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Illustration by Andy Au

The Emotional Mix

As audio engineers, we work in a business that is driven by passion and emotion. While audio engineers — in a perfect world — should have a zeal for their work, many required operations that are performed are devoid of such animated fervor. Flying a speaker array, setting frequencies for wireless units, running cables, patching a stage and ringing out a speaker system are a few of the things that come to mind that do not require a great or enthusiastic commitment on behalf of the engineer.

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FOH editor George Petersen

Loud…Louder…LOUDEST

It’s hard to believe that in 2014 we’d still be talking about loudness and volume levels, but here we are, and it’s still a major issue on the agenda. We’ve all heard the pros, the cons and the who do you blame — sometimes it’s even us — but a news item I read recently brought us the subject from a new angle.

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Peter Gabriel tour photo by York Tillyer © 2013 Peter Gabriel Ltd.

Touring with SSL Console is SO Peter Gabriel

While plenty of artists are doing tours based on performing an entire hit album, it seems a bit unusual that Peter Gabriel is doing one. Then again, So, released in 1986, is a juggernaut in the annals of pop that landed in that rare sweet spot: the intersection of Popular Hit Boulevard and Critically Acclaimed Alley.

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Barclays Center

Hi-Fi Sound for Sports Facilities

Once upon a time, the only “high performance” involved in sports facilities came from the players. Typically, when it came to the installed sound system, the audio emanated from clunky overhead “junkyard” clusters or the ubiquitous “horns on a stick” scattered around the field. In those days, the audio — while often fine for reproducing a gravel-voiced announcer — was anything but hi-fi.

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