In-ear monitors are becoming more and more ubiquitous every day and wireless hardware systems are coming down in price, opening the market to a wide range of users, some fairly sophisticated about audio and other not so knowledgeable. In the hands of a trained pro monitor mixer who understands the needs and limitations of IEM systems (and users) the need for an in-line brick wall protection limiter may not be so important.
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One of the most essential, yet often overlooked items in the toolkit of any live sound pro is a good set of headphones. And if truth be told, there are a lot of headphones on the market, ranging from less expensive options to some awful-sounding, yet very pricey models that come emblazoned with the name of some famous music celebrity. However, the headphone needs of a sound reinforcement mixer (FOH or monitors) are quite different from those of a typical consumer — or for that matter, a studio engineer.
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SOZÒPOL, Bulgaria – Arena Sozòpol is one of the four venues that will host the 2015 UEFA European Under-17 soccer championship. Completed in plenty of time for the championship, set for May 6-22, 2015, the 4,000 seat stadium has undergone full reconstruction with new grandstands and amenities. Burgas based Pro Audio Ltd. installed Community Professional loudspeakers.
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In this month’s tech column, we unpack the concept of reverberation, and the measurement known as RT60. Commonly bandied about by audio professionals, these terms are frequently misapplied or misunderstood. Often when we say reverberation, we mean discrete echoes. Leading into the discussion of reverberation, we will review some general acoustics concepts, and then apply those concepts to the dictionary definition of reverberation. Then we’ll talk practically about applying equalization, and the effect of volume on our perception of reverberation.
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If you ever needed to use a communications headset in a loud environment, you know that any headset that provides isolation is usually rather bulky. These aviation-inspired headsets do a great job for followspot operators working a loud performance, but they can be heavy and cumbersome. Point Source Audio offers a lightweight alternative with its new CM-i3 intercom headset.
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In close proximity to Lancaster, PA, there is Lititz, a town of about 9,000 that’s home to The Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery and the Wilbur Chocolate Factory. Surrounded by dairy farms and cornfields, Lititz is also located in Pennsylvania Dutch country, an area closely associated with the Amish, known for their simpler way of living, horse and carriages, quilts, suspenders and the shunning of the public power grid and modern appliances.
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If the first decade of this century was about microphones, this next one seems to be about speakers. Neither trend fits exactly into such a neat chronology, of course; the explosive growth of the boutique microphone category was already underway when Prince was singing about the future of “1999.” But it certainly became fully formed in the aughts, when blinged-out handheld wireless mics became the must-have accessory for the fashion-conscious at the edge of the stage.
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Last month, we visited the nuts and bolts of compression. This time, let’s take a look at compression settings for a few specific instruments. As with many things audio-related, these suggestions should be treated as a starting point for your own techniques.
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Ten years before I got into mixing worship sound and installing church audio systems, I worked as a recording engineer. Now I have been working in the house of worship sound biz for 20 years so, if you do the math that would put me back in 1985 when I was freelancing as an engineer. I learned a lot about audio during that time of my life.
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I happen to be a firm believer in a low-input/high-output gain structure. I also realize that there is more than one way to arrive at a final live mix, and that it helps if one is not so intractable as to adhere to only one approach. I’m always interested as to how different engineers approach and set up their mix and, because of this curiosity, I found myself in a conversation with an engineer friend of mine who works in many different situations — from concert to corporate, in venues of varying size and structure.
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DRESDEN, Germany – After the operator of the Dresden theater Wechselbad der Gefühle (“rollercoaster of emotions”) ceased operations in May 2014, TW.O GmbH, the agency specialized in theater, culture and live marketing from the German Saxon capital, took over the business of the since then known as “Boulevard Theater Dresden”. After a four-month renovation, operations in the listed building started again in September 2014.
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Waves Audio is shipping Tracks Live, a FREE multi-track recording software created to allow live sound engineers capture live performances of all kinds, from the smallest gig to the largest production. Offered for Mac or PC, Tracks Live supports multichannel and master bus recording, so a quick stereo mix recording of a performance is always available instantly. It also features multichannel and stereo-out automatic re-routing, making it simple to toggle back and forth between recording and virtual sound check playback.
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