Tech Feature

To say that the now-murky future of wireless audio for pro applications is somewhat clouded is somewhat of an understatement. With constantly changing Federal Communications Commission rulings, proceedings and a constant barrage of legalese of every type, what seemed clear yesterday is a completely different picture today. And at risk are not just frequency bands for RF microphones, but also those used on wireless rigs for musical instruments, in-ear monitors, production intercoms and now even systems such as Alto Professional’s Stealth series and AirNetix AiRocks Pro, designed to wirelessly transmit console feeds to mains or delay towers.

With the apparent ease of predicting vented loudspeaker response, it is tempting to blindly follow the software and assume that the curve on the screen is representative of what the loudspeaker will produce at any volume level. But the reality of loudspeaker performance is more complicated than is indicated from some piece of software found on the Internet.

In this month’s tech column, we unpack the concept of reverberation, and the measurement known as RT60. Commonly bandied about by audio professionals, these terms are frequently misapplied or misunderstood. Often when we say reverberation, we mean discrete echoes. Leading into the discussion of reverberation, we will review some general acoustics concepts, and then apply those concepts to the dictionary definition of reverberation. Then we’ll talk practically about applying equalization, and the effect of volume on our perception of reverberation.

This issue of FRONT of HOUSE is focused around the house of worship market, an area where I have a large amount of personal experience. From volunteering at my own small church, to being a hired gun in large mega churches, the majority of my hours logged behind a mixing console have been in the church setting. As a result, I have direct experience in this area, which may make this article rather contrarian to what is usually composed regarding church sound.

Perhaps you are the owner of a regional production company, the sound guy for your band, or the production manager for a venue. Over the years you have purchased better microphones, switched from an analog console to a digital console, added a DSP to your system and maybe even moved to self-powered loudspeakers. Every once in a while, you’ve had a band mixer or system tech show up with SMAART, or Systune, or SpectraFoo to “tune your system.” Sometimes the results have been impressive, other times, not so much. Either way you see that said sound person has well over $1,000 invested in software, computers, microphones and interfaces to enable them to do whatever they’re doing, and you decided it is not worth the money for your business, band or venue.

Vertically arrayed speaker deployments increasingly rule the day in pro audio. Such systems have advantages in deployment, sightlines, and dividing the audience into different coverage zones. This month’s tech feature is the second in a series that will detail real-world complexities involved in deploying vertical arrays and practical approaches that the system technician can apply to ensure even coverage throughout the audience area.

From the summer festival setup on a Stageline SL100 mobile stage to shows at a “shed” amphitheater, to the largest arena productions, vertically arrayed speaker deployments increasingly rule the day in pro audio. Vertical arrays have advantages in deployment, sightlines, and dividing the audience into different coverage zones. Here in the pages of FRONT of HOUSE, I have talked about the physical principles of vertical arrays but not about their practical field deployment for the working technician. We will now remedy this situation, as this month’s tech feature is the first in a series that will detail some real-world idiosyncrasies involved in deploying vertical arrays and practical approaches that the system technician can apply to ensure even coverage throughout the audience area.

For this month’s technical column, we diverge from the more traditional topics of speakers, arrays, electronics, etc., to talk about a topic extremely important to the longevity of the pro audio industry, that of event safety.

If there was ever an area of constant activity and interest within the live audio community, the Federal Communication Commission’s proposed reallocation and plans for an upcoming auction of the 600 MHz UHF spectrum would surely head the list. Currently, the auction is scheduled for mid-2015. Meanwhile, well-heeled companies in the telecom industry — including AT&T, Verizon and Sprint — are anxious to pony up as much as an estimated $20 billion for that chunk of prime cyber real estate. And it’s a big-stakes game, with the winners set to take a commanding position in the burgeoning mobile device market.