And where do we go from here?
There is a bunch of stuff in this issue about the current obstacles facing the live event audio community regarding wireless communications, and if you are not really well-versed in what is going on and what is likely coming up, it may seem like we are talking out of an orifice that is usually reserved for expelling material other than speech.
Read More »Speak up, or get stepped on.
I don’t think I’ve ever written more than once or twice regarding the same subject, but the pending FCC/White Space issue recently discussed in the pages of FOH is progressing at an alarming rate, and there are new developments on a weekly basis. The latest is reflected in an article published by the New York Times on May 22, 2007. The author of the article, John Markoff, informs us that our friendly search engine folks at Google are calling on the FCC to allow companies to “allocate radio spectrum using the same kind of real-time auction that the search engine company now uses to sell advertisements.” In other words, Google wants the FCC to allow radio spectrum to be sold to the highest bidder. Trés capitalîst.
Read More »It’s time to choose sides in this fight for frequencies.
I’m no Al Gore, but the “white space” controversy could be shaping up to become the global-warming issue of the RF universe. Back in March, we discussed the likely chaos that could ensue with the switchover to digital broadcasting scheduled to take place in early 2009. The move will open key parts of the RF spectrum to a variety of unregulated applications, from cell phones to PDAs, which will compete for access with existing professional wireless users.
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It’s an annual pricing war.
Ken: All right Brian, as we come into the sunburn season, I face the same pricing battles as usual. I try to explain to the bands I non-sexually service, that me doing a gig on the cheap just wins me the chance to do more cheap gigs! Every cheap gig means twice as much work at half the appreciation — in other words, I feel like I get bent over, then these acts still think I’m an asshole because they really wanted 12 monitors instead of the zero their budget allows! I am out of tactful ways to say no. Help!
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Ask questions about the Vi6 at the end of this article!
This is the first time for FOH (and, indeed, for any audio magazine that I can think of) to do an actual in-the-field Road Test on a piece of gear with a $90K price tag. Because we have worked at making and maintaining good relations with regional sound companies, we were able to hook up with a company that was demo-ing the eagerly awaited Vi6 digital console from Soundcraft. This is not something we could have pulled off on our own so we need to start off by thanking the crew at H.A.S. Productions in Las Vegas for making it possible. It took some doing and some coordination — including an overnight trip to the bustling metropolis of Parker, Ariz. — but it was worthwhile. (BTW, to you other manufacturers reading this, we are open to other Road Tests following this method. You have my number, give me a call.)
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Jose “Rafael” Corona
Sound Tech
The Bridge Community Church
San Marcos, CA
760.715.6531
[email protected]
This was not so much of a nightmare as it was a huge pain in my ass — someone else decided I was young and “must know nothing,” and so when they looked bad because they didn’t listen to me, well, it was still all my fault.
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I recently returned from a trip to Cancun, Mexico, and other than the tequila and the beautiful beach, my most memorable day was one spent at Chichen-Itza, site of one of the well-known Mayan pyramids in the Yucatan Peninsula. The Pyramid of King Kuku lkán, the serpent god, is the centerpiece of the area and dates back to about A.D. 1100. This spectacular pyramid showcases the astronomical, architectural and political brilliance of its creators. During the autumn and spring equinox, due to the position of the sun, one can still witness a shadowy snake moving impressively down the north stair. The story is told that the priests, because of their precise knowledge of the seasons, would come out and address the masses assembled below the pyramid and tell them when to expect rain. The arrival of the rain on the predicted date would cement the priest’s claim that he had a direct line to god who, in the form of the bird-serpent Quetzalcoatl, lived in the temple built on top of the pyramid. The proof of Quetzalcoatl’s alliance with the priests was that if someone clapped their hands at the bottom of the pyramid, the returning echo is a sound similar to the quack of a duck.
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I was talking with a local sound guy the other day who told me they were “one 150-foot Ethernet cable away” from implementing complete system control from a laptop at front of house. It was not so long ago that if those of us in the sound tribe even knew what Ethernet cables were, we thought of them as something we used to hook our computers into a network and not something we would use on site at a gig.
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Brad Higbee and Company prove there’s more to Idaho than potatoes.
So many successful business stories start with the line, “I was asked to…” that it should almost be considered a cliché. So when Voltstar Productions president Brad Higbee reports that he got his start when someone asked for sound and lighting help, it’s not a shocker.
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The High-Stakes Game of Vegas Entertainment Takes on Another Player in the Palms.
Las Vegas suffers from no shortage of performance venues. Throughout its history as a resort destination, performers have made their way to Vegas to play any one of the many hotels and casinos that call Sin City home, but the Palms hotel and casino has upped the ante with the addition of their new venue, The Pearl.
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A Console Company Glows and Grows
Who: APB-DynaSonics, Inc.
What: Manufacturer of analog audio consoles and mixers and related products (MixSwitch)
Where: Totowa, New Jersey (about 20 minutesfrom Manhattan)
When: Founded in December 2004
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