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Product Hits of AES 2014

2014 AES Show opens to record crowds.

Product Hits of AES 2014

LOS ANGELES — It’s been 12 years since the annual Audio Engineering Society show made an appearance in Los Angeles, this time returning to the L.A. Convention Center from October 8 through 12, 2014. And for audio professionals, this was the place to be, with the exhibit floor, panels and technical sessions packed all four days, with 15,403 registered attendees — representing a 28% increase over the 2012 San Francisco Show, the last time AES was held on the West Coast.

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In Memoriam: Patrick Stansfield, 70

In Memoriam: Patrick Stansfield, 70

Patrick Stansfield, 70, tour manager for Neil Diamond, the Rolling Stones, Barbra Streisand, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, the Grateful Dead, Santana, Tina Turner and scores of others, died in the early morning hours on Oct. 28, 2014 from kidney failure. Along with his prominence in concert touring, Stansfield was the production mastermind behind the transformation of Dodgers and Yankee Stadiums for papal visits in 1987 and 2008 and was co-founder of the Parnelli Awards, named in memory of his good friend Rick “Parnelli” O’Brien. He was surrounded by family and friends at the Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, CA in the days before his death.

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Davey Bryson

In Memoriam: David Bryson, 61

GLASGOW, Scotland – Longtime Rod Stewart monitor engineer David Bryson, 61, who worked with other artists including Tom Petty, Diana Ross, The Beach Boys, Supertramp and Heart, died Nov. 20 from a brain hemorrhage. Bryson had been working at monitors position for Engelbert Humperdinck in recent years. His 30+ year career had taken him on both sides of the Atlantic, and he had been visiting relatives in his native Scotland before falling ill at the airport. He was hospitalized but did not recover.

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Eccles Center, Home To Sundance Film Festival, Gets L-Acoustics KARAi Rig

Eccles Center, Home To Sundance Film Festival, Gets L-Acoustics KARAi Rig

PARK CITY, UT — David Hallock, production manager at George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Center, which is owned and operated by the Park City school district, turned to Salt Lake City-based Poll Sound for an audio upgrade within 1,269-seat Kearns Auditorium. The auditorium, which first opened in 1998, serves as the primary venue for the Sundance film festival. Poll Sound provided an L-Acoustics KARAi line source array system to meet the venue’s audio needs. In addition to Robert Redford’s annual film festival, the center hosts a year-round program of national dance troupes, musical acts, cultural events and, of course, student productions.

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Georgia’s Free Chapel Expands with Meyer MINA

Georgia’s Free Chapel Expands with Meyer MINA

GWINNETT, GA —  The Free Chapel, with campuses in Gainesville, GA and Irvine, CA led by senior pastor and best-selling author Jentezen Franklin, opened a new satellite campus here with a Meyer Sound MINA line array loudspeaker system for its 900-capacity auditorium. The facility is the ministry’s second venue to deploy Meyer Sound, following the success with a CQ-2 and MSL-4 loudspeaker system on its main campus in Gainesville.

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EAW OTTO Subwoofer

EAW Ships OTTO Subwoofers

WHITINSVILLE, MA — Unveiled at InfoComm 2014, Eastern Acoustic Works’ Otto is the world’s first Adaptive™ subwoofer. Utilizing two Offset Aperture-loaded woofers paired with independent on-board amplification, processing and networking, Otto extends Adaptive Performance™ to the lowest octaves of the audible spectrum. Otto will balance low-frequency coverage with cancellation to suit the user’s requirements; omni, cardioid, hypercardioid or anywhere in between from just a single module. Combined in arrays, Otto provides nearly endless possibilities in low-frequency pattern control.

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Yamaha RIVAGE PM10

Yamaha Debuts Flagship PM10 Digital Console

BUENA PARK, CA — In a worldwide announcement made at InterBEE this month, Yamaha launched the RIVAGE PM10 Digital Mixing Console, a major step for Yamaha PM Series Digital Live Sound Consoles. More than 10 years have passed since the Yamaha PM1D and PM5D emerged (and helped shape) the digital console market. The new flagship RIVAGE PM10 significantly increases the quality and versatility necessary in a live sound environment and inherits features from the well-known PM Series Consoles.

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During the 2014 AES show, David Morgan (second from left) participated in a technical discussion panel on the programming and operational aspects of the different user interfaces that have evolved for live digital consoles. Also pictured (left to right) are Louis Adamo, Patrick Baltzell and Harold Blumberg.

The Ever-Evolving Digital Console User Interface

The James Taylor tour recently completed its seven-week European itinerary in London. My original intention was to spend a few extra days in that familiar and beloved city following the final show at the Royal Albert Hall. During that stay, my day-off-buddy and monitor engineer, Rachel Adkins, and I had planned on hitting up some museums, eating great curry, taking a drive out to Stonehenge and catching up with old friends. That appealing script, however, had to be altered before we even left the USA.

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Fig. 1: This 1952 ad for RCA’s BA-6A vari-mu compressor emphasizes specs, features and a sepia-toned product shot.

Mad Men

Pro audio advertising hasn’t exactly lived at the cutting edge over the last half century but it has been evolving. When you look back at ads in the trade publications from the 1970s and earlier (like everything else, they’re up there online), you’ll see pretty staid graphics and copy, mostly nerdy product shots and verbiage that consisted mainly of dry data taken directly from spec sheets, such as the 1952 RCA BA-6A vari-mu compressor ad shown in Fig. 1. No CLIO Awards for this bunch.

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This Whirlwind Power Link portable distro system is designed for safe tie-ins to AC power by licensed personnel.

Power Distro Basics: Stay Safe

One book that should probably never be written is Power Distro for Dummies. Given the high voltages in play where power distribution is concerned and the danger of physical harm, it’d be a better idea if dummies stayed out of the electrical room and left electrical work to licensed electricians. However, there are certain things about power that audio people need to know, and though we do not suggest that you attempt adding a new circuit breaker box to a venue unless you are a licensed electrician, it might make your life easier if you knew a bit regarding power distro requirements.

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