Three Days, Five Stages, 60,000 People, 100+ V-DOSC boxes and 19 PM5Ds
In its ninth year, the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival — located in Southern California’s desert town of Indio, 125 miles east of Los Angeles — the king of the American alternative rock festivals took place April 25-27 with attendance reaching 60,000 on each of the three-day mega concerts.
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When the first draft of the piece in this issue of FOH on the events surrounding the recent visit by the Pope came across my desk, I freaked out just a little.
Not because the writer had included frickin’ lighting info, but more because there was a crew list attached that was about three-pages long and included everyone who had even thought about working the gigs.
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Every once in a while it’s nice to look over your shoulder and see how far technology has progressed. In the audio world that progression accelerates at an alarming rate, bringing us better and better technology at lower and lower prices with increased reliability, while breaking the sound barrier between studio and live sound gear. Although this is also true of microphones, the basic principles of microphone technology have not changed as radically as other areas of audio.
Read More »Of the top 10 music touring acts on Pollstar’s chart as of late April, two date back to the 1970s (the Eagles, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band); two more hit their peaks in the 1980s (Metallica, Van Halen); the 1990s are represented by the Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, Counting Crows, Radiohead and the Stone Temple Pilots.
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BUSINESS
Who: Patrick Quilter, chairman and senior amplifier designer of QSC Audio Products.
What: Manufacturer of pro audio products.
Where: Costa Mesa, Calif.
When: Founded in July 1968 “on a very small scale and got serious” around 1973.
First gig: “We provided a PA system for a dingy cellar nightclub near the Golden Bear, a prestigious dive in Huntington Beach, Calif. It turned out to be an ‘unpaid gig,’ and due to our naiveté about purchase contracts and collateral, they even got to keep the PA system.”
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When we rail on the importance of “gain structure,” what we are really aiming for is less noise or “hiss” and a louder signal. In other words, we are trying to optimize signal-to-noise ratio that is typically expressed in decibels. Having discussed some basics on gain structure previously in this column, I want to recap a bit and move forward.
Read More »As many of you know, I work in both the worship sound world and in the secular sound world. I am always looking for ways to improve my abilities as a technician and mixer in both of these worlds. And, of course, at the same time earn more money. Very often, the subjects that I discuss in this forum can be mirrored in the secular sound arena. My most recent income stream has been through renting gear to churches and worship events. As a rule, I always bring a few mics, stands, direct boxes and cables to any of my house-of-worship gigs. Being prepared for just about any eventuality has always seemed to be a good motto and, by the way, I am a former Boy Scout.
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On first impressions, the APB DynaSonics mixing console cosmetics appear 1960’s retro with the tan paint job. However, you have to be blind to not notice the colorful control surface features upon that tan surface. I was able to acquire the APB DynaSonics ProRack-House compact mixing console for this road test review. It boasts a remarkable density of features stuck in a 10-rack space form factor.
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Aphex HeadPod, TC-Helicon VoiceTone Correct and Radial JDX
I have always thought of gear as falling into one of three basic classes. First is the big stuff that soundcos get judged on (i.e., stacks, racks and consoles). Next comes the less pricey, smaller stuff that goes a long way in defining a soundco’s “flavor.” This is stuff like processors, EQ, comps and mic selection. Finally, there are the small “secret weapons” that can sometimes save a gig and fit in your briefcase. Here are three such armaments.
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Making the move from bars to corporates
Bill Robison started the Great Lakes Sound and Lighting empire in the early ‘80s out of a garage, renting PA gear to bar bands. It was a different time, he recalls. “In those days, bar bands wanted sound men and 24-light light shows. What they wanted was relatively elaborate. I started with one band, then [worked with] more bands, and I reached a point where I wanted to get some legitimacy going.”
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When you are mixing and recording each night’s show, there’s not a lot of time for anything else.
The clock has just clicked over to 9:17 p.m. and Ken Van Druten is at all-faders-go in the front-of-house position at Arco Arena in Sacramento, Calif. Linkin Park has just hit the stage for the band’s final North American show, and everybody is looking forward to a two-month break. Well, everybody except for Van Druten, who is better known by his nickname “Pooch.”
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About a month ago, I was doing sound for the Kentucky HeadHunters in a small town not far from my hometown.
They originally hired two production companies before mine, but apparently the first guy ended up in jail and the second guy couldn't find any help, so I took on the gig barely meeting the ridiculous rider — especially for a band that hadn't had a hit since the ‘80s. Nonetheless, I rented some monitor gear that I was lacking.
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