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The Rock Boat

The 855-foot-long Carnival Elation

The Rock Boat

As a recently-married man, I’ve found that there are traditions that you marry into. One of those traditions is annually joining my wife aboard The Rock Boat (therockboat.com), a themed music cruise which is now preparing for its 13th installment, hosted by the band Sister Hazel and boasting 2,000 attendees. The producer, Sixthman, who formed alongside the original Rock Boat more than a decade ago, provides themed cruises for artists as diverse as Kid Rock, Weezer and Zac Brown Band.

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Yamaha CL1

Yamaha CL Series Digital Mixing System

Other than the recent enhancement of the 01V96 and the marvelous StageMix iPad Apps, it has been a quiet spell for new Yamaha digital mixing boards. Their biggest news in years was announced at Frankfurt’s Prolight + Sound last month. The CL Series consists of three consoles, the CL1, CL3 and CL5, ranging from 48 to 72 mono channels plus eight stereo inputs, as well as two Dante-enabled stage boxes.

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Wireless Microphone Update for Unlicensed Users

Wireless Microphone Update for Unlicensed Users

For the last 22 months, wireless microphones haven’t been allowed to operate in the 700 MHz band (698 – 806 MHz) in the US. Many systems were sold in this spectrum, but are now illegal to resell or operate in the US. This remains news to some wireless users, and illegal 700-band systems can be found in ballrooms, churches and schools, with some continuing to plead ignorance as an excuse.

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Ahmad (Marty) Taylor with an Avid SC48 console at FOH mix position.

Overcoming A New Sanctuary’s Audio Challenges

Hi-Tech Electronics Enhances the Sound at World Overcomers Christian Church

Be more than you have ever been before. Stop being a victim, be a victor. Be an Overcomer!”

That’s the message at Durham, NC-based World Overcomers Christian Church, and it is striking a chord with a growing number of congregants.

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Sennheiser XS Wireless

Sennheiser XS Wireless

The Sennheiser XS Wireless comes in five application-specific sets. Two are vocal sets — one with the SKM 35 handheld transmitter featuring Sennheiser’s standard e835 dynamic cardioid capsule; the second, XSW 65, comes with an electret super-cardioid condenser capsule.

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From left, Jason Chamlee, Eric Thomas, Tommy Dowdy, Chris Belcher, George Olsen, Hyacinth Belcher, Barry Pharr, Russ Purdue, Ernie Gonzales and Tyler Johnston

Onstage Systems

There are many day-to-day challenges a regional audio company must contend with, but even Hyacinth Belcher couldn’t have imagined police officers storming her office, hands on guns, ready to draw. Co-owner of Dallas-based Onstage Systems with her brother Chris, she laughs about it now, though surely the “raid” got her adrenalin going.

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From left, Taidus Vallandi, technical sales manager, DiGiCo/Group One; Andrew (Fletch) Fletcher, freelance consultant; Jeff Peterson, freelance consultant/PA system designer; Leslie Anne Jones, The Recording Academy/Producers & Engineers Wing; Ron Reaves, FOH music mixer and Mikael Stewart, production mixer, ATK AudioTek.

Grammys Make a Big Change

The live-sound mix console business is in play. The number of new desks is on the rise, and digital technology is leveling the landscape for deals. Consider the DiGiCo SD series consoles used at the world’s biggest televised audio party, the Grammy Awards, held Feb. 12 in Staples Center. The crew used a 256-input DiGiCo SD7 console at FOH and two 96-input DiGiCo SD10s at monitors, with a third 96-channel SD10 used for the production mix. These replaced Yamaha PM1D consoles, which had been used on the show for the last nine years.

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Vocal Mic Techniques - fig. 1, fig. 2

Mic Techniques for Lead and Background Vocals

For the vast majority of engineers, lead vocal is the most important part of the mix. Unless you’re dealing with an instrumental group, ensuring that the lead vocal can heard at all times is paramount. Background vocals can be equally important, because the musical interplay between lead and background or harmony vocals often define a musical arrangement. Here are techniques you can use to keep vocals in the spotlight of your mix.

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Small Consoles

This month’s discussion is on small-format mixing consoles for houses of worship, both analog and digital.

There are probably a few different definitions for “small format” consoles. To me, any mixer that can fit into a rack would fall into the category.

That said, if your worship house mixer is not in a rack, don’t worry about it. We still have plenty to talk about.

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