california fires fuel setbacks for live production … · california fires fuel setbacks for live...
TRANSCRIPT
ThE NEws MagaziNE For LivE souNd
NOVEMBER 2007 Vol. 6 No. 2
ad
info
: http
//ww
w.fo
hh
otim
s.com
NorThridgE, Ca — when FOH queried harman insiders about the col-lapse of the buyout deal with a couple of heavy-hitting wall street investment banks, one person told us, “sid is by no means a dumb guy and may, in fact, make harman a ton of money for having them back out.” Turns out he was right, as har-man, along with KKr and gs Capital Part-ners, announced this week a new agree-ment that will keep the bankers from paying the $225 million termination fee called for in the original contract, instead seeing them make a $400 million invest-ment in harman that they cannot sell or hedge for at least one year.
Terms of the new agreement include the following:
• KKr and gsCP will purchase $400 million of 1.25% senior notes, convertible under certain circum-stances into harman common stock, at a price of $104 per share. KKr and gsCP have agreed neither to sell nor hedge their position for at least one year.
hErCuLEs, Ca — Pro Media/ultrasound, the west Coast-based a/v integrator, special event and tour sound company, has appointed Ted Leamy to the position of chief operating officer. Leamy has more than 25 years of professional audio and tour sound experience, including holding key positions at Electrotec Productions involving the touring operations of numerous international touring artists.
Leamy most recently held the position of vice president of installed sound for JBL Professional and joins Pro Media/ultrasound, further strengthening his two-decade-long close relationship with com-pany leadership and staff.
"i look forward to working with the incredible staff at Pro Media/ultrasound; it feels like i am coming home," commented Leamy. "My number one priority will be to help maintain the high level of professionalism and quality established by this great company as we continue to grow in tour sound, special events and installations."
souThErN CaLiForNia — after a week of catastrophic wildfires that swept across 500,000 acres from santa Barbara to as far south as the Mexican border, destroying 1,700 homes and leaving 4,403 residents homeless, 100 injured and seven dead, California is ready for a break. Like their residential neigh-bors, companies in the region, including those in the live production industry, are recovering from the fires’ wrath as lost gigs, evacuations and employees’ per-sonal losses brought business to a virtual standstill.
sound-image’s corporate headquar-ters in Escondido, Calif., was in the thick of the danger zone — only three freeway ex-its away from neighborhoods destroyed by the witch Creek Fire, which stormed through Escondido and the surrounding communities.
The company had a mandatory evac-uation on Monday oct. 22, and the offices were closed for three days.
“This place was handcuffed until to-day (oct. 29). Escondido’s basically been locked down,” says
it is no easy task to keep up with the energetic members of the award-winning country music group rascal Flatts. The band is on tour, taking major u.s. cities like Nashville, Chicago, st. Louis and atlanta by storm. since the band’s hit single “Bless the Broken road” reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts for five straight weeks, rascal Flatts has been at the top of the world’s country music scene, alongside performers like shania Twain, garth Brooks, reba Mcintyre and others. while the band was on the road with its Still Feels Good tour, FOH spoke with stuart delk (monitor engineer) and Jon Jon garber (Foh) who filled us in on how the band is tweaking its way into atmospheric stardom. Turn to page 16 for the complete interview.
They Keep Rascal Flatts Heard Above the Crowd
Product GalleryThe spotlight this month is on self-powered subwoofers.
AES ReportLots of recording gear and a few live tidbits.
The BizDan Dailey offers his perspective on the Harman deal and its long-term effect on the industry.continued on page 10
Jersey Boys Settles into Chicago Theatre
Ted Leamy Joins Pro Media/UltraSound
in october, Jersey Boys, the 2006 Tony award winning musical about the rise of The Four seasons, opened its Chicago tour date at the Lasalle Bank Theater, which had been reno-vated in 2006 to great acclaim. how-ever, when it came time to prepare the venue for the show, associate sound designer andrew Keister dis-covered that the historic theatre still lacked a sufficiently up-to-date sound system. The team spent a week doing the theatre renovations, six days installing the system, four days in rehearsal — and then the audience arrived. To find out how they pulled it all together, turn to page 22.
Harman Reaches Agreement with KKR
continued on page 6
California Fires Fuel Setbacks for Live Production Companies
26
30
12
By Breanne George
Features
Feature
www.fohonline.com
Experience Seattle’s infamous Bumbershoot — one of the most eclectic music festivals on the planet.
Departments
Production Profile
Columns
12 AES New Gear FOH went to New York for AES, took a bite out of the Big Apple, and brought back a few cool tools.
16 FOH InterviewCountry sensation Rascal Flatts keeps the challenges coming on the current tour.
22 InstallationsFor Jersey Boys, the 2006 Tony Award-winning musical about the rise of The Four Seasons, a stint at the LaSalle Bank Theater in downtown Chicago turned into a serious install for the show’s surround sound system.
26 Product GalleryThis month’s gallery shines light on self-powered subwoofers.
28 Road TestsWe put some AKG mics to the test…see which ones pass the drop test. Plus, get pumped for the QSC Powerlight 3 Amplifiers.
30 The BizThe trials and tribulations of Harman International.
32 Theory and PracticeHave no fear — poor man’s power distro is here.
32 The Bleeding EdgeIntermodulation Analysis Software (IAS) is air traffic control.
33 AnklebitersHanging with Gear Snob Rob.
36 FOH-At-Large Inventory — not the sexiest part of the live audio biz — but oh, so important.
2 Feedback 4 Editor’s Note 5 News11 International News13 On the Move14 Showtime33 In the Trenches
NOVEMBER2007, Vol. 6.2
Regional Slants
Audio Excellence thinks and acts big with its touring-grade service — and stands out from the competition.
Nate D
ura
N Ph
oto
graPh
y
18
31
It was great to see Jamie Rio’s article on powered vs. unpowered loudspeakers for install in October’s FOH (“Sound Sanctuary”). A couple of things you could also mention are:
• The controls on the rear of a powered speaker make it easy for the talent or some other unassum-ing helper to “just turn it up a little,” making it hard for the person in charge of the overall sound and opera-tions to predict whether the levels replicate the same levels from the previous week’s service. Check these controls each time you power up to avoid surprises.
• Also, the little LED lights on the front of some powered cabinets can be annoying in a sanctuary where the congregation should be focusing on the service. I know some professionals who do industrials who tape over these LEDs on fill speakers to help hide them. One manufacturer of powered loudpspeakers offers the ability to defeat the light via a jumper. Nice touch.
• And safety is crucial. Be sure to follow all the manufacturer’s instructions when hanging or flying loudspeakers. Get the right brackets and hardware
made specifically for rigging. Loudspeakers, whether powered or unpowered, are heavy items that need to be suspended properly. And, if you are doing out-door portable audio (like at Easter or Christmas), you need to be able to protect the talent as well as the audience if a freak rainstorm were to come along. You also have one more cable to run out into wet grass to contend with. This might be a situation where a pas-sive loudspeaker and power amplifier or powered mixer combination come in handy.
I know your article was about a “permanent” sound system, but I couldn’t resist offering a few more suggestions.
Your articles are always right on, and I enjoy read-ing them. Nice to know that real “users” of the gear are doing the writing. Keep up the good work!”
John SchauerProduct Manager, Live Sound
DepartmentYamaha Corporation of America
I agree with you on your article (Theory and Practice) in the Oct. 2007 issue. That being said, let me say I’m NO physicist engineer, or “seasoned gig veteran.” I grew up in the “hollow state devices” era (i.e. vacuum tubes). Of course, I have done troubleshoot-ing on the solid state devices, since I have had 42 years in Avionics. (21 years with Federal Express doing Autopilots and similar equipment; retired at the end of 2004; and 21 years before that doing Nav/Com on general aviation aircraft.)
I do some repairs for musicians’ guitar amplifiers, tube & SS, some P.A. amps and, believe it or not, antique radios. I recently finished an antique radio (a 1929 General Motors Model 140, TRF AM receiver) for a museum. The point here is you mentioned the Radiotron Designer’s Handbook,
which has helped me greatly. When you have tubes that are “Mostly Un-available,” you may have to substi-tute a different one. The handbook then comes in handy with a copy of some other tube manuals and a little common sense.
A friend of mine said, “You are the only guy in the state of Arkan-sas who could make that 1929 radio work.” I do not agree since I am also a Ham Radio operator (W5RDN) and know that there are some sharp guys still in the Ham Radio community.
I continue to read your column each month — before I look at the rest of the magazine.
Best Regards, Roger Nash(W5RDN Ham Radio)
FE
ED
BA
CK
Self-Power or Not?Tubeheads Unite
NOVEMBER 2007 www.fohonline.com�
Editor’s NoteBy BillEvans
�
Editor’s Note
PublisherTerry Lowe
EditorBill Evans
Managing EditorGeri Jeter
Associate EditorBreanne George
Technical EditorMark Amundson
Contributing WritersJerry Cobb, Brian Cassell,
Dan Daley, Jamie Rio, Steve LaCerra, Nort Johnson,
David John Farinella, Ted Leamy, Baker Lee,
Bryan Reesman, Tony Mah
PhotographerSteve Jennings
Art DirectorGarret Petrov
Production ManagerLinda Evans
Graphic DesignersCrystal Franklin
David [email protected]
Web Master Josh Harris
National Sales ManagerDan [email protected]
National Advertising DirectorGregory [email protected]
General ManagerWilliam Hamilton Vanyo
Business and Advertising Office
6000 South Eastern Ave.Suite 1�J
Las Vegas, NV 89119 Ph: 702.932.5585 Fax: 702.932.558�
Toll Free: 800.252.2716
CirculationStark ServicesP.O. Box 161�7
North Hollywood, CA 91615
Front Of House (ISSN 1549-831X) Volume 6 Number 2 is published monthly by Timeless Communications Corp., 6000 South Eastern Ave., Suite 14J, Las Vegas, NV, 89119. Periodicals Postage Paid at Las Vegas, NV and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Front Of House, P.O. Box 16147, North Hollywood, CA 91615-6147. Front Of House is dis-tributed free to qualified individuals in the live sound industry in the United States and Canada. Mailed in Canada under Publications Mail Agreement Number 40033037, 1415 Janette Ave., Windsor, ON N8X 1Z1. Overseas subscriptions are available and can be ob-tained by calling 702.932.5585. Editorial submissions are encouraged, but will not be returned. All Rights Reserved. Duplication, transmission by any method of this publication is strictly prohibited without the permission of Front Of House.
Publishers of...
Ad
info
:http
:// foh
.ho
tims.co
m
Once Upon a Time When Things Were Simple
Well it’s that time of month again. The staff is scream-ing for an editors note, and I
would rather have all of my fingernails pulled out with a pair of rusty needle-nose pliers that came from a lampy’s fog juice-soaked tool belt than write one.
I mean, I have been shooting my mouth off in print in this space for more than five years. Is there really anything left to say? Does any of it re-ally matter? OK, way too philosophical. It just gets hard to keep up sometimes with an industry that is changing at the speed of sound.
How’s this? I was shooting the s*#% with my good friend Larry Hall at H.A.S. Productions the other day, and he was telling me that he is looking at getting rid of all of his analog consoles and going totally digital. As he put it, “I only have two or three guys a year who insist on an analog board, and they always insist on a Midas Heritage, which I have to rent anyway.” Actually, he would still have one analog desk in the house. My personal Midas Venice lives there these days so he can rent it for smaller gigs.
But think about the implications here. This is a good-sized soundco with a bunch of inventory and as much work as they can handle in any given week, but they ain’t exactly Clair or Sound Image. This is a region-al company looking to do all digital, all the time unless someone insists on “old” technology.
It makes sense on a number of levels, including the ability to dump a couple of comp/gate/FX racks along with the consoles, which would all but pay for the desk he has his eye on. But still, if someone had told me just two years ago that this kind of thing would be happening, I would have thought they were nucking futs. I would have bet Big Mick’s weight in lap dancers that such a shift was at least another decade from taking place.
On another note, I was asked to be part of a panel at AES on digital distri-bution of audio for live sound folks. I can never figure out why anyone wants me on a panel like this because all I do is talk for a couple of minutes and roll a live hand grenade into the room in the form of a question or subject area that no one really wants to talk about. In this
case it was, “Hey, digital distribution would be great if we could all, I don’t know, agree on a freakin’ standard. If the MI world can come up with MIDI so all of their stuff can talk to each other, then how come the rocket scientists in pro audio can’t?” It was really cool to watch all the manufacturer types hem and haw about why they went with a proprietary system and how it was all about perfor-mance, not profit.
Only the sole other non-manufacturer on the panel, Dave Shadoan from Sound Image, had the balls to say that it is all about the money. No one wants to adhere to an industry-wide stan-dard that lets the user decide which pieces from which manufacturers to use, if they can roll out a proprietary system and make you buy a bunch of THEIR stuff.
Dave also had the best line of the session when he said that two things had to happen before digital transport became common in the live world. “First,” he said, “we need a real standard and second, all of the old guys have to die.” Pretty funny until I remem-bered that I am one of those old guys. Hmmmmm…
�2007 NOVEMBERwww.fohonline.com
News
Ad
info
:htt
p:/
/ fo
h.h
oti
ms.
com
BERKELEY, CA — For more than 35 years, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker have pro-duced the smooth amalgam of rock, jazz, blues and soul that constitutes the sound of Steely Dan. Their patented blend of complex layered melodies and distinct rhythms has always placed a premium on musicianship, innovative instrumentation and pristine production.
When Steely Dan resumed touring after decades off the road, Fagen and Becker carried their devotion to audio quality with them from the studio to the stage. For their current Heavy Rollers Tour 2007, the band retained Thunder Audio of Taylor, Mich., to provide a system.
“It is a huge honor to work with Steely Dan,” says Thunder Audio VP Paul Owen. “Everybody who comes to the show — band members, as-sociates, fans — expects the sound to be A-1, the audio quality that Steely Dan is known for. There is no gray area, which is one reason why we went with Meyer Sound gear across the board.”
For the main system, Head Audio Systems Technician Keith Jex employs left and right arrays consisting of nine MILO cabinets and one MILO 120 high-power expanded cover-age curvilinear array loudspeaker each. Two 700-HP ultrahigh-power subwoofers per side handle bottom end, and a Galileo loudspeaker management system provides processing and drive for the whole system.
Jex sets up loudspeaker deployment for each arena using Meyer Sound’s MAPP Online Pro acoustical prediction software. “I come in before they unload the trucks, measure dis-tances and heights and plug the numbers into the computer. The resulting configuration is always correct,” says Jex. “Plus, I love that I can use MAPP to make sure my weight loads are correct so that I don’t exceed the capacity of the facility.”
He uses a SIM 3 audio analyzer to identify problem areas that may surface in a particular venue. “I don’t have to hunt around for things,” he says. “I can determine almost immediately
if there’s a problem in the room and zip it out (with Galileo’s EQ) right away.” Jex runs both the SIM 3 system and the Galileo system’s Compass control software from a wireless tablet PC.
Jex configures the system to split the house into three zones, much like a theatrical sound design. “That ensures that I’m not hurt-ing people’s ears up front, or giving the people in the back a weak show,” says Jex. “Plus, it makes time-aligning the system and the subs a snap; with other programs we’ve used, there was a lot of guesswork; with these tools, I can actually see where to put the alignment.”
Monitor Engineer Peter Thompson deliv-ers mixes for Fagen, Becker and their 10-piece band through 14 MJF-212A high-power stage monitors, along with two UM-1P narrow-cov-
erage stage monitors for the horn section. “Right from the get-go, the band liked how the monitors sounded,” Thompson says. “With the Meyer wedges, you have amazing vocal clarity; it’s basically like using a studio monitor. And because they are self-powered, my foot-print is half the size it would be if I had amp racks on the stage.”
Adds Jex, “Our Meyer Sound speakers, especially the wedges, get used hard, and
they’re still in great shape. I haven’t had one cabinet break down.”
