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Summer Vacation

Summer Vacation

To be honest, when FOH called me needing someone to cover Ozzfest I was pretty stoked. I had always wanted to see Ozzfest, but in this biz doing a few shows a week of my own, I have generally no desire to be around another show. I also had never been asked to "cover a show". Typically FOH just wants me to "rant"–which I'm OK with.

This time, though, it was coverage, so my wife Lisa and I drove from Vegas to San Diego Saturday for a Sunday show. We had arrangements with Ken "Pooch" Van Druten, FOH engineer for System of a Down, to get working passes for the day. When we arrived around 2 p.m., Pooch met us at the gate and took us to his bus where we had a 30-minute discussion with him and Dave Coil, monitor mixer for System of a Down.

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Hear Technologies Mix Back and Hear Back Combo System

Hear Technologies Mix Back and Hear Back Combo System

By Bill Evans and Jamie Rio

Monitor World has changed. Blame it on the increasing use of personal monitors and higher expectations on the part of performers, but the bottom line is that three or four mono mixes and a couple of sidefills will most likely not do the trick on most gigs. Especially in venues–like churches–where a small footprint is needed and where you need to squeeze maximum flexibility from a crew with often limited technical know-how. We have found a solution that works well for us. At a trade show in 2003, we went introduced to an affordable, easy to use and flexible system called the Hear Back from a company called Hear Technologies.

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Teaching Mic Technique

As self-proclaimed audio experts, it is our duty to learn the ins and outs of how microphone elements work, and how best to use them. Even though we are not Diva or Mister Ego vocalists, we should know how to work the mics. This is especially the case in house of worship (HOW) situations where most of the speakers and singers are not professionals. So let's get on with teaching the teachers.

The Mic Fits The Task

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Welcome to the Jungle

John Shivers is one of the busiest soundmen on Broadway, even though he's not frequently there. He was associate sound designer for Aida, The Producers, and Hairspray, the sound designer for 700 Sundays, In My Life, and the new Tarzan, and also productions of The Producers, Hairspray, and The Lion King around the country and across the globe. In fact, when he chatted with FOH recently about Tarzan, the newest Disney production to hit the Great White Way, he was getting ready to go to Shanghai to relocate the Australian production of The Lion King, then check on that same show in Hamburg and London, perform a preliminary survey for a Tarzan production in Holland, then fi nally do preliminary associate design work/research on Mary Poppins by visiting the running London production before opening it in New York later this year with sound designer Steve Kennedy.

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Give God Great Sound – He Can Afford It

Don't think of it as church. Instead, think of it as a media center with the ultimate, eternal, all-access laminate. Any sarcasm here is tempered by a very serious reality: houses of worship have become big business in the U.S. and increasingly around the world. The American Christian fundamentalist movement has been the prime force behind the trend, the epitome of which are mega-churches, such as the now-famous tabernacle of Joel Osteen and his evangelical and highly telegenic family, who broadcast weekly from what used to be the Houston Rockets arena in Houston, where they fill the seats more consistently than most NBA teams can. (See the FOH Interview with Lakewood audio chief Reed Hall)

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Brent Milton and Shane Presley

Brent Milton

Owner

Pacific West Sound

Bakersfield, CA

[email protected]

www.pacificwestsound.com

Services Provided: Professional custom sound/video design and installation; complete concert sound reinforcement/regional touring; backline rental and audio training.

Clients: Production: Aly & AJ, Kansas (racks & stacks), David Sanborne, Salvador, James Brown, NeedToBreathe, Overflow, Latin Kings of Comedy tour (3 dates), Los Kumbia Kings, Motown Tribute Show, B.B. King (2 dates), Black Crowes, Herman's Hermits, Avalia Beach Blues Fest, Tattoo Fest, SeaBreeze Music Fest.

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Aero At The "Mar de Músicas" Festival

VALENCIA, SPAIN–This year's twelfth edition the "La Mar de Músicas" festival devoted special attention to South Africa. Cinema, art and literature have accompanied the 40 concerts that took place at Spain's southern city of Cartagena from June 30 to July 22. The concerts featured internationally relevant names from the guest country as well as stars and young artists from other continents. Once more, as in previous years, D.A.S. speakers and sound systems were on the stages, provided by "Telemag de Lorca, S.L.," in charge of providing sound reinforcement facilities for the major stages of the event.

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Celestion Sales Team Expanded

MARLBORO, NJ– Celestion, a designer and manufacturer of raw frame drivers for the professional audio and musical instrument industries, is pleased to announce the recruitment of Stan Burjek to the role of OEM sales manager for Central & Eastern U.S.

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Wine Connoisseurs Give Sennheiser 100 Points

WASHINGTON, DC–When Robert Parker, Jr and Pierre-Antoine Rovani, the world's preeminent wine critics, joined with friends to launch the Wine Advocate Fund for Philanthropy and the First Annual Legendary One Hundred Point Wine Weekend, they strived for the "Best of the Best." The gastronomic extravaganza included extraordinary food and fabulous wine, with Sennheiser wireless systems providing the finishing touch.

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Ride On Starts New Era With Eon Loudspeakers

NORTHRIDGE, CA–Non-profit organization Ride On recently used a pair of Eon15-G2 and a pair of Eon10-G2 powered speakers for its "Barn Dance" fundraising event, held on July 8. Featuring Los Angeles-based band Judge Jackson, the Barn Dance was held in Chatsworth, Calif.

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