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PreSonus AIR series

PreSonus AIR Series

At PreSonus, AIR exists because there’s a seemingly endless demand for high-quality active 2-way loudspeaker systems with optional subwoofers.

With the sub as the base, a pole inserted into the mounting cup, and a 2-way box on top, you have a compact ground stack that takes up little space in a small club, church hall, school — anywhere you need a portable full range system that can easily be disassembled and stored until needed.

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The event fused the demands of a big corporate speaking gig with an A-list concert and awards show. Photos courtesy Leo Events.

Walmart’s Annual Shareholders Meeting

Providing Audio for Walton Arena and 100,000+ Simulcast Web Viewers

The Walmart Shareholders Meeting, held annually since 1994 at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, AR, combines elements of traditional corporate meetings with a glitzy awards show and rock concert, all for the biggest company in the world, in a venue designed primarily for basketball games.

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Dave Shadoan (front left) wields the ceremonial scissors for the opening of the company’s expansive new warehouse in Escondido, CA. Also present, from left, are Sound Image’s Ralph Wagner (CFO), Rob Mailman (director of production), Mike Sprague (director of touring), Dave Paviol (director of operations, contracting division and NAMM’S Joe Lamond. Absent are Michael Adams, VP of engineering, and Larry Italia, VP of the contracting division.

Sound Image Expands

It’s a beautiful Friday afternoon in August in Escondido, CA, one of the oldest cities in San Diego County, and Dave Shadoan is wandering the main hallway of his new warehouse trying to gather his top lieutenants for the ribbon cutting ceremony. See, he let the day get away from him and now it’s 4:30. “What do you mean Larry [Italia] left? Call him and tell him to come back!” (Turns out Italia was already 30 minutes out headed for home in infamous Southern California traffic; jokes about Photoshopping him in ensue.)

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At Grace Orlando (see Installations Spotlight - Houses of Worship, this issue - drum screens are used to control excessive stage volume.

Four Ways to Improve Your Drum Soiund

There are many ways to make improvements to your drum sound, some obvious and some not so obvious. Drums are one of the most complex instruments to mic and mix because of the large number of individual microphones in proximity to one another. While your drum kit and your situation will be unique, here are a few tips and tricks to squeeze the best possible sound out of your kit each weekend.

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Hilton Presbyterian Church, Newport News, VA

Spotlight: Houses of Worship

The only constant behind optimizing the sound for a house of worship project is change. Along with the shift from traditional church music to something more akin to a rock concert, church congregations are moving into unorthodox locations, and traditional churches are reaching out with mobile satellite services in gyms and other non-traditional locations. With sound designers and audio integrators scrambling over an obstacle course of potential compromises to the goal of an ideal listening experience for every seat in the house of worship, those manufacturers who can provide gear to meet their “mission impossible” challenges for any space have a decisive advantage.

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Sony MDR V6 - an old and trusted friend.

Headphones for Live Sound Mixing

This column rightfully devotes most of its allotted editorial space to discussions about the various configurations of speaker/amplifier systems, digital mixing console platforms, new and old microphones, recording interfaces and the vast family of audio software. But I have decided to devote this column to an unsung hero of the live mixing world. It’s time to give some well-deserved recognition to that trusted but often ignored pair of headphones that lives on a stealthy hook, faithfully hanging just below the right hand fader bay of my DiGiCo SD5 console. During the workday, these particular headphones take on the role of an audio multipurpose tool rather than remaining a portable private music listening environment.

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The venue, now run by local brewpub company McMenamins, was originally built as a ballroom in 1914.

Crystal Ballroom in Portland, OR: Natural Sound for a Loud Rock Venue

Portland, Oregon’s Crystal Ballroom has enjoyed a storied existence since opening on the eve of World War I as Ringler’s Cotillion Hall. A live music venue since the 1960’s, when artists such as the Grateful Dead, Ike & Tina Turner and Buffalo Springfield performed, the historic building is starting a new chapter with a major audio equipment refresh, courtesy of design, sales and integration company Tone Proper AV, located in nearby Gresham, OR.

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Despite the venue’s size, the stage is large and wide.

Recovery Unplugged

Austin Performance Space Uses Music Therapy for Detox

The Recovery Unplugged Treatment Center uses the power of music to help its patients heal from drug and alcohol addiction. Offering medically supervised detox, residential inpatient treatment, outpatient treatment, and sober living, Recovery Unplugged offers a music-based treatment approach that provides patients with access to a well-rounded recovery experience.

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