On the Digital Edge

One of the issues that sound engineers deal with on a daily basis is that of hearing conservation. In the United States, advocates for employee safety such as OSHA  (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, have set very specific guidelines for avoiding hearing loss due to exposure to loud noise. And let’s face it: Many sound engineers work under constant conditions of “loud noise.” Research by such organizations has produced a plethora of data regarding hearing conservation, some of which refer to the amount of time a person can be subjected to loud noise without damaging their hearing.

We told you that we were going to lay off the discussion of wireless audio technology for a while. Well, we lied. It seems like developments in the wireless world are happening so fast that by the time the ink dries around here, there’s more news to report. So this month, we shine the spotlight on X2 Digital Wireless Systems and Audio-Technica. X2 Digital (www.x2digitalwireless.com) — with a bit of help from Audio-Technica — has just augmented its XDR Series of Digital UHF wireless systems with four new products: the XDR952 (omni lavalier microphone with A-T MT830-X); the XDR953 (cardioid headset mic with ATM75-X); the XDR954 (cardioid lavalier mic with A-T MT831-X); and the XDR957 (clip-on in-strument mic with A-T Pro35-X). 

With all the recent discussion about how difficult it may become for our industry to use wireless audio devices, it’s comforting to know that at least one manufacturer has been hard at work on something that makes using wireless audio easier. Professional Wireless Systems (a Masque Sound Company) has developed a product called Intermodulation Analysis Software (IAS). The purpose of IAS is to facilitate coordination of wireless audio frequencies in any locale, minimizing the chance for interference with local television and radio stations.

Back in the early 1990s when Alesis introduced the first ADAT machines, I wonder if their development engineers envisioned how important those tiny optical ports on the rear panel would become to the pro audio world. The ADAT optical I/O has not only been adopted by countless other companies as a means of multichannel digital audio transport, but has paved the way for more comprehensive forms of fiber optic transmission of digital audio.

Touch-screen technology eases the transition to digital.

Back in the mid-1990s, when Klark-Teknik introduced its DN3600 graphic equalizer, the company literally touched on a concept that was way ahead of its time for the audio industry. In addition to being programmable, the DN3600 was one of the first graphic EQs to not feature sliding faders on the front panel. The DN3600 had a backlit LCD screen displaying 31 “virtual” sliders (one per EQ band). When the DN3600 was introduced, it was (and is) cool, not just because the front panel was unique and looked nice, but because the graphic interface made a great piece of audio gear easy to use. 

Speak up, or get stepped on.

I don’t think I’ve ever written more than once or twice regarding the same subject, but the pending FCC/White Space issue recently discussed in the pages of FOH is progressing at an alarming rate, and there are new developments on a weekly basis. The latest is reflected in an article published by the New York Times on May 22, 2007. The author of the article, John Markoff, informs us that our friendly search engine folks at Google are calling on the FCC to allow companies to “allocate radio spectrum using the same kind of real-time auction that the search engine company now uses to sell advertisements.” In other words, Google wants the FCC to allow radio spectrum to be sold to the highest bidder. Trés capitalîst.

Several months ago in "The Bleeding Edge," we discussed the pending problem with the FCC’s threatened release of “White Space” broadcast frequencies for wireless broadband use and unlicensed transmission. [Check out www. fohonline.com/whitespace for a complete rundown —ed.] While this directly impacts wireless pro audio systems, any increased activity in the airwaves — such as that from microwaves, cell phone signals, and emergency-band communications systems — presents a threat to our never-ending quest for interference-free audio. Any wire that is carrying low-level audio — such as from a microphone or mixing console — acts like an antenna, and may actually attract radio interference. Furthermore, junctions where the audio system may have gaps in its shielding — such as where a cable is connected to the chassis of an audio device — are an invitation for EMI to weasel its way in. Several manufacturers are addressing these concerns with new ways of battling RFI and EMI to keep it out of wired audio.

Sometimes you need to stand up for your price, before you get squeezed dry

From time to time we hit on an issue in FOH that’s like a live wire to our readers and our writers — not surprising since they’re all audio professionals. One of those threw some sparks this month for Steve La Cerra. This month Steve amplifies on Larry Hall’s “You Book; You Pay” article from the February 2007 issue of FOH. Don’t worry, next month he’ll be back examining high tech issues for us, but until then: Game on. —ed.]

When it comes to performing, perseverance is one thing, electrocution a whole ‘nother one.

The recent performance by Prince at the Super Bowl Halftime show raises some very serious questions regarding when an outdoor event has passed the point of “the show must go on” and reached the point of “someone could get hurt here.” We’ve all heard the adage, but at what — and more importantly, whose expense — must the show go on? 

For the past few weeks, I have been playing with an incredibly sophisticated wireless system, the RF performance of which has been impeccable. Unlike most of the wireless units I have dealt with in the past, this system packs four receivers into a single rack space and has the capacity for another two receivers, allowing a total of six in one rack space. Each receiver has its own audio output on a rear-panel connector for routing to individual mixer channels. The front panel doesn't look all that sexy, so initial impressions say "installation market," but a closer look reveals that intelligent design for the install market easily trickles into the touring sound market (and vice versa).