News

ST. HELENA, CA — The professional audio community was saddened to hear that Mark Herman, a respected figure in the live sound world, passed away unexpectedly on December 17, 2016. The preliminary determination of the cause was a massive stroke — a complication that occurred after he underwent heart bypass surgery. He was 60. 

ATLANTA – WildPitch Music Hall recently opened not only as a new nightlife destination in Atlanta, but also as D.A.S. Audio’s first permanent US installation of its SoundForce Series loudspeakers. Global Audio Systems handled the installation with local support from Platinum Sound Atlanta. The completed sound system was first placed into service in October for an event featuring DJ / Music Producer Riva Starr. Since that time, the new sound system has been generating accolades.

LAS VEGAS – 
For George Strait’s sold-out performances in Las Vegas this year, monitor engineer Josh Kaylor has been using an Allen & Heath dLive digital mixing system. Strait plays in the round on a diamond-shaped stage. To keep a consistent monitoring environment with separate mixes for Strait, members of his band and any guests, Kaylor deploys a dLive S5000 surface and DM64 MixRack.

ST. LOUIS – TSI Global recently upgraded Brauer Hall, an 800-seat auditorium at the Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School (MICDS), with a Martin Audio O-Line system. The school staff wanted a more multifaceted sound system for background music and pep rallies as well as a focus on vocal quality. Before the install, teachers who would come into the back of the hall couldn’t understand what was being said on stage. All of that has changed with the Martin Audio O-Line.

NEW YORK CITY – For Phish’s tour, FOH engineer Garry Brown is carrying a Yamaha PM10 Digital Audio Console supplied by audio vendor Clair Global. He made his decision based on a comparison with five other consoles prior to the tour. Brown’s input count can range up to 120 inputs for a show, while his previous console maxed out at 96 channels. Phish ends the year with their traditional four-performance dates New Year’s Eve weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

RED HOOK, NY – Firehouse Productions is providing DiGiCo consoles on the annual iHeartRadio Jingle Bell holiday tour featuring Bruno Mars, Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, Meghan Trainor, Ellie Goulding, Ariana Grande and many others. “Most of the artists performing on this year’s Jingle Ball Tour carry DiGiCo consoles with them on their own tours, so it made perfect sense to supply SD7s and SD10s for this tour,” notes Firehouse Systems Tech Jamie Pollock.

WINNIPEG – Although the original fort at Upper Fort Garry in Winnipeg was largely demolished in the 1880s, its remaining Governor’s Gate and surrounding land were gifted as parkland to the city. Recent development pressures led to a $19 million heritage park and interpretive center for Upper Fort Garry. A 400-ft commemorative wall has been built, with integrated LED lighting by Daktronics and sound by Inland Audio Visual.

SAN FRANCISCO – When the SF Armory officially opens Dec. 31, 2016, it will feature a massive d&b sound system and the only supergrid in California. The two major upgrades are part of a larger bid to become San Francisco’s top live music venue, or the “Madison Square Garden of the West.” Since the 103-year-old building was granted an entertainment permit from the city in April, the Armory has spent the past nine months upgrading the sound system, as well as adding sound attenuation vestibules and the truss.

KNOXVILLE, TN — FOH Engineer Stephane Plisson uses the Waves eMotion LV1 software mixer for Kids United Tour, a popular French musical group created to support UNICEF campaigns. Plisson was looking for a compact setup to take on the road with more than 100 shows with Kids United. 

CAMARILLO, CA – Powersoft has appointed Gino Pellicano to the newly created position of applications engineer. Pellicano will interface with consultants and integrators to raise awareness of Powersoft’s rackmount amplifiers, while expanding the network of Powersoft users in the US and Canada and widening the company’s reach in the touring and installed sound fields. He most recently worked for Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) as an applications specialist.

LOS ANGELES — FOH and MON Engineer Gabriel Ramos has been relying for the past 15 years on DPA Microphones. Specifically, he’s been using d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphones to take instrument amplification to next level for the many international artists he works with, including Prince Royce, Luis Fonsi and Yandel. Ramos is currently using the d:vote 4099s for percussion, including the snare top and bottom, hi-hat and toms. Ramos plans expand his DPA inventory with other models for the future.