I addressed this topic more than two years ago, but took a historical and Q&A approach to justify things like 0dBu levels, gain/level settings and +22dBu brick walls. While nice and informative, a lot of readers said that they needed to delve into the real knobs-and-faders portion of setting up their consoles. This article will revisit gain structure in a straightforward way.
All Those Controls
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Production values have come a long way, baby. Just a few years ago, the thought of producing a Broadway show with a flying car sounded ludicrous, but the Tony-nominated New York production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang incorporates Caractacus Potts' titular, gravity-defying vehicle along with lavish sets, pyro and even live dogs. It also has an incredibly high-tech sound system run through a DiGiCo D5T that incorporates seven PCs, four mice, two 24-track Mackie digital recorders and Akai samplers, not to mention a plethora of racks backstage.
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The 2005/06 FOH subscriber survey has been compiled and I, for one, find it fascinating. About 7% of the magazine's total subscriber base took part in this year's survey, and the results are telling. First of all, let us remember that it is usually difficult to get 100% participation in any survey, and that most surveys are conducted with a cross section of the population. Political surveys usually conduct their fact-finding missions from a supposed cross section of the general population, and then, by using some complicated mathematical formula, the purveyors of the survey are able to understand the needs and wants of the American public. I usually find myself in the minority of each and every one of these political surveys, which means I neither have my finger on the pulse of the nation nor do I hang out with the right people. Despite these personal failings on my part, I–like most of the American public–rely upon these surveys to know where I stand in relation to the rest of the country, and because my views are usually aligned with the minority column of these surveys, it would be most beneficial to me if the survey conductors would publish the names and occupations of these survey participants.
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The PMG (Australia's version of the Federal Communications Commssion) had been driving around in their vans when they triangulated the location of the lawbreakers. Converging on the high school, we don't know what they expected to find, though we know what they didn't expect: 16-year-old "criminal" and future Parnelli Innovator Award honoree Bruce Jackson.
Jackson and some buddies who shared his passion for all things electronic thought it would be fun to build a radio station, and they were broadcasting illegally from the school assembly hall after school. But it got the attention of the authorities because their unusual wizardry led to such a long antenna and strong signal that they were actually broadcasting across all Sydney.
Read More »The last several houses of worship we have done were typical, both in terms of technical requirements and the installation process. There were the minor yet expected frustrations of redesign, product returns and reprogramming of DSPs. There is almost always a point however, when budgets collapse and technical requirements are set aside as more urgent needs like carpets and chairs go into cost overrun mode.
Read More »Scott Flaws
Production Manager/
Systems Engineer FOH
K.C. Audio
Alsip, IL
Quote: Don't get all 2K on me…
Personal Info: Been in the business for 20 years now, still having fun and trying NOT to reinvent the wheel.
Services Provided: Live audio engineer/recording, production and tour management.
Read More »Located in the heart of a small Southern town lies a state-of-the-art installation jewel boasting a 7.1 surround system and all the trimmings. The Badon H. Brown Performance Pavilion is nestled within the Aiken Center for the Arts–a nonprofit facility and one of the newest additions to the renovated historic downtown in Aiken, S.C. dB Acoustics & Sound of Gainesville, Ga., coordinated all the audio and video elements, including the acoustical design for the space.
Read More »About a week before we put this issue to bed, I had a day full of contrasts. After the usual morning of too-early rising, getting my daughter to school (did I mention that high school in Las Vegas starts at 7 a.m.?) and then making my daily bitch-out phone call to some casino PR guy who was standing in the way of a story, I went down to the Strip. There I met up with Ross Humphrey and the rest of the Blue Man audio crew at their new theatre at the Venetian, which they are set to open right about the time you are reading this. Very cool, very state-of-the-art and very creative. And yes, you'll get to read all about it next month.
Read More »We were setting up for a street festival with an average attendance of about 5,000 people, and it was one of those gigs where I was wearing two hats. In addition to providing sound, I was also the fiddle and keyboard player for one of the bands on the bill. Makes for a busy day…
So, two hours before show time, the negative rail in the power supply for our main FOH console (an Allen & Heath GL3000) blew. We called several places trying to get the replacement parts we needed to fix the power supply, with no luck. And we were carrying neither a spare power supply nor a backup 32-channel console. So with an hour to go before show time, we had to pull the 24-channel Mackie board that was running monitors from side stage and set it up at the FOH position.
Read More »After conquering the Great Wall of China, the producers of the Wonders of the World (WOW) concert video tour have settled in for some domestic scenery before going overseas again (to Russia's Gorky Park) sometime next year. This is good news for the audio pros who enjoy combining historical sightseeing with their work .
The WOW tour is the brainchild of Joyce & Associates partners Rob Joyce, Cary Floyd and Paul "Ringo" George, and is produced by their subsidiary, Doc Brown Entertainment. It is a special series of oneoff events showcasing renowned musical performers with historical backdrops, filmed in high-definition digital video for eventual broadcast and DVD distribution.
Read More »In recent years, AES shows have tended to be measured quantitatively, particularly in the wake of the 2001 terror attacks in New York City. That year, the annual U.S. iteration of the audio technology convention and exhibition was scheduled to take place literally within a couple of weeks of 9/11. Most of the organization's own assessments of the shows since then tend to emphasize its size, while exhibitors would be naturally inclined to assess the show based on floor traffic.
Read More »When you contract for a new gig at a venue you've never been in before, checking out or "advancing" the venue well before the gig is a good idea–and doing it a few weeks before is a very good idea. By knowing ahead of time what you are facing in terms of logistics, your truck/trailer pack can be optimized so you are not bringing in the "kitchen sink" to cover the unknowns.
Come Prepared
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