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Lovers Lane UMC, Dallas

Recent House of Worship Projects

Sound system designers for the house of worship market face some tough challenges. By their very nature, churches — whether traditional or modern — are often not designed for the sonic needs of today’s high-SPL worship and frequently built into acoustical spaces such as storefronts or warehouses that were never intended for music appreciation. At the same time, church services typically combine a wealth of spoken word portions that require superb intelligibility with music that can range from delicate instrumentation and quiet vocal solos intended to go with quiet contemplative moments to turn-it-up-to-10 hymns that instill the soul (and the sanctuary itself) with the sounds of praise.

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The Orpheum has been equipped with a new d&b audiotechnik system.

Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles

The Greeks regarded Orpheus as the father of music. (Hermes may have invented the lyre, but Orpheus perfected it.) The Orpheum chain of vaudeville theaters, built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, reflected the confident and optimistic aura of the West Coast during those years, with the opulence and musical perfection Orpheus might have appreciated. The Orpheum Theatre on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles (about seven blocks from the Staples Center and the L.A. Convention Center) is a spectacular example. A high vaulted ceiling supporting ornate crystal chandeliers, exquisite plaster work, lush velvet seating, deeply curved unsupported balcony — and all eyes drawn to what might lie behind the classically framed proscenium arch.

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2016 Parnelli Audio Innovator Greg Mackie

2016 Parnelli Audio Innovator Greg Mackie

If Greg Mackie had just stopped at his 1970s company, TAPCO, his contributions to pro audio would have been worthy of a lifetime achievement award. But then, in 1988, he founded Mackie Designs, introducing the groundbreaking CR-1604 audio mixer three years later. In 1996, the company expanded beyond analog audio mixers, creating digital mixers and powered speakers. And now he’s again involved in innovation, this time with M&W Audio, partnering with former Trident Audio designer Peter Watts. “We wanted to create better products at affordable prices that fit the evolving music scene with wide dynamic ranges that fit the music of rock ‘n’ roll,” Mackie says. And that’s exactly what he did.

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2016 Hometown Hero Finalists

2016 Hometown Hero Finalists

Here’s a look at the regional finalists in the 2016 Hometown Hero Sound Company of the Year award.

There are many ways to judge the vitality of our industry — ticket sales, manufacturer’s bottom line, new hires. As we compiled the voting for this year’s Hometown Hero finalists, we noticed that there are so many new companies being honored. Not that these are “new” companies, per se —most have been around for a quite a while (one since 1976). But this year, only two have been in the winner’s circle before. What do these winners get? A nice certificate suitable for wall-hanging; a chance to come to the Parnelli Awards show on Oct. 22 and win Regional Company of the Year; but perhaps most important of all, bragging rights. Let’s meet the regional winners!

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Cardioid Subwoofer Setups

Cardioid Subwoofer Setups

Managing low frequencies is one of live audio’s constant challenges. We deal with room nodes, architectural resonances, uneven coverage and unwanted spill. The last two decades have brought about the ready availability of digital signal processing (DSP) and digital consoles. DSP is now in almost everyone’s arsenal, allowing the easy creation of cardioid arrays with everyday tools.

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Udo Lindenberg rocks Hannover’s TUI Arena

Wireless Speaker Feeds Using Xirium Pro

German rocker Udo Lindenberg recently started his Keine Panik! (Don’t Panic!) German tour. More than half a million people have attended his concerts in the past three years, and he’s packing stadiums and arenas again in 2016. Satis&fy, an international provider of event, media technology and scenic design solutions based in Karben, Germany (near Frankfurt), is responsible for the tour sound. The company’s 500+ people, its large fleet of vehicles and up-to-date gear make it one of Germany’s largest live event firms.

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Audio-Technica AE2300 Instrument Mic

Audio-Technica AE2300 Instrument Mic

When it comes to selecting dynamic mics for live instrument miking, the choices are nearly endless. So earlier this year, when Audio-Technica unveiled its new AE2300 model, I must confess that initially I wasn’t overly excited about the concept. However, what quickly piqued my interest in the AE2300 was its onboard switchable low-pass filter.

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The Radius family (L-R) includes the RSX12 subwoofer (at top of array), RSX208L line array modules and RSX12 and RSX8 point source speakers on top of the RSX18 single-18 sub. At bottom right is the RSX12M coaxial-12 stage monitor.

Eastern Acoustic Works Radius Loudspeakers

Audio manufacturers unveil new lines of gear — particularly speakers — on a fairly consistent basis. After all, technology marches forward and change is an inevitable part of life in the pro audio lane. While newer designs can incorporate more powerful, more feature-laden elements, the downside of any new technology — whether in the form of smartphones, audio over IP or advanced sound reinforcement systems — is that all this sophistication is nice, but only if it is also is easy for the user to access and use in everyday situations.

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Smartphone use is increasingly becoming an issue at live events.

Put That Phone Away!

The smartphone giveth, and the smartphone taketh away. The proliferation of video cameras in connected phones was a boon to the music industry, which early on saw it as a replacement for MTV, a way to put artist clips in front of every Facebook and Instagram user on earth and stimulate ticket sales. But as smartphone proliferated, those clips became more like leaks in a boat than floats for it. Besides, artists were noticing that concertgoers were standing or sitting in front of them but staring into their phones instead of the stage. Talk about an ego deflater. Richard Branson, the Virgin impresario, has criticized contemporary music shows as “soulless,” where “everyone stands around looking at their phones.”

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Basel, Switzerland’s z7 is an example of a venue where a great staff can do a lot to make for a great show.

What Really Makes a Good Venue?

There are a lot of things that can make a gig bad: the weather, delayed or canceled travel (and the accompanying stress) and equipment breakdowns all come to mind. But when someone asks, “How was the show?” the reply is never “the weather was great” or “my flight was awesome, especially the sponge bath I had in Business Class” or “none of the gear exploded” (hmmm… anyone remember Phase Linear amplifiers?). Most often, what makes a great gig is the people who work it.

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