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UNdrstand Wut EyeAm Saying

UNdrstand Wut EyeAm Saying

Audio professionals have very specific goals when presenting events. A wide-frequency spectrum in our audio program. Realistic dynamics. A bal-anced mix. Intelligibility. That’s a tough one. It’d be nice to make sure that our audience can appreciate the subtleties of the artist we represent, whether that be a snare drum hit, a quick run of guitar notes or a whisper. Unfortunately, as venue size increases, intelligibility typically decreases due to a multitude of factors, including increased reverb time, poor coverage and attentiveness (or lack thereof) on the part of the audience. You may have noticed that cream of the crop artists such as U2 recognize this issue and actually play their songs a hair slower in large venues to make up for the fact that the venue is messing with their clarity.

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It’s Tax Cryin’ Time Again…

A friend of mine, an FOH mixer, just had a nasty dustup with the IRS, so although I hate to narrowcast, the column this month is aimed at self-employed FOH mixers. It’s too easy to lose sight of tax issues in the everyday grind of touring or marketing yourself, but the consequences of pay-ing attention are both financially and emotionally draining. It’s March, so there’s still time to review some of the key changes to the federal tax code for the 2007 filing.

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Big Daddy Will Miss His Big Brother

I was in Naples, Fla., doing a gig when I got the call last Saturday morning about the death of Roddy Pahl.
 
After getting over the shock of the news, and a brief conversation with his wife Wendy, I took some time to reflect on the five-plus years he and I have been friends. When Roddy and I first met, he was tipping 500 pounds, maybe 6 feet 6 inches tall, shaved head – not a little sucker by any stretch. As big as he was, Roddy was equally soft-spoken. In fact, as I write this, I can’t recall anytime EVER that he raised his voice.

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Las Vegas Production Community Mourns Loss of Roddy Pahl

LAS VEGAS – On Friday March 14, the Las Vegas live audio community lost one of its rising stars when Roddy Pahl died in his sleep at home. Roddy is known to countless acts and production pros for his work as the regular audio engineer at the Fremont St. Experience, and just over a year ago he took the reigns as head of audio at the MGM Grand where he oversaw audio on large events including the ACM Awards and many large corporate gigs including the recent Keep Memory Alive Power of Love charity benefit featuring Michael Buble—the first show in the MGM’s new convention and conference venue. Roddy was also a regular contributor to FOH writing product reviews.

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Pro Ski and Snowboard Championships Hit the Slopes with McCauley Sound

SQUAW VALLEY, CA – Imagine finding a way to get 13,000 pounds of PA system up the side of a mountain. That’s exactly what Alex Moran of Spider Ranch Productions of Calif., had to accomplish when he was asked to provide the sound for the Jeep King of the Mountain World Pro Ski and Snowboard Championships.  Alex provided a full complement of McCauley loudspeakers including MONARC MLA3’s, MS3’s, SM72’s and McCauley Sound’s new M88 subwoofer for what’s been referred to as “the loudest show on snow.”

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Bud Bowl Party Transforms Downtown Scottsdale Into Nightclub with Martin Audio

Scottsdale, AZ – Bud Bowl was a gigantic three-day outdoor event with rap/rock headliners P. Diddy, Snoop Dogg and Kid Rock energizing the crowd with nightly shows. Sponsored by Budweiser with tickets given away though local bars and clubs, the event was put on by Mahwallah Productions who commissioned the corporate production gurus Technotrix out of Bourbonnais, Ill., to provide sound, staging, scaffolding, staging and support for the entire event.

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JBL Professional AE Compact Loudspeakers

Expanding on its Application Engineered (AE) Series loudspeakers, JBL Professional has introduced eight new compact AE Series loudspeaker models at Musikmesse 2008. The new AE Compact loudspeaker series provides even more options for system designers and integrators in a variety of applications.

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Sydney Festival Gets Sonic Boost from Coda Audio and Meyer Sound

SYDNEY – Sydney closed down several city streets and held an eclectic celebration featuring over 500 artists, such as Brian Wilson, Bjork and Sufjan Stevens. Over a million people enjoyed the sun and rich festivities at outdoor stages, tents and dance floors as well as musical acts and dance troupes in performing arts venues including CarriageWorks and Sydney Opera House.For the 14th year, Sydney-based Coda Audio handled audio and production duties with self-powered loudspeakers from Meyer Sound.

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Dolby Lake Releases Version 5.0 Software for Dolby Lake Processor

FRANKFURT, GERMANY — Dolby Laboratories, Inc. has released version 5.0 of the Dolby Lake Controller software, together with firmware updates already in production. Dolby Lake Controller version 5.0 adds new networking, routing, and control features and functionality to the Dolby Lake Processor, including Dante networking technology from Audinate.   

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