Steely Dan’s Heavy Rollers Tour 2007
Steely Dan hits the stage again
Church Comes into the 21st Century for Its New Sanctuary
BILLINGS, MT — Houses of worship of-ten represent a unique challenge for sound system designers. With a wide range of ser-vices and other events to be accommodated during a typical week, flexibility represents a key parameter. And increasingly larger con-temporary choirs with onstage musicians can present a challenge even to trained audio engineers. So when Faith Chapel Foursquare Church of Billings, Mont., went shopping for a console for its 1,100-seat sanctuary, the list of requirements was long and complex.
“We ultimately chose a Soundcraft Vi digital console,” explains Chief Audio Techni-cian Kelly Olp. “It’s an unbelievable sounding board with a great variety of routing options, onboard effects processing and equalization.”
Chief Audio Technician Kelly Olp (R) and volunteer Tim Kiser at Faith Chapel Foursquare Church’s new Soundcraft Vi6
NOVEMBER 2007 www.fohonline.com�
News
Ad
info
:http
:// foh
.ho
tims.co
m
FRESNO, CA — This year’s highest grossing concert tour is somewhat of a shocker, considering it isn’t today’s hottest band or uber-celebrity — think Daughtry or Justin Timberlake — but rather an 80s new wave rock band that made its debut on the music scene 30 years ago.
According to Pollstar, The Police Re-union Tour, services provided by Claire Brothers/Showco, is the sell-out tour of 2007, with average gross sales of $3,947,320 — more than double Jus-tin Timberlake’s FutureSex/LoveSounds tour at $1,724,905. Not bad for a band that hasn’t released a studio album since 1983.
The Police’s 20-city comeback tour, sold an average of 35,471 tickets per show at a price of $111.28. Justin Tim-
berlake’s (Claire/Showco) 16-city tour didn’t fall too far behind, assuming the No. 2 position. The FutureSex/Love-Sounds tour (his first solo stint since coheadlining with Christina Aguilera for the 2003 Justified/Stripped Tour) sold an average of 20,872 tickets per show at an average price of $82.64.
Country music tours are a hot com-modity this year, with Kenny Chesney coming in at No. 3 with his 27-city tour, which brought in $1,848,631 with more average ticket sales (26,480) than Tim-berlake. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s Soul 2 Soul 2007 tour (Claire/Showco) came in at No. 5 with $1,302,523, and the second highest ticket prices on the list ($88.52). Rascal Flatts’s 25-city tour (Sound Image) ranked 6th, with aver-age gross sales of $842,415.
The Police and Justin Timberlake Steal the Show
Dave Shadoan of Sound-Image. “These have been the worst fires in the history of California.”
As business returns to normal, some employees who have had to deal with un-thinkable tragedy are still searching for normalcy. Sound-Image’s Chief Financial Officer Ralph Wagner lost his Rancho Ber-nardo house in the fire. “Imagine being woken up at 4:30 in the morning, and in 15 minutes you are backing out of your driveway and looking at a 100-foot wall of fire as far as the eye can see — and com-ing right at you,” Shadoan says. “He lost his entire world.”
Shadoan related that another employ-ee, who lost his home in fires four years ago, had fire sweep through his proper-ty, but it miraculously missed his rebuilt house.
Fortunately, a reverse 911 system notified residents of emergency evacua-tions and was a major factor in the high survival rate compared to past wildfires, Shadoan noted.
Foothill Ranch and Santiago CanyonRenkus-Heinz Inc. CEO Harro Heinz
and Rik Kirby, vice president of operations, made an executive decision to evacuate their sole manufacturing facility in Foothill Ranch, Calif., on Monday morning, Oct. 22. The Santiago Canyon fire, which officials say was deliberately set by arsonists and is currently under FBI investigation, encircled the factory and the adjacent building in a C-shape, Kirby described. The closest flare-up, which leapt onto the I-241 Toll Road across the street from the facility, was less than 250 yards away.
“We got to work in the morning at 8:00 a.m., and everywhere was smoky, but come 9 o’clock, we saw fire coming over the hills next to us, and it just raced down the hill toward the houses across the toll road from us,” he recalls.
Shortly after the flare-ups occurred, firefighters rushed to the scene and put out the fire on the toll road, and water-drop-ping helicopters contained the larger fire engulfing the hillside. Because of the in-cessant smoke, the facility’s 55 employees were given paper masks and sent home for the day. Kirby emphasized that the evacua-tion was strictly precautionary and that em-ployees were not in imminent danger.
During the evacuation, the company’s intellectual property was moved out of the building, including important paper documents from the document control office as well as computer servers and hard drives. “We literally loaded our entire document control office in a van,” Kirby said.
The Renkus-Heinz facility was left un-touched by the fire; however, the close call made the company rethink its disas-ter planning and look into new ways to store irreplaceable intellectual property.
“We already had an IT support com-pany meet with us about better ways to keep off-site data backups — we have them — but we’re not 100% sure of their integrity,” Kirby said. “So, we’re making sure that we are covered if something were to happen.”
As Far North as Costa Mesa Although QSC Audio Products Inc.,
based in Costa Mesa, Calif., was 20 miles away from the nearest fire, the company did experience a blackout, says Ed Faran-da, senior manufacturing engineer.
“We found out (the blackout) was caused by transmission lines in Orange County that were heated up and unable to supply the voltage,” he says.
The low humidity had an effect on QSC’s manufacturing — when the factory gets below 30% humidity, the solder paste used
to make the electrical connection onto the circuit boards dries too quickly. To keep the desired viscosity, Faranda says he had to cut time in the process by two-thirds.
On a personal level, Faranda experi-enced the wildfires from a different point of view than most civilians. He is a reserve deputy for the Lakewood branch of the Los Angeles County Sheriff ’s Department. Law enforcement served a vital role during the disaster, helping with evacuations and traffic control so firefighters could focus all their energies toward fighting fires.
Faranda operated the emergency operations center at the Lakewood Sta-tion and also patrolled the city streets to augment the police force which sent 24 full-time deputies per shift to the various emergency areas.
“It feels great helping the people and also helping the other deputies when they get tight and they’re overworked,” he says. “I’m just one person, but there are 850 reserves in L.A. County alone.”
Lost Business and Other ProblemsOther businesses suffered financial woes
as a result of cancelled gigs. Ultimate Ears, based in Irvine, Calif., en-
countered some minor setbacks in produc-tion when two clients — Velvet Revolver with Alice in Chains and Sheryl Crow — who use their personal monitors, cancelled shows. Six of the company’s employees had plans to at-
tend the shows to meet clients and take care of any service issues, says President and Co-Founder Mindy Harvey.
“It’s been challenging to connect with our clients as they come through town,” she says. “We would typically hand deliver repaired monitors and check our gear to make sure the band and engineers were happy.” Harvey admits the cancellations are a “huge inconve-nience,” but says she anticipates the shows will be rescheduled.
The fires also caused some logistical issues when a division of the company located in San Diego had a mandatory evacuation. “Everything kind of came to a screeching halt for us because we were getting ready to move them up to our Ir-vine office,” Harvey says. Unfortunately, the Santiago Canyon fires were near the Irvine offices, resulting in heavy smoke, ash and overall poor air quality. As a re-sult, the move was postponed a week.
Stage-Tech, based in Santa Fe Springs, Calif., lost a contract as stage vendors for a local vendor in San Diego. The gig, a private function where Chris Isaak was to perform, was cancelled when impend-ing danger near the facility prompted an emergency evacuation. Stage-Tech was supplying stage equipment and two crew supervisors for the event. The trucks — two loaded bobtails and the stage it-self — were already loaded prior to the cancellation.
“It’s not company-changing or any-thing, but it’s still a $500 gig — that’s a nice little chunk of dough for the week,” says owner Charley Guest. “It definitely hurts when you lose a job like that.”
Guest says he is hoping to recover his in-vestment. “Assuming nothing bad happened and this was a cancellation, I was gong to find out if we could recoup some of our fees to load the trucks from our shop,” he says.
In addition to the lost gig, Guest says he has had two employees call in sick the week of the fires. Although he can’t say it’s directly related, he notes smoke inha-lation could be a contributing factor.
“It’s a devastating situation, emotion-ally if nothing else,” he says. “I live within 10 miles of one of the fires, and my office manager lives within three miles of an-other. We have people spread out all over Southern California who are definitely be-ing affected on different degrees.”
California Fires Fuel Setbacks for Live Production Companiescontinued from cover
Fire surrounds the Renkus-Heinz facility
NOVEMBER 2007 www.fohonline.com�
News
INDEPENDENCE, MO — Attracting upward of 250,000 people, this year’s Santa-Cali-Gon Days festival featured live music performances on three stages and included appearances by artists Mark Ches-nutt and the Bellamy Brothers, among others.
A Crest Audio Century GTX 40-channel, eight-bus console handled mixing tasks. Wireless microphone systems included MIPRO ACT-707D UHF receivers used with MIPRO ACT-707H condenser handheld transmitters, as well as MIPRO MR-212 VHF true diversity receivers, along with MIPRO MH-202 dynamic handheld transmitters. For monitoring, MIPRO MI-808 wireless personal systems were used.
For the Gospel stage, Independence-based KVI Productions provided the sound services for performances by the Jason Watson Band, the Reverend Jimmy Bratch-er and Dewayne Phillips. The KVI installed SR system included Sound Bridge 3222HT
top boxes powered by Avlex PAHS-2460B and PAS-1080B am-plifiers on mids and horns, respectively, coupled with Sound Bridge 3818SW and Sonic R218 subwoof-ers powered by Avlex PAHS-3820B amps.
Cabled microphones included models from the Avlex, Superlux and MIPRO catalogs. Several Superlux CM-H8A, S241/U3, PRO-258, PRO-218A and PRA-C5 models were deployed, along with MIPRO MM-707P plus Avlex AVS-21 and CI35 models.
Jerry Keller, owner of KVI productions, reflected on the festival. “The Santa-Cali-Gon Days are an important event in this region of the country,” notes Keller. “We had some ter-rific musical performances throughout the four days, and we consistently saw crowds of at least 600–700 people at any given time. The gear performed flawlessly, and the people really got into the spirit of things. This festival is a great way to help support numerous community projects.”
Santa-Cali-Gon Festival Supports Local Community
The main stage at the Santa-Cali-Gon Days festival
Company Web site Model MSRP
Ashly Audio, Inc. www.ashly.com Protea 4.24G $2,340.00
BEHRINGER Int’l GmbH www.behringer.com DEQ2496 $379.99
BEHRINGER Int’l GmbH www.behringer.com DEQ1024 $189.99
dbx Professional Products www.dbxpro.com dbx iEQ31 $899.95
Dolby Laboratories www.dolby.com/livesound
LP4D4 $5,560.00
LP4D8 $6,178.00
LP4D12 $6,947.00
LP8D8 $6,947.00
Klark Teknik www.klarkteknik.com Klark Teknik DN9340E $4,346.67
Mackie www.mackie.com Quad EQ $1,159.99
Rane Corporation www.rane.com DEQ 60 $999.00
Sabine www.Sabine.com Graphi-Q2 GRQ3121 $799.95
Sabine www.Sabine.com Graphi-Q2 GRQ-3122 $1,299.95
TC Electronic www.tcelectronic.com EQ Station-8 $8,145.00
Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems Inc. www.yamahaca.com Yamaha DME64n, 24n $6,500;$3,600
CORRECTIONS Due to a total brain fart, last month’s product gallery on digital EQs showed a bunch of gear all selling for the same price. No excuses offered. We just blew it when sorting data. Here are the models with the correct pricing.
BUENA PARK, CA — Surrounded by a stunning stage show that included five huge video screens and six pillars with stage lights that rose and fell all night, Sting and bandmates Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers took to the stage at Madison Square Garden with Front-of-House Engineer R. Michael Keating con-trolling house sound using a Yamaha PM5000 analog console. Ian Newton used a Yamaha PM1D at monitors, and Kirk Sh-reiner used a Yamaha PM5D for opening act Fiction Plane (vocalist/guitarist Joe Sumner, Sting’s son). Clair Brothers, of Lit-tiz, Penn., is handling the worldwide tour production (at press time, Shriner left the tour to mix Maroon 5). “When I found out I was going to mix Fiction Plane, the PM5D was my first choice,” Shreiner states.
Keating said there is no room for digi-tal desks in his “old school” world and chose the Yamaha PM5000 for several
reasons. “I have always been a fan and user of Yamaha consoles since the late 70s when, while working with local club bands, I purchased a PM1000 24-chan-nel board…we were living large,” he says. “Reliability has always been foremost in my priorities for sound equipment since I don’t deal well with gear that doesn’t work all day, every day. I used a PM 4000 for years without ever having a problem, so when the PM5000 came out, I loved the sound of the mic pre amps. Great sound-ing console, recall, and the time-tested reliability of Yamaha.”
As far as the P.A., Keating says the system they are using is a bit of a hy-brid, “taking the best of the old and the best of the new,” combining the age-old sound of the Clair Brothers S4 sub low boxes with the clarity and precision of the Clair Brothers I-4 line array powered by QSC and Crest power amps. Four de-
lay speaker towers with Clair Brothers R4s x 8 are used, and all processing for the P.A. is handled by Clair/Lake IOs with TC 1128 EQ inserted on L & R of the Yamaha PM5000 console.
Outboard gear in-cludes Lexicon 480L, PCM 70, 90, 91, TC 2290, TC Voice Works Har-monizer, TC Voice Dou-bler, five Distressor EL8 compressors on vocals, bass and Kick; Manley EL OP Stereo comps on bass and Tarus Pedals. Microphone arsenal consists of Sennhie-ser 865 vocal mics, Shure Beta 52 on kick drum and percussion gong drum, a Shure SM 57 on top snare, Neumann KM184 on
snare bottom, hi hat, splash cymbals and percussion, AT 4050 on overheads and guitars, Beyer OPUS 87 and 88 are used on toms.
The Police Reunion Tour Hits the Big Apple
(L/R) Ian Newton’s daughter; Ian Newton, ME; Sean Baca, Clair Bros.; Michael Keating, FOHE; Tom Ford, Clair Bros.; Larry Wilson (standing); Aaron Foye; Kirk Schreiner, ME for Fiction Plane; and (seated in front) Shaun Clair.
Chri
s M
ark
sbu
ry, C
M P
ho
tos
PORTLAND, OR — The Oregon Symphony starts its annual concert season in style at the end of each summer, celebrating popular clas-sics in the heart of the community with outdoor performances staged in Portland’s public parks.
Horne Audio deployed Electro-Voice XLC loudspeaker systems for performances on Aug. 30 by the Oregon Symphony and the Port-land Youth Philharmonic in Tom McCall Waterfront Park. The program fea-tured classical favorites ranging from Copland to Tchaikovsky.
Horne addressed the large bowl-shaped venue with 14 delay towers in 15 time zones and a sur-round-sound system with a circumference of approximately 1,000 feet.
Spaced up to 75 feet apart, the towers were configured to keep every member of the audi-ence in a near-field zone, minimizing environ-mental effects on sound quality. Most of the towers featured three XLC127DVX enclosures, with low-end support via two XLC215 subwoof-ers. In addition, QRx112/75 boxes provided front fills and delays at the far end of the venue. All
Horne’s XLC boxes are loaded with EV new DVX woofers designed to provide low-frequency muscle, mid-range headroom and higher over-all power handling. A total of 36 XLC127DVX and 20 XLC215 were used for the concert.
“This community event is always a pleasant way to cap off our summer work schedule,” says
Peter Horne. “We’ve done this show for a number of years now, and we used to use trap boxes. For the past three years we’ve used XLC line ar-rays, which provide more precise coverage and full bandwidth control. The effect is seamless, and the XLC’s character-istic mid-range warmth and smoothness really
impressed the organizers, especially with the added boost of the DVX drivers.”
Aside from working well against the am-bient noise of the city surroundings, Horne’s XLC system has to reproduce a lot of musical information in this somewhat unusual con-figuration. “The overall impression is that the full orchestral sound is everywhere, even and clear,” added Horne.
The Oregon Symphony on the Waterfront
On the river at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland, Ore.
