Road Tests

The wireless thing has been an issue for a couple of years, and it has still not totally shaken out legally, but the live event audio world can count on a couple of things. A) When it comes to competing with the likes of Microsoft and Google we are going to lose, and, B) it will probably get worse before it gets better. 

This month we look at Mackie’s latest generation of powered loudspeakers, the HD series. Specifically, the HD1531 (there is also a HD1521). Mackie has been producing powered loudspeakers for more than a decade now. So I would expect these new speakers to be an improvement over past models, or less expensive, or both.

(Editor’s Note: This Road Test is in a little different format than what we usually run, but it is not your typical Road Test either. We got this because one of our FOH/PAS loyalists knew the guys on tour with the band Saliva and they were using the board and he got a chance to play with it in a real gig situation. Forcing it into our “standard” format just seemed to suck the life out of it. Open your mind… Oh and if you want to HEAR it, Mical has posted a video of a song from a Saliva show on ProAudioSpace.com.)

I have a great deal of respect for the QSC name. After all, they have been building rock solid amplifiers and gear for decades. The high quality of their products has made them one of the icons of the sound biz. That said, whenever I review equipment from the big boys I tend to put that gear under a microscope. So, now that you know where I am coming from with regards to this review, let’s go.

Unless you’ve been living in a cave somewhere for the last year or so, chances are you’ve at least heard about and probably have been impacted in some way by the changing regulatory landscape for wireless mics and monitoring systems.

I have been a fan of the X2 stuff ever since they were known as X Wire back in the 1990s.  The digital transmission — which meant no companding — offered a sound at least as good as a premium cable.

If you saw the June issue of FOH you may remember that we did a Buyers Guide looking at some of the “pre-packed” drum mic kits available out there. The bias against these kind of kits has been that they are just a way to package mediocre mics and that they weren’t really for pros. If that is your thinking you have not used the Earthworks Kits.

For all those sound persons feeling guilty about not stimulating the Elkhart Indiana economy, consider buying a Crown XTi6000 power amplifier. I got the blunt reminder after looking at the rear panel and seeing the decal with the U.S. flag and the words “designed and manufactured in the USA.”

Many engineers may have a box full of high-quality mics, but finding the one that’s “just right” is often difficult. Of course, many factors come into play when choosing a mic. Sometimes it is relative to the register or timbre of the singer, sometimes the venue size plays a role, or it may just be what’s available at the time.

When I first saw the ZED R16 last year, I initially wrote it off for the FOH audience. A 16-channel recording mixer did not seem like an FOH product. But I took a second look and am glad I did. This is one instance where things are not all that they appear on the surface.

Accurately miking an acoustic piano and doing it consistently is one of the eternal challenges of live audio (and recording for what that’s worth). Over the past year plus, FOH has covered at least a handful of approaches at prices ranging from downright cheap (the Helpenstill pickup system) to compromise (standard miking coupled with control of a MIDI piano module for John Legend) to proprietary and expensive (Tom Young’s Scheops array that he carries with him for every Tony Bennett gig).

For a long time the Radian MicroWedge (popularly referred to as the “Rat wedge” due to Dave Rat’s involvement with its development) was one of the “go-to” stage monitors for the live audio biz—especially for those of us who specialize in concert-type events. We could almost always be sure that the MicroWedge would be one of the rider-acceptable choices. The compact boxes put out plenty of clear SPL, and while everyone has their own personal favorites, few acts would turn down the MicroWedge when advancing the gig.