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A Boost for Headphones; Tips for Wintry Weather

Terry (TJ) Jackson

A Boost for Headphones; Tips for Wintry Weather

Live audio pros can be a resourceful lot. They’re also willing to share the cool ideas they come across so that their fellow sound reinforcement pros can benefit from solutions that can make the next gig easier, knowing that they, in turn, will be able to benefit from the ideas shared by others. We came across a number of interesting solutions recently. The first is from FOH engineer Terry “TJ” Jackson, who credits Mo-Fi powered headphones from Blue Microphones for giving him a reference point he can rely on in a variety of large venues. Separately, we listened in on the discussions Pro Audio Space (proaudiospace.com) members were having about practical solutions to the seasonal challenges posed by wintry weather conditions. Enjoy!

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In Memoriam: Jack Sondermeyer, 75

In Memoriam: Jack Sondermeyer, 75

MERIDIAN, MS — Peavey Electronics announced that Jack Sondermeyer, the company’s chief engineer for 29 years, died Jan. 4 at the age of 75. Describing Sondermeyer as “a brilliant and gifted analog design engineer,” company founder and CEO Hartley Peavey noted that Sondermeyer had more than 30 patents to his credit and was well-respected in the engineering community.

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Downtime Projects

As I write this, 2014 is coming to a close and I am slowly but steadily re-acclimating to life off the road. This long but extremely rewarding touring year extended all the way to Christmas, concluding with a long flight home from Moscow on Dec. 23. On that same day, my son drove down from Cal Poly University in San Luis Obispo, CA, and completed our holiday family reunion. Usually, I go through a “Don’t talk to me!” phase for a couple of days upon returning from a tour, but this year’s travel schedule thrust me straight into holiday cheer. Thankfully, we had a very laid back, simple celebration with friends and family coming to our house, allowing both my readjustment from road mentality and recovery from jet lag to be gentle, pleasant experiences.

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The Biz, FOH, Jan 2015. Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Resident (NOT) Evil

Three years ago, Celine Dion was named by Pollstar as the 10th highest-grossing North American touring artist of 2011. In doing so, Ms. Dion barely moved a muscle, figuratively speaking. The $41.2 million she took in from live shows that year were virtually all attributable to the first year of a three-year residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, which ended late last year, her second long-term stand there.

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Fig. 1: A L/R stereo feed from the console feeds an external system processor that divides the signal to the subwoofers and full range speakers.

Techniques for Feeding Subwoofers

Low-frequency content is an extremely important part of live sound for most modern music. The physical impact created by air movement helps make live music exciting, so even in small clubs, it almost goes without saying that subwoofers are a requirement. There are a few different ways to route audio into subwoofers, each having advantages and disadvantages. Let’s have a look.

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Newport Performing Arts Center (PAC)

Oregon’s Newport PAC Installs Meyer Sound Constellation

NEWPORT, OR – The Newport Performing Arts Center (PAC) in Oregon installed a Meyer Sound Constellation acoustic system in its 398-seat Alice Silverman Theatre. With the upgrade, the venue joins the likes of Moscow’s Svetlanov Hall, The Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center and more than 50 other venues that rely on the variable acoustics of Constellation to deliver a high-quality live experience.

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Symetrix VoIP

Symetrix 2 Line VoIP Interface Card

Symetrix, which recently launched the latest version of its SymNet Composer software for SymNet Dante-scalable DSPs, also announced the launch of a new VoIP interface card to enhance communications interoperability and complement existing IT infrastructures across multiple professional applications.

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ClearSonic Manufacturing’s IsoPac acrylic sound control panel helps keep house of worship stage volume manageable.

SPL’s: Sometimes, Less is More

Happy New Year to all of you, and I hope you have big plans for 2015. I love the New Year. It gives us all a fresh start at doing better and being better in the coming year. I will assume we all want to improve (myself included) as audio engineers. Whether in the worship world or in the secular world, we all want to mix the best we can.

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Hosa Technology Drive Series

Hosa Technology Drive Series

Hosa Technology’s Drive Series includes the Hosa Drive Bluetooth Audio Receiver and a selection of portable cables designed to interface with everything from car audio systems to sound reinforcement and consumer audio playback systems.

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Illustration by Andy Au

Common Sense-ism

These days, it seems, time moves faster than it did in previous years. While I haven’t yet backed up this theorem with any scientific evidence, I’m sure that many folks would agree that the speed of light has sped up. Now, the distinction between me receiving a Nobel Prize (or being called a kook) for this brilliant theory is evidence. To be sure, this type of solid confirmation can be an obstacle, but it’s merely a small impediment I am working to overcome.

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Photo shows, left to right Penn-Elcom’s CEO Phil Stratford and Chairman Roger Willems, with Javier Haro and Frank McCourt (respectively MD and Sales Director of the new Mexico operation)

Penn Elcom Opens New Manufacturing and Distribution Facility in Mexico

TIJUANA, Mexico – Penn-Elcom announced the opening of a new manufacturing facility here for its flightcases, speaker cabinets and 19-inch racking solutions. Penn Elcom Mexico will be led by MD Javier Haro, with Frank McCourt in charge of sales. The Tijuana facility is strategically located to serve the company’s Latin American and U.S. markets. Pictured here, from left, are CEO Phil Stratford, chairman Roger Willems, Javier Haro and Frank McCourt.

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