Production Profile

Not for nothing, but it's slightly doubtful that there were any eyes scanning the top of television sets around the country during this year's broadcast of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show looking for speaker boxes. Could be wagered, in fact, that all eyes were firmly placed on hostess Heidi Klum and models Marisa Miller, Alessandra Ambrosio, Doutze­n Kroes and Miranda Kerr.

Some shows are the stuff of legend. While the advent of YouTube has made it possible for a wide audience to get a small glimpse of the scale of these shows, it's impossible to truly appreciate the behind-the-scenes complexity of today's largest productions without witnessing them in person.

Jason Mraz’s vocal-centric tunes are a musical amalgamation of influences consisting of reggae, pop, rock, folk, jazz and hip hop performed by an equally diverse band consisting of acoustic and electric guitars and keyboards, ethnic percussion and brass  instruments.

Thousands of San Francisco Bay Area locals spent the last weekend in August at Golden Gate Park relaxing on a bench beside Spreckels Lake, playing golf at the Golden Gate Municipal Golf Course or visiting the Steinhart Aquarium. Thousands more strolled through the gates at the second Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival to see any of the 68 or so musical acts that played throughout the weekend.

I am one of the fortunate few sound guys that is also a musician and earns a living doing both.  I am also one of even fewer who get the honor to travel overseas entertaining our troops, which I have been doing since 2001. These tours have taken me, multiple times, to Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Germany, Belgium, Japan, Korea, Italy, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan and a few of the other “-stan” countries.

Jeffrey “Jj” Hillman has a tough job. He mixes audio for a show full of stunning hotties who just happen to spend much of the show topless. Sounds cool, right? But it is not what it appears. “I just came off a 60 hour week,” he says. “Nice paycheck but…” That “not what it appears” applies to pretty much everything about this show.

Once again, the call came via ProAudioSpace.com. Would I be interested in coming out to cover the Robin Thicke/Jennifer Hudson tour and The Pearl, the high-end concert venue at the Palms Hotel that was covered in FOH back when they were building it? I really liked the idea of the venue, but the one show I had seen there left me underwhelmed because the room was under subbed, and with an act as great as the Black Crowes, that is well nigh unto a sin.

“We had a big P.A. that would rival any big rock show,” Fred Volger declares. “Lots of low end, lots of gain, surround sound speakers out in the house  — we pumped.”

Ahhhh. Salt Lake in late November. Just cold enough to be miserable but without all that crisp white snow to create a beautiful scene to distract you from the fact that you are freezing your ass off. I’m not a Coldplay fan (are there any young bands out thee who actually write HOOKS anymore?) but there was something going one here that made it worth the eight-hour drive—besides the fact they are my daughter’s favorite band and it was her birthday.

Updated system puts sound on par with lights at Stone Mountain.

While theme parks and historic sites are both known for attracting tourists and locals alike, it isn’t often that you find them coexisting in one location.  But with miniature golf, paddleboats, a skyride and other attractions centered on the world’s largest piece of exposed granite, Georgia’s Stone Mountain Park is equal parts kitschy fun and ode to Southern history. 

Rat Sound Powers Up L.A.’s Detour Festival.

In this business, there is no doubting the importance of relationships. Whether it’s a chance meeting that grows into a lasting business relationship, or the way you handle and troubleshoot the inevitable issues that occur due to the nature of the live event industry, relationships are built daily.

It’s not only the squints who are going green. Audio is getting onboard as well.

How does sound go green? The best it can do is by being efficient. It’s still a fundamental truth that you have to move air to make sound, and moving air takes power. A lot of it. Recently, Radiohead took a new approach to touring that they hope will inspire others in the industry. Throughout their 2008 In Rainbows tour, Radiohead has been keeping an account of the carbon footprint they are creating and comparing it to past tours. This means that even in the realm of sound gear every choice is weighed against the ecological impact that each piece would have. The equipment chosen not only had to sound good — but it also had to be “green.”