I find it refreshing that microphone makers can still bring out great product offerings instead of resting on their laurels, in some cases, for many decades. AKG is not resting, and the D 40 instrument microphone shows that it is listening to its customers and showing a bit of innovation.
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Finding dedicated monitor mix mixing consoles is getting more difficult as time goes by. Sure the new digital console offerings have reasonably good flexibility, and the higher-end analog consoles have enough auxiliary sends to get the job done. But what about the market that needs inexpensive and simple-to-use monitor mixing gear? With every musician stealing two mixes for stereo in-ear monitoring, where are you going to get a dozen aux sends per channel and enough channels to handle modern music bands? Well, Allen and Heath’s new MixWizard line has just expanded to solve this dilemma.
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Big House Sound started when a PA guy and a monitor guy joined forces. The rest, as they say, is history.
So, what happens when a man with a PA bumps into a man with a monitor rig? In a move that parallels a television commercial, the two join forces and start up one of the most successful audio companies in Texas. Welcome to the overly simplified history of Austin’s Big House Sound, which dates back to 1991 when Rod Nielsen, who owned the house PA, met Roy Kircher, the monitor owner.
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We get the inside scoop from crew on Avril Lavigne’s latest world tour.
Avril Lavigne’s The Best Damn Tour has been on the road since 2007, starting with promotional appearances and festivals throughout North America, Europe and Asia. The world tour launched in March of 2008 in Avril’s hometown of Victoria, British Columbia, and is currently finishing up within the next two months in Asia. Working with Nettwerk Management, supporting the tour on the audio side has been LMG, Inc., a full service provider of show technology with locations in Orlando, Las Vegas and Phoenix. Throughout the run of the tour has been Jim Yakabuski, FOH engineer and LMG tour technician, Monitor Engineer Matt Peskie, and throughout the U.S. and European leg, Evan Hall, systems engineer and LMG audio technician. They’ve contributed some “perspectives” from the road of their experiences, challenges and solutions supporting Lavigne.
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Digidesign D-Show Profile Mix Rack System
Developed specifically for small- and mid-sized performance venues, houses-of-worship, touring and fixed installations, or as an upgrade for existing analog systems, the D-Show Profile Mix Rack System combines a D-Show Profile console with the new Mix Rack, a compact 11-space rack enclosure that incorporates all audio I/O (stage and local) and DSP into a single chassis. The resulting system combination is designed to offer a compact, portable and cost-effective way to take advantage of the power and flexibility of VENUE, including native control of a vast library of TDM plug-ins and tight integration with Pro Tools software for live multitrack recording and playback. www.digidesign.com/venue
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So, there I was, minding my own business eating dinner at around 7:30 at night when my phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number on my caller ID, and thought to myself, maybe a new client. I answer the phone, and they began to tell me that they were promoting a show in my area. I asked for some details. They told me they needed a PA for four bands, and that it was to be held in a giant “steel” circus tent.
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With a history of more than 100 years, Chicago’s Ravinia is unlike any festival out there.
Most festivals are just shows with a few more acts and a somewhat longer run. But Chicago’s Ravinia is not just another festival. Opening in May and ending in October with multiple acts almost every day, it is really more of an install — kind of semi-temporary, but an install all the same.
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Gary Brunclik
Project Manager
Clearwing Productions, Inc.
Phoenix, AZ
www.clearwing.com
602.850.6333
[email protected]
Services Provided: Audio, lighting, backline, production services.
Clients: Southern Comfort Music Experience, NFL Tailgate Party, Tempe Music Festival, Apple River Country Splash, Country USA, Kevin Costner, Guantanamo Bay concert series, Milwaukee Summerfest, Matthew Sweet, Soul Asylum, EWF.
Quote: “The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.”
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What’s in a name? We live in a culture of branding and brand names. We wear company logos and names on practically every piece of clothing we own. From bags and jewelry to T-shirts, jeans and footwear, we have all become walking advertisements for clothing manufacturers, loudspeaker companies, microphone producers, bands, audio consoles, speaker cables, beer, motorcycles, cars, sports franchises, cymbal makers and on and on ad infinitum. In the last millennium, there was a phrase, “you are what you eat,” which was used to describe the pitfalls of choosing the wrong diet.
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Rod Stewart’s FOH mixer Lars Brogaard keeps busy on the road.
He is one of the principal owners of one of Great Britain’s largest sound companies, Major Tom (as in “ground control to…”), he has his hands in system and console development, and he has been the front-of-house guy for Rod Stewart for 23 years. This is one guy who has no time for TV watching. FOH caught up with Lars Brogaard on Rod’s “Greatest Hits 2008” tour stop in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand where he was using a DiGiCo SD7 (backed up by a D5) to drive a Meyer Milo rig for a sold-out crowd.
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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.
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