News
Ad
info
:htt
p:/
/ fo
h.h
oti
ms.
com
Oktoberfest Rolls Out the Barrel and GearKITCHENER-WATERLOO, ONTARIO —
Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest is North America’s largest Bavarian festival, sec-ond in the world only to the original Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. Kitch-ener’s Sherwood Systems Inc. has been providing sound reinforcement, staging and lighting to each of the festival’s 13 venues for nearly two decades. Through-out the years, the festival has evolved by diversifying the musical acts showcased throughout the week, including David Wilcox, Stompin’ Tom Connors, Blue Ro-deo and Jully Black.
With the average fest hall featuring traditional polka acts like the Black Forest Band, headstand beer drinking phenom George Kash and Grammy Aaward-winner Walter Ostanek, Sherwood’s M.I. department has all the tools to get the job done. On the other hand, larger venues, not to mention opening ceremonies and the annual parade, see crowds ranging from 3,000 to 10,000 beer lovers — this is where having the region’s largest front-of-house inventory gives Sherwood Systems the upper hand.
Tim Mitchell, Sherwood’s produc-tion manager, faces the challenge of
coordinating gear, trucks and techni-cians during the course of the 10-day celebration.
With so many shows taking place on a con-tinuous ba-sis over the week, it is in-evitable that S h e r w o o d Systems must also comply with noise violation by-laws. One particular neighborhood is plagued by a 60 Hz resonance that is surprisingly loud even though it is nearly 300 meters from the venue. The problem was solved by creating a cardioid sub under the
stage that was carefully monitored using EAW’s SMAART software.
Now that the festival is over, Sherwood’s technicians are left testing and wiping down beer-soaked cabinets and cables in prepa-ration for the next onslaught of events.
Kitchener-Waterloo goes Bavarian for Oktoberfest
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Washington, D.C. nightclub Ibiza has opened with a $500,000 sound system, designed and installed by Adam Weiner and Bill Mc-Clure of ITI Audio, that incorporates four Dolby Lake Processors providing six-way crossover filtering and loudspeaker opti-mization.
The multipurpose sound system was designed for both DJ and live use — the first live event was a campaign fundraiser by Hillary Clinton with guest artist Mya performing in early September — and comprised Martin Audio W8LC compact line arrays. “The installation was a piece of cake,” Weiner reports. “We expected to be in there for a day just getting filters sorted out, but we loaded up the preset Martin Audio provided for the Dolby Lake Processor, and it sounded pretty great out of the box. We just made some minor ad-justments, mostly on the parametric EQ on the master. Everybody that has heard it says that they like it.”
Additionally, the AES buss and routing matrix of the Dolby Lake Processors are being used to feed the outputs from four separate DJ booths to any combination of four rooms at the 30,000-sqare-feet club,
which features stainless steel and glass decor, waterfalls, VIP terraces and a wall of 50,000 LEDs on the main 100-foot by 70-foot dance floor.
According to Weiner, a touring FOH engineer who has been using the processor since the Lake Contour was introduced nearly four years ago, the Dolby Lake Processors are able to tame the less-than-ideal acoustics and 2.5-second RT60 of the warehouse-like club space. “The Processor gives us filters that can take out such precise areas of problematic frequency content that we can make it sound good,” says Weiner. “The problems that can be fixed with the Dolby Lake Processors are problems that couldn’t be corrected with some other products.”
New Nightclub Brings Ibiza Vibe to D.C.
OLD LYME, CT — In support of Hilary Duff ’s new album, the Dig-nity Tour set out in late July for 32 shows throughout North America, with more shows being added in the fall. The show used Sennheiser wire-less audio technol-ogy with thirty-nine RF channels, including Duff ’s e 935 vocal micro-phone. Now that the show has hit the road, Lorin credits the cardi-
oid’s ability to reject everything but a singer’s voice. “There are a lot of excited fans at Hilary’s concerts, and they can produce high frequencies above 4k like nobody’s business. She routinely goes down to shake their hands, and they’re constantly screaming — in essence of 114 dB plus! I can leave the Sennheiser e 935 flat and still reject all that. Hilary cuts through.”
Hilary Duff Sings Over Screaming Fans
Ad
info
:htt
p:/
/ fo
h.h
oti
ms.
com
The crowd begins to gather at the Ibiza nightclub
NOVEMBER 2007 www.fohonline.com10
News
Ad
info
:http
:// foh
.ho
tims.co
m
ANDOVER, MA — Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., used a new Martin Au-dio system during its 229th commence-ment. The system, provided by longtime supplier Balanced Input, was comprised of Martin Audio W8LM Mini Line arrays W8LMD downfill speakers and WS218X subs for the main coverage, a number of Martin WM05s for fills and Martin LE 1200s for confidence monitors. Ashly PE Series amplifiers provided power for the speakers with onboard DSP under wire-less control from a portable laptop.
Mark Waker, founder of Balanced Input and an audio provider to Phillips Academy for 11 years, explained the
decision to go for a miniature line ar-ray rather than a conventional trap box system. “We’ve used conventional box-es and it worked well, but we had big mains on scaffold, then midfield delays on crank-ups and then crowd-pleasers at the very back, also on crank-ups,” he says. “The coverage was good, but the graduation space is surrounded by un-forgiving 50-foot-high brick dorms, and so much gear was visually intrusive. I have been using Martin products for a long time, and, so with Rob Hofkamp’s (Martin Audio Director of North Ameri-can Operations) help, we put the system together.”
“There is also the carbon footprint is-sue — it bothered me how much en-ergy we were us-ing,” Waker explains. The Martin speaker systems are high ef-ficiency, the amps are high efficiency and I would say that reducing crew count from six to three, rig time from six to four hours and replacing a 26-foot box truck with a Dodge Sprinter Van
qualifies as efficient.” Coincidentally, the keynote address by Head of School Barbara Landis Chase focused on conservation and energy efficiency.
The system is flown from custom lifts, which go to 15 feet, but due to low-hanging tree branches, the system was trimmed at 10 feet with the top box al-most horizontal. “We had to trim it very tightly to the back of the seated area, so we added fills for the standees,” com-ments Dan Ostroff, A1 for Balanced Out-put, the new company formed to mar-ket the new system. “Balanced Input will continue with consulting and contract-ing, and Balanced Output will focus on live events. The next event will be the same system, in a large gymnasium, way higher SPL with more subs, and it still all fits in the Sprinter.”
Event Coordinator Duncan Will ex-pressed his delight at the dramatically improved sound, superior aesthetics and “the absence of hardware in the trees.” Phillips Academy AV Manager Mike Crouse added, “The Martin sys-tem sounded better, was quicker to set up, and looked cleaner than any other system we’ve used for graduation. I’m looking forward to seeing it return for our 2008 commencement.”
Phillips Academy Graduation Ceremony Leans Green
Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass.
• The parties have agreed to ter-minate their Merger Agreement dat-ed April 26 without litigation or pay-ment of a termination fee.
• The company also announced that Brian F. Carroll, member of KKR, will join Harman’s board of directors. The company will use the proceeds from the KKR/GSCP investment to repurchase Harman common stock through an accelerated share repur-chase program.
Dr. Sidney Harman, executive chairman of Harman, noted, “We are pleased to have reached an un-derstanding with KKR and GSCP. Al-though we do not agree with the reasons for cancellation of the origi-nal merger agreement, we view this $400 million investment as a vote of confidence in our business and its prospects for continued growth. Our company benefits from excellent cus-tomer relationships built on world-class products, brands and technol-ogy, and we are well positioned to capitalize on market opportunities in the automotive, consumer and pro-fessional sectors.”
continued from cover
Harman Reaches Agreement with KKR
International News
Ad
info
:http
:// foh
.ho
tims.co
m
RIO DE JANEIRO — Sound company Lang Brothers, with headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, has acquired Adamson True Line Source arrays and complete systems solutions as specked by Adamson’s Brazilian distributor, Sotex. Lang Brothers Director Marcelo Ferreira took deliv-ery of 24 Adamson Y-10s, eight T-21 Subs, 12 Lab.gruppen FP+ 7000 and FP+10000 amplifi-ers, Dolby Lake processors and Reference Lab cabling. This sale marks the fourth major Ad-amson sale in the Brazilian market since Sotex took over the distribution just over a year ago. AF&C Eventos Ltda, Marc Systems and Dot Com preceded Ferreira’s deal.
The entire Lang Brothers audio team at-tended a weeklong training seminar where Fabrício Neiva, Adamson’s technical coordi-nator, guides new customers through the
process. “There are no advantages in having a high-tech system unless you have a thorough understanding of how it works and how to best operate it,” Neiva says. “There are resources we can provide them. We accompany new Sotex clients to a series of events to make sure they are satisfied and that they can take advantage of different markets with their new system.”
The inauguration of the Lang Brothers Adamson system took place on Aug. 26 at Nana Fest Rio, headlined by the popular Axé music band Chiclete com Banana, and held at the open-air Riocentro before an audience of about 40,000.
Sotex Commercial Coordinators Guilherme Zauza and Fabrício Neiva were at the venue fol-lowing the installation process. “It is a pleasure to have Lang Brothers as a customer,” comments
Zauza. “Their team’s technique is very good, Marcelo knows the local business and renders an excellent service.”
“It’s a pleasure to do business with a serious company that provides thorough technical support,” agreed Ferreira. “The feedback was very important in position-ing our company as a viable nationwide op-tion for large-format touring and festivals.
ST. PÖLTEN, AUSTRIA — DiGiCo’s Aus-trian distributor, TON Eichinger Profes-sional Sound Systems, has recently made sales of DiGiCo/Soundtracs consoles in the Austrian market. The first was to ORF, the country’s central radio facility; the second was to the Landestheater, St. Pölten, in Lower Austria.
ORF’s central radio facility, located in the capital of Vienna, comprises small to medium-sized studios used for recording radio talk shows and small live music shows as well as high-level postproduction. Its
recent purchase of three Soundtracs DS-00 digital consoles — two for its Vienna facility, and one for its Eisenstadt regional studio — is part of a series of such installations there.
“ORF have used Soundtracs consoles for some time, having had DS3s previously, and are familiar with the way they work,” says Othmar Eichinger of TON Eichinger. “So when it was time to update its system, the decision was made to install three DS-00s with fader expansion units.
A DiGiCo D1 Live digital mixing con-sole has been installed into the Landesthe-ater, a medium-sized provincial theatre in Lower Austria. The theatre wanted to have a portable solution for its mixing require-ments, allowing it to have the option to use the D1 at other venues or open-air events. “The small footprint means it can be trans-ported very easily by two people,” con-cludes Othmar. “And it doesn’t take up too many seats, which is great for the theatre’s bottom line.”
Nana Fest Rio Pumps up the Volume with Adamson
Nana Fest Rio in Brazil
Popular Austrian Theatre Installs DiGiCo Consoles
The DiGiCo DS-00 digital console
The Great Wall of China Echoes Medical Message BEIJING — The message about neu-
roradiology was spread loud and clear to the world at the 9th Congress of the World Federation of Interventional and Therapeutic Neuroradiology ( WFITN), recently held in Beijing — the first time the biannual event was hosted in China.
With an audio system represent-ing manufacturers from around the world, a Spectra T56 console from APB-DynaSonics handled the task of mixing the event. Other products in-cluded Lab.gruppen am-plifiers from Sweden and Adamson loudspeakers from Canada. Eastern Acoustic Developments Ltd. was responsible for providing the sound.
The opening cere-mony at the Great Wall Gate in Ju Yong Guan near Beijing was high-
lighted by a performance featuring the China Broadcasting Performing Arts Group and China Film Symphony Orchestra. The World Federation of In-terventional and Therapeutic Neuro-radiology is a chartered international nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the medical discipline.
Backstage at the WFITN Conference
Ad
info
:htt
p:/
/ fo
h.h
oti
ms.
com
Nana Fest Rio in Brazil
Lab.gruppen’s PLM 10000Q was announced at PLASA, but we actually got to see and touch a working version at AES. It integrates the amplifier technologies of Lab.gruppen’s FP+ Series with the power and flexibility of a Dolby Lake Processor. It also incorporates Dante self-configuring, low-latency audio networking as standard. All operational and monitoring functions are accessible via a custom version of the Dolby Lake Controller software, which also offers integrated SmaartLive real-time system measurement and analysis as a plug-in option. Each of the PLM 10000Q four-out-put channels (driven independently) provides 2700 W at 2.7 Ohms (2300 W at 4 Ohms), with more power available when driven asymmetrically. The PLM 10000Q is housed in a 2U chassis weighing only 13 kg (29 lbs.).
www.labgruppen.com
L-ACOUSTICS’new SB28, the successor to its SB218 subwoofer, is a four-Ohm, front-loaded, 2 x 18-inch direct radiating bass-reflex tuned en-closure capable of operating down to 25 Hz. The LF transducers are designed to provide an excep-tional cone excursion capability combined with low thermal compression even at the very high-est operating levels. The enclosure’s bass-reflex vents feature a progressive profile allowing for laminar airflow. Control and amplification of the SB28 is managed by L-ACOUSTICS’ new LA8 amplified controller platform. The LA8’s DSP filtering encompasses crossover, system EQ and L-DRIVE thermal and over-excursion protection of the transducers.
www.l-acoustics.com
NOVEMBER 2007 www.fohonline.com12
New Gear
L-ACOUSTICS SB28
Lab.gruppen’s PLM 10000Q
MeyerSoundgot really, really small. The MM-4XP minia-ture loudspeaker is a self-powered version of the popular MM-4 miniature wide-range loudspeaker with a face measuring just four inches square. It is designed for distributed systems where space is at a premium, yet a single light-gauge cable can deliver balanced audio and DC power over a long cable run of up to several hundred feet. The MM-4XP can be used for fixed installations as well as for stage lip frontfill, fill and spot cov-erage or installation in steps and other hidden locations. The one-rack space MPS-488 external power supply is required for use of the MM-4XP. It provides 48 V DC power to up to eight MM-4XPs, while also routing eight channels of balanced audio from its XLR inputs to the five-pin EN3 connectors on its eight-channel outputs.
www.meyersound.com
We saw drawings of a version of the RSSDigital V-Mixing System more than a year ago out back on the loading dock of some con-vention center in what is fondly remembered as the “dumpster demo.” The system incorpo-rates the new RSS M-400 Live Digital Console — configurable digital snakes with remote-controlled mic preamps — for approximately $10,000. No, that is not a misprint. The M-400 V-Mixing Console features rapid recall of scenes, 100 mm motorized and touch-sensitive faders, a large bright 800 x 480 color screen, dedicated effect knobs for EQ, pan and gain and then in-tegrates with the RSS digital snakes for a seamless stage to FOH solution.
www.rolandsystemsgroup.com
RSS Digital V-Mixing System
A month ago, we talked about see-ing a Studer Vista out on the Toby Keith tour, and then Studer unveiled the Vista 5 SR, a road-ready version of that console. Studer gave the 5 SR a new frame and rack, as well as other touring upgrades like a brighter screen, which uses the Vistonics user interface that is also on the Soundcraft vi6. The coolest thing here is that they set one up off-site in a ballroom-type space, with an actual band and invited engineers down to actually mix on it. FOH’s Steve “Woody” La Cerra walked up, asked that the board be “zeroed out”; he built a mix on a totally unfamiliar system in a matter of just a few minutes. Nice.
www.studer.ch
Studer Vista 5SR
Back to that recording crap, it has become pretty obvious that any digital console maker who wants to survive will have to offer a seamless recording path, and Yamaha is doing just that, partnering with ADK on the LYVE Tracker. This sturdy rack-mount unit takes 112 tracks via a pair of MADI cards (or other interfaces including ADAT, AES, Ethersound and analog) from either a PM5D or M7CL and sends them to 640 GB of audio storage space. The unit is natively compatible with Nuendo or Cubase and also offers a Pro Tools compatible file format.
www.yamahaproaudio.com
Oh, and that whole plug-in thing. Waves has gotten on the future wagon offering an extensive bundle called Waves Live specifically for the Digidesign VENUE series. Can you read the writing on the wall?
