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Shure Gives Voice to Miss Universe 2008

Shure Gives Voice to Miss Universe 2008

NHA TRANG, VIETNAM — Eighty contestants competed this year at the Diamond Bay Resort's Crown Convention Center in the 57th Miss Universe beauty pageant. Broadcast globally on NBC, the event was the first major U.S.-based television production originating in Vietnam since the end of the Vietnam War. Bringing audio to the event proved to be a logistical challenge managed adroitly by Red Hook, N.Y.-based Firehouse Productions Inc., which assembled the components needed for an entire PA in the U.S. and then shipped them to Vietnam with the aid of Rock-it Cargo USA. Purchased outright for permanent installation by the convention center, the system included a microphone package delivered from Shure Incorporated’s world headquarters in Niles, Ill.

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Personal Monitor Earpieces

When people ask me what part of the live event audio world has changed the most in the past three to five years, they probably expect an answer like digital consoles or line arrays. Most would probably be surprised that my answer would be — hands down — personal monitors. They have come a long way since Marty Garcia used some Sony earbuds and denture cream for Todd Rundgren.

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Anklebiter or Stuntman?

I don't like taking parties or bar gigs, but sometimes you have to pay the bills, right? So there I was loading gear into the back of my Toyota Prius. We were loading for a venue that did not provide parking, and a rooftop gig meant a very small amount of gear. Of course, I was reassured there was an elevator. Fortunately, years of experience told me to look at this venue the night before, which by the way was just about an hour after I got the call to do the gig. Yup, no elevator!  

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Tony Marra of Thermal Relief Design

BUSINESS
Who: Tony Marra, owner/founder of Thermal Relief Design, Inc.

Where: “Vegas, Baby!”

When: “I started the company with my wife, Lori, as TLM Electronics in 1987 in Pleasantville, N.Y. When we moved to Las Vegas in 1996 I changed the name to Thermal Relief Design.”

 

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Less Than Zero

Zeroing out a console — the methodical process of bringing all the live audio mixing console knobs, faders and switches to a benign state of usage. This way the future engineer using the console will not have to be observant of every last detail before connecting the system to the console and fear immediate mayhem. But zeroing out a console is more than a courtesy after the gig; it should also be a practice before the gig.

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Heavenly Mixing

Over the last two months, we have spent time exploring the variety of microphones and the importance of having your ears as sharp as possible. This month, I would like to talk about basic stage setups and EQ scenarios.  I know a lot of you have a basic idea of how to make your pastor, choir or worship band sound good. However, some of you don't, and we can always use a little tune-up, especially me. So, here we go.

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Waves MaxxBCL

OK, so I have come into the digital age in a lot of ways. I own four digital consoles and I use Reason in my studio. While I am plenty comfortable with plug-ins, there are still times when I just want a piece of hardware — a box with knobs that responds exactly how I expect without having to think about it. Waves is best known for their plug-ins. It you are a Pro Tools guy or mixing on a Venue system, I’ll bet dollars to donuts that you have at least one of them in your arsenal. But what a lot of people don’t know is that they make some pretty nice hardware as well.

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Peavey Versarray 112

We first saw the Peavey Versarray system almost two years ago, and have been trying to work out a road test ever since. As we have done with larger pieces of gear (including other line arrays) in the past, instead of having Peavey send out a rig for us to use on a gig, we went to a gig that had the system already on it and worked the show. In this case, that meant hooking up with Dave Albro, who is doing FOH and associated duties for the VIP events surrounding the current Tim McGraw tour.  Most of the stops on the tour feature “side” events including local and regional acts, plus a VIP-only acoustic show by McGraw prior to the actual arena show, which is a Clair deal.

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JLH AxeTrak

Whether you are mixing in a club, at a house of worship or almost any venue for that matter — what is the age-old problem? The stage is too loud, right? You tell the drummer to play softer and he complains. You tell the bass player to turn down and he says he can’t feel it anymore. You tell the guitar player to turn down and he says that now he doesn’t have good tone. Being a guitar player turned sound guy, I can’t say that I disagree with him. If you can’t turn the amp up, it’s hard to make it sound the way you want to. But as an engineer, especially in a house of worship, I want to kick the speakers out of the amp and throw it away. 

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Hometown Heroes 2008

The votes have been tallied – the regional winners of the FOH Hometown Hero Awards are…

In the world of pro audio, regional soundcos are among the hardest working people in the biz. Often involved in a multitude of markets (concerts, corporates, HOW) and offering a variety of services, they work hard to stay competitive in a hyper-competitive market. Often overshadowed by their national touring big brothers, these unsung heroes of the audio world deserve recognition for their hard work and contribution to the industry. The 2008 FOH Hometown Hero Awards are picked from a selection of several regions around the United States and Canada. The regional soundcos are both nominated and voted on by their peers. Winners from each region become the nominees for the annual Hometown Hero/Regional Sound Company of the year at the 2008 Parnelli Awards ceremony in Las Vegas. FOH profiled each region’s winning soundco to uncover their secrets to success.  

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Keeping the Faith

Eighth Day and Wigwam Provide the Punch for George Michael’s U.S. Swan Song.

It’s been nearly two decades since British pop superstar George Michael — known as much for his bad boy reputation as his chart-topping hits — toured U.S. arenas. From his start in the 1980s pop group Wham! to his illustrious solo career, hits like “Careless Whisper,” “Faith” and “Father Figure” catapulted him into a certified pop culture icon and sex symbol. After a five-year absence from the music scene, Michael returned to the stage in 2006 with an 80-show European tour. He stepped it up the following year with the “25 Live Stadium Tour 2007,” which featured less tour dates but larger venues including Wembley Stadium in London. To coincide with his retrospective greatest hits album, Twenty Five, released this year, Michael announced the North American segment of his “25 Live” tour — his first U.S. tour in 17 years — which he also claims to be his last. For all these reasons, Michael’s fans were pumped with high expectations for a flawless-sounding show.

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New Gear

AKG D7 Dynamic Vocal Microphone

AKG Acoustics introduces the D7 vocal microphone for live sound applications. AKG`s newest dynamic microphone features a humbucking coil that reduces electrical interference and stage feedback. The D7 also features an integrated high-pass filter that cuts out low frequencies, eliminates handling noise and provides audio clarity. The D7 delivers high-end sonic performance with its new Laminated Varimotion diaphragm. This design allows the diaphragm to be fine-tuned without extra tuning resonators. The D7 response evokes the subtle, open sound of a condenser microphone, while maintaining the rugged reliability of a dynamic microphone. The D7 comes complete with a carrying case, mounting clamp and replacement windscreen. Two additional models are also available: the D7-S, which features an on/off switch; and the D7-WL1 microphone capsule for use with AKG wireless systems. www.akg.com

 

 

 

 

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