When I saw Yamaha’s newest digital console, the CL5, after it had been delivered to Delicate Productions’ Southern California warehouse, my initial reaction was similar to what someone might say upon receiving an unfamiliar product from an online dealer. “Wow! It sure looked bigger in the picture.” When compared to many other products on the market, the CL5 control surface is a very compact 41.5 x 26.3 x 11.8-inches and weighs 79.4 pounds.
Read More »
At the end of last month’s column, Five For Fighting’s John Ondrasik and I had been saved from a stranding in Minneapolis by a quick thinking, fast-talking travel agent who somehow resurrected our accidentally-canceled reservations from the digital trash can at Delta Airlines. A routine, uneventful flight home to LAX on the following day was exactly what we needed after the stresses caused by the previous day’s travel panic.
Read More »
Being the best at what you’ve always done might not be good enough anymore. At a time when a computer maker has become the biggest distributor of music in the world, it’s apparent that you can’t just make computers anymore. That’s what’s happening at Clair Brothers, which had rebranded itself Clair Global as it expands its range service offerings. It’s not enough to mix the live sound — Clair’s next mission is to deliver it, as well.
Read More »One-off and fly-date shows can be particularly stressful because they take a band and crew out of the comfort zone. Couple this with the fact that management typically doesn’t want to foot the bill for shipping production and/or backline gear for a single show, and it’s easy to see that there’s a lot of potential for error. A bit of careful planning can help ease the pain, even when you have to leave your bunk behind.
Read More »
I have been involved with house of worship audio, sound systems and performing for almost two decades now. The reason I am starting this month’s Sound Sanctuary with this statement is because when I began installing church sound systems and singing in choirs, “in-ear monitors” (IEMs) were rarely used in live performance, and hardly the day-to-day item in many of today’s concert systems.
Read More »
Not so many years ago, before the digital revolution, there was a clearer distinction of defined boundaries in regard to places, things and ideas. Telephones were connected to a wall or a desk, and if one wanted to receive or make calls from a certain location in their home or office, they’d need to have an extension of their phone line installed in the desired area. If anyone was away from their home or office when the phone would ring, then the incoming phone call would most likely be missed, thereby leaving the caller and the recipient unconnected.
Read More »
