Those who attended the very first concert at Los Angeles' Staples Center in 1999–Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band–can attest to the fact that the sound was abominable. In the vast arena full of hard surfaces–including those all-important revenue-generating glass skyboxes–sound ricocheted wildly with nasty, ear-damaging midrange the predominant sonic coloration. It was impossible to imagine that Staples would ever be a viable music venue.
Read More »Hi Guys,
I've got a question and a complaint. So maybe you can help. I run a small sound company, but about half of my work comes from working for larger sound companies. The problem is that I am getting almost no work from the mid-sized companies I usually get gigs from. This has been going on for some time now. Are things just slow, or am I a bigger loser than I thought? What's your assessment on the state of live sound?
Read More »The following is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the semi-innocent.
Much as the conventional wisdom holds that being the middle child sucks, those in the middle of the live event audio world may be feeling that the world is lined up against them right about now.
A few months ago, we ran the news that San-Diego and Nashville-based Sound Image had aquired Chicago's db Sound, instantly rocketing them to at least the number two spot when it comes to pure size among national sound companies. At the same time, larger regionals are moving up to be considered by many as national companies. (Thunder Audio out of Detroit is a good example. Although they were nominated for a "Hometown Hero" award this year, with clients including Metallica and Garbage, many readers feel Thunder no longer qualifies as a regional company.)
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I'm not sure when or how it comes about, but every few years I will inevitably start to question what I am doing with my life. Most of the time I am saved from pondering why I am doing the work that I am doing because I can usually rationalize away the question by reminding myself that it's just a job and I need the livelihood. There are times, though, that the rationalization fails me and I am left with the depressing thought that I have just wasted years of my precious, short existence without accomplishing a damn thing. Believe me when I say that there isn't a more desolate feeling than waking up all alone in your tour bus bunk and feeling sorry for yourself while speeding through some unknown state in the middle of the night. It can happen any time at all and sometimes without us knowing it happened until it's already happened. After all, one moment your life is wonderful and serene in a world of perfect order and harmony, and in the next instant you find yourself trapped inside a cubist nightmare in which all angles are askew and perspective is challenged.
Read More »One of the main purposes of this column has always been to instigate, implore, motivate and at least hint softly that Houses of Worship need to strive for their own levels of excellence and knowledge when it comes to their technical systems. We can't do it all for you… but we can help.
More often than not, there is a distinct lack of brand names mentioned here, for the simple reason that deciding on function is usually the primary problem and that brand names mean little if the technical task can not ultimately be accomplished. And there are more than a few parameters for every technical task, including things like operator proficiency and budget. On an item-to-item situation these things are usually handled fairly well, but when it comes to a system-wide equipment choice, where even a modest level of integration is involved, it's nearly impossible to click the Internet and make good choices. This is where many good consultants usually end up clashing with otherwise good and sensible church elders.
Read More »The most dreaded three words a production professional ever hears are, "It's a benefit." However, there are those moments when gear, time and money take a second seat to a community in need. As the world turned their eyes to the devastating tsunami disaster halfway around the world, a small community in Ventura County–La Conchita–found itself victim to a devastating mudslide, the result of a 10-day torrential downpour in Southern California. Ten people lost their lives and 15 homes were destroyed in this beautiful surfing community just south of Santa Barbara.
Read More »Tony Sabato
Monitor Engineer
Showco/Clair Brothers
Quote: "We don't need a soundcheck!"
Tony Sabato is a production manager and monitor engineer with sound giant Clair Bros., who has mixed for clients such as Blondie, Enrique Iglesias, Styx, ZZ Top, Staind and Live.
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Like many other sound guys who still play in bands, when I play out, I get to be both performer and soundman. It can get pretty interesting. In the late '90s my five-piece classic rock group was hired to play the Rodeo Club, a popular nightclub on Lake Martin in east Alabama. When we arrived at the club, I saw some large speakers by the stage and deduced that the club had its own sound system (No, I had not advanced the gig…). Though we carry our own system, using the house gear meant not having to unload and set ours up, which was fine with us. But after talking with the venue manager we found out that it only looked like there was a house system: though there had once been a house P.A., parts were missing and nothing was connected.
Read More »Recently, LOUD Technologies–parent brand of Mackie, Tapco and EAW, among others–announced that it had acquired St. Louis Music in a deal valued at more than $30 million, according to an 8-K filing. The move reflects an inexorable truth in the pro audio business in general, and for live sound in particular: the large will get larger and the not-so-large had better start looking for partners. Because when the winds of Wall Street blow, it's like no SPL you've ever encountered.
Read More »Making mistakes while mixing is the human component of live sound production, and we all are guilty. However, with a little more attention to details, these minor blunders can be averted. This installment of Theory and Practice will recap common mixing mistakes as a reminder to avoid them in the future.
Now, we are not talking about gain structure issues, but having good gain structure habits being taken for granted. This means that zero dBu is more than a good suggestion for average signal levels. Keep it in the green and out of the reds.
Read More »Unless you are a fan of Latino music that mixes traditional
mariachi elements with more modern pop sounds, you may not know of Pepe Aguilar. But the Mexican artist regularly sells out 10,000-plus-seat venues in the U.S. and tours through Latin America constantly, playing to enthusiastic crowds wherever he goes. Manning the FOH console for the past six years has been Victor Fernandez, a 26-year veteran of the Mexican music scene. FOH caught up with him as he was getting ready for Aguilar's participation in a tribute concert for the late Latin sensation Selena at Reliant Stadium in Houston.
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Maybe I've got our old friend Hunter Thompson on the brain, but that phrase kept popping into my head throughout the proceedings of Pro Production 2005. Between economics of scale, changing client demands, technology advances and the creeping corporatization of the live event production world, the going has indeed gotten weird. But while those outside of our world certainly see us all as a bit on the weird side, we have all gone pro and it showed.
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