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Non-Traditional Applications for Earset Microphones

Bob Chadwick performing with his Countryman E6.

Non-Traditional Applications for Earset Microphones

Since the invention of the first “earset” in the late 1990s by Carl Countryman, this new class of microphone has rapidly grown to be one of the most popular tools for miking presenters, singers and performers. Unlike a headset, which wraps around the head and grabs both ears, an earset fits over only one ear of the performer and positions the microphone element right next to the mouth. This results in a perfect marriage of comfort and unobtrusiveness for the performer and extreme isolation from ambient noise and feedback for the engineer.

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Courtney Klimson, Masque Sound

Eight Steps to a Smooth Audio Upgrade for H.O.W. Facilities

As a sales manager with the permanent installation division of an audio rental house, I have assisted clients with audio system upgrades of everything from grade schools and universities to churches, theaters and ballparks. When it comes to planning an upgrade, the technical aspects of a microphone, speaker or console are not of particular importance to me. That is the concern of our engineers. I’m most interested in addressing the needs of my clients within a manageable time frame and budget. Here are some helpful tips I’ve gleaned over the years on how to do this when assisting with an audio upgrade for a house of worship.

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Joel Lonky

Waves Plug-ins on Your Midas PRO9

As front of house engineer for Rob Zombie’s Twins of Evil tour, I was mixing a very complex, chaotic, and often unpredictable show. I didn’t have the luxury of knowing what might happen next, so the last thing I needed was a complicated setup that would require me to take my hands off the console to cue different functions and effects.

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FOH Buyers Guide Jan 2013 - Universal-Fit Earpieces for IEM Systems

Universal-Fit Earpieces for IEM Systems

In-ear listening systems can significantly improve nearly any show. The best option is earpieces with custom earmolds made by an audiologist that precisely match a performer’s ear canal. Unfortunately, this is not possible in every situation, so let’s examine some current offerings in universal-fit earpieces. We should mention that companies such as JH Audio (jhaudio.com), Sensaphonics (sensaphonics.com) and Ultimate Ears (ultimateears.com) only make custom earmold products, which are not covered in this article.

To download a copy of the Jan. 2013 Buyers Guide, CLICK HERE:

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PreSonus StudioLive AI-series Active Integration Loudspeakers

PreSonus StudioLive AI-series Active Integration Loudspeakers

You heard it here first: At this month’s NAMM show, PreSonus is unveiling the results of one of the largest R&D projects in the company’s 18-year history. It’s called Active Integration, and this technology is incorporated into the newest generation StudioLive 32.4.2AI 32-channel mixer (spotlighted on page 23) and PreSonus’ new advanced StudioLive AI-series live sound speakers. But rather than a another “me-too” speaker-on-stick design, the new AI series grabs the industry by the horns and teaches it a few new tricks along the way.

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» The a-Class family, (L-R): a-8, a-10, a-12 and a-15.

VUE Audiotechnik a-Class Loudspeakers

Less than a year old, VUE Audiotechnik was founded and developed by two industry pioneers (Ken Berger and Jim Sides) who are noted for developing highly respected speakers for other manufacturers. And from what we’ve seen and heard so far, VUE may very well be on its way to becoming a standard in audio excellence.

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Cher at sound-check in Moscow

From Russia, with Cher

How far would you go to work a show with one of your favorite artists? When I was first contacted about traveling to Moscow to participate in a performance with Cher, my internalized answer was, “Really?” but my externalized answer was, “Oh yeah!”

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Zeehi founder Danny Abelson

CueCast Brings Data Management to a Digital Business

If the recent presidential election taught us nothing else, it’s that data has replaced content as the king of media technology. No matter how good a show could potentially be, if you suddenly discover that the FOH console you were expecting to use for it is lying in pieces on the wrong end of a loading dock 2,000 miles away, it’s not the missing faders you’ll really be stressing about but rather the missing information, like channel labels, phase, delay, filters, EQ, inserts, compression ratios, gate thresholds, aux sends and masters settings that those faders would have been accessing.

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Caption: A small diaphragm condenser (or two, like the Sennheiser MKH 8050 modular cardioid heads shown here), placed near the 12th fret and aimed slightly toward the sound hole, provides a great location for optimal sound. However, this “ideal” placement can vary depending on the player, the instrument and the stage conditions.

Optimizing Acoustic Guitars On Stage

Dealing with acoustic guitar in a live environment can be tricky business. A lot of external factors — many over which you have no control — influence your options for getting the guitar into the PA system, producing sufficient volume, delivering tone faithful to the instrument, and avoiding feedback. Your ability to effectively mic an acoustic guitar on stage is dependent on the stage volume of the musician(s); the volume of the audience; the acoustic guitar player’s preferred method of monitoring; the type of guitar (steel or nylon string) and your budget.

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Budgeting/Planning for H.O.W. Upgrades

As individuals, most of us have made a list of resolutions for the New Year. At the same time, many houses of worship have also resolved to upgrade, replace or re-invent their sound systems. There is no doubt that January is a great month for these plans. Actually, any month would be fine, but I get more calls in the first month of the year from churches that want to make changes to their sound systems than any other month. So, January is usually a great month for me.

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Illustration by Andy Au

Fiscal Cliff Jumping and The New Syntax for Sin Tax

There are very few days that we work less than a ten-hour day, and that’s on a good day. From load-in to load-out, we’re lucky if the clock stops ticking at the ten-hour mark, and even if it does, we still have to take into account all the time spent just traveling from one place to the other. Time is money and as I see it, we manage to spend more time than the money we make. I’m not complaining. I’m just stating a fact, because by the time this piece is published, we may all be lying at the bottom of the fiscal cliff clutching our empty wallets due to expired tax cuts.

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