News

LOS ANGELES – A number of engineers handling audio for the 2016 American Music Awards show on Nov. 20 relied on Sennheiser wireless. The Sennheiser SKM 5200 transmitter, combined with the MD 5235 capsule, proved to be the go-to microphone solution for several FOH and monitor engineers, including Chris Rabold, Ramon Morales, Derek Brener and Vish Wadi. ”Every time I go to these awards shows, I see Sennheiser transmitters and capsules all over the place,” says Brener. “Why do they pick that? Because they have faith in it and can trust it. That main vocal is so important and cannot falter.”

NEW YORK – DPA Microphones recently journeyed around the world with The Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma. Audio Engineer/Designer Jody Elff chooses DPA as his go-to mics for a vareity of reasons. “One of the greatest advantages of DPA mics, aside from their fidelity, is that they are nearly invisible from the audience’s point of view,” adds Elff. “This allows the audience to enjoy the music rather than be distracted by the technology, and frees the artist from feeling ‘trapped’ by a physical relationship to a microphone on a stand. For a live performance situation this is enormously liberating.”

OAKLAND, CA — Sound engineer and DJ Barrett Clark died Dec. 2 in the Ghost Ship warehouse fire in Oakland. A native of Santa Rosa, CA, Clark worked FOH and monitors at clubs including The Bottom of the Hill, Independent, DNA Lounge, 1015, and Bimbo’s 365 Club among others. He also was touring FOH engineer for Swedish musician Jens Lekman, and freelanced for other musicians, DJs, and festivals.

NEW YORK – Frost Productions deployed a Martin Audio MLA Mini system for an outdoor concert of highlights from Broadway musical “Dear Evan Hansen” at a department store holiday window unveiling. Says Frost’s System Engineer Jose Lima, “We had a crowd of about 1,200 people that we wanted to keep totally involved until it was time for them to gather in front of the windows.” He adds, “MLA worked out brilliantly! It sounded crisp and intelligible with a lot of presence, plus the bass was really smooth and natural.”

RENO, NV — Christian musician Phil Wickham toured the U.S. earlier this year in support of his album, ‘Children of God,’ with two Yamaha CL5 Digital Audio consoles. Spectrum Sound supplied consoles for the East Coast, while Legacy Productions provided for the West Coast dates. Monitor engineer/production manager Gene Kim and FOH engineer/tour manager Brandon Breitenbach have used PM5D and M7CL consoles in the past, so the CL was an easy transition.

NASHVILLE – Nashville’s Corner Music Audio & Video installed the Audio-Technica System 10 Pro Wireless Microphone System in Hull Jackson Montessori Magnet School’s theater arts program in Nashville. Corner Music’s Bob Nickerson says, “The System 10 Pro is already set up to work in the frequency band that many theatrical applications will soon have to move to. In that way, the System 10 Pro future-proofs the school’s theatrical department.” Instructors say the students also like the clarity of the sound, the lack of feedback, its durability and easy operation.

ORLANDO – To manage the Blue Man Group’s various audio signals and to ensure pristine audio quality and the routing flexibility required, the Orlando show’s production crew relies on RME audio equipment, distributed in the U.S. exclusively by Synthax, Inc. Tony Pittsley, who manages a team of four FOH engineers and oversees the music instrument techs for the show, specified the RME gear, including RME’s FireFace 800, MADIface USB, and MADI Router.

LOS ANGELES – VER Tour Sound is supplying a Meyer Sound Leo Family reinforcement system on Justin Bieber’s “Purpose World Tour.” FOH engineer Ken “Pooch” Van Druten reflects on the tour’s aggresive staging and the time challenges, sometimes having just 15 minutes until doors open to hear the PA. “We time align the system, do a little bit of EQ and then just go for it. With the Leo Family rig, it works,” he says. “Some other systems out there can be finicky and would require a lot more time to get ready – time which we don’t have.”

NEW YORK – Masque Sound has recently made headlines for its role in the Broadway revival of the classic 1928 play, The Front Page. The story takes place in a newsroom, and a big part of the action centers around the busy ringing of telephones to carry the play and dialogue forward. Masque Sound’s Gary Stocker was applauded for creating a one of a kind “ringer box” that delivers authentic 1920’s era telephone sounds on cue on stage. Masque Sound also provided a custom PA system for the show.

CLEVELAND – During this past summer, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame installed a large outdoor performance stage and beer garden for local and national artists to perform as part of the Summer Jam sessions and Summer in the City concert series. In assembling backline for the new stage, the Hall team sought a bass amplifier that represented rock ‘n’ roll: the Ampeg SVT. “Ampeg is a legendary rock ‘n’ roll brand, so it’s especially appropriate for the Hall of Fame, and we had a connection to Ampeg through (musician) Will Lee,” says the Hall of Fame’s Steve Dobo.

LAS VEGAS – The 17th Annual Latin Grammy Awards required more than 170 RF frequencies for wireless microphones, in-ear monitors and intercom systems. To minimize the already crowded RF bandwidth, Professional Wireless Systems  furnished five Radio Active Designs UV-1G wireless intercom systems to aid communication throughout the event. The systems were used primarily by the stage managers and the audio department.