The Business of Sound: Do You Want to Make a Move to the Next Level?
It is highly likely that you are an audio geek who gets some sort of an emotional high from being involved in sound reinforcement. If you are getting paid to do this, you are entitled to be called a "pro." I know for sure that a large percentage of "pros" in this trade are struggling to reach a reasonable living standard. Sorry to say, but your skill set as an avid, hardworking audio geek might have very little to do with financial success. The question many ask is: How does one create an opportunity to move into a higher financial level, whether as an engineer or sound service company?
Read More »Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony Supported by Firehouse Productions
Firehouse Productions supported the 26th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, held at the Waldorf Astoria March 14, providing Crown I-Tech HD Amplifiers and JBL VerTec line array loudspeakers. Audio-Technica microphones were prominently featured for the 14th year. Inductees included Alice Cooper, Neil Diamond, Dr. John, Tom Waits and Darlene Love. Leon Russell, pictured here, received the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Award for Musical Excellence.
Read More »Dancing at the White House
Anderson Audio and East Shore Sound Team Up For a Night of Motown In the East Room
It's not just another gig. It's the White House. There, sitting in the front row, just a few feet from the slightly-elevated stage in the East Room, is the President of the United States, the First Lady and the Vice-President and his wife. Other dignitaries are scattered throughout the crowd of about 220. Enormous paintings of George and Martha Washington hang on the walls behind the stage. Ornate chandeliers are further reminders of the room's rich history and opulence.
Read More »Revolving Audience Hears Musical Adaptation of “Soldier of Orange”
AMSTERDAM – Soldier of Orange, a musical adaptation of the 1977 Dutch film, Soldaat van Oranje, is a moving experience for the audience – in more ways than one. For starters, the entire audience – more 1,100 people – revolve around the stage on a turntable that measures 33 meters across, making 30 stops during each performance.
Read More »When the Squid Talks, Better Listen
This one's more of a "tale from the road" (Aerosmith's 2010 South American tour) than a "gig from hell"…
Read More »Small Clubs Go Big
The Beatles reportedly used a few Shure Vocal Masters at Shea Stadium back in 1965. They were hardly enough to fill the Mets' cavernous venue, though even the old honeycomb horn PA system that used to mangle Ron Swoboda's name wasn't much help against the roar of 55,000 hysterical adolescents. But it does remind us that while large concert PAs have quite an evolutionary history, from Bob Heil and his Grateful Dead stacks to the modern flying line array, small clubs have had a more spotty time of it, making do with what have been for decades essentially cast-offs from an earlier era. Line arrays are the technology heroes of the new century, but try getting one of those into a grungy club with a 12-foot ceiling.
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