Beyond Safety’s Reach
Las Vegas Shooting Shows That Even Best Practices Can’t Make Events Completely Safe
The real-life nightmare that unfolded during the closing performance by headliner Jason Aldean at the Route 91 Harvest Festival defied just about every best-practices precaution that could have been deployed to keep the performers, crew and 22,000 concert attendees safe.
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Year-End Summary
At the end of each touring year, I try to go over what was done right, what was done wrong and what we could do better while out on the road and performing night after night. This past year was particularly interesting because of the variety of geographic locations to which we traveled and the diversity of gear packages that we encountered along the way.
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Something Else To Be Thankful For
Just before you dive into that turkey this year, be thankful you got through the entire festival and outdoor touring season without a weather-related fatality. Compare that with the experiences of the last decade or so, particularly 2011, considered the annus horribilis of the industry’s history, when the stage structure at the Indiana State Fair collapsed in high winds, killing seven people and injuring 58 others.
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Exploring the Parallel Universe
Anyone who reads FRONT of HOUSE is probably familiar with the differences between serial processing and parallel processing. Serial processing is used when we want 100 percent of the signal to be processed and none of the “original” signal to be allowed into the mix. For example, when compressing a lead vocal, we most often insert the compressor on the lead vocal channel in an effort to control the dynamics of the lead vocal. This prevents the uncompressed lead vocal from reaching the mix.
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Got Subs?
Adding LF To Your House of Worship
Subwoofers placement and technique is tricky business for the church sound engineer. On one hand, we want our mixes to be impactful and we want them to move people. On the other hand, subs are a common source of complaints in houses of worship, at least the ones that I’ve worked in.
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Brad Paisley 2017 ‘Weekend Warrior’ Tour
Summer is winding down at the St. Louis shed (today called Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, which old timers still call Riverport, its original moniker). Brad Paisley picked this spot to end another successful summer tour, and he, the band and the crew are all in an especially good mood.
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Are We There Yet?
“Are we there yet? No! Are we there yet? No! Are we there yet? No!” It’s the iconic call and response between bored children and their parents as they travel for long tiresome hours in an automobile. It was a scene played out on a daily basis between back seats and front seats everywhere and perfectly parodied in such cartoons as The Simpsons and the Shrek movie. While this is an amusing bit (made all the more funny if one ever experienced the situation up-close), it unfortunately is less than humorous as the experience is unfolding in real-time.
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