I got a couple of reminders in the past weeks about just how small a business this is and the importance of personal connections. But this time there was a twist. First, one is more music-oriented. As I have written about before, I am one of those stupid guys who refuse to give up playing music in addition to magazines and Web stuff and the occasional audio gig.
Read More »Before I jump into our usual high-tech trash talk, I have to relate a recent story regarding what could have been a complete audio disaster. We were doing a show at the Umatilla County Fair in Hermiston Ore., on a hot August day. As is often the case, heat + humidity = a multitude of weather-related anomalies including (but certainly not limited to) thunderstorms and hail. When my crew and I arrived for load-in, we were warned that there was a good chance for a hailstorm with 70-mph winds. In fact, there was a tornado warning for a few of the surrounding counties. We proceeded with our setup knowing that if a storm came we’d have to lower the roof of the stage and wrap up the PA system to protect the gear.
Read More »The most trenchant clues to the state of the industry are often seen from the most oblique angles. Manufacturers of flight and road cases for the touring sound business are getting hit by many of the same economic forces as the rest of the live sound industry, mostly in the form of higher costs of materials, stemming from a combination of products such as foam padding, which some case makers report as having doubled in the last year, to increases due to the cost of shipping both materials and finished goods. “The cost of the metals and the foam has gone sky high,” says Mark DeHart, president of Rock Hard Road Cases in Albany, Ore. “All of the aluminum and casters are up, as are the foam costs.”
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Meyer Sound has announced the new 500-HP compact high-power subwoofer. The self-powered loudspeaker brings the power-to-size ratio and low-distortion of Meyer Sound subwoofers to a package designed for rigging with the M’elodie line array loudspeaker or used in groundstacked configurations. The 500-HP is best suited for enhancing low-frequency headroom in applications such as small-to-medium theaters and clubs, houses of worship, and portable and installed AV systems.
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OXNARD, Calif. — Although Nashville has long been best known as a country music Mecca, fast-rising pop-punk bands like Paramore are diversifying the image of Music City USA. Recently coming off the road with its final tour in support of the band’s second album, Riot!, the group’s engineers used Rat Sound’s L-ACOUSTICS loudspeaker rig, which the band had been carrying for the first time.
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ENGLAND — Adlib is supplying audio equipment and crew for the current Dragonforce UK tour mixed by Bruce Reiter. Adlib is supplying a NEXO Alpha system, with the standard configuration of 18 M3 mid high boxes, 12 B1 bass cabinets and 10 S2 subs. Playing a wide variety of venues, they’re flying where possible and ground-stacking the rest of the time. For general infills, they are using four Adlib AA122s.
Read More »BUENA PARK, Calif. — Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems, Inc. and Masque Sound will hold a training seminar for all interested houses-of-worship audio staff on Thursday, Oct. 16. The seminar begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. with breakfast and lunch provided.
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NEW YORK — In an increasingly common instance of Studer Vista 5 SR live sound consoles being deployed by leading sound engineers at front-of-house and monitor position for the same event, Keith Urban’s FOH engineer Steve Law and monitor engineer Jason Spence both manned Studer Vista 5 SR consoles at the recent NFL Live Kickoff concert in New York City’s Columbus Circle as part of CLAIR’s support package for the award-winning country music artist.
Read More »VIENNA, Austria — AKG Acoustics has announced the acquisition of the worldwide distribution rights for the Crown family of microphones. This move represents a consolidation among the Harman Group companies.
NEW YORK — BML-Blackbird Theatrical Services recently installed a JBL audio system at the new Espace entertainment space in Manhattan. Located in midtown Manhattan on 42nd Street, Espace (pronounced es-pah’-chay) is a modern events venue that holds up to 500 people for seated dinners and 1,000 people for standing receptions. The 10,000-square-foot space hosts a variety of events including fashion shows, corporate functions and fundraisers.
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia's local music scene has produced a number of respected performers in genres ranging from jazz to hip-hop Philly's eclectic homegrown musical mix now finds a permanent place for onstage expression at World Café Live. Clair Brothers, Acoustic Dimensions of Dallas and New York, and Philadelphia-based Metropolitan Acoustics, jointly crafted the audio blueprint implemented throughout the facility. A Midas Legend 3000 console is used to drive a house PA built around proprietary Clair Brothers loudspeakers. Shure mics are used onstage.
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LAS VEGAS — Want to be the envy of all your friends? Get your soundco and gig in the next issue! All you have to… Read More »Get Your Gig in the Next Issue!
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