Live Audio Gets a Suppor ting Role
Ad
info
:http
:// foh
.ho
tims.co
m
NEW YORK — OK, let’s make sure we are all on the same page here: AES is a recording show. It always has been and though there have been real efforts to make it more relevant to the live audio community, it remains what it is. That said, there was some cool stuff, al-though much of it was “remember that thing we showed last AES? Well, it’s shipping now.” Most notable was how many live audio manufacturers did not show up
including Bosch/Telex/Midas/KT/EV, EAW and DiGiCo. Digidesign was there, but pushing new recording/Pro Tools stuff not the VENUE. The real rub here is that as the stage and studio continue to merge, we live types have to get up to speed about things like plug-ins and recording interfaces. Which means AES will be a live audio show — even though it’s really not.
Meyer Sound MM-4XP
On the Move
U.K. mixer manufacturer Allen & Heath has appointed SunInfonet as its exclusive distributor in India. The company will man-age the sales, distribution and service of the complete Allen & Heath product line from its headquarters in Delhi. Following the ap-pointment, Allen & Heath and SunInfonet held the first in a series of training seminars to provide an in-depth introduction to Al-len & Heath’s products.
APB-DynaSonics announces the ap-pointment of North Coast Marketing as sales representative for Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia and Western Pennsylvania.
Led by company principal Dennis Cray, North Coast has been in business since 1981 and focuses primarily on the touring sound, contractor and retail segments in his territory. North Coast represents leading brands such as Audix Microphones, Blue Sky Monitors, EAW, Face Audio, and others, in addition to APB-DynaSonics.
Crown announces that Brian Pickowitz has been promoted to the role of business de-velopment manager for touring sound. Before his promotion, Pickow-itz spent three years as a project lead engineer.
B osch Commu-nic ations Systems welcomes Gary Pace as its new national sales manager for Dy-nacord. He will team with Dynacord Prod-uct Manager, Ameri-cas Jeff Taylor. Most recently, Pace was in sales and marketing with LSI, a lighting and rigging production company.
Digidesign announces the appoint-ment of former EAW executive and indus-try luminary Frank Loyko to the position of
worldwide director of sales for the Digide-sign VENUE live sound product line. In his new position, Loyko will be responsible for defin-ing and leading all live sound sales strategies worldwide, including managing Digidesign’s direct live sound sales team. One of the founding members of loudspeaker manufacturer EAW, Loyko has more than 30 years of professional au-dio sales experience.
HME welcomes Warman Marketing to its network of professional audio represen-tatives. Warman will represent the South-western region for HME including Arizona, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas.
Bill Woods, a veteran of the pro audio industry, has been appointed to the posi-tion of groups and marketing director for MC2 Audio, XTA and Quested Monitoring Systems and will assume all sales and mar-keting responsibilities for the group.
M e y e r S o u n d a n n o u n c e s t h a t Miguel Lourtie has joined the company’s European technical services group and will provide technical support and design services to custom-ers within the European community. He also will be an instructor in Meyer Sound’s growing education program, using his mul-tilingual capabilities to reach industry pro-fessionals in their native languages includ-ing Spanish, Portuguese and Italian (as well as English). Lourtie has been affiliated with Meyer Sound since 1993.
Italian pro audio manufacturer Outline has appointed Hebsiba Multimedia Group as its sole distributor for the Korean market. Three individual companies founded the
Hebsiba Multimedia Group in 1998: Hebsiba Sound Co., Cinema Visual Co. and Cell Light-ings Co. The three companies designed and built many sound and video systems for churches, government buildings, stadiums and arenas. In 2002, the companies merged to form one large firm: Hebsiba Multimedia Group, at which time the group extended its business to the rental market, broad-casting stations, recording studios, internet facilities and exhibitions. From 2004-2007, Hebsiba Multimedia Group was appointed exclusive distributor for Nexo, Camco and Innovason for the Korean Market.
Sabine, manufacturer of professional audio equipment, announces that it has signed five new companies to represent Sabine products in the U.S. The R. Joseph Group is taking over in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia and Western Pennsyl-vania. Prosonic Solutions is taking over in Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico; K & R Productions will represent Sabine in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Illinois; Intelligent Marketing Inc. will head up sales in Maine, Vermont, New Hamp-shire, Maryland, Rhode Island and Con-necticut; and Marketing Concepts will be handling sales in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkan-sas and Louisiana.
Sabine also has named Don Boomer as sales director — west-ern region where he will handle Pro Audio sales west of the Mis-sissippi, customer and consultant relations, and develop new mar-kets. He is relocating to Los Angeles and will be traveling in the territory immedi-ately. Don comes to Sabine from Peavey Electronics.
Sennheiser Electronics Corporation has hired Sebnem (Sebi) Altug as project manag-er for marketing communications. She brings nearly a decade of experience in marketing and communications, marketing research
and advertising and film to the job. Altug will manage key com-munication projects for all Sennheiser products and services and will coordinate the annual media schedule for Sennheiser in the U.S.
TransAudio Group has been appointed the exclusive U.S. distributor for Paul Wolff’s Tonelux Designs Limited discrete audio products for re-cording and live production, and ShadowMix motorized fader automation for DAWs. Tonelux manufactures a broad range of mic preamp, EQ, signal processing and master modules that may be combined in the new V8 portable rack or the 19-inch VRACK and configured with the FRACK fader package to create a custom console.
Yamaha Commer-cial Audio Systems, Inc. announces the ap-pointment of Dan Craik to the position of house of worship marketing manager. Craik joined Yamaha in 1998 and held the position of product manager for hardware products responsible for product marketing and support of Yamaha’s renowned digital and analog consoles.
The company has also expanded its sales force with the appoint-ment of Mike Eiseman as district manager for the Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin sales territory. In his new position, Eise-man will be responsible for all sales activities and the implementation of marketing plans throughout the territory. Furlong had been on the staff at Willow Creek Community Church where, for over 14 years, he was the live audio engineer for church events, holiday services, and national and in-ternational conferences and was the recording engineer for church-produced albums.
Brian Pickowitz
Gary Pace
Frank Loyko
Miguel Lourtie
Don Boomer
Sebi Altug
Dan Craik
Mike Eiseman
Ad
info
:htt
p:/
/ fo
h.h
oti
ms.
com
Ad
info
:http
:// foh
.ho
tims.co
m
Showtime
La Kalle’s Bling Blineo 2007ST
VenueShea Stadium Flushing, Queens, NY
CREWFOH Engineers: Abraham Viera, Sr., Raul Gonzalez, Daniel FriedmanMonitor Engineers: Elizear “Spanish ET” TravalStage: Mike Pistone, Javier DavilaWireless: John KendrickSystem Techs: Edwig “Hatian ET” Timmer, Tom BensonProduction Manager: Daniel Viera
GEARFOHConsole: Midas H3000 & Yamaha PM 5D - RHSpeakers: JBL VerTec 4889 (mains), JBL VerTec 4889 (sides), JBL VerTec 4888 (wides)Subs: EM Quakes (mains); JBL VerTec 4880 (wides)Amps: Powersoft 6K, 8K, 10KProcessing: Lake Dolby Mics: Shure UHF-R w/Beta 58, Sennheiser EW 100Monitors: Clair 12AM wedges
MONMidas H3000 Yamaha PM5D-RHk
Soundco Abe V. Systems Inc.
CareNet Conference ‘07 Featuring The Sounds of Liberty and Dennis Jernigan
VENUEKentucky International Convention Center (Cascade Ballroom)Rosemont, IL
CREWFOH Engineer: Chris McDonaldMonitor Engineer: Jarrod MonkSystems Engineer: Cody FrenchProduction Manager: Chuck Schmidt
GEARFOHConsole: Yamaha PM5D-RHSpeakers: 2 Custom B&C loaded 2x18s, 1 600HP, 12 Meyer M1D, 2 UPA-1P
Amps: Crown K2s, Meyer proprietaryProcessing: Motu 828mkII, T.C. D-TwoMics: AKG C414, C535EB, Avalon U5, Shure Beta58a, ULX Beta 87a, SM57, Rode S1, Sennheiser MD421Power Distro: Axxis proprietary Rigging: CM motorsSnake Assemblies: Rapco
MONSpeakers: (6) Aviom Pro 16 Systems w/ Westone UM2s, (4) EAW SM200iH, (1) Sennheiser EW300iemG2Amps: (2) Crown MacroTech 2402Processing: PM5D-RH
SoundcoLiberty University
& Axxis Inc.
Showtime
Head East ST
VenueThe Largo Cultural CenterLargo, FL
CREWFOH Engineer: Ron LemanMonitor Engineer: Rob MondoraSystems Engineer: Rob MondoraProduction Manager: Rob MondoraTour Manager: Ron LemanSystems Techs: Scott Dempster, Don Short
GEARFOHConsole: Midas Verona 400Speakers: Renkus-Heinz T-3, Renkus-Heinz Celf 15-2 subAmps: Renkus-Heinz P3500Processing: Behringer, Lexicon, Yamaha Mics: AKG, Audio Technical, Sennheiser, Shure Power Distro: ProprietarySnake Assemblies: Whirlwind
MONSpeakers: EAW JFX-560Amps: Crown Macro-Tech 24x6Processing: RanePower Distro: Proprietary
Soundco C.O.L.T. Sound
& Lighting
ST
Ad
info
:http
:// foh
.ho
tims.co
m
Tony Bennett ST
VenueChase Park Plaza HotelSt. Louis, MO
CREWFOH Engineer: Tom YoungSystems Engineer: Jim CutshallProduction Manager: Bob HornerTour Manager: Vance AndersonSystems Techs: Karyn Rotramell
GEARFOHConsole: Midas H3000Speakers: Martin W8LC and WSX, Nexo PS-8Amps: Crown I-tech 6000, QSC PL2.0HVProcessing: Dolby, Drawmer, Lake, Summit, XTA, YamahaMics: AKG, Neuman, Sennheiser, Shertler Power Distro: Motion LabsRigging: CMSnake Assemblies: Rapco
MONSpeakers: EAW SM-12, Nexo PS-15 Amps: Camco V6, CrownProcessing: BSS, Nexo
Soundco Ironman Sound Industries LLC
We Want You!
FOH wants your gig shots, horror stories and
resume highlights! Go to www.fohonline.com/submissions to send us your Showtime pics, Nightmare stories and In The Trenches stats. Or e-mail b g @ f o h o n l i n e . c o m for more info. We
cover the industry — and that means
you!
15www.fohonline.com 2007 NOVEMBER
Ad
info
:htt
p:/
/ fo
h.h
oti
ms.
com
Saigon Love Story Concert ST
VenueOrange County Fair & Exposition Center — Pacific AmphitheatreCosta Mesa, CA
CREWFOH Engineer: Robert PhamMonitor Engineer: Mathew NguyenSystems Engineer: Robert Pham/Ron LubbenProduction Manager: Robert PhamSystems Techs: Dominic Nguyen
GEARFOHConsole: Yamaha PM5D-RHSpeakers: QSC Wideline 10
Amps: All QSC Powerlight 2 and PL380Processing: QSC Basis 914zMics: AT5000 wireless, Shure Beta98, AT2500 on kick, Helpinstill Piano PUPower Distro: Motion LabsRigging: CM Snake Assemblies: Ramtech 3-way 54 channels, 300’ to FOH, 25’ to Mon
MONConsoles: Allen Heath ML5000Speakers: Nexo PS15Amps: QSC PL-4.0Processing: Nexo processorMics: Shure, ATPower Distro: MotionlabsRigging: CM
SoundcoPremiere
Production
Download Fest Chicago — Brand New, Snoop Dogg, The Shins
ST
Soundco Clearwing
Productions
CREWFOH Engineer: Andre St. PierreMonitor Engineer: Bryan BaumgardnerSystems Engineer: Kevin GilsonProduction Manager: Bethany HaskettSystems Techs: Brian “BK” Koerner, Beau Charles, Scott Puro
GEAR FOHConsole: Yamaha PM5D and PM5000Speakers: dV-DOSc (underhang); L-ACOUSTICS V-DOSC, MTD 108a (front fill); SB28 (subs)Amps: Lab. gruppen fp6400Processing: XTA DP226 and 448Mics: Audix, Sennheiser, Shure
Power Distro: Motion LabsRigging: CM, L-ACOUSTICS Snake Assemblies: 2 Ram Iso splits
MONConsoles: Yamaha PM5D and PM5000Speakers: dV Sub (drum fill), L-ACOUSTICS Hi-Q 115, Martin W8 with WSX sub (sidefill), Sennheiser IEM 300Amps: Lab. gruppen fp6400Processing: Dolby LakeMics: Audix, Sennheiser, ShurePower Distro: Motion Labs
The phenomenon that is Rascal Flatts is like the universe — it just keeps expand-ing. And for those out on the road with
the trio, there’s a pretty simple reason: The band is listening.
“These are artists who are very fan-oriented,” says Stuart Delk. “They listen to the critics and the fans. They read what both are saying and respond accordingly.” Whether it’s what song they play and where in the set list it’s placed, or what gags and dramatics garner the biggest re-sponse, Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney continue to tweak their way into strato-spheric stardom.
Their current tour, Still Feels Good, started in June and will run deep into 2008. In some ways, it is a ratcheted-up take on the band’s last tour with a lot of the same behind-the-scenes arti-sans involved. The music is again trusted to Delk (monitor engineer) and Jon Jon Garber (FOH).
Garber worked for Brad Paisley, Brooks & Dunn and Toby Keith in various positions be-fore becoming assistant engineer, and finally FOH, for Rascal Flatts. He’s been with them now for eight years, and every time he figures it out, they throw new challenges at him — and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I’m here for the challenges — that’s what I love,” he declares.
Delk, too, has worn different hats with Gary Allan and Tim McGraw, among others, and has been on the Rascal rocket for nearly five years. On this tour, Sound Image supplied the gear, plus five additional crewmembers: Crew Chief Landon Store, System Engineer Pete Mc-Donough, and stage techs Jeremy Moore, Jason Blackburn and Ian Maurer.
The show fills 18 trucks with 90 JBL VerTec 4889s, 32 VerTec 4880s and 12 QSC Widelines. It’s all powered by Crown 8000s. In addition to the
core trio, Rascal hits the road with five backup musicians, most of them multi-instrumentalists. All are completely wireless except the drummer and keyboard player, and the band insists on running all over the arenas. Oh yeah, and the band’s audience is one of the most vociferous ones out there.
“They have the loudest fans,” sighs Delk. “Last night in Chicago, we were playing in a wooden arena, and it was the loudest ever.” But he keeps them in line with the volume knob — not turning it up, but down.
“You have to keep the levels at decent levels and bring them down,” says Garber. “Bring the fans back with the mix, because they want to hear the music.”
On their 11th hour of a 19-hour day, Delk and Garber were comfortable with leaving their post long enough to sit down and talk with FOH.
The instruments, mics and monitors are all wireless — that’s a lot of signals….
Stuart Delk: It’s my biggest challenge. We’re carrying 32 channels of wireless that is
inbound and outbound, and 27 are active dur-ing the show, plus a couple of backups. With all the digital TVs on the market out there emitting powerful signals, it’s been rough.
Jon Jon Garber: Especially in New York, L.A. — Chicago we played last night…
Delk: But now we’re using the new Shure UHF-R wireless system, which is self-scanning, and able to find its own frequencies. It’s cut the time I need to find frequencies in half. And we’re using high-powered, high-gain antennas that are very directional, which we need as the guys go everywhere. But once it’s locked in, we don’t have to worry about it.
And the personal monitors?Delk: We are using the new Sennheiser
G2 systems that are also self-scanning.I have to do some antenna positioning
— like today, I have antennas in the seats high up clamped on the hand-railing aim-ing down on the whole floor. It needs to be high up because the signals can’t go through water, and people are basically made of water.
Here’s an idea: Why don’t you just tell the band where they can and can’t go?[later …. When they finally stop laughing… ]
Garber: [Laughs] You can’t tell these guys anything!
