GDANSK, Poland — For a Jennifer Lopez performance that drew nearly 25,000 to PGE Arena Stadium here recently, Gigantsound Letus provided a JBL VerTec system powered by 80 Powersoft K Series amplifiers.
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SASKATOON, SK Canada — The Canadian Country Music Awards, held at the Credit Union Centre here, used a JBL system tuned with HiQnet Performance Manager, pictured here. PA Plus provided 48 JBL VerTec VT4889 fullsize line array elements (12 per side for the main PA and 12 per side for outfill), plus 16 VT4880 fullsize arrayable subwoofers and eight SRX712M loudspeakers for front fill. Sixty-eight Crown I-Tech 5000 HD amplifiers powered the system.
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ORANGE, CA – SKB Corporation named Will Steven product and OEM Manager. He will develop new case designs, work with manufacturers on OEM projects and manage and update current products while working with customers on case suggestions or concerns. Prior to SKB, Steven gained experience at Full Compass’ pro audio, video, lighting and MI sales departments. Prior to joining Full Compass in 2007, Steven worked in the repair department at Ward Brodt Music.
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TROMSO, Norway — The Hålogaland Theatre here is putting its new DPA d:fine Headset Microphones through their paces for the venue’s current musical, which runs from Sept. 6 to Nov. 28. Jim Oddvar Hansen, head of sound at the venue, credited the headset microphones not just for performance but for user comfort as well — undoubtedly making the cast of Les Misérables less miserable.
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UTRECHT, The Netherlands — The summer production of Orfeo ed Euridice involved a number of challenges, including the need for veteran opera singers to get used to in-ear monitors and an FOH position by the floating orchestra pit on a pond near Soestdijk Palace here. Amco Flashlight Rental provided a DiGiCo SD7 at FOH and a DiGiCo SD9 at monitors.
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ROSWELL, NM – The Red Bull Stratos project, centering on Felix Baumgartner’s successful attempt to break the sound barrier during a 120,000-foot skydive from the edge of space, was a mission that pushed human limits. Riedel Communications supported the project with real-time solutions for audio, communications and video, integrating wireless and wired digital intercom systems. Riedel also furnished the fiber-based video and signal distribution and the wireless video links from the capsule’s onboard cameras. Along with other records smashed by the feat, YouTube reported a live viewing audience of more than 8 million.
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LENOIR, NC — For the First Baptist Church of Lenoir, which includes plaster ceilings and other architectural features dating back to 1925, the need for an AV upgrade was balanced with concerns about preserving the church’s aesthetic appeal. Buck Roberts, president of Selah Media Productions, Boone, NC, provides a solution with a six-element WorxAudio X1i-Passive line array system augmented with a V5M-P line array element, two WaveSeries 8M stage monitors and a pair of I/O-4 surface mount loudspeakers.
Read More »This month, the audio tradeshow season finally wraps up, with the LDI Show in Las Vegas (Oct. 15 to 21) and the AES Convention in San Francisco (Oct 26 to 29). Maybe “season” is the wrong word for a period that kicks off in January at Winter NAMM, (followed by Musikmesse/PL+S, NAB, InfoComm, PALM, Summer NAMM, PALA, PLASA, LDI and AES) and extends well into October. That 10-month period actually eclipses the length of the NBA season (quite a feat), and if you add in regional/specialized events — such as Sweetwater GearFest or PreSonuSphere — you’re never really very far away (in time or distance) from some kind of event or tradeshow having to do with pro audio.
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In its 21st year, PLASA 2012 (Sept. 9 to 12) marked the final staging of the annual exhibition at Earls Court & Olympia expo centers before the show moves to ExCeL London for 2013. Along with an expanded and varied program of sessions, seminars and events for lighting and sound reinforcement pros, this year’s event also included programs focusing on the industry’s involvement the Diamond Jubilee and London 2012 Olympics. Hundreds of exhibitors showed the latest in sound, lighting, installation and entertainment production technology, and there were plenty of new professional audio products on display.
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Imagine two large festivals, booked almost back-to-back in the same locale, with each having two companion stages 60 feet apart and running at all times to spread the sound and excitement. Definitely a tough assignment, both in terms of pressure on the crew as well as demands on the sound system itself, which had to perform equally well with levels that were varied at the idle (band-changing) stage to adjust relative imaging, about -6dB for smaller crowds and full-on when packed for headliners.
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The transition to digital wireless is inevitable. Advances in high-quality digital converters in smaller packages with reduced power consumption brings the move to an all-digital wireless environment, especially given the increasingly dense spectral landscape of today’s RF environment. So last month, Sennheiser’s unveiling of its new Digital 9000 wireless system wasn’t entirely unexpected.
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In the last two issues of FRONT of HOUSE, we covered some of the principles underlying loudspeaker horns, and discussed the development of the constant directivity horn. Horn loudspeakers in professional audio have a challenging task, namely providing consistent directional control over a range of multiple octaves. Throw in the desire to use the smallest practical horn and produce maximum output, and the challenges facing the horn designer are appreciable.
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