of this information we receive due to the fact that it is often wrong.

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Adventures In Mixing

For those of you who do not recognize the name Howard Page, you should. His audio credits include Van Halen and Sade, as well as the design and creation of six sound consoles, including the Showco Showconsole, one of the first digital mixing desks (OK, digitally-controlled analog). In addition, Page currently serves as director of engineering for Showco, part of Clair Brothers Audio. In a career measured not in years but in decades, Page has mastered the art of the live mix, so there is little wonder why many in his native Australia refer to him as "The Legend."

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More Beer! Uh, More Power!

We were playing a street dance, and they told us there was a generator for us to use. When we got there we found that the generator's distro panel was 150 feet from the stage, and the generator was in an alley behind a fence and 12 feet below the street level. Oh, and the generator was being shared by us and all the street vendors. (Uh-oh.)

We got everything plugged in and checked the power meters on the FOH rack, and discovered that the generator was cranked up to 130 volts, so my guy had to walk around two buildings to get to the generator to turn its output down to a reasonable level. We continued with our setup and got ready to start sound check, when the GFI on the distro panel popped.

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Mackie Onyx 24.4 and Face Audio 1200TS Power Amplifier

Mackie Onyx 24.4

by Jamie Rio

Everybody needs a mid-format, midsized board. Well, maybe not everybody. My grandmother doesn't need this size of a mixer, but you know what I mean. If you supply sound reinforcement for some of the millions of school, city, church, club, park, small fair and carnival shows that happen every year in this country, then you need a midsize board.

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Spending God's Money

I am certainly not attempting to be blasphemous with the title of this piece. If anything, I just want to add a little levity to the very serious task of getting a realistic budget when delving into a house of worship sound project. If you read my last piece (and I hope you have), I described my modus operandi for approaching worship sound. I'll give you the Reader's Digest version.

First, I talk with the musical director and the pastor, priest, rabbi, etc. Then I go to a service and listen. Next, I get into the sanctuary and crank up the existing system. After that, I simply offer my recommendations. Let me make a quick point here. I belong to a church and believe in a God. It is a fact that many churches believe that the money they collect from their members is God's money. Keep this in the back of your mind when you are making your pitch. It's also a good idea to visit some of your local houses of worship just to listen to the systems.

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Mind Games

In previous Theory and Practice installments, I have gone over many lists of things to do while setting up for the show, but it's a whole new game once the show starts. From the sound check, you should have your performance mix roughed in, or at least your usual fader starting locations for vocals and the various instrument inputs. And once the performance is started, all your senses are required. This means a lot more than the standard "no alcohol consumption" bromide. (Repeat after me class: "It robs you of your high-frequency hearing temporarily.") "All senses required" means a mind emptied of all non-performance issues as the show starts. See the board, be the board. Or, if you prefer, get your Jedi on.

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Keith Rubinstein Weathers Slava's Snowshow

I guarantee that you've never seen anything like Slava's Snowshow. It will transform your perception of clowns in the way that Cirque Du Soleil has reinvented our idea of the circus. The two-act show features a yellow clown and his green companions wandering the stage, improvising various gags and parodying many famous movie or theatre clichés, from two people lost at sea to two lovers parting at a train station. And they do so in brilliant and unconventional ways. The costumes are wild, the set pieces are surreal, and the climactic "blizzard" that engulfs the audience has to be experienced to be believed. Make sure you stay during the intermission, too, as the clowns come down from the stage to wreak havoc and play around with the audience.

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