Delk: You try something like that, and they’ll go further just to defy you!
What’s different on this tour for you, Jon Jon, from the past one?
Garber: This tour has different challeng-es — like now they do a full band on the sec-ond stage near FOH. Last tour, just the trio came out and played acoustic behind me. Now it’s a quartet with drums, and they play five numbers and use a Rhodes piano. I’m mixing them, when with the drummer just over my shoulder — I’ve had to ask him to play quieter….
It’s kind of overwhelming because first you’re hearing the real sound, then moments later you’re hearing the delay from the main speakers hanging from the stage. You have to mix accordingly and try not to get too carried away.…
Stuart, is the band challenging to monitor for?
Delk: It’s eight radically different mixes — each musician wants something completely different. During rehearsals, it was tough dial-ing stuff up, but now I have a sense of it.
Garber: Because of the demands of the set, we have the guitar amps under the stage. But when someone plays a guitar solo, he wants to hear it, feel it, in more than just his ears. So we have “hot spots” with wedges and a guy who just watches where the guitarist lands for the solo; he cranks up the wedge that is closest to him.
NOVEMBER 2007 www.fohonline.com16
FOH Interview
StuartDelk and JonJonGarber
“I’m here for the challenges — that’s what I love.” — Jon Jon Garber
R a s c a l F l a t t s C o n t i n u e s t o G r o w , A s D o C o m p l i c a t i o n s
By KevinM.Mitchell
Rascal Flatts in concert
(L/R) Jeremy Moore, Jason Blackburn, Ian Maurer, Landon Storey, Pete McDonough, Jon Jon Garber, Stuart Delk
172007 NOVEMBERwww.fohonline.com
Also, we have side fields — three VerTecs on each side — just for vocals and to add some presence. It gives the singers the feel-ing of air movement, which a lot of guys miss when they go to personal monitors.
So, normally you do shows in the round?Garber: Yes, and it’s challenging at 360.
It just adds so many more reflections to your hearing perspective, and you’re hearing stuff from everywhere. It’s a matter of knowing what level to keep your mixes at.
With the band’s shows getting increasingly complicated, are there ever any conflicts with the lighting and staging people? Seems like toes could get stepped on….
Garber: Not at all. We have a good team out here. We have a great stage manager, and everyone just talks to each other.
Let’s talk boards.Garber: I’m using my board of choice, the
DiGiCo D5. The band has had it for a long time — five years. We’ve added the DiGiCo D5 1-12 EX, so now it goes up to 112 inputs. We run about 68 from the stage, and altogether we have about a total of 110 inputs. And I use a lot of plug-ins. The whole thing is run with HiQnet System Architect configuration and control software.
Delk: I use two Yamaha PM 5000s. I’m a Midas fan, but we need as many outputs as we can get with this gig, and Yamaha has the most outputs. It’s been a solid rig. First Yama-ha I’ve really used, and it’s warm sounding.
How involved is the band in the sound?Garber: Jay [DeMarcus], the bass player, is
like the producer of the group. He knows what he wants all the time and coordinates the mu-sic. They are always trying to make it better.
Delk: But mostly, they leave it up to us. They trust our opinion. Though, if something sounds weird or is not to their liking, they let us know. Overall, they mostly leave it to us… we like to try different things. For example, we’ve gone through three kick drum mics, experimenting. We have a Shure SM91 inside, but outside we started with an Audio-Tech-nica 450, then tried a Shure SM32, and tonight we’re trying out a Sennheiser E 902, which just came out last year.
With that, and all the running around the band does, especially when you’re in the round, feedback must be an issue.
Garber: It’s always a big issue, and we try to control it as much as we can.
Are you successful?Garber: About 99% of the time… [he
smiles]
Ad
info
:htt
p:/
/ fo
h.h
oti
ms.
com
“Bring the fans back with the mix, because they want to hear the music.” — Jon Jon Garber
Could Bumbershoot be the most eclectic music festival on the planet? It’s definitely got a serious claim. Where
else can you hear hip-hop, post-modern jazz and Mongolian throat singing, with blues, gospel, folk and gypsy punk on the side, all on the same ticket? And we’re not talking generic genre bands: Bumbershoot organizers find and book trendsetters and scene-stealers. This year’s bill included the Wu-Tang Clan, Fergie, John Legend, Sam Yahel with Joshua Redman Jr. and Brian Blade, and Yungchen Lhamo. Plus Robbie Laws, the Holmes Brothers, Bert Jansch and Gogol Bordello. (If you don’t have a scorecard or the festival program handy, or don’t know the names, refer to the list of musical styles above for clues.)
Bumbershoot is also amazingly family-friendly — with 16 venues going from late morning to almost midnight, there’s something for anyone, anytime. The crowds are multigenerational, relatively sober and generally tolerant of the inevitable chaos and crowding. What else would you expect when you cram 50,000 people each day into the Seattle Center, which every Labor Day weekend is chain-linked off from the rest of downtown to become its own little metropolis of music, comedy, film, literature, dance, theatre, poster art, crafts, ethnic food and good vibes. Even the street performers are uniquely classy, from the female mime dressed as an angel or pixie to the grade-school-age young lady who stands on a balance ball, spins three hula hoops and plays some hella bluegrass fiddle.
Keeping It Clean PP
So here we are — this warm Saturday sunshine, this cool Starbucks beverage (Se-attle is the Evil Empire’s epicenter, after all. Pike’s Place Market is the only place you can still see the original topless mermaid.) This is the perfect combo for relaxing on some
wooden bleach-ers, watching a float plane buzzing Se-attle Memorial High School Stadium and listening to Crowded House. But what’s up with the mix? Even my abused ears can distinguish actual song lyrics — we’re talking verses, not just “hey now, hey now.” Sure, there are a lot of people up front by the stage, but there’s got to be at least an acre of exposed concrete in here.
A couple of hours later, Mark Carlson, owner of Carlson Audio, confirms my guess. “We have some of the beta UX8800 processors with Gunness Focus-ing,” he tells me after climbing down from the monitor side-fill rigging during a sound check. “We’ve been working with EAW, tweaking them a little.” The new DSP filters developed by EAW’s resident genius really make an audi-ble difference in the main arrays: 12 KF760s over 4 short-throw KF761s each side, driven by QSC PowerLight 6.0s and 4.0s.
Still, the Samsung Mainstage at Bum-bershoot is just a super-sized high school football stadium, with the extra-difficulty architectural feature of large concrete over-hangs above those bleachers. (Bumbershoot,
umbrella, rain, Seattle — is the picture com-ing together?) So, Carlson Audio has three KF750s per side for outfill, one on the deck for frontfill, and 12 SB1000s on each side for…well, proba-bly for Wu-Tang Clan, Bumbershoot 2007’s closing act. But even the mighty Tang has to respect the speed limit. “We have a me-ter at FOH in here,” Mark tells me, “and computers on the other stages measur-ing one minute aver-aged LEQ.” Careful geographical plan-ning, tight scheduling and strict adherence to the dB speed limits mean you can walk from stage to stage a t B u m b e r s h o o t without having the electronica bleeding into the solo acous-tic singer-songwriter. That’s not easy to do
outdoors, even with the buildings that oc-cupy much of the Seattle Center.
Formerly Full House PP
Mark Carlson worked his first Bumber-shoot 16 years ago. “We did one stage that year, and it took all our gear,” he recalls. The festival still empties the Carlson Au-dio warehouse: The company is doing four stages this year, putting pretty much its en-tire inventory of KF750s, KF850s, JF260s and
SM400s to work, along with all of its people. “For the staff, this is the big weekend,” Mark Carlson explains. “It’s a chance to get out of the shop and out to the festival. Our crews work the same stages every year, so every-one knows what to do. That’s Christina, our production manager, up on stage now — I have an all-woman stage crew on the main stage this year.”
The main stage sees 14 acts on this long weekend, and every one of them gets a sound check. The eSurance stage crew turns 18 acts in three days, with 30 to 45 minutes in between sets from 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. “There’s no sound checks on those stages,” Carlson points out. “It’s just ‘plug in and go.’”
As nine-year veterans of the Bumbershoot main stage, Carlson Audio knows to expect the unexpected. This year, the company provided a choice of desks for both FOH and monitor engineers. “We have a Midas XL4-44+4 and a Yamaha PM5DRH with v2.06 software at front of house, and another PM5D with a Midas Her-itage 3000 44+4 for monitors,” he says. “Most people are pretty PM5D-savvy these days, but there are some who won’t give up those Midas preamps.” There’s a Klark-Teknik Helix EQ on FOH, and 12 channels of BSS 404 compressors along with eight channels of Drawmer DS201 gates available for the finicky guest engineer.
Carlson is also ready to handle special processor requests, with inserts for an Even-tide Eclipse and Summit DCL200. They also keep a pair of Yamaha SPX990s, a T.C. Elec-tronic 2290 and a Lexicon PCM90 on tap. It’s all about versatility — like their moni-tor amp racks. “We have Ashly Protea pro-cessors, so they can do anything we need,” Carlson says. “We have presets for SM400s, JF260s, even KF850s with special crossovers in them that we use for stage fill.” With 12 channels of Shure UR Series wireless and 10 sets of personal monitors on stage, there’s plenty to keep the monitor mixers busy.
NOVEMBER 2007 www.fohonline.com18
Production Profile
By LeonardChandler
Bumbershoot’s mainstage at midnight Wells Fargo Stage: Sr. Engineer Steven Midkiff, Apollo Media The Samsung Stage
Sound check at the Samsung Stage
The Yamaha M7CL at the Wells Fargo Stage
Electric, Eclectic and Loud
The board at the Samsung Stage
Carlson Provides Clear Sound for Seattle’s Massive, Multigenre Bumbershoot Festival
Keeping It in the Community PP
Up on the main stage, with sound check ending, Christine says, “Look out, it’s going to be mayhem up here in minutes,” says Chris-tine. We head for the backstage trailers.
Later in the weekend, I had to check out Sam Yahel, the young New Yorker who has developed a distinctive post-modern jazz voice on the venerable Hammond B-3. The Wells Fargo Stage is on Bumbershoot’s mezzanine level, wedged in between a couple of buildings. The beer drinkers in the rear and the late-arriving overflow crowd appreciate the Ramsa and Martin delay speakers. They’re the property of Steve Midkiff and Audio Media, as is the Community P.A. up onstage. Steve has been working Bumbershoot since 1997. “I was doing Folk Live at the Seattle Center,” he recalls. “And Rick Lockard said ‘We can make this a Bumbershoot Stage.’ By now, they trust me to handle things up here pretty much on my own.”
Bumbershoot is a bit of a busman’s holi-day for Steve, who is the king of black tie galas in Seattle. “Most of the year, I have one mic open at a time,” he says. “Of course, I got into this to do music, but the industri-als and the galas are paying the bills.”
Audio Media is a Community dealer, and Steve was trying out his new TFL218 subs. Amp racks are Crest Pro, “the new lightweight stuff,” and QSC. All the different zones — subs, monitors, main stage 3-ways and three or four different delays — are di-rect from the Yamaha M7CL. “The feature set on this thing is amazing,” says Midkiff. “There are 16 outputs from every input, and if you add a card, you can have eight more, all with parametric EQ, compressor and delay.” Steve seems to really know how to get the most out of his tools, like using both compressors on an input to help out a speaker with clueless mic technique, or di-aling in a little lowpass shelving to smooth out a vocalist’s rough edges.
While I was chatting with Steve about the history of his Bumbershoot gig (he used to run the “Wild Stage,” with all sorts of shenanigans), Sam Yahel strolled up to ask about the organ sound. Steve immedi-ately put him at ease by introducing him-self as “your sound man.” “I’m playing bass,” Yahel pointed out, and then offered that “60 Hertz on down is just garbage,” thereby establishing his audio literacy. “My sweet spot is usually around 80 to 100.” “You’ll get plenty of bass on stage,” his sound guy
replied. “I usually look for that spot where it just starts to hang and then back it off a little.” Reassured, Sam went back on stage, kicked a few pedals and then said, “Well, it’s a little bit boomy right here, but it’s pretty good.”
Put It in a Binder PP
“This festival is just a huge spread-sheet,” Steve says. “It’s the same spread-sheet every year with different informa-tion.” Of course, like many spreadsheets (the ones that predict 15% growth into the infinite unforeseeable future, for instance) Bumbershoot’s sometimes fails to match up to reality. Schoolyard Heros substituted for +44, the Blue Scholars filled in for Ryan Shaw, the Horrorpops just plain failed to show, and Sam Yahel’s fellow New Yorkers Brian Blade and Joshua Redmond Jr. ap-parently got stuck on the East Coast. Not to worry, though. Local players Mark Tay-lor on alto and Matt Jorgensen on drums filled in, and the trio tore up a set of Sam Yahel compositions, standards and even “Norwegian Wood.”
“Actually it’s all these binders,” says Technical Director Rick Lockard, pointing to a shelf of the large three-ring variety. The production office at Bumbershoot is as quiet as the eye of the storm — tucked away on the third floor of the Center Theater (doing a festival in the midst of downtown has a few advantages, such as the availability of indoor plumbing). This is where Rick and his crew handle three labor contracts (with the city of Seattle, the Seattle Center and OneReel, the pro-moter), five sound companies and four staging suppliers. “We used to have a lot more,” says Lockard, who’s been running Bumbershoot since 1986, with a brief hia-tus doing corporate events for Microsoft. “But we keep the same vendors year to year. All of the outdoor lighting is from Seattle Stage; the indoor venues at the Seattle Center have their own gear and crews. ProLine is a sponsor/donor for the projection equipment — these days, al-most any kind of theatre or performance art has a video component.
For sound, we use Carlson Audio, Au-dio Media, Dan Sound, Point Source and TriAmp, which does all our backline. The staging is from the Seattle Center’s in-ventory, Seattle Stage and Lighting and Spectrum Production Services. We’ve all been tweaking things for a long time. By
now, the guys have learned that if they turn the speakers 5 degrees in a certain direction, they won’t get complaints. Line array really helps with that.” Of the Seattle Center’s 76 acres, less than half is actually available for stages and audiences, the rest is “buildings, fountains, flowerbeds and roads we can’t block.”
Vendors like Carlson and TriAmp put their inventory at Bumbershoot’s disposal. “About three weeks before the festival, we tell TriAmp what backline pieces we will definitely not be using,” Lockard explains. “Everything else is on call for the whole weekend. Sometimes we can just drop an extra Twin Reverb on a stage, and that will take care of things for the whole day. But a lot of artists insist on using their own gear, so we run golf carts from the bus through the crowd to the stage.”
But it’s not the crowds or the tempera-mental performers that are Rick Lockard’s biggest challenge. “It’s the existing ten-ants of the Seattle Center,” he explains. “We don’t use Key Arena because of the
Seattle Storm WBA franchise — between home games and practices, there’s just not enough availability in there.” Even when a venue is available for Bumbershoot, the timing can be very tight. “We don’t take possession of the parking lot in front of the Main Stage until midnight Friday,” Lockard points out, “and there will be a high school football game in there the Friday after La-bor Day.” Just keeping the Astroturf in play-able shape is a $50,000 annual expense for Bumbershoot.
Months of preparation, a week of setup, three days and nights of festivities, then another week of cleanup. And before you know it, it’s time to start revising all those binders for next year. But like the produc-tion vendors and thousands of attendees, Rick Lockard keeps coming back for more. “This is really a unique event,” he explains. “There’s something special about Bumber-shoot — the diversity, the integration of all the arts from music to theater, dance, comedy, film and even literature. I tried to leave, but I just had to come back.”
NOVEMBER 2007 www.fohonline.com20
Production Profile
The festival banner at the Samsung StageSetting up at the Samsung Stage
The LaSalle Bank Theater in downtown Chicago is a grand old house in the Broadway tradition. It opened in 1906
as the Majestic Theater and, for many years, was a prime stop on the Orpheum circuit. The theater went dark during the Depres-sion, but was taken over by the Shubert family following World War II. For years, it housed Broadway shows, both on tour (Cats, A Chorus Line) and on their way to Broadway (Spamalot, Sweet Smell of Success). In 2005, the theatre closed for a multimillion-dollar restoration project and reopened in 2006 to great acclaim. This October, it became the home of the Chicago tour of Jersey Boys.
