Earlier this year, when Countryman Associates introduced its latest product, the H6 headset microphone, I wasn’t the only one eager to check it out. After a few months, production ramped up with the demand, and I was finally able to get an evaluation sample.
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After a hiatus that began in February 2011, work has returned me to Las Vegas and the 4,082-seat Colosseum Theater at Caesars Palace, where I spent the better part of three years mixing FOH for Cher and Bette Midler. This past month, rehearsals for Shania Twain’s new Still The One show commenced at Solotech in Las Vegas. Ten musicians and three singers will be joining Shania onstage, and sheer numbers are making things very cozy right now in the 45-by-50-foot rehearsal room we now occupy. The Solotech staff has been incredibly helpful and accommodating while our entourage has nearly overrun their facility. This is a fantastic conglomeration of musicians and vocalists, and many of Shania’s amazing songs already sound show-ready after less than two weeks of work.
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With record sales in a decade-long slump, this might seem an inauspicious moment to start a record label. Then again, I’m surprised that Warren Buffet didn’t bid on EMI. As the world’s most successful investor has pointed out more than once, look where everyone is running and then run the other way. So perhaps the announcement, in September, that Yamaha was launching its own record label and video production company might not be as puzzling as it first seems.
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The Matrix is difficult to follow and understand. That’s as true of the movie as it is of the audio matrix built into most pro audio mixing consoles. Luckily for us, the audio matrix is way easier to follow than the film. Take the red pill. The truth shall set you free.
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Let me begin by saying that 99 percent of the churches that I have I worked in were built before I was born. So what does this little bit of information have to do with this month’s Sound Sanctuary? Well, the fact is that most houses of worship were originally built without much concern for the acoustic environment inside the finished building. And until recently, many of these facilities built in this country (and the world for that matter) were constructed with little or no consideration as to how the spoken word and music will sound during a typical service.
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Note: Baker Lee was among those East Coasters plunged into darkness via a massive power failure resulting from hurricane Sandy, so his column this month combines some new material and with a bit of a classic “FOH at Large” from 2010. We hope you enjoy this blast from the past. —ed.
Just recently, I had a conversation with a former FRONT of HOUSE editor. We were discussing the particular qualities of the different IEMs on the market and, during the conversation, he mentioned that he was getting a new set of Ultimate Ear monitors that very day. I reminded him that, a few years back, I had received a set of UE earsets and that I was going to write about them in this column.
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The one thing you can expect at the Parnelli Awards is the unexpected. That was certainly true at the 12th Annual Parnelli Awards gala held Oct. 20, 2012 at the Mirage Las Vegas when Jake Berry (Tour Manager for Madonna, U2) showed up, followed by rocker Billy Squier, who spoke briefly and then thrilled the audience with a spirited performance of some of his songs. Both wanted to surprise Lifetime Achievement Honoree Charlie Hernandez, and that they did (and everyone else).
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The Audio Engineering Society (www.aes.org) show came to San Francisco from October 26 to 29 during a wild week marked by the SF Giants sweeping the World Series. Meanwhile, on the eastern seaboard, hurricane Sandy left an unprecedented wake of destruction, disrupted travel, closed major airports and left many east coasters stranded on the left coast after the show.
Read More »This month, the audio tradeshow season finally wraps up, with the LDI Show in Las Vegas (Oct. 15 to 21) and the AES Convention in San Francisco (Oct 26 to 29). Maybe “season” is the wrong word for a period that kicks off in January at Winter NAMM, (followed by Musikmesse/PL+S, NAB, InfoComm, PALM, Summer NAMM, PALA, PLASA, LDI and AES) and extends well into October. That 10-month period actually eclipses the length of the NBA season (quite a feat), and if you add in regional/specialized events — such as Sweetwater GearFest or PreSonuSphere — you’re never really very far away (in time or distance) from some kind of event or tradeshow having to do with pro audio.
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In its 21st year, PLASA 2012 (Sept. 9 to 12) marked the final staging of the annual exhibition at Earls Court & Olympia expo centers before the show moves to ExCeL London for 2013. Along with an expanded and varied program of sessions, seminars and events for lighting and sound reinforcement pros, this year’s event also included programs focusing on the industry’s involvement the Diamond Jubilee and London 2012 Olympics. Hundreds of exhibitors showed the latest in sound, lighting, installation and entertainment production technology, and there were plenty of new professional audio products on display.
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Imagine two large festivals, booked almost back-to-back in the same locale, with each having two companion stages 60 feet apart and running at all times to spread the sound and excitement. Definitely a tough assignment, both in terms of pressure on the crew as well as demands on the sound system itself, which had to perform equally well with levels that were varied at the idle (band-changing) stage to adjust relative imaging, about -6dB for smaller crowds and full-on when packed for headliners.
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The transition to digital wireless is inevitable. Advances in high-quality digital converters in smaller packages with reduced power consumption brings the move to an all-digital wireless environment, especially given the increasingly dense spectral landscape of today’s RF environment. So last month, Sennheiser’s unveiling of its new Digital 9000 wireless system wasn’t entirely unexpected.
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