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Enter Drunk Idiot, Stage Left

Back in 1978, Mother Blues in Dallas was a great club, and the band Southern Cross was great and very fun to mix. One night, "Tiny" the bouncer tossed a drunk out the front door, but the guy still wanted to rock! Since Tiny was stationed at the front door, the drunk guy couldn't possibly gain entrance there.

Let me digress a bit here: Tiny was huge and really ugly. I have been to a million clubs, and Tiny was the ugliest and meanest bouncer of them all. All the other bouncers together could not hurt Tiny: he could beat them all up at once and would probably enjoy doing it. Tiny was a nice guy, but he still scared me!

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Live is More Alive Than Ever

Someone once said, there are three kinds of lies: "lies, damned lies, and statistics". Looking at the stats of the music business in the last couple of years can be dismaying: despite a bit of a bounce last year, CD sales remain relatively stagnant and down more than 20% over the last five years; last year, of course, was a fairly dismal one for pop music concerts, and since neither all the king's horses nor all the king's men can put Ashlee Simpson together again (although CAA will try), it's possible the public's mistrust of when it's live and when it's Memorex could become a hardened attitude.

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Fine and Funky Filters

These days, when confronted by a digital speaker processor or digital crossover, you have multiple choices in the high pass, low pass and crossover filter selections. For those not up on filter lingo, words like Butterworth, Chebychev, Bessel, Elliptical and Linkwitz-Riley sound more like European law firms than filter types. So for those of not possessing an electrical engineering degree with a minor in control systems, this article is to introduce basic "pass" filters and help you make some choices in setting up a drive processor.

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David Gotwald on The Producers

The latest trend in Broadway is to take a famous movie, either narrative or musical, and transform it into a lavish stage production. The most successful example of this is The Producers, adapted by comedic filmmaker Mel Brooks from his 1968 movie, in which washed-up Broadway producer Max Bialystock and his frustrated accountant Leo Bloom conjure a scheme to become rich by raising a lot of money, producing a flop, then running off to Rio with the remaining cash. Of course, the film and musical provide their own social commentary, as the duo's abominable play, Springtime For Hitler, satirizes the Third Reich. The insanity translates well to the stage, encompassing everything from dancing and singing stormtroopers to swaying city pigeons that give the Aryan salute.

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Babysitting the Sound Guy

Being an audio provider requires that one read the band rider to ensure that the necessary equipment is present for the show. Another part of the audio provider's job is to be in contact with the venue in regard to power requirements, load-in and load-out access, and schedule. The audio company must then transport the system, set it up, tune it, ring it out and then, as the system tech, make sure that the comps and gates are properly inserted, effects are returned correctly, all speakers are in phase, there are no ground loops and that every piece of equipment is operating at its optimum capacity. Once this is achieved, the audio provider can then sit back and relax as the visiting engineer takes over and has all the fun of mixing the show.

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Got Blues?

The major misconception about blues is that it is sad, simple music for the downtrodden masses.

Likewise, many FOH engineers toil under the misconception that mixing blues is "easy and simple"–perhaps even "boring"–as compared to doing sound work for artists in other genres.

Imagine having to mix 12 bands, of varying blues styles, for a scheduled 10-hour show, doing only a line check (blues fest schedules rarely allow for soundchecks), under a hot sun (or in inclement weather), without attracting the attention of or ticking off the local decibel police, and making sure the plug is pulled in time to meet the town curfew. And let us not forget–since a blues festival is a once-a-year event, there's no room for inadequacy. Event organizers are extra critical of the mix. In some cases, these events are integral to a town or city's tourist trade. If you can't achieve a good crisp, clear sound that doesn't offend the audience (which is normally composed of anyone from ages one to 90), or if too many festivalgoers are complaining that they "can't hear the vocals," chances are you won't be invited back. Now that's pressure.

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Get to the Source

So many times we have discussed the evil trinity of church sound: incorrect speaker placement, stage wedges and live drum kits. These always seem to be a dark and persistently integral part of the learning curve when it comes to getting great sound to the congregation. There are many reasons why this is the case, but there are only two general reasons why this destroys the faith of the FOH volunteer and his ability to do a great job. First, the person can only mix what he gets, and second… he can only mix what he gets!

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Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Geez, have I used that headline before? Maybe. With any luck, it was for another magazine or at least a long time ago. This is one of the pitfalls of doing this for as long as I have been in an editor's chair for some publication or another. Between these editor's notes, news stories, editorials, columns and reviews, I have shot my big mouth off in print hundreds of times, and not repeating yourself can become a challenge.

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John Murchison and Tricia M Ellsworth

John Murchison

Owner/Engineer

JRM Audio

Redondo Beach, CA

[email protected]

www.electricblue.net/JRMAudio

Quote: When life looks like Easy Street, there is danger at your door.

John Murchison started his live audio career in 1978 mixing FOH on a Tapco board for a country-rock cover band. "We played at Mrs. Jay's Beer Garden in Asbury Park, N.J., next to Bruce Springsteen's famous Stone Pony Bar," he notes. Since then, John has relocated to sunny Southern California, where he started JRM Audio. He currently provides sound for local bands, clubs and outdoor concerts and festivals, including the Ojai Jam Band Festival Benefit, Cubensis, Grampas Grass, Electric Blue and Sticky Fingers.

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Rocking with Church Unusual

Set in Arlington, Texas on more than 50 beautifully landscaped acres, at the heart of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, is High Point Church (www.churchunusual.com), one of the fastest growing ministries in the country. Known as "Church Unusual," HPC's worship style has obviously struck a major chord with the public; from modest beginnings in 1999 among friends and relatives who gathered at the home of Pastor Gary Simons and his wife April, it has grown to encompass a 5,000-seat auditorium within a 423,000-square-foot complex that services 20 different ministries. And–according to Pastor Gary's master plan–this is only the beginning.

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Friendly Fire

As the technical manager of a mid-sized community theatre, one of my duties is to review all proposed special effects for safety. About a year ago I was presented with a situation that reminded me to expect the unexpected.

A local organization that provides an educational alternative for "at-risk" high school students rented our theatre to present an anti-gang themed play created by their students for presentation to other local high school students. The director of the group called me to ask permission to use a pistol in a fight scene. After a brief conversation about rules regarding firearms, I asked him to drop by with the gun so I could check it out.

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Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys is out in style, with a tour whose vibe is '30s with a modern twist. With her band all dressed in white, the stage draped in curtains and Alicia's vocals smooth yet vibrant, her theater/arena tour is selling out everywhere. We spoke with FOH and monitor engineers Tony Blanc (pictured) and Chris Schutz about the show.

Tony Blanc: For Alicia's tour, we are out using Showco/Clair Bros. and their propriety cabinets, the Prism system. The venues have varied from theaters to arenas; hence the P.A. size has constantly varied in size. The basis of the system comes with sub-bass, and the "Gray" nearfill boxes.

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