For Jersey Boys, the 2006 Tony Award-winning musical about the rise of The Four Seasons, there are benefits and drawbacks to playing in the LaSalle. The classic design of the theatre echoes the period of the play. But the venue required some serious work to make it ready for the show’s extensive surround sound system.
Andrew Keister, the associate sound de-signer on the show, visited the site early in 2007. What he saw presented a challenge. The theatre wasn’t designed with the access to run cables to the locations where they were need-ed. And the fact that the theater sits at the base of a 20-story office tower — the Majestic Build-ing, recently renovated into a boutique hotel — made access that much more difficult. This was not going to be an easy install.
Work at the LaSalle began shortly after La-bor Day. “We spent the first day stripping out the house sound system,” Keister recalls. “Then we spent a week rebuilding and upgrading the house cabling system. The wiring that was in place was not sufficient for our needs, so we
had to upgrade all that. The first week felt less like installing a tour-ing show and more like a con-struction site. We pulled in all new cabling and had to change the old connectors. I don’t know what the connectors were; I had never seen them before. So we had to up-grade to modern electric connec-tors. There was a lot of manual labor and a lot of soldering — not fun work.”
Michael Mix, head of the audio department at the theater, says the crew brought in literally miles of new cable. “We used 4,500 feet of Monster cable alone to wire the surround system,” he says. Because the theater had been recently renovated, the new cable had to be tied and wrapped and integrated as much as possible into the existing architecture. Much of it was hidden alongside existing plumbing and con-duit. Keister appreciates Mix’s contribution to the process and says, “He’s a wonderful guy and was immensely helpful in terms of inte-
grating the show into that theatre, which he knows inside and out. It would have been really hard to do without him.”
Once the upgrade was fin-ished, installing the actual sound system was com-paratively easy. Much of the sys-tem came from a production that had played at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. Masque Sound provided the gear for that tour and now sent additional gear to Chicago for the installation at the LaSalle. Steve Canyon Ken-nedy, the sound
designer on Jersey Boys, has a longstanding relationship with Masque, who supplied the gear for the Broadway production, as well as outfitting all of the tours.
Since this is an open-ended run, Kennedy and Keister were able to put together a sys-tem customized for the LaSalle Bank Theater. “When we design a touring system, we look at the venues we’ll play for the first couple of years and try to build something that’s going
to work in all those spaces,” Keister explains. “With a sit-down tour, we can go further in terms of the quality of the surround system we’re installing, versus what we can put into a theatre in 48 hours. This speaker package is de-signed specifically for the architecture of the LaSalle, as opposed to a speaker package that’s designed to work in 25 different theatres.”
Because of the work that went into upgrad-ing the cabling, everything else had to happen fast. “It was done incredibly quickly,” says Keis-ter. “We spent a week doing the renovations to the theatre itself. Then we installed the system in about six days. The cast had four days of re-hearsal, and then they brought in an audience. It was done on an incredibly tight schedule.”
People may be surprised to discover that the sound system is primarily analog, rather than digital. Kennedy and Keister, who do not consider themselves “gear heads,” had good reasons for choosing to go in this direction.
“What’s nice about the show from a sound perspective,” Keister says, “is that much of the storytelling occurs when the group is in con-cert or in the recording studio. This means the sound plays a featured part. In a lot of shows, sound is something that shouldn’t be noticed. If a critic says something about the sound, they’re going to say something bad. In Jersey Boys, the sound adds an extra dimension to the piece. Des McAnuff is a wonderful director who understands the power that the sound can have in impacting the audience.”
Because of the importance of the sound, the designers were more interested in faith-ful reproduction than the latest gear. Ac-cording to Keister,“ The goal of the design is absolute signal purity — to capture what’s coming into the microphone and reproduce
NOVEMBER 2007 www.fohonline.com22
Installations
By JohnBliss
LaSalle Bank Theater in Chicago
Associate Sound Designer Andrew Keister
Oh,What a
Job!When Does a Tour
Turn into an Install?
In a lot of shows, sound i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t shouldn’t be noticed. If a critic says something about the sound, they’re going to say something bad. In Jersey Boys, the sound adds an extra dimension to the piece.
— Andrew Keister
L to R: Michael Ingersoll, Jarrod Spector, Drew Gehling and Jeremy Kushnier in Jersey Boys
NOVEMBER 2007 www.fohonline.com24
Installations
it as accurately as possible, while doing as little as possible to the signal between its input and its output.”
The heart of the system is a Cadac J-Type Live Production Console, with a 58-slot main frame and a 40-slot sidecar. Michael Mix praises the system for its reliability. “It has amazing circuitry,” he says. “There’s virtually no degrading of the sound.” Mix also appre-ciates that the board is completely modu-lar, which makes his job of maintaining the equipment a little easier. Camco Vortexes 4.0 and 6.0 provide the amplification, while all
the processing is by XTA.The audience is more likely to notice
the array of speakers that fill the house. The show depends on a combination of EAW, L-ACOUSTICS and Meyer speaker products. The adjustable center cluster consists primarily of L-ACOUSTICS, while the towers flanking the stage hold EAW speakers. The surround is created by a variety of speakers on each of the four levels of the theatre. Four speakers back each level of seats, while an additional four speakers are located on each wall of or-chestra seating. An additional three speak-
ers on each wall serve the dress circle, mezzanine and balcony. The 16 rear speak-ers and 26 side speakers are complemented by delay speakers, which serve the orchestra, dress circle and mezzanine. Because nearly half the orchestra is covered by the dress circle above, that level has two sets of delay speakers — one row mounted at the front of the dress circle, and another midway back.
Jersey Boys regular Julie Randolph came along to as-sist with the install and the opening. “Julie Randolph is the original mixer of the Broadway show,” Keister explains, “so we take her to each production that we open. She works with the sounds mixers, and lets Steve Kennedy and me concentrate on the overall sound of the show.” Ty Lackey, who worked the show in Los Angeles, will run the board at the LaSalle with Mix as his assistant.
Jersey Boys has settled into the LaSalle
Bank Theater for what is likely to be a long run. And after that? “Most of the cabling and infrastructure modifications that we added we’ll leave in the theatre,” says Keister. “There wouldn’t be much benefit to us taking it out. We always try to leave a theatre a little nicer than when we arrived there. It’s our small gift to them.”
L to R: Drew Gehling, Jarrod Spector, Jeremy Kushnier and Michael Ingersoll in Jersey Boys
Joa
n M
arc
us
Joa
n M
arc
us
LIVE SOUND, Theory & PracticeMark Amundson’s first book
AvailableNow
atwww.fohbookshelf.com
Ad
info
:http
:// foh
.ho
tims.co
m
NOVEMBER 2007 www.fohonline.com26
Product Gallery
Company Model MSRP Dimensions WeightFrequency Response
Maximum SPL Power Amplifier Rating Cabinet Design Driver Size Interfaces Onboard Processing
A-Line Acousticswww.ALineAcoustics.com
LS218A $ 3,499.00 44.5” x 21.8” x 22.8” 160 lbs. 40–200 Hz 133 dB 1,000 Front-radiating 2 x 18” M & F XLR, I/O PowerconBuilt-in DSP selectable
Omni/Cardoid
Bag Endwww.bagend.com
PBassault-R $11,960.00 40 “ x 36 “ x 40 “ 310 lbs. 18 Hz–50 Hz 139 dB @ 45 Hz (1 meter) 4 amplifiers @ 1,000 watts each Sealed box infrasystem 4 x 21” XLR In, XLR Thru, PowerCon Yes
PD12E-DA $ 1,960.00 9.125 “ x 27 “ x 36 “ 80 lbs. 8 Hz–95 Hz 121 dB @ 80 Hz (1 meter) 500 Sealed box infrasystem 2 x 12” XLR In, XLR Thru, PowerCon Yes
PD18E-AD $ 3,220.00 15 “ x 38 “ x 30 “ 131 lbs. 60 Hz–250 Hz 129 dB @ 80 Hz (1 meter) 1,000 Sealed box infrasystem 2 x 18” XLR In, XLR Thru, PowerCon Yes
EAWwww.eaw.com
NTS22 $ 4,658.00 17.6” x 25.9” x 30.2” 98 lbs. 35 Hz–130 Hz 126 dB average; 132 dB peak 2 x 1,000 wattsDrivers in “push-pull” arrangement, vented
enclosure2 x 12’’ (w/4’’ voice coils) Neutrik PowerCon, XLR, loop-thru Yes
JBL Professionalwww.JBLPRO.com
VPSB7118DP $ 4,629.00 20.25” x 27.75” x 32” 129 lbs. 39 Hz–145 Hz 129 dB SPL 1,800 watts continuous Front-loaded 18” XLR PowerCon Yes
VRX918SP $ 2,249.00 20.0” x 23.5” x 29.5” 85 lbs.34 Hz–220 Hz;31 Hz–220 Hz
126 dB peak (free field condition, measured)
750 watts continuous/1,500 watts peak
Direct radiating 18” Internal DSP, XLR in- and output, Powercon in- and loop
connectorNo
L-ACOUSTICSwww.l-acoustics.com
SB15P $ 3,075.00 17.5” x 20.5’’ x 20.5’’ 80 lbs. 40–100 Hz 131 dB 1,000 watts Front-loaded, vented 15” XLR, PowerCon No
Meyer Sound Laboratories Inc.www.meyersound.com
700-HP $ 7,860.00 45.93” x 22.5” x 30” 204 lbs. 30 Hz–125 Hz 139 dB 2,250 watts Front-loaded2 x 18” neodymium
cone driversXLR-Looping/L6-20, IEC-309 No
Outlinewww.outline.it
LAB 15 SP $ 5,113.41 16.93” x 33.86” x 33.86” 119.05 lbs. 33 Hz–174 Hz 137 dB peak (1 meter) 1,250 wattsHybrid waveguide indirect
radiation15” XLR In, XLR Thru, PowerCon in- and loop No
Peaveywww.peavey.com
Impulse 115P $ 1,549.99 24.375” x 21.125” x 27 “ 106 lbs. 45 Hz–120 Hz 128 dB peak 1,000 watts continuousFront-ported, tuned
to 40 Hz
15” with Kevlar-impregnated cone &
4” VC
1/4-inch TRS & female XLR; male XLR thru output; left & right power amp outputs with high-pass crossover; stand-alone,
electronic two-way or three-channel operation
Yes; onboard Kosmos subharmonic generator
built-in
QSC Audiowww.qscaudio.com
HPR181i $ 1,849.00 28.6” x 23.5” x 22.9” 127 lbs. 45 Hz–95 Hz 134 dB Peak 700 wattsFront-radiating vented
enclosure18” Analog XLR input No
Renkus-Heinzrenkus-heinz.com
DR18-2R $ 4,975.00 24” x 48” x 24” 204 lbs. 32 Hz–120 Hz133 dB program, 135 dB
peak1,600 watts program Tuned ported 2 x 18’’ 4-pin or 8-pin Neutrik, screw terminals/IEC No
PN212 $ 2,340.00 32” x 14.5” x 23.25” 113 lbs. 40–120 Hz126 dB program, 129 dB
peak1,600 watts program Tuned ported 2 x 12’’ Looping (female in/male out) XLR input connectors/IEC No
WorxAudio Technologies Inc.www.worxaudio.com
TL118SST-P $ 5,350.00 22.5” x 28” x 30” 135 lbs. 18 db Hz–150 Hz 131 dB long-term, 135 dB
peak1,000 watts Front-radiating 18” PowerCon-XLR Yes
TL218SST-P $ 7,183.00 22.5” x 48” x 30” 285 lbs. 18 db Hz–150 Hz138 dB long-term, 141 dB
peak2,000 watts Front-radiating 2 x 18” PowerCon-XLR Yes
Yamahawww.Yamaha.com
MSR800W $ 1,099.00 23 5/8” x 20 5/8” x 23 1/4” 99.1 lbs. 40–120 Hz 122 dB (1 meter) 800 watts max Bass reflex type 15” XLR-3-31 No
Powered SubwoofersWhether we like it or not, the
trend in speakers these days is very much leaning in the
direction of “self-powered.” Not too long ago, the only real debate had to do with the trade-offs between an amp and cab that were purpose-designed to work together without additional processing, and the fact that you had to run AC to
each cabinet, and if one pooped out during a show — especially if it was flown — you were pretty much out of luck. At least with passive stuff, you could switch out an amp on the ground.
But the increasingly quick move toward digital signal transfer means we are likely to see more and more self-powered stuff. If you are running your
entire mix on a piece of Cat5, it does not make a lot of sense to switch to copper and NL4s for the actual speaker runs. If the amp — and the D-to-A conversion — is in the box, then it is Cat5 from the stage box all the way to the speaker.
Here is a look at some of the self-powered options on the low end of the audio spectrum.
EAW’s NTS22, with a companion EAW NT59 full-range loudspeaker, used on the recent Thomas Dolby tour.
QSC’s HPR 181i powered subs at the Austin City Limits Festival in Austin, Texas. They’re being used as drum subs along with QSC’s HPR 152i-powered 15-inch 2-ways, which are serving as drum fills.
