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Patrick Warburton Golf for Kids Jam Session

SurgeX Offers Free White Paper on Power and Grounding

BLUE BELL, PA — SurgeX International, a manufacturer of AC power distribution and protection products, announced the availability of a new white paper, Power and Grounding for Audio and Video Systems: A White Paper for the Real World – International Edition. The white paper is available as a free download from the Surgex website.

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Crew Member Dies after Fall in San Antonio’s AT&T Center

SAN ANTONIO — Thomas Dean Williams, 44, died April 5 after falling between 70 and 100 feet, according to local news reports. Williams was working on the venue’s concert lighting rig at the time and fell to the stage, where others were working. No other injuries were reported. The accident happened about 2 am Friday after a Romeo Santos concert took place at the venue Thursday night.

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Perspectives and Perception

Just as in real-life, everything in audio seems to revolve around perspectives. For example, you might have the perspective that a new line array, some extra subwoofers or a new console would be an important upgrade to really make a difference in the audio presentation. And you’re probably right. However, your ultimate boss — whether it’s a tour/show promoter, the board of directors at a venue or governing council at a house of worship — may have an entirely different perspective.

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Maroon 5 tour photo by Steve Jennings

Maroon 5: Mixed for a “Lively” Crowd

Spoiler alert to Kevin Glendinning: You’re about to find out just how loud that screaming is.

“Right from the beginning, there’s this big reveal, and the crowd just starts screaming,” says Maroon 5’s monitor engineer Glendinning. “I haven’t measured it because I don’t want to know how loud it is.”

“It’s 108 dB of screaming — I’ve measured it,” says FOH engineer Jim Ebdon, in a separate interview.

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A new sound system is taking Washington DC's Warner Theatre to the next level.

The Warner Theatre, Washington, DC

The story of Washington DC’s Warner Theatre is one that could be repeated about dozens of theaters around the country that began as classic art deco movie palaces, which in a bygone age, hosted silent films and vaudeville performers. As the years continued, many of these fell to the wayside, yet a fortunate few — like the Warner Theatre — were reborn and restored to reflect their former glory.

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Neumann’s KU 100 microphone simulates the way that humans hear by placing a small condenser mic capsule microphone in each “ear” of the head model. So called “dummy head” microphones are useful in making acoustical measurements or binaural simulation recordings.

Stereo: Localization, Imaging and Live Sound

Virtually everything about our pro audio world acknowledges the existence of multiple channels of audio and, most commonly, stereo channels (i.e., left and right). Nearly every piece of audio gear provides both stereo inputs and outputs. At concerts, there are almost always left and right speaker arrays. Essentially almost all music playback material is in stereo. This month, let’s take a look how we localize sound, and how that relates to the traditional use of the stereo configuration. We will consider stereo’s advantages, limitations, and place in the pro sound environment. We’ll also discuss how sound technicians can shape their mix to get the best overall results for the majority of the listening audience.

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Thomas Riedel

At 25, Riedel Looks Back – And Ahead

You only turn 25 once, and what Riedel Communications did to mark their quarter century in business was a doozy. The party itself took place at their headquarters in Wuppertal, Germany where 1,400 revelers joined in a celebration that included musical performances, high-wire acts, a robot band (playing heavy metal), outdoor whirlpools and a fire show.

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Forget something? (See Rule 01). Illustration by Tony Gleeson (WWW.TONYGLEESON.COM)

Top 40 Rules of the Road

It’s been 10 years since PLSN and FRONT of HOUSE first published Bob Higgins’ “Top 40 Rules of the Road.” For those who didn’t frame (or at least laminate) the original Top 40 Rules (July 2003), here’s a second chance. —ed.

Industry veteran Bob Higgins has more than 30 years of experience in the touring industry as a video producer, director, editor, dancer, troublemaker, and problem solver. With the help of contributing minders K. Lipschutz, G. Jones, V. Jarvis, A. Kramer, R. Alvarez, W. Willoughby, and B. Riedling, he’s pieced together the following rules, gleaned from his own early mistakes, mistakes he’s seen along the way (with the shipping records as proof), eyewitness accounts, and road stories too numerous to mention. Please read carefully, you will be tested daily…

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