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OK, so there I was, all gakked up and sitting in the back of the bus

OK, so there I was, all gakked up and sitting in the back of the bus

An engineer friend of mine, who is now retired from the business, started his audio career in the early 1970s and spent most of the ensuing 30 years traveling throughout the world mixing front of house and monitors. As well as being an excellent engineer, he is endowed with a charismatic charm, wit and a talent for networking. He was in with the rock ‘n’ roll elite and always worked with top name acts in the business.

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Mixing with the Wrong Appendage

Last weekend — post turkey/triptophan-induced stupor — I had the absolute pleasure of going to a Tony Bennett show here in Las Vegas that was mixed by recent Parnelli award winner Tom Young. After the show, he took us backstage to meet the boss (not something I generally go for, but it was not like it was some wannabe kiddie celeb. Tony Bennett is a f*&%ing legend) and then, cigar and diet coke in hand at the bar, my wife and I hung out with Tom and just shot the shit for a good hour or so.

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We Lied

We told you that we were going to lay off the discussion of wireless audio technology for a while. Well, we lied. It seems like developments in the wireless world are happening so fast that by the time the ink dries around here, there’s more news to report. So this month, we shine the spotlight on X2 Digital Wireless Systems and Audio-Technica. X2 Digital (www.x2digitalwireless.com) — with a bit of help from Audio-Technica — has just augmented its XDR Series of Digital UHF wireless systems with four new products: the XDR952 (omni lavalier microphone with A-T MT830-X); the XDR953 (cardioid headset mic with ATM75-X); the XDR954 (cardioid lavalier mic with A-T MT831-X); and the XDR957 (clip-on in-strument mic with A-T Pro35-X). 

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Extended Stays

When Celine Dion began a five-year performance residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in 2002, it certainly didn’t seem like a signal that the touring concert business was about to undergo any major changes. Dion’s is a talent perhaps best suited to a home theatre rather than sequential one-night stands. And she certainly seemed to make the right real estate deal: Her 700 shows in the past five years generated more than $500 million, according to the Wall Street Journal, with Elton John pulling in pro rata numbers for his interim Caesars stints when Dion took breaks. 

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Location, Location, Location

Brian: So Ken, I’ve just recently moved, and I’m finding myself dealing with a new frustration. All of my equipment is still 10 minutes up the road from my old house, which puts it about an hour and a half from my new home. I’ve got to get my shop closer to where I’m living now, but I don’t have a nice three-car garage, and I certainly don’t have the money for some big commercial space. Have you got any thoughts on a good way to store lots of equipment? 

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Loreena McKennitt Tours North America with Yamaha

BUENA PARK, CA — Singer/composer Loreena McKennitt embarked on a North American tour with final stops in 17 U.S. cities in support of her latest studio recording An Ancient Muse and recent DVD/CD release Nights from the Alhambra. Allstar Show Industries, with office locations in Western Canada, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver provide production for the tour. Clive Alcock, one of three directors of the company, mixes front of house for the tour with audio support by a Yamaha PM5D-RH connected to the new DSP5D Expander via a Yamaha DCU5D. Two PM5D-RH consoles are used for monitors with an Aviom interface card in one of the PM5Ds.

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Baby Boomers Rock Out at AARP Convention with Meyer Sound

BOSTON – This year’s Life@50+ National Event and Expo welcomed 25,000 attendees from all 50 states and ten countries at the new Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Hosted by AARP, a non-profit organization formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons, the three-day extravaganza featured musical performances by Tony Bennett, Earth Wind & Fire and Rod Stewart. San Diego-based MSI Production Services teamed with Thunder Audio (Taylor, Mich.) to provide sound, lighting and video for the event.

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Stage Research Introduces New Sound Template

NORTHFIELD, OH – Stage Research Inc., developer of innovative audio, sound design and lighting software, has introduced a new three-scale Sound Template drafting aid. The new template supplements the company’s original Sound Template, the first-ever industry-standard drafting tool for sound designers.

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Celine Dion Tours Globe with Studer Vista

NEW YORK – Following her five-year, 700-plus performance run with A New Day at the Caesar's Palace Colosseum in Las Vegas, Celine Dion is now poised to embark upon her first world tour in eight years. Her highly anticipated return to the road, which is in support of a new album, Taking Chances, will employ a pair of brand new Studer Vista 5 SR digital live sound consoles, a design that was unveiled at the recent AES Convention in New York City.

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Squeeze Returns to Stage with Nexo

LONDON – Thirty years after the debut album, eight years after the last tour, Squeeze have been playing their first live shows of this century in the UK. Supported by NEXO GEO tangent-array PA systems supplied by SSE Audio Group, the band has sold out mid-sized venues throughout the UK before stepping up to 5,000-seat, high-profile clubs for the final dates.

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Lunas del Auditorio Awards Gets Mixed with Midas XL8

MEXICO CITY – One of the biggest entertainment industry events on the Mexico City media calendar, the annual Lunas del Auditorio Awards held in the city’s Auditorio Nacional, celebrates the best live talent, productions and performances from across Latin America. Along with top stars appearing onstage, the new Midas XL8 digital mixing system made its debut at FOH.

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