272007 NOVEMBERwww.fohonline.com
Company Model MSRP Dimensions WeightFrequency Response
Maximum SPL Power Amplifier Rating Cabinet Design Driver Size Interfaces Onboard Processing
A-Line Acousticswww.ALineAcoustics.com
LS218A $ 3,499.00 44.5” x 21.8” x 22.8” 160 lbs. 40–200 Hz 133 dB 1,000 Front-radiating 2 x 18” M & F XLR, I/O PowerconBuilt-in DSP selectable
Omni/Cardoid
Bag Endwww.bagend.com
PBassault-R $11,960.00 40 “ x 36 “ x 40 “ 310 lbs. 18 Hz–50 Hz 139 dB @ 45 Hz (1 meter) 4 amplifiers @ 1,000 watts each Sealed box infrasystem 4 x 21” XLR In, XLR Thru, PowerCon Yes
PD12E-DA $ 1,960.00 9.125 “ x 27 “ x 36 “ 80 lbs. 8 Hz–95 Hz 121 dB @ 80 Hz (1 meter) 500 Sealed box infrasystem 2 x 12” XLR In, XLR Thru, PowerCon Yes
PD18E-AD $ 3,220.00 15 “ x 38 “ x 30 “ 131 lbs. 60 Hz–250 Hz 129 dB @ 80 Hz (1 meter) 1,000 Sealed box infrasystem 2 x 18” XLR In, XLR Thru, PowerCon Yes
EAWwww.eaw.com
NTS22 $ 4,658.00 17.6” x 25.9” x 30.2” 98 lbs. 35 Hz–130 Hz 126 dB average; 132 dB peak 2 x 1,000 wattsDrivers in “push-pull” arrangement, vented
enclosure2 x 12’’ (w/4’’ voice coils) Neutrik PowerCon, XLR, loop-thru Yes
JBL Professionalwww.JBLPRO.com
VPSB7118DP $ 4,629.00 20.25” x 27.75” x 32” 129 lbs. 39 Hz–145 Hz 129 dB SPL 1,800 watts continuous Front-loaded 18” XLR PowerCon Yes
VRX918SP $ 2,249.00 20.0” x 23.5” x 29.5” 85 lbs.34 Hz–220 Hz;31 Hz–220 Hz
126 dB peak (free field condition, measured)
750 watts continuous/1,500 watts peak
Direct radiating 18” Internal DSP, XLR in- and output, Powercon in- and loop
connectorNo
L-ACOUSTICSwww.l-acoustics.com
SB15P $ 3,075.00 17.5” x 20.5’’ x 20.5’’ 80 lbs. 40–100 Hz 131 dB 1,000 watts Front-loaded, vented 15” XLR, PowerCon No
Meyer Sound Laboratories Inc.www.meyersound.com
700-HP $ 7,860.00 45.93” x 22.5” x 30” 204 lbs. 30 Hz–125 Hz 139 dB 2,250 watts Front-loaded2 x 18” neodymium
cone driversXLR-Looping/L6-20, IEC-309 No
Outlinewww.outline.it
LAB 15 SP $ 5,113.41 16.93” x 33.86” x 33.86” 119.05 lbs. 33 Hz–174 Hz 137 dB peak (1 meter) 1,250 wattsHybrid waveguide indirect
radiation15” XLR In, XLR Thru, PowerCon in- and loop No
Peaveywww.peavey.com
Impulse 115P $ 1,549.99 24.375” x 21.125” x 27 “ 106 lbs. 45 Hz–120 Hz 128 dB peak 1,000 watts continuousFront-ported, tuned
to 40 Hz
15” with Kevlar-impregnated cone &
4” VC
1/4-inch TRS & female XLR; male XLR thru output; left & right power amp outputs with high-pass crossover; stand-alone,
electronic two-way or three-channel operation
Yes; onboard Kosmos subharmonic generator
built-in
QSC Audiowww.qscaudio.com
HPR181i $ 1,849.00 28.6” x 23.5” x 22.9” 127 lbs. 45 Hz–95 Hz 134 dB Peak 700 wattsFront-radiating vented
enclosure18” Analog XLR input No
Renkus-Heinzrenkus-heinz.com
DR18-2R $ 4,975.00 24” x 48” x 24” 204 lbs. 32 Hz–120 Hz133 dB program, 135 dB
peak1,600 watts program Tuned ported 2 x 18’’ 4-pin or 8-pin Neutrik, screw terminals/IEC No
PN212 $ 2,340.00 32” x 14.5” x 23.25” 113 lbs. 40–120 Hz126 dB program, 129 dB
peak1,600 watts program Tuned ported 2 x 12’’ Looping (female in/male out) XLR input connectors/IEC No
WorxAudio Technologies Inc.www.worxaudio.com
TL118SST-P $ 5,350.00 22.5” x 28” x 30” 135 lbs. 18 db Hz–150 Hz 131 dB long-term, 135 dB
peak1,000 watts Front-radiating 18” PowerCon-XLR Yes
TL218SST-P $ 7,183.00 22.5” x 48” x 30” 285 lbs. 18 db Hz–150 Hz138 dB long-term, 141 dB
peak2,000 watts Front-radiating 2 x 18” PowerCon-XLR Yes
Yamahawww.Yamaha.com
MSR800W $ 1,099.00 23 5/8” x 20 5/8” x 23 1/4” 99.1 lbs. 40–120 Hz 122 dB (1 meter) 800 watts max Bass reflex type 15” XLR-3-31 No
L-ACOUSTICS SB15PMeyer Sound 700HP
Peavey Impulse 115P
EAW NTS22
Yamaha MSR800W
AKG C5, D5 and MicroMC 519m
NOVEMBER 2007 www.fohonline.com28
Road Test
At long last, the QSC “Big Hammer” de-buts. The PL380 represents the third generation of the Powerlight series
of audio power amplifiers. This new family of high-power and lightweight audio am-plification raises the stakes for QSC in tour-grade amplifiers. I received both the PL380 and PL340 amplifiers for this review.
The Powerlight 3 family has three mem-bers, all two rackspaces in size and with very similar front panel cosmetics. The three models are the PL380, PL340 and the PL325, representing stereo 2-Ohm power ratings at 4,000, 2,000 and 1,250 watts respectively. The PL325 and PL340 are Class H amplifier de-signs similar to all previous high-power Pow-erlight offerings. The PL380 departs from the Class AB/Class H approach and offers a novel Class D amplifier topology to create giant power output ratings (4,000w/ch@2-Ohms, 2,500w/ch@4-Ohms, 1,500w/ch@8-Ohms) in a modest two-rackspace chassis.
The GearStarting with the front panel, the PL3
amplifiers feature 1 dB per detent attenu-ation controls in 21 increments. Two LED ladders indicate channel signal levels with indications for signal present, -20 dB, -10 dB and clip. A new blue LED indicates power-on status, with additional LEDs for bridge and parallel modes of operation. In addition to the usual forward cooling vents and a power switch, optional rack handles are provided for quick rack extraction.
The new stuff is on the rear panel. Gone are the DIP switches, and slide switches are
in place for 3-way input sensitivity selection (26 dB, 32 dB, 1.2 volt) and Bridge/Stereo/Parallel mode selection. Each channel has two slide switches for clip limiter enable (On/Off) and high pass filtering (Off/30 Hz/50 Hz). For input signals, you have the choice of ei-ther Phoenix connector jacks or XLR female jacks. For convenience, a parallel set of XLR male jacks are provided for thru patching. A “Dataport” 15-pin D-subminiature connec-tor is provided for audio input connections and for amplifier status voltages for future remote monitoring hardware.
For speaker output and input power con-nections, the usual pair of Speakon NL4 jacks is provided, backed up by four colored bind-ing post connectors for rack install wiring. My PL340 amplifier had the usual IEC jack for power input and 12 amp, 120 VAC-rated cord set. Since the PL380 amplifier was an early pro-duction build, it came with a hard-wired and strain-relieved 18-amp, 120VAC cordset with a Hubble 30-amp twist loc plug. Future PL380 builds will feature the new 30-amp Neutrik Powercon twist loc chassis connector with the cord set having both the mating Powercon connector and NEMA three-prong twist loc connector.
The Powerlight 3 amplifiers have a com-mon 20–20 kHz frequency response, besides all the external physical ergonomics. The PL340 features a damping factor of 500 at 8 Ohms and a 0.01% THD specification with its 1.96 V sensitivity to clipping with a 32 dB gain setting. Power output ratings for the PL340 are a respectable 2000 w/ch at 2 Ohms, 1250 w/ch at 4 Ohms and 800 w/ch at 8 Ohms. The PL340
draws nominally 11.8 amps at 120 VAC, given the usual 1/8th power pink noise stimulus and stereo 4-ohm loading.
For the PL380, the Class D design is a bit less pristine with a 200 damping factor at 8 Ohms and a 0.06% THD speci-fication with a 2.67 V sensitiv-ity to clipping with a 32 dB gain setting. The PL380 draws a modest 13.1 amps at 120 VAC from the 1/8th power pink noise stimulus and 4-Ohm stereo loading.
Mechanical specs are a common 19-inch by 3.5-inch by 15.63-inch depth that includes the rear rack ear projections for usual tour racking. The PL340 weighs 22 pounds, with the PL380 weighing a little more at 24 pounds.
The GigsThe Powerlight 3 amplifiers by QSC were
quick to re-rack in my club mains (C-rig) amp rack, replacing a QSC PLX3602 at mids and a Crest Pro9200 for subs. Since I was able to keep everything at 32 dB gains, I needed no BSS Mini-drive processor setting changes, and I was off to shop testing and on to the gigs. I expected no performance changes at mid-vol-ume sound pressure levels, and the PL340 and PL380 upheld that bargain and even showed slightly lower supply current draw, using a Fur-man power monitor strip as the measuring ammeter.
Critical listening tests in the shop showed what the new Powerlight 3 amps could do. They stayed pristine throughout all the torture testing, and the PL380 delivered on its prom-
ise of driving a pair of double 18-inch subs to its fullest abilities.
Out at the club gigs, no issues were found, and the clean full-range output shook the venues without sounding flabby or having any noted loss of fidelity. Many club patrons appreciated the high-quality sound reinforce-ment, although it takes good quality gear throughout the signal chain to guarantee that complement.
In summary, I found no flaws in the PL340 and PL380 performance, given real-world expec-tations of audio fidelity in club settings. Some specsmanship critics might take issue with the Class D amplifiers lowered damping factor and THD ratings, but the numbers are plenty decent given that human hearing is the limiting factor for audio quality measurement.
QSC Powerlight 3 AmplifiersBy MarkAmundson
QSC Powerlight 3 Amplifiers
What it is: Audio Power AmpsWho it’s for: Local, regional and touring soundcos and installs needing big power.How much: QSC PL340 $2,149 SRP, QSC PL380 $3,599 SRPPros: Small, rugged, sounds great, efficient.Cons: None to my ears.
It is always a challenge when you show up to a gig with a passel of new mics to try out. It is even harder to cram them all into a single
review. But that is what we are going for here.
THE GEARFirst up: the C5, a handheld condenser
that pretty much replaces the C900 in the AKG line. As someone who owns five C900s, I hate to see them instantly obsolete, but such is the pro audio game. It is rated at 65 Hz to 20 kHz, yet rolls off pretty quickly under 200 Hz. Very flat with the exception of a couple of 2–3 dB bumps in the 2–4 kHz and 7–15 kHz ranges. Well-built with a groovy faux-retro look and an almost gunmetal blue finish. It is quiet (69 dB signal to noise), can take up to 140 dB input without a bunch of distortion and passed the drop test (six feet to concrete, capsule down). Like most other handheld condensers, the pat-tern is probably too open for a really loud stage. These things really are meant to be used with personal monitors to keep feedback at bay.
The D5 is a dynamic that looks pretty iden-tical to the C5 — same look, same feel in the hand and almost the same on-paper specs. The first frequency bump shifts down to the 1500 Hz–3 kHz range (which tones down the perceived brightness of the mic), and it can take a walloping 147 db input. The D5’s super-cardioid pattern is also substantially tighter — especially in the higher frequencies — roll-ing off at about 30 degrees off axis, where the C5 is open to closer to 60 degrees. Also passed
the drop test without problems.The C519 is a clip-on condenser that is
perfect for horns. Flat from 1–3 kHz and then a smooth 4 dB rise between about 4 and 10 kHz. It will take 130 dB of input. I don’t bother dropping these kinds of mics, but they did get their share of abuse, as you will see.
THE GIGSAll the mics were put through their paces
on a pair of outdoor gigs in the L.A. area. First was an outdoor festival with my nine-piece band onstage and FOH’s Jamie Rio running both mains and monitors from side of stage; the other was a benefit for a large Catholic high school with a salsa band and an old-school, almost disco dance band. Again, mains and monitors from a Midas Venice 320, but this time I was behind the board, and we got a position out front. Off center, but at least out front.
At the first gig, we had two female vo-calists and two male vocalists trading off be-tween the C5 and D5 on two different sets. While we liked the sound of the C5, Jamie had a bit of an issue keeping it under con-trol on a not-especially-loud stage. To be fair, we did say that these mics are really optimal for use with personal monitors, and I set this review up because my band does 90% of its gigs in-ear, but this was a “bring the minimum amount of stuff” gig, so we were using provided wedges. Not sure why, but feedback was less of an issue with the male vocalists than the two females.
The D5 was a solid dynamic, but it is al-ways unfair to put a dynamic up after a con-denser, as less “air” in the response can mean a perceived dullness in the sound that is more about the openness of the condenser than any problem with the dynamic. That said, it performed fine, and the feedback issues we had with the girls up front went away as soon as we switched out the mics.
We had largely the same experience on the second gig. The C5 sounded great with the mostly acoustic salsa band, but was a problem with the one-hour-late, scream-ingly loud dance band. Switching to the D5 between songs went a long way toward cleaning things up. A nice plus was that the response is similar enough that we were able to do that without huge EQ changes.
But the star of both shows was the C519, which was a snap to use and sounded good both for pro players with great mic tech-nique and guys without a clue. Even an idiot trumpet player who insisted on shoving the
element all the way into the bell of his horn could not overblow it. He clipped the chan-nel on the board until I engaged the pad, but never overloaded the mic.
All in all — a solid trio. I have become a total condenser slut for vocal mics since buy-ing those C900s, which probably accounts for my lack of real enthusiasm for the D5. But the “abuse it all you want” nature of the C519 tipped the scales. Thumbs up.
By BillEvans
What it is: Condenser and dynamic vocal mics and clip-on horn mic.Who it’s for: C5 quiet stages and PMs, D5 loud stages and wedges. C519 anywhere there’s a horn.How much: AKG-D5 $160; AKG-C5 $299; AKG-C519M $299 (all prices Pro User Net)Pros: Solid construction, good value, nice sound.Cons: C5 could use a tighter pattern; D5, a little more high end; C519, none.
rtThe Gear
rtThe Gigs
rtThe Gear
rtThe Gigs
AKG-C5
AKG-D5AKG-C519M
Harman International is a huge player in the live sound arena, with brands including JBL, Sound-
craft, BSS and dbx, but in September it had more in common with the real estate market than it did with the music busi-ness. Harman’s high-flying stock soared to $124 per share last April when two pri-vate equity companies, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) and Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s private equity unit, stated that they wanted to take the company private, offering a premium over and above the stock’s stated value, for a total of $8 billion. However, the deal fell apart five months later, with KKR and Goldman Sachs backing out in the wake of the crash of the credit markets last summer,
when bad mortgages rolled into repack-aged securities began exploding like pipe bombs in portfolios all over the world.
In an analogy that the one to two mil-lion American homeowners facing fore-closure would understand, the private eq-uity guys began to feel buyer’s remorse, realizing that they had made a deal to buy at the top of the market. KKR and Gold-man Sachs informed Harman that there had been a “material adverse change” in Harman’s business — the escape clause in the agreement and a charge Harman vigorously denied. Worse, an anonymous source had told the Associated Press that the private equity firms sought to quash the deal over questions about Harman’s fi-nancial health, not because of any financ-
ing difficulties in a tight credit market.
Wiser Heads PrevailThe dénouement of this drama could
have turned out to be complex and ugly. On Wall Street, you don’t just walk away from a deal like this; aside from the money — in this case, a $225 million termination fee (chump change to these guys) and the costs of possible litigation arising from the 24% hit the stock took when the news came out — a banker’s word is his bond, and this puts reputations on the line.
As it turned out, neither side wanted a drawn-out and expensive legal battle, as that would have still called Goldman Sachs’ and KRK’s market wisdom and commitment level into question, as well as Harman’s own
reported reluctance to have the “minutiae” of its financials — a term used by an anonymous source in the Wall Street Journal — exposed to any more scrutiny than the SEC requires. So both sides came to an agreement: KKR and Goldman Sachs would purchase $400 million of Harman’s convertible senior notes at $104 per share and hold them for at least one year, and Harman will use these funds to accelerate its stock buy-back program.
It’s a practical solution, but one that leaves a wake. Company founder Sidney Harman called the $400 million settle-ment “a vote of confidence in our busi-ness.” The reality is, it was a face-saver for both sides. Harman shareholders saw their value proposition drop with a thud: The buy-back price is $16 per share less
than the $120-per-share the consortium was willing to purchase the company for earlier in the year, reducing Harman’s market capitalization from $8 billion to $5.6 billion. That’s a significant “ouch” in a gyrating stock market.
Harman will more than survive this imbroglio. Regardless of the raised eye-brows caused by KRK and Goldman Sachs’ assertions of “material changes” in Harman’s business fortunes, Harman’s own 10-K disclosures suggest the com-pany was fairly robust, reporting three consecutive years of increased profits, with a total of over $3.5 billion in net sales in fiscal 2007. Pro audio, which makes up 14% of Harman’s revenue, has shown steady increases in both sales and margins. And in terms of margins, it also does not hurt that Harman’s pro audio business is largely based on hardware, selling into a live sound business — the only remaining part of the music busi-ness that continues to thrive on hard-ware. Going forward, the company ex-pects 2008 to be impacted by additional R&D expenditures and the rollout of new “infotainment” products, but those kinds of developmental costs are to be expect-ed with any technology company.
The bulk (70%) of Harman’s revenue comes from sales in the automotive sector, an industry somewhat roiled at the moment between labor unrest and slumping sales. Nonetheless, Harman has a good share of the market for automo-tive entertainment systems, particularly with speakers.
Still, some questions persist. Harman’s most recent quarter, reported in August,
was described by financial pundits as “lackluster,” and revenues of $911 million were about $30 million less than analysts’ expectations. But there’s still nothing ob-vious that suggests any cratering in the near or long-term future. Harman’s stock has the kind of jagged graph common for tech companies; nonetheless, it has been trading consistently between $80 and $125 a share for three years.
Victim of the Crunch?This suggests that it was actually the
credit crunch that caused the deal to sour. The easy availability of money had fueled two years’ worth of private equity acquisi-tions; as soon as the spigot was turned off, a lot of deals suddenly didn’t look as attractive as they once did.
The real significance of this episode to the pro audio industry: It’s another reminder that as more companies in this industry go public, the industry as a whole is that much more vulnerable to the dynamics of larger markets. Nowhere is that more clear than in live touring sound now that publicly traded Live Nation (LYV) and the privately held, but investment-active, AEG Live (via parent com-pany Anschutz Corp.) have become major players in concert production and venue ownership. Expect that kind of market sensi-tivity to increase going forward, the Harman deal notwithstanding.
(Back when Live Nation’s signing of Madonna was still speculation, CEO Michael Rapino had been coy on the re-cord about the issue during, ironically, a Q&A with Goldman Sachs.)
Contact Dan at [email protected].
What Blew Upthe Harman Deal?
The Biz
By DanDaley
On Wall Street, you don’t just walk away from a deal like this.
It is another reminder that as more companies in this industry go public, the industry as a whole is that much more vulnerable to the dynamics of larger markets.
bizWiser Heads Prevail
bizVictim of the Crunch?
Ad info:http:// foh.hotims.com
Steve Poulton, president of Audio Excel-lence in Albuquerque, N.M., recalls his first gig under the new company moni-
ker. “It was out at the Journal Pavilion, which is a 15,000-seat venue just out of town, for ra-dio personality Jim Rome,” he says. “We didn’t have enough equipment to do the show, but I convinced the promoter that we could defi-nitely handle the show and take care of it.”
Poulton traveled from Albuquerque to Colorado Springs, Colo., to rent a JBL line ar-ray from Audio Analysts, got out to the venue and then set up the system. “I was flying by the seat of my pants, [but] I was convinced that we would do whatever we needed to do and had the know-how and wisdom to figure out how to do [it],” he reports. “I definitely jumped in at the deep end on a lot of big shows in the early days. My philosophy was always to act as if we were providing touring-level service in a regional area. We always acted as if we were big, and I think it facilitated us getting there rather quickly.”
Spreading It Around RS
Renting from Audio Analysts for that show was actually the first time that Poulton looked to another company for help, but it wasn’t the last. In fact, he points out, the company could get its hands on 400 boxes available within a six-hour drive. “We’ve had Richter Scale or On Cue come and do a show for us when we’ve been overbooked and vice versa,” he says. “We’ve gone out and even done arena shows for some of those companies. So, it’s been real nice to have people to work with — people you can trust, people who know that you’re not going to take their clients, they’re not go-ing to take yours, that you can get the show done, and we all do well. Also, I’ve found that working with guys who have been in the business for 20 years plus, who I can call up for a bit of advice and figure out how to do this thing [has been helpful].”
Poulton needed some of that advice, he admits, because he came to the sound com-pany business after spending 10 years on the road working for such bands as Crystal Method, Pink Flamingos (a band that played an assortment of corporate shows) and “a lot of no-name acts to fill in my time and week. It got to the point that I had some children, and I wanted to be a little closer to home, so I started doing more stuff around New Mexico.” Over a year or so, he worked in many of the state’s venues and built relationships with dozens of other regional companies.
After getting tired of begging and borrow-ing gear, Poulton started collecting his own. A
mic package was first, then a BSS Omnidrive 366 and then a set of Meyer MSL4s. He also ap-proached one of the men he had worked for over the years who had a P.A. in storage and asked if he could refurbish it and then rent it. “He agreed and I stripped all the boxes down and rebuilt them,” he says. “I bought a Lake Contour processor, and the system sounded incredible for a double 15 front-loaded box. That was the first large rig we had — it was a 32-box system with some double 18 subs.”
Of course, the company’s inventory of equipment has grown and now includes a host of top-notch gear. In fact, Poulton is in the pro-cess of looking for a 10,000- to 15,000-square-foot warehouse to move into during 2008.
The Driver, Not the Car RS
Nevertheless, gear is only a percentage of what makes a company successful, and Poul-ton seemed to grasp that early on. Indeed, when he moved to town, he looked around for people who were interested in audio. He founded the Albuquerque Audio Engineers Group, and then started to teach them about speaker technologies, live analyzing soft-ware, crossovers and digital processing. “I of-fered all the resources I had — all my books, videos, equipment, whatever I could pass on to people to teach them,” he says.
During the process, he looked for poten-tial employees with good attitudes. “That was my number one thing because this business
is really about relationships and getting along with people. So, I had people who had great attitudes and were willing to learn.” These days, Audio Excellence boasts six full-time employees and has a roster of 30 freelancers who can be picked up with a phone call.
Building and keeping talented pros, who are flexible and knowledgeable enough to go from show to show, has become important as the company continues to service the various venues around New Mexico. Indeed, Audio Excellence staffers can be found at any of the local casinos, at 3,000-seat venues or at the Journal Pavilion. Also, Poulton reports, the town is becoming a film and television desti-nation, so he’ll get called on to provide play-back services on set with a couple of JBL EONS or asked to record a looping session with a visiting star. The company has also worked at the Santa Fe Music Festival, the New Mexico State Fair and the Balloon Fiesta.
On the Road Again? RS
In addition to hometown work, Poulton reports that he’s thinking of expanding the company into regional tour work. “There’s a possible 10 weeks of stuff with a band in the new year,” he admits. “Another intention of the company was that we always had plans to send a major package out on the road. The possibility is here that in the new year, we will be doing some road dates. We’ll have a couple of consoles, some P.M.s and a mic package.”
That move, he adds, is the culmination of a five-year plan. “We were going to buy the gear, go bigger and better than we needed for our market and then pay it off,” he says. “Then we’d open up some lines of credit, so we could just about buy a whole new speaker system, but already have the infrastructure in place. We went multipin right from the begin-ning, and a lot of it was redundant — we had a $10,000 effects rack out on a $2,500 show. A lot of the way that we packaged stuff and built stuff right from the beginning was with the intention that we would be ending up on the road. We’re kind of there now, but we need more gear because we would lose what was happening here in the region.”
Poulton is also opening a handful of complementary divisions, including back-line, installation, sales and a recording studio. “We’ve diversified a little bit just because the opportunities have been there,” he says. He’s toying with moving into the lighting and staging business. “It seems that the market-place is turning to a single source. I’ve always been a little reluctant because it’s been my philosophy to stick with what you know and what you know well, but I think there’s that possibility on a regional level in the future — at least to accommodate some of our pri-mary clients. I want to continue focusing on the audio, continue refining that and doing that well, while growing the inventory and the client base.”
Audio ExcellenceThis Soundco’s Secret Weapon? Touring-grade Service from a Regional Company By DavidJohnFarinella
FOH racksCity of Albuquerque, 4th of July 2005Setting up for Easter Sunday Sunrise Service 2007, Calvary of Albuquerque
Somebody Loves You Crusade 2004 at Isotopes Baseball Field, Albuquerque, N.M.
312007 NOVEMBERwww.fohonline.com
Regional Slants
BreakerPanel
Feeders
Receptacle Receptacle
Receptacle Receptacle Receptacle
CircuitBuzzer
CircuitSniffer
Sub-circuit A
Sub-circuit B CB
CB
BreakerPanel
Feeders
Receptacle Receptacle
Receptacle Receptacle Receptacle
CircuitBuzzer
CircuitSniffer
Sub-circuit A
Sub-circuit B CB
CB
NOVEMBER 2007 www.fohonline.com32
Theory and Practice
Poor man’s power distribution is pretty much using the existing install venue power distribution, either because you
do not have the moderate money to own a distro, the experience to use a dedicated portable power distribution unit (PPDU) or the venue does not easily accommodate the attachment of a PPDU. But have no fear, there are ways to maximize the existing available sub-circuits without calling in the electricians.
First and foremost, any poor soundco op-erator should have plenty of extension cords (service cords) to gain access to those far-flung receptacles that are on other subcircuits not in full use. I recommend plenty of 25-foot, 50-foot and 100-foot service cords of 12-gauge con-ductors with a type S (not SJ) jacketing. Also, once near the stage, some 10-foot or 15-foot breakout service cables with a quad-receptacle box are handy for backline and other shared loads on a 120 VAC, 20-amp subcircuit.
I have mentioned this before, but the NEC requires type S-rated (extra-hard service) ser-vice cords for lengths of 20 feet and beyond when used for live performances. Within 20 feet, you can use the more common type SJ cords found at most home improvement stores. But as a distro-poor soundco, you have to make up for this deficiency by having even more extension cords.
Well, one could always use the clas-sic: Find the breaker panel, read the cryp-tic subcircuit names, trip-off the suspect breaker and search for the dead recep-tacles. Typically, in a working bar or club, this is a recipe for disaster, as you will likely choose the wrong subcircuits at the wrong time and probably get a stern talk-ing to, if not booted out completely. But it does work great if you have the time and the venue is not in use. In the bad old days, you arrived Thursday night at bar-close to find the circuits for your Fri-day night gig. And, if you had an observer buddy and a two-way set of radios, this was done quickly.
Thankfully, today we have a modern de-vice called a circuit sniffer that is used in con-junction with a circuit transmitter/buzzer. The transmitter is plugged into desired usage re-ceptacles and creates a modulated amount of current draw on the hot and neutral wires all the way back to the breaker panel. To get the path, simply plug in the transmitter and go to the breaker panel with the circuit sniffer to find out which breaker buzzes the loudest. Finding each receptacle’s path may take some time, but will give you a clear lay-out of what subcircuits are in easy reach of the performance area. And if you are sure or brave, you can confirm your circuit choice by tripping the breaker and noting the removal of the buzz from the transmitter.
Referring to Figure 1, here are a couple of things you can do to help speed the circuit sniff-ing process. Most electrican’s wire venue recep-tacles are in daisy chains; in other words, they are series of receptacles all on the same circuit. If you are an astute observer of the venue’s recep-tacles and think like an electrician trying to wire the room for the first time, you may correctly guess that the receptacle farthest upstream chains back to the breaker panel. The reason for guessing your best regarding the farthest receptacle is that each downstream receptacle still has the buzzing current flowing through it, and the sniffer can be used near the suspect re-ceptacles to pick up this buzzing. If there is a rea-sonably loud buzz, there is a very good chance it is on the same breaker.
Obviously, you can’t guess the layout per-fectly, but in Figure 1, buzzing up subcircuit A will not cause buzzing in subcircuit B. However, by becoming a keen listener of your circuit sniffer, you can sometimes hear the buzz lightly in upstream receptacles. The rationale for this sniffing is to unobtrusively locate all the avail-able circuits so you can run service cords back to the stage/performance area to power those amplifiers, consoles, backline and stage lighting. Obviously, stage lighting is first to be minimized if open subcircuits are in short supply. But oth-ers may differ with you on this.
You can find Mark at [email protected].
By MarkAmundson
BreakerPanel
Feeders
Receptacle Receptacle
Receptacle Receptacle Receptacle
CircuitBuzzer
CircuitSniffer
Sub-circuit A
Sub-circuit B CB
CB
BreakerPanel
Feeders
Receptacle Receptacle
Receptacle Receptacle Receptacle
CircuitBuzzer
CircuitSniffer
Sub-circuit A
Sub-circuit B CB
CB
Figure 1
Tips and Tricks TP
At Your Service TP
How to Find Separate Circuits TP
Poor Man’s Power Distribution
Air Traffic Control
The Bleeding EdgeBy SteveLaCerra
With all the recent discussion about how difficult it may become for our industry to use wireless audio
devices, it’s comforting to know that at least one manufacturer has been hard at work on something that makes using wireless au-dio easier. Professional Wireless Systems (a Masque Sound Company) has developed a product called Intermodulation Analysis Soft-ware (IAS). The purpose of IAS is to facilitate coordination of wireless audio frequencies in any locale, minimizing the chance for interfer-ence with local television and radio stations.
We’ve all faced the problem of trying to use our wireless gear in different parts of the country: When you arrive at a certain area, you have to do a bunch of detective work (or trial and error) to find out how to set the frequencies on your wireless units to avoid interference. IAS automates a large part of this process. Upon arrival at a location where you intend to use wireless audio, you load the local TV channels into IAS. If you know what these channels are, simply enter them into a list. If you are unfamiliar with the area, the software provides a frequency “wizard” that helps you identify local broadcasters.
IAS includes a database of FCC- registered television stations that is periodi-cally updated for accuracy. In addition to the
name and physical location of the station, the database provides the call letters of the station, the operational status and the broad-cast strength of the signal. Analog (NTSC) and digital (ATSC) TV stations are included in the database as are PAL and DVB. If you enter the latitude and longitude of your locale, IAS also can search for these local stations. For those who are geographically challenged, the pro-gram will accept any of 40,000 zip codes and then calculate latitude and longitude for that zip code.
Once the active stations in the area have been identified, they are imported into a list and shown on a color-coded display at the bottom of the screen. This list will be com-pared and tested against the frequencies of your wireless system(s). IAS also maintains a database of wireless products organized by manufacturer, model and frequency agility of the unit, so if you select (for example) a Shure UR system, the software knows the frequen-cies on which the UR can operate. Running the test compares the possible operating frequencies of the UR system to the frequen-cies of the active TV stations in the area. Then, IAS displays the frequencies of the UR system that are least likely to conflict with the active broadcasts in the area.
Here is where the similarity to previous wireless spectrum analysis software ends: In-termodulation Analysis Software can import
the data regarding the Shure wireless system into the “active” window, appending the list of active frequencies for the locale. When you add the next wireless system — say a Sennheiser personal monitor system — the test process is repeated, but this time the Sennheiser system’s possible frequencies are compared to the en-tire active list, including TV stations and the Shure wireless system(s). As wireless activity for an event gets more complicated, the software keeps track of the frequencies you already have earmarked for use with other wireless audio systems. Intermodulation Analysis Soft-ware works with systems from Audio-Technica, Electro-Voice, Lectrosonics, Sennheiser, Shure, Sony, Telex and others. Of course, once IAS has indicated the optimum channel set up for your wireless devices, it is up to you to actually set the wireless transmitters and receivers to the appropriate channels.
So what’s the big deal? Well, Intermodu-lation Analysis Software really isn’t going to shine in a situation where you are running one or two channels of wireless gear with a touring band. You have to envision Intermod-ulation Analysis Software in use on a large-scale event. Take the Super Bowl, for example, an event at which there may be a thousand wireless audio channels in use simultane-ously. There are three problems with coordi-
nating wireless frequencies for such a huge event. The first is identifying local broadcast-ers and finding a sufficient number of open channels in the area. The second is assign-ing these open frequencies to their respec-tive equipment and users while making sure they don’t step on each other. Third, multiple frequencies operating in the same region can interact to form new harmonic frequen-cies that interfere with other channels (this is called Intermodulation). In the past, this job was a full-time day gig where a human being had to search FCC data for active channels in the location, log these frequencies into some sort of database, search frequency charts for various models of wireless audio gear and compare them to the local broadcasts, mak-ing sure that no one frequency would be as-signed to multiple users!
It appears that IAS has taken a time-consuming, high-brain-damage process and turned it into an easily managed task. Intermodulation Analysis Software runs under Microsoft Windows 2000 and XP. For more information, check out the link at www.professionalwireless.com/ias/index.aspx
Steve “Woody” La Cerra is out on a never- ending tour mixing front-of-house for Blue Öyster Cult. He can be reached via e-mail at [email protected]
This Is Cool Because… EDGE
When You Arrive EDGE
Chief EngineerKephart Sound ProductionsFeasterville, PAwww.kephartsound productions.com215.396.1967michael@ kephartsoundproductions.comServices Provided:Livesound,livevideocontentClients:LowerSouthamptonTownshiptelevisionstation.Quote:“Whenindoubt,blametheelectrician.”Personal Info:Doinglivesoundforover25years,drummerfor20years—IlovewhatIdo.
Hobