VANCOUVER, BC — San Francisco-based McCune Audio/Video/Lighting collaborated with Arup Acoustic Consulting on the system design for the TED2014 Conference here, supporting the multi-faceted needs of the event with a Meyer Sound M’elodie P.A. system and DPA Microphones.
More details from Meyer Sound (www.meyersound.com):
Arup and McCune Reinforce Vancouver TED2014 Conference with Meyer Sound M’elodie
For its 30th anniversary, the TED conference moved from its long-time Long Beach location to a custom-built, 1,200-seat theatre at the Vancouver Convention Centre in Canada. Luminaries participating at the five-day event included Sting, Bill and Melinda Gates, and Tim Berners-Lee, best known as the inventor of the World Wide Web. As was the case in the former location, a Meyer Sound M’elodie line array loudspeaker system was chosen to provide the audio clarity needed for an audience who came to be engaged and inspired.
“The M’elodies have treated me well since we first started using them six years ago,” says Erik Sandberg, long-time FOH engineer for the event. “Their intelligibility is exceptional, which is critical because some TED presenters are soft-spoken, and not professional speakers. Also, the system is compact and visually discreet, which the client appreciates. And although it works beautifully with the spoken word program, it also translates very well with musical presentations.”
The move to Vancouver presented numerous logistical challenges for sound reinforcement. The arena-style theatre consisted of a thrust stage with a 200-degree audience wrap-around and a very steep seating rake. There also needed to be almost no bleed into the microphones, as the event would be broadcast and webcast.
“The TED conference is really three events at once,” explains Nick Malgieri, who headed event audio for San Francisco-based supplier McCune Audio/Video/Lighting. “It’s a live event for a very select audience, a live TV broadcast, and a taping session for post-production. These all have to be served without compromise, and because of the wide diversity of speakers and performers, the audio system has to handle everything. Fortunately, the clinically precise coverage patterns of the Meyer Sound speakers and the flexibility of Galileo allowed us to zone the system for perfect results.”
Sandberg and Malgieri, as well as Kurt Graffy of Arup Acoustic Consulting collaborated on system design. Four arrays of nine M’elodie loudspeakers each covered the wide seating arc, with three 700-HP subwoofers flown in a steered directional array. Fill was provided by 10 UPM-2P and six UPA-1P loudspeakers and two UPJ-1PVariO loudspeakers. Two UPM-2P and two UPJ-1P loudspeakers were used for monitoring and foldback, and a Galileo loudspeaker management system consisting of two Galileo 616 processors supplied system drive and optimization. System deployment was supervised by Pete Bender, technical director of McCune.
“We had some challenges this year with the new venue and a last-minute change in hang points, but with the power of MAPP Online Pro [acoustic prediction program], everything fell into place,” says Sandberg. “It was one of the best-sounding TED conferences I’ve done. We had a number of compliments from the audience, and Sting’s engineer—who was gracious enough to let me mix the set—was very happy with how it sounded. Also, everything went up quickly and we were out of there in record time.”
Founded in 1984, TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is a global set of conferences governed by the non-profit Sapling Foundation. The annual conferences were inaugurated in Monterey, Calif. in 1990.
More details from DPA Microphones (www.dpamicrophones.com):
TED2014 Speaks Up with DPA Microphones
McCune Audio, full-service technical event specialists, rely on classic 4088s and d:screet 4060s to mic guests and props for the renowned conference
VANCOUVER — Heard by thousands of people through live audiences, simulcasts, webcasts and recordings, and millions more through online video engines, the annual TED Conference requires gear that matches its prestige. With discussions that address a wide range of topics within the research and practice of science and culture, microphones are vital to all TED audiences. To provide the ultimate in sound quality for presenters and performers at TED2014, technical team from McCune Audio/Video, the symposium’s sound services company, relies on DPA Microphones’ classic 4088 Directional Headset Microphones and d:screet 4060 Omnidirectional Microphone.
TED2014 marks the second time that DPA Microphones is part of the audio setup for the conference. The McCune Audio team used the same selection of mics at last year’s event because of the high-quality audio of both mics and comfortable fit and feel of the 4088, each requests from production crew workers and presenters, respectively.
“For years, the post-production crew was trying to get us to reduce the amount of room acoustics we were hearing in the recordings,” says Nick Malgieri, McCune’s Head of Audio for the TED Conference. “Because of the live PA system in the room, there was a slap-back echo always happening in the voice. We really used some pretty extreme processing paths with our previous mics just to try to help us get ahead of the issues. Once we switched to DPA 4088s, the added isolation let us really scale back on the processing. The sound was so much better that the post-production crew asked us to deploy ambient mics to capture the energy of the venue. That led us to the d:screet 4060s, which we use to pick up a lot of the stage noise from the props and scenery on set, such as chalkboards during presentations, a fire organ for a pyrophone performance or a target being hit by an archer.”
The versatility of the DPA mics also plays an important role in the audio support at the TED Conference, which hosts 12 90-minute shows over the course of five days. Throughout each of these individual productions, Malgieri and his crew need to mic as many as 10 separate presenters speaking for up to 18-minute segments each. In these instances, the audio team uses the 4088s. The shows also incorporate other types of presentations, such as musical, theatrical or dance performances, or magical acts, which require the 4060s.
“The technology setup for this show is very important because of the high turnover and the way the show is actually produced,” explains Malgieri. “We are doing three shows a day, with only an hour or so to reset between them, so we need high-end gear that can keep up with the constant demand and rigorous use.”
As one of DPA’s most popular products, the 4088 is ideal for a variety of performing and vocal presentations. It is designed for acoustically demanding live performance environments, where background noise and feedback is a concern, and boasts the same open and natural sound qualities of the company’s other legendary microphones.
Originally designed for use with wireless systems in theater, television and close-miked instrument applications, the d:screet 4060 capsule is highly unobtrusive. Because of its small size, this tiny condenser mic exhibits an exceedingly accurate omnidirectional pattern, and therefore does not need to be aimed directly at the sound source to achieve quality pickup.
As the technical specialists of record for the TED Conference since it began, McCune Audio/Video provides live sound, projection and video production services for the event. Over the course of its 82-year history, McCune has been involved with some of the nation’s top events, including the final Beatles concert – held at Candlestick Park, the Monterey Pop Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, and the Playboy Jazz Festival. They have also supported a variety of speeches for every sitting U.S. President since John F. Kennedy.
