Twelve years after debuting its J series, d&b audiotechnik introduces its new SL-Series flagship line array, which builds upon J’s strengths and propels the company into the future. In January, I traveled to Germany for a close-up, hands-on look at this next-generation, large-format speaker system. And with the company’s new Soundscape object-based immersive audio system, 2018 is shaping up to be an impressive year for d&b.
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Just as consoles, system control and signal processing have made the switch to digital, wireless mics are also making the transition. And wireless audio is ideally suited for the digital domain, whether for the precision of packing more frequencies into smaller bandwidths, applying security encryption or simply taking advantage of transmitting an unaltered digital stream. We looked at some recent offerings and found systems for nearly any application or budget.
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The upgrading and facility enhancement of theater and performing arts spaces continue on an upward spiral, whether in converted environments, new construction and refurbishment of existing venues. With that in mind, we present these recent installation projects. Each takes a different approach, proving there are numerous solutions to any audio challenge — large or small — for any performing space, either new or historic.
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There are various videos floating around the internet of a young boy named Dylan Beato demonstrating his uncanny ability to identify piano notes and chords while his back is turned toward the piano. Dylan’s father, Rick, sits at the piano and plays each note, interval, chord and cluster while Dylan listens and identifies each played note, which is then verified by his father.
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In early February 2018, Katy Perry was finishing up the North America segment of her Witness: The Tour trek, which kicked off Sept. 19, 2017 at Montreal’s Bell Centre. This marked the completion of the first portion of this nearly year-long, seven-leg world tour, which is slated to wrap up in New Zealand on August 21, 2018. We caught up with the audio team to talk about the tour before they headed off for another 47 dates, which include Brazil, Japan, Germany, the UK and more, ending with six dates in Oceania. Mixing the tour at FOH is Toby Francis; Paul Jump is the FOH systems tech; and Dave Rupsch is handling monitors. Clair Global is the sound company supporting the production.
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One of the most challenging aspects of our traditional worship and special events is monitoring for the choir. Below are some suggestions for getting the most out of your choir monitors. My church has been coasting along on an old and inadequate set of loudspeakers for the past decade and we make it work, so it’s not impossible by any means.
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About 10 years ago, I started exploring Earthworks’ complete microphone product line in greater detail. The live sound industry has long relied on the company’s excellent precision measurement mics, but I was only marginally acquainted with its widely acclaimed series of small diaphragm omnidirectional studio mics. And I was completely uninformed about Earthworks’ products designed the live sound market. At that time, there was an increasing word-of-mouth buzz within the live sound community regarding a new family of Earthworks products suited for live sound applications. I was especially interested in the new drum mics that received great user reviews. This marked the beginning of a relationship with Earthworks that has remained beneficial and strong for the past decade.
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Shannon Stewart and Dan DeVisser joined forces at an early age. Both loved concerts, especially with favorite bands. But more than that, great sound spoke to them. And the source of that sound? Gear.
Now, their company, Stewart Independent Production (SIP) is celebrating more than 25 years as an independent production company. They’ve created experienced, pro concert touring team that designs, builds, manages and supports concerts in Saugatuck, MI, but mostly in areas beyond.
Anyone reading FRONT of HOUSE is probably familiar with a variety of microphone designs using moving coil, ribbon or condenser capsules. I often joke that having a lot of mics is like having a lot of crayons: you don’t want the eight-pack, you want the super-variety pack with 152 colors and the sharpener built into the box. You never know when you’ll need that ever-so-subtle shade of color. If only mics were as inexpensive as crayons…
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Live music rules, but we still need recorded music to be healthy.
Readers of this column know that live music has become the engine of revenue for the music business. Of all the somersaults the industry has gone through in the last two decades, including seeing physical music formats all but disappear (vinyl’s cool but it’s still just a tiny hipster niche), the biggest one of all is how the status of recorded music changed places so completely with live music: the concert ticket that was once viewed as a promotional proposition to sell the LP that the tour was designed to promote has now become the object of desire that the recorded tracks are used to tout.
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One of the issues facing musicians who use IEMs is the debate over whether to use custom-fit or “generic” fit earpieces. Custom IEMs promise better isolation and increased comfort, but capturing an accurate ear impression is critical to a successful fit.
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