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A Response to “Tour Managing for Dummies”

Paul Gussack

A Response to “Tour Managing for Dummies”

I enjoy the insights and tips Steve La Cerra often imparts in his “Theory & Practice” columns, including his recent series “Tour Managing for Dummies” (FRONT of HOUSE, June 2013, page 57, and “Tour Managing for Smarties” (FOH, July 2013, page 33). That said, I would like to echo some of his advice and add a little perspective from the “other side” — the venue production manager’s point of view.

Remember, many of us greeting you when you enter have toured, and we understand the situation you’re in. We know that your last venue had a lousy load-in/load-out/crew/sound system/etc. — or perhaps a better load-in/load-out/crew/sound system. However, this is today. I will do whatever I can in my power to make your gig as good as possible.

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The 24-input MGP24X

Yamaha MGP24X and MGP32X Consoles

Yamaha’s had a long history of building solid analog consoles, going back to 1974’s PM1000, which brought balanced I/O’s, 3-band channel EQ, matrix mixing and tough, roadworthy construction into 16/24/32-channel packages and began a legacy of pro-quality live gear that continues to this day. As the years progressed, Yamaha evolved digital consoles, which like its analog boards, have become world standards. There’s no doubt that the future lies in digital technology, but our old pal analog still survives and thrives, particularly in certain market segments.

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The input screen simplifies console setup/configurations.

My Day with the SSL Live Console, Part 2

Last month’s column (FRONT of HOUSE, Aug. 2013, page 30) presented an operational overview of the Solid State Logic Live console from a mixing engineer’s perspective. This entry will focus more closely on individual channel operations and onboard processors. But before I dive into those areas, I need to discuss a critical organizational number — 192. As explained by SSL product specialist Fernando Guzman, 192 is the total number of mono audio “paths” the SSL Live processing system is able to support when operating at 96K.

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Silent Events is one of the pioneering companies providing technology for headphone concerts.

Silence is Golden. Really.

Walking into an anechoic chamber is one of the most disorienting experiences anyone attuned to sound can have. The lack of reflections confuses the brain, its usual aural cues stifled by the deadened environment. Sometimes you don’t realize just how distorted your perception has become until you exit the chamber, relieved to feel the ambient world around you once again.

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The 1970’s-era Blue Öyster Cult (left to right): Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser (front), Eric Bloom (rear), Albert Bouchard, Allen Lanier and Joe Bouchard.

Farewell, Old Friend

If you are reading FRONT of HOUSE, there’s a pretty good chance that you — like me — take audio production pretty seriously. When no one cares about time alignment, we still delay the balcony fills to the main stacks. When no one cares about polar patterns, we’re moving the snare mic to reject the hi-hat. When people start to accept MP3s as an audio format, we yell and scream that such crappy sound is unacceptable.

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This ADA-compliance sign has a “T” designation indicating the availability of a telecoil system.

Can You Hear Me?

When Jesus went out preaching, I am pretty sure everyone could hear him. Whether he spoke to five people or 5,000, every word went directly into the ears of his followers. I guess we could call that a miracle. Anyway, fast-forward 2,000 years, and we find out that a lot of people just can’t hear what the preacher is preaching.

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Illustration by Andy Au

A Delicate Balance

Let’s face it. For most of us, the choice of a career in audio production rarely involves a traditional nine-to-five week. Travel, last-minute schedules, late (and/or extended) hours and weekend/holiday gigs are typically part of the audio lifestyle, and trying to juggle one’s personal life and career often becomes a delicate balancing act.

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Mackie Extends SRM Line

Mackie Extends SRM Line

Shipping this month are new high-output, all-wood designs that expand Mackie’s popular SRM speaker line. The new models include the 12-inch SRM550 (MSRP: $749), the 15-inch SRM650 (MSRP: $879) and the SRM1850 18-inch powered subwoofer (MSRP: $1,149). All feature 1,600W of onboard Class-D amplification, internally-braced, all-wood enclosures, and Mackie High Definition Audio Processing acoustic correction DSP along with optimization tools such as feedback destroyer and application-specific speaker modes.

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Eighteen Sound 18TLW3000 Woofer

Eighteen Sound 18TLW3000 Woofer

Intended for high SPL sub applications, the 18-inch 18TLW3000 is based on Tetracoil technology that uses two inside and two outside coils actually working like four voice-coils. The dual-gap motor structure with four voice-coils increases the power handling and reduces power compression while balancing motor symmetry. Power handling reaches 3,600 watts, while its 29-pound weight is comparable with large coil neodymium woofers. The 18TLW3000 is offered in 8- and 4-ohm versions.

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BassMAXX SSP215 Profundo Sub

BassMAXX SSP215 Profundo Sub

About half the size of the average double-18 subwoofer, the SSP215 Profundo Subwoofer is a dual-15 loudspeaker powered by a 4,000-watt amplifier with comprehensive onboard 96kHz DSP. The compact size of the unit (17.5 by 48 by 22.5 inches, HxWxD) lets users place the SSP215 under low stages and ceilings and in tight corners where larger boxes wouldn’t fit, and its truck-pack size is well suited for both 90- and 96-inch trucks. Touring options include a four-wheel transport cart with covers for one, two or three cabinets. The install version has 16 3/8-inch threaded fly points, and the included amplification and processing package can be ordered in a 2U chassis.

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AudioMan ISO Box

AudioMan ISO Box

Designed to eliminate hum and noise, this passive line-level isolation transformer contains two 600-Ohm 1:1 transformers and four capacitors. Specs include a 20 Hz to 25kHz response. Uses include interfacing between different brands of intercoms, such as Clear-Com, Telex, RTS, HME, etc. It can also be added to the end of a string of beltpacks and plugged into a powered speaker to monitor intercom chat without having to wear a headset, or used the other way to patch a line level audio track into the headset string. Price is $74.95.

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Misteur Valeur

Osheaga Music and Arts Festival Gets Support from Sennheiser, K-array

MONTREAL – Montreal’s Osheaga Music and Arts Festival, held here at the city’s Parc Jean-Drapeau on Île Sainte-Hélène Aug. 2-4, received support for the fourth year in a row from Sennheiser and K-array. Sennheiser’s Global Relations Team supported Osheaga’s Green Stage with a pre-configured rack of wireless solutions including IEMs. Sennheiser Canada supplied a  selection of instrument and vocal microphones as well as the latest energy-efficient loudspeakers from K-array..

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