Skip to content

Articles

Plasa 2012

Product Highlights of PLASA 2012

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.

Read More »
Solotech used Meyer Sound's new LEO line array in a dual stage setup for two large festivals (Osheaga and Heavy MTL) scheduled almost back to back near downtown Montreal

Osheaga and Heavy MTL Festivals in Montreal

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.

Read More »
Sennheiser Digital 9000 System

Sennheiser Digital 9000 Wireless System

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.

Read More »
Fig. 1: Boundary Element Method (BEM) “mesh” of a loudspeaker horn

Understanding Horns, Part 3

In the last two issues of FRONT of HOUSE, we covered some of the principles underlying loudspeaker horns, and discussed the development of the constant directivity horn. Horn loudspeakers in professional audio have a challenging task, namely providing consistent directional control over a range of multiple octaves. Throw in the desire to use the smallest practical horn and produce maximum output, and the challenges facing the horn designer are appreciable.

Read More »
Brad Paisley photo by Steve Jennings

Brad Paisley’s Virtual Reality Tour

The 2012 Virtual Reality Tour for CMA Entertainer of the Year Brad Paisley finds the country superstar on a whirlwind multi-city jaunt that kicked off in mid-Januaruy at Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI and wraps up on the 20th of this month at the Hollywood Bowl. The tour is supporting the singer/songwriter/guitar virtuoso’s ninth studio album, titled This Is Country Music. However, Paisley isn’t one known to take too much time away from his fans, and a month before wrapping up the USA leg of the tour, he was debuting “Southern Comfort Zone,” a single from his next studio CD, due out in April of next year. And after just a couple weeks of R&R, Paisley and crew will take off to tour Northern Europe, starting Nov. 8.

Read More »
Dave Shadoan and Ross Ritto

Dave Shadoan and Ross Ritto

Parnelli Audio Innovator Award Honors
Sound Image Co-Founders

Sound Image has been at the forefront of the pro audio industry. The company holds 10 patents and has created or contributed to advances in console designs, the Phase-Loc System, L Track rigging, fiber optic amplifier networking systems and the use of composite carbon fiber in loudspeaker enclosures. For this and so much more, the Parnelli Board of Advisors is honoring the company’s founders Dave Shadoan and the late Ross Ritto with the 2012 Parnelli Audio Innovator Award.

Read More »
Yamaha CL5 Digital Console Road Test by David Morgan

Yamaha CL5 Digital Console

When I saw Yamaha’s newest digital console, the CL5, after it had been delivered to Delicate Productions’ Southern California warehouse, my initial reaction was similar to what someone might say upon receiving an unfamiliar product from an online dealer. “Wow! It sure looked bigger in the picture.” When compared to many other products on the market, the CL5 control surface is a very compact 41.5 x 26.3 x 11.8-inches and weighs 79.4 pounds.

Read More »
Before the gig, I had a chance to look over the (decidedly analog) Midas Venice I would be mixing on.

The Chronicles of the Weekend Warrior, Part 2

At the end of last month’s column, Five For Fighting’s John Ondrasik and I had been saved from a stranding in Minneapolis by a quick thinking, fast-talking travel agent who somehow resurrected our accidentally-canceled reservations from the digital trash can at Delta Airlines. A routine, uneventful flight home to LAX on the following day was exactly what we needed after the stresses caused by the previous day’s travel panic.

Read More »
Kevin Sanford, president, Wireless First/Clair Global Broadcast

Clair Adds Streaming Technology and a Broader Business Base

Being the best at what you’ve always done might not be good enough anymore. At a time when a computer maker has become the biggest distributor of music in the world, it’s apparent that you can’t just make computers anymore. That’s what’s happening at Clair Brothers, which had rebranded itself Clair Global as it expands its range service offerings. It’s not enough to mix the live sound — Clair’s next mission is to deliver it, as well.

Read More »

One-off Essentials: What to Carry, What to Spec and Why

One-off and fly-date shows can be particularly stressful because they take a band and crew out of the comfort zone. Couple this with the fact that management typically doesn’t want to foot the bill for shipping production and/or backline gear for a single show, and it’s easy to see that there’s a lot of potential for error. A bit of careful planning can help ease the pain, even when you have to leave your bunk behind.

Read More »
Sennheiser’s ew 300 IEM G3 wireless in-ear system ($1,199/street) includes transmitter, two bodypack receivers, two IE4 earbuds and rackmount kit.

In-Ear Monitors

I have been involved with house of worship audio, sound systems and performing for almost two decades now. The reason I am starting this month’s Sound Sanctuary with this statement is because when I began installing church sound systems and singing in choirs, “in-ear monitors” (IEMs) were rarely used in live performance, and hardly the day-to-day item in many of today’s concert systems.

Read More »