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Shure KSM8 Dualdyne Vocal Microphone

Shure KSM8 Dualdyne Vocal Microphne

Shure KSM8 Dualdyne Vocal Microphone

In 2004, my friend Harold Blumberg, a product consultant for Shure for more than 30 years, contacted me about a prototype microphone. I rarely heard him speak so glowingly about a piece of gear, but he said Shure engineers created a truly revolutionary condenser live vocal mic. He asked if I was interested in beta testing the then-new KSM9. Always open to experience better performance and more pleasing results from a vocal mic, I enthusiastically volunteered to give the new unit a shakedown on the road.

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BAMPFA

Berkeley Art Museum (BAMPFA) Installs a Meyer Sound Cinema System

CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY – Recently reopened UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) building, one of the nation’s premier institutions for the presentation of cinema, installed a 7.1 Meyer Sound cinema system in its 232-seat Barbro Osher Theater, which hosts both film screenings, lectures and discussions regarding current films and art exhibits. Elsewhere, CAL column array loudspeakers provide sound reinforcement for a large, outdoor LED screen.

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DiGiCo S21

DiGiCo S21 Digital Console

Representing a significant departure from what the company has done over the past 10 years is the S21 — the latest offering from DiGiCo. In an effort to reach a new set of customers that can’t afford its higher-end desks, DiGiCo went back to the drawing board to create a console that they hope will redefine the industry’s expectations of what a sub-$10,000 console is capable of. My demo system consisted of an S21 surface in a custom road case, as well as a D-Rack for remote I/O and a Cat-5 snake for connecting the two together. In the time I spent with the S21, it was clear that DiGiCo has something new and special that isn’t just another digital console.

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EAW’s unique ‘engine’ drives its Adaptive line arrays

Inside EAW’s Adaptive Systems

Since its earliest days, Eastern Acoustic Works has always been defined by an ongoing quest to redefine the state of the art in loudspeaker systems that offer practical solutions targeted toward professional sound reinforcement users and installers. Perhaps a clue to that comes from incorporating the term “Acoustic” into the company name, when “Eastern Speaker Works” might have sufficed. And certainly the most recent embodiment of EAW’s solutions-oriented approach comes in the form of its Adaptive Systems line, which now includes the Anya and Anna line arrays and the Otto subwoofer.

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The new Adamson S-Series sound reinforcement system at Olavshallen utilizes S10 line arrays and S119 subwoofers as well as Point 8 loudspeakers for under balcony fill.

Adamson Installed At Trondheim’s Olavshallen Concert Hall

TRONDHEIM, NORWAY – Olavshallen concert hall, home to the Trondheim Symphonic Orchestra, recently upgraded the main hall with an Adamson S-Series sound reinforcement system. Stage Manager Henrik Torgersen was faced with the challenge of addressing the 1300 capacity room’s sloped balcony seating, requiring a lot of vertical coverage. The solution consists of two line arrays, each made up of 14 S10 modules.

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Empty Clair S4 cabinets form the outer perimeter walls of the rehearsal room. Photo by David Morgan

Nashville’s Blackbird Academy, Revisited

Note: Last month, David provided a quick tour of The Blackbird Academy’s new live audio school in Nashville; this time he returns to delve a little deeper.

In August of 2015, I journeyed to Tennessee to mix a fantastic show with Andrea Zonn, vocalist and violinist in James Taylor’s band. She performed all the songs from her newly released CD, Rise, on the Music City Roots broadcast. This refreshingly eclectic music show is performed and recorded at The Factory in Franklin, TN, just southwest of Nashville. After Andrea’s performance, I took some time to interact with the Blackbird students. Last summer, Blackbird Academy’s Live Sound division was up and running and I looked toward participating in one of the classes.

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Infrared systems, such as this Sennheiser receiver, are especially useful in difficult RF environments

Assistive Listening and Your Church

What is the most important thing you do as a church audio engineer? I think all of us would agree that having the message heard clearly by each and every individual is the single most important thing we do. With a properly designed sound system, the average person should be able to hear the message without any problem, but what about those in our congregation who are hearing impaired? What can we do to make their experience better and ensure that they hear just as well as everyone else?

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Jim Sides

Jim Sides Leaves VUE Audiotechnik

ESCONDIDO, CA — VUE Audiotechnik announced that Jim Sides is stepping down from his active role as executive vice president. Since VUE Audiotechnik’s launch in 2012, Sides has been actively building VUE’s global network through distribution, dealer and integrator relationships. He has worked to establish VUE around the world, notably with the formation of VUE Europa GmbH and VUE China, in addition to making key distribution appointments in Asia and Europe. Ken Berger, VUE CEO, joined others at the company in thanking Sides for his efforts on the company’s behalf.

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Illustration by Andy Au

Hemp Audio!

Of the 20 medical marijuana dispensaries scheduled to open in the State of New York, the dispensary on 14th Street and Third Avenue, in the heart of New York City, was one of the seven to open its doors on Jan. 7, 2016. For those of us old enough to remember the good old/bad days of the City, this is an amazing occurrence considering the Draconian laws Governor Rockefeller put in place in 1973 pertaining to possession and distribution of the herb. Alongside morphine, opium and cocaine, cannabis was categorized as a Schedule 1 narcotic that carried stiff prison penalties for possession and distribution. Even though this legislation made Rockefeller look tough on crime, other politicians from both the left and the right opposed this ruling and thought it was unjust to equate the non-violent crime of drug possession and trafficking alongside rape and murder.

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St. James Methodist

St. James United Methodist Church Installs Ashly Combo Amps/Processors

LITTLE ROCK, AR – St. James Methodist Church recently added a teen bistro, eight new classrooms, and the Jones Fellowship Hall. Ashly Audio’s combined processor/multi-channel amplifiers and intuitive user interface to give the systems a solid backbone with user-friendly access to meet the needs of the church. Memphis Sound Lab designed and installed the sound reinforcement systems for the new spaces.

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First Southern Baptist

Roland XS-84H Multi-Format AV Matrix Switcher is the Perfect Fit for New First Southern Baptist Church

PRATT, KANSAS —Advanced Sound & Communication installed a Roland XS-84H as the heart of a new media system for the New First Southern Baptist Church building. The video system upgrade is the Roland XS-84h 8-In x 4-Out Multi-Format AV Matrix Switcher, part of the new Roland XS Series line of Multi-Format Matrix Switchers designed for fixed installations requiring high-quality integrated video and audio conversion and switching. The XS-84h is a single-unit solution for total control of video and audio.

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