MEMPHIS, TN – Dave Woolworth of Oxford, MS-based Oxford Acoustics used the Iconyx IC Live digitally steerable array from Renkus-Heinz to meet the sound design goals the auditorium at White Station High School, which has a low ceiling and parallel walls and serves 2,300 students.
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LONDON – Adlib supplied sound equipment and crew for the recent U.K. leg of The Script's Science & Faith world tour.
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Harman founder and chairman emeritus, Sidney Harman, died April 12 of complications from acute myeloid leukemia. Harman, whose activities spanned the worlds of professional audio, government (he served as the U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce in 1977 and 1978), education and publishing (he became the publisher of Newsweek in Aug. 2010), is also remembered for his philanthropy.
Read More »It is highly likely that you are an audio geek who gets some sort of an emotional high from being involved in sound reinforcement. If you are getting paid to do this, you are entitled to be called a "pro." I know for sure that a large percentage of "pros" in this trade are struggling to reach a reasonable living standard. Sorry to say, but your skill set as an avid, hardworking audio geek might have very little to do with financial success. The question many ask is: How does one create an opportunity to move into a higher financial level, whether as an engineer or sound service company?
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Firehouse Productions supported the 26th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, held at the Waldorf Astoria March 14, providing Crown I-Tech HD Amplifiers and JBL VerTec line array loudspeakers. Audio-Technica microphones were prominently featured for the 14th year. Inductees included Alice Cooper, Neil Diamond, Dr. John, Tom Waits and Darlene Love. Leon Russell, pictured here, received the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Award for Musical Excellence.
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Anderson Audio and East Shore Sound Team Up For a Night of Motown In the East Room
It's not just another gig. It's the White House. There, sitting in the front row, just a few feet from the slightly-elevated stage in the East Room, is the President of the United States, the First Lady and the Vice-President and his wife. Other dignitaries are scattered throughout the crowd of about 220. Enormous paintings of George and Martha Washington hang on the walls behind the stage. Ornate chandeliers are further reminders of the room's rich history and opulence.
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AMSTERDAM – Soldier of Orange, a musical adaptation of the 1977 Dutch film, Soldaat van Oranje, is a moving experience for the audience – in more ways than one. For starters, the entire audience – more 1,100 people – revolve around the stage on a turntable that measures 33 meters across, making 30 stops during each performance.
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This one's more of a "tale from the road" (Aerosmith's 2010 South American tour) than a "gig from hell"…
Read More »The Beatles reportedly used a few Shure Vocal Masters at Shea Stadium back in 1965. They were hardly enough to fill the Mets' cavernous venue, though even the old honeycomb horn PA system that used to mangle Ron Swoboda's name wasn't much help against the roar of 55,000 hysterical adolescents. But it does remind us that while large concert PAs have quite an evolutionary history, from Bob Heil and his Grateful Dead stacks to the modern flying line array, small clubs have had a more spotty time of it, making do with what have been for decades essentially cast-offs from an earlier era. Line arrays are the technology heroes of the new century, but try getting one of those into a grungy club with a 12-foot ceiling.
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One of the few things in audio that remains constant in spite of technological change is the concept of gain structure. Gain structure refers to the manner in which signal levels are set in (and between) various components of any audio system. Poor gain structure can cause noise of the hissing type (as opposed to hum or buzzes), distortion, lack of headroom and grossly mismatched meter readings between different devices. You might also find that your PA system does not play as loud as it should. Let's examine this in detail.
Read More »As I was pondering on what to write about for this month's Sound Sanctuary, I couldn't help thinking about how many really interesting e-mails I have received over the years. They have not only been interesting but I have picked up a lot of useful information as a result of the e-mails and the sound techs who write them. I just want to say that many of you out there who read this column appear to have more knowledge, experience and greater understanding of mixing worship sound than myself. One of these months, I will list all of the amazing people who have written to me over the years.
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One century ago, 146 immigrant workers died in a horrific fire at the Triangle Waist Company in New York City. It was a tragedy that brought to light the exploitive nature of sweatshops and the disparity between workers and owners in a country where a good portion of the workforce was made up of immigrants from around the world. Instead of coming to an idyllic new world, they found themselves struggling to overcome a language and cultural barrier that left most of them enduring atrocious working conditions and a life of paucity.
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