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Recent Theater Projects

“Queen of the Night” in the Paramount Hotel’s newly refurbished Diamond Horseshoe, offers an interactive experience for the senses.

Recent Theater Projects

There’s definitely an upswing of interest in live theater and performing arts centers, both in terms of new construction, renovations of historical buildings and transformations of existing structures into new venues. Along the same lines, facilities have also seen the benefits of upgrading sound systems to meet increasingly higher standards set by audiences who expect hi-def clarity, vocal intelligibility and punch from live music and theatrical presentations. With that in mind, we looked into a number of interesting new projects and found a range of successful approaches designed for both production flexibility and great sound — in venues of all sizes.

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DPA Microphones headquarters in Allerod, Denmark by Jacob Coakley

Clear Vision, Clear Audio

Christian Poulsen of DPA Microphones has a plan to take over the world with good audio

On December, 17, 2013, renowned microphone manufacturer DPA announced that the Riverside Company would become majority shareholders in the company. It was a startling move to many observers of the fiercely independent Danish company, but this manufacturer has been making sweeping changes under its relatively new CEO Christian Poulsen, and his latest move only bolstered his mission to make sure DPA becomes one of the top three microphone companies in the world — by any standard.

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Two Typical Antennas: Fig. 1: Two typical antennas used in wireless applications. On the left is a passive 1/2-wave omnidirectional attached to a compact antenna amplifier and mounted on a mic stand. The antenna on the right is an active directional paddle-style, log periodic design.

Antennas for Wireless Systems: A Practical Guide

This article is adapted from Wireless Systems Guide: Antenna Setup, a Shure educational publication available from shure.com. —ed.

We’re all familiar with transducers, such as speakers and microphones. Yet antennas, which also convert one form of energy to another — in this case, radio-frequency electric current to radiated electromagnetic waves (and vice versa) — are another form of transducer. And with any transducer, following certain guidelines helps ensure maximum performance.

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Actual and predictive results from Albert Thuras’ landmark 1930 laboratory research on vented speaker enclosures. The black line here shows a traditional sealed speaker box design. The green line shows what he expected from his bass reflex design and the red line shows the actual response he achieved in the lab, with a significant increase in low frequency response below 50 Hz.

Understanding Vented Enclosure Designs

The majority of low frequency sound reproduction is from vented loudspeaker enclosures — that is, loudspeakers that have a port in the enclosure. Nearly all modern professional loudspeaker enclosures are vented to improve their low frequency output, and numerous programs are available to predict the frequency response of vented boxes.

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The Orbit 2 dual boom simplifies stereo mic placements from a single stand.

Triad-Orbit Advanced Microphone Stand Systems

I never thought I’d be reviewing a mic stand. But then again, Triad-Orbit’s Advanced Microphone Stand Systems aren’t ordinary mic stands. Actually, the real point here is whether I need another (or several) more mic stands. After all, I have a ton of them that I’ve bought over the years, ranging from cast base models to various folding versions.

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Ear Trumpet Labs Myrtle Microphone

Ear Trumpet Labs Myrtle Microphone

Sometimes, it’s all about the look. There are literally thousands of live performance vocal mics to choose from for stage applications, ranging from large side-address condensers to handheld dynamics to ultra-miniature headworn microphones. So is there really a place for a new live vocal mic that emulates the appearance of a classic 1920’s Western Electric double button carbon microphone? For the right artist, in the right setting, the answer would be absolutely.

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Powersoft’s X-4 (top) and X-8. The illuminated buttons change color to indicate status. The USB port is used both to load and save presets as well as to play audio files.

Powersoft X-Series Amplifiers

In a global economy, companies seem to come from out of nowhere. For me, Powersoft was that company. Little did I know that its new X-Series amplifiers are the result of 19 years of Class-D amplifier experience. In that time, there were nine previous models, several still in production, plus custom OEM versions, so there’s even a chance your system may have Powersoft modules under the hood.

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David Morgan

Considering a Console Change

In this age of digital devices, I am often asked if I have ever considered returning to mixing on an analog console for my touring clients. My answer is always an unequivocal “No!” Since 2006, when I migrated away from analog to an exclusively digital mixing rig, I have confidently embraced the audio technology, the work surface and the software that comprise working in a digital environment. The positive contributions to the successful execution of my art so heavily outweigh any possible negatives that I have never felt any twinges of nostalgia for the massive consoles and outboard equipment racks that once inhabited my FOH mixing position. Digital mixing generates layers of repeatability, recall agility, snapshot complexity and plug-in diversity that, quite simply, are impossible in the analog world.

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Return of the Taping Section. Photo by Greg Stelz

Return of the Taping Section

You might have Pro Tools integrated into your FOH console, but you may not be the only one legally recording the show. In a twist on the Grateful Dead’s well-known encouragement of fans taping their live shows, modern rockers MGMT are inviting their own legions to do the same, but with a nod to the vicissitudes of contemporary music legalities. The band opened a “fan taping section” at their shows in Atlanta, Chicago and Brooklyn late last year, announcing it via their website but specifically asking that tapers first register in addition to purchasing tickets for their shows.

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Are you ready to rumble?

Are You Ready to Rumble?

It’s a sad fact of life that getting a great bass tone through a P.A. system starts with a great bassist playing a good instrument. On second thought maybe that’s a happy fact of life. Given that starting point (or something close to it) it’s your responsibility as an engineer not to screw it up. While you can’t polish the proverbial turd, there’s a lot you can do to make the most of what you’ve been given, and these days there are plenty of tools to help you in the process. Beware: we’re about to open up a can of worms!

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Jamie Rio

Speaker Placement and Audio Quality

Not every house of worship has the luxury of selecting from multiple locations for its front of house speakers. Some of you have but one place to position or mount your speakers. However, it goes without saying that the placement of your speakers — their location and where they are aimed — is of monumental importance in how your system performs in your sanctuary.

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