John “J.C.” Convertino reaches the peak of his workday before most of his industry peers have even woken up. By 7 a.m., he could be mixing U2 live for television, as he did last month, when the band played ABC’s Good Morning America to promote their latest record or any one of hundreds of other acts.
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From AC/DC to U2, Berlin to Yes, Janet Jackson to Tina Turner, Cher to Madonna, Barney to Walking with Dinosaurs, Bob the Builder to the Wiggles, Metallica to the Rolling Stones — production manager Jake Berry has earned a backstage pass to some of the biggest acts in the business, and to rock ‘n’ roll history itself.
Read More »To download a PDF of the November 2009 FOH Buyers Guide, CLICK HERE.
If it’s not one thing… When it came time for the annual digital console buyers’ guide we figured that there were now so many systems out there under the $50K mark that we could never fit them into print.
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As the owners of Victory Brewing Company are fond of pointing out, American beer has been the butt of many a European joke. Since starting out 12 years ago, the Downingtown, Penn.-based company has made great strides toward refuting that stereotype, with more than 15 of the company’s acclaimed brews garnering rave reviews and a reputation far beyond that of a typical microbrewery.
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With all the new amplifiers coming out these days with all the bells and whistles, it just seems like something is missing on the market. Half of the people who use these super lightweight amps with gobs of processing wind up using external processors anyway. That is why we are going to check out the new “CC” series of amplifiers from Crest Audio. These are just good rock solid amps that do just what they are supposed to, and at a very economical price point.
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When you have been doing this music thing for as long as I have — as both a musician/bandleader and sound guy — you see a whole bunch of gear and countless numbers, types and brand of loudspeakers. Which makes it kind of nice to see one of the brands that defined live sound for a long time reclaim that pedigree after some time wandering in the wilderness.
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Remember the movie Groundhog Day, where Bill Murray is stuck re-living the same day over and over again and can’t do anything to stop it? I was recently involved in a project that was the house of worship audio version of that movie.
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Historically, the annual AES Show was always considered the “studio show” — a procession of high-end, high-priced gear primarily intended for use in top-end recording studios. That conceit began unraveling with the arrival of the project studio back in the late 1980s, which coincided with the transformation of digital audio technology from an expensive hardware-based proposition (remember the Sony 3324?) to a very affordable software basis.
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Here’s another favorite column written by Mark Amundson (1960-2009) for the Jan. 2008 issue of FOH. —ed.
Yeah, we all have a techno-ignorant past that we have to bear, especially when it comes to speaker cables. I remember when speaker cable for the P.A. system was that clear plastic stuff with copper and nickel/copper wires inside that we bought innocently at some retail store.
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Children are a blessing, and I wish that one day each and every one of you is able to experience the joy of parenthood. Unfortunately, good thing that it is, there is never a right time to have children. Though there are a million and one good reasons not to have kids, at some point each of the fine excuses one has created just fade away like old technology on a band rider, and you find yourself shipping out on a bus heading off to tour the brave new world of parenthood.
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LAS VEGAS — If you haven’t yet reserved your spot at the 2009 Parnelli Awards gala, now is the time. The Nov. 20 Awards Dinner (8 p.m.) follows the Neil Diamond Crew Reunion Party at 7 p.m. Both will be held at the Peabody Hotel in Orlando, Fla. For tickets to the gala, go to www.parnelliawards.com/reservations.
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LONDON — Midas has supplied a PRO6 live audio system to the BRIT Performing Arts & Technology School in Croydon, South London. The PRO6 was purchased as part of an upgrade to the main performance space, which hosts gigs, contemporary dance, theater, musical theater, art exhibitions and awards evenings. It will also be used for mini tours around the country.
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