The transition to digital wireless is inevitable. Advances in high-quality digital converters in smaller packages with reduced power consumption brings the move to an all-digital wireless environment, especially given the increasingly dense spectral landscape of today’s RF environment. So last month, Sennheiser’s unveiling of its new Digital 9000 wireless system wasn’t entirely unexpected.
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In the last two issues of FRONT of HOUSE, we covered some of the principles underlying loudspeaker horns, and discussed the development of the constant directivity horn. Horn loudspeakers in professional audio have a challenging task, namely providing consistent directional control over a range of multiple octaves. Throw in the desire to use the smallest practical horn and produce maximum output, and the challenges facing the horn designer are appreciable.
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With all the emphasis on larger 1.5- and 2-inch exit compression drivers, it seems that the long-time, industry-standard 1-inch exit drivers have less importance today. Yet, actually the opposite is true, and with the rise of small-format line array designs and compact top boxes for speaker-on-a-stick systems, our old friend the 1-inch exit HF driver is back in style, big time.
To download a PDF of the Sept. 2012 FRONT of HOUSE Buyers Guide, CLICK HERE.
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The 2012 Virtual Reality Tour for CMA Entertainer of the Year Brad Paisley finds the country superstar on a whirlwind multi-city jaunt that kicked off in mid-Januaruy at Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI and wraps up on the 20th of this month at the Hollywood Bowl. The tour is supporting the singer/songwriter/guitar virtuoso’s ninth studio album, titled This Is Country Music. However, Paisley isn’t one known to take too much time away from his fans, and a month before wrapping up the USA leg of the tour, he was debuting “Southern Comfort Zone,” a single from his next studio CD, due out in April of next year. And after just a couple weeks of R&R, Paisley and crew will take off to tour Northern Europe, starting Nov. 8.
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Parnelli Audio Innovator Award Honors
Sound Image Co-Founders
Sound Image has been at the forefront of the pro audio industry. The company holds 10 patents and has created or contributed to advances in console designs, the Phase-Loc System, L Track rigging, fiber optic amplifier networking systems and the use of composite carbon fiber in loudspeaker enclosures. For this and so much more, the Parnelli Board of Advisors is honoring the company’s founders Dave Shadoan and the late Ross Ritto with the 2012 Parnelli Audio Innovator Award.
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Over the years, Rational Acoustics’ Smaart acoustic test and measurement software has become one of the premier tools for acoustical troubleshooting, and now with a new enhanced version and an optional hardware I/O interface, the system keeps getting better.
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When I saw Yamaha’s newest digital console, the CL5, after it had been delivered to Delicate Productions’ Southern California warehouse, my initial reaction was similar to what someone might say upon receiving an unfamiliar product from an online dealer. “Wow! It sure looked bigger in the picture.” When compared to many other products on the market, the CL5 control surface is a very compact 41.5 x 26.3 x 11.8-inches and weighs 79.4 pounds.
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At the end of last month’s column, Five For Fighting’s John Ondrasik and I had been saved from a stranding in Minneapolis by a quick thinking, fast-talking travel agent who somehow resurrected our accidentally-canceled reservations from the digital trash can at Delta Airlines. A routine, uneventful flight home to LAX on the following day was exactly what we needed after the stresses caused by the previous day’s travel panic.
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Being the best at what you’ve always done might not be good enough anymore. At a time when a computer maker has become the biggest distributor of music in the world, it’s apparent that you can’t just make computers anymore. That’s what’s happening at Clair Brothers, which had rebranded itself Clair Global as it expands its range service offerings. It’s not enough to mix the live sound — Clair’s next mission is to deliver it, as well.
Read More »One-off and fly-date shows can be particularly stressful because they take a band and crew out of the comfort zone. Couple this with the fact that management typically doesn’t want to foot the bill for shipping production and/or backline gear for a single show, and it’s easy to see that there’s a lot of potential for error. A bit of careful planning can help ease the pain, even when you have to leave your bunk behind.
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I have been involved with house of worship audio, sound systems and performing for almost two decades now. The reason I am starting this month’s Sound Sanctuary with this statement is because when I began installing church sound systems and singing in choirs, “in-ear monitors” (IEMs) were rarely used in live performance, and hardly the day-to-day item in many of today’s concert systems.
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Not so many years ago, before the digital revolution, there was a clearer distinction of defined boundaries in regard to places, things and ideas. Telephones were connected to a wall or a desk, and if one wanted to receive or make calls from a certain location in their home or office, they’d need to have an extension of their phone line installed in the desired area. If anyone was away from their home or office when the phone would ring, then the incoming phone call would most likely be missed, thereby leaving the caller and the recipient unconnected.
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