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Nashville Club, 12th & Porter, Installs d&b Audio System

John Mills and Lloyd Smith

Nashville Club, 12th & Porter, Installs d&b Audio System

NASHVILLE, TN – 12th & Porter, a storied nightclub in Nashville, recently commissioned Morris to install a uniquely configured d&b audiotechnik sound system centering on a Y-Series line array with Yi8 and Yi12 cabinets, plus fill speakers to optimize the system for club patrons. The new sound system was part of an extensive interior renovation program. Pictured here are John Mills, integrator with Morris, and the club’s technical director, Lloyd Smith.

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NAMM 2018 diagram

2018 NAMM Show Expansion Announced; Show Map Released

ANAHEIM, CA – NAMM has announced expansions to its 2018 show including additional event technology and pro audio areas, a new building and new education and professional development areas. The event, which annually draws more than 100,000 attendees from 139 countries and regions, will take place Jan. 25-28, 2018 at the expanded Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA.

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Illustration by Andy Au

Knock It Off!

Recently, I was approached by one of the better audio engineers with whom I work, and he was excitedly and earnestly trying to interest me in some Chinese knock-off audio gear. He informed me that he received the information from another reliable and well known engineer who has used the gear and wholeheartedly vouches for the same. He showed me photographs of amps and speakers that appeared to be from top name brand producers that looked just like the real thing. Lab.gruppen amps, L-Acoustics and d&b speaker knock-offs were all on display at a fraction of the cost of the real brand name gear. For a mere seven thousand dollars I could be the proud owner of four brand new L-Acoustics ARC knock-off speakers with Lab.gruppen knock-off power amps and, as everyone knows, this is a deal, considering what the real gear sells for new.

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At Valley Bible Fellowship in Las Vegas, three powered VUE Audiotechnik hs-28 subs below the stage complement flown hangs of VUE al-4 and al-4SB elements.

New Sound Systems: Powered or Unpowered?

Powered speaker systems have evolved considerably over the past 20 years. The popularity of powered speakers has exploded, the price has come down substantially and the performance has improved. I’ve met a lot of audio engineers and techs that prefer powered speakers by default just because of the convenience, and don’t really stop to think about the long-term implications of powered vs. unpowered systems. The realities of the powered vs. unpowered debate are complex, and one type of system is not necessarily better than the other. As with most things related to audio, your individual situation will dictate which type of system you choose.

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Too much of a good thing?

What Happened to Safety?

I’ve just returned from what can best be described as a hellacious three-week run of shows in the U.K. and Europe. Maybe I should modify that: I’ve just returned from a three-week run of hellacious travel. Truth be told, there were no bad shows, but there were a few incidents that I found disturbing.

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Tour Supply’s Nashville studio. The setup includes an Allen & Heath Qu-16 digital mixer.

Covering Your Tracks

Diners should sometimes be cautioned against looking into the kitchen of a restaurant they plan to eat in. So it goes with live music shows: the audience comes to be entertained, not edified. There is no need to look behind the proscenium curtains to see how the tour sausage is made. Too bad, since these days there’d be a lot to see, including the category of playback systems for live tracks and effects, and people to operate those systems. The expanding dominance of pop divas and divos has only accelerated the need for complex backing tracks in the live mix, as has the demand to have the recording-studio experience recreated live on stage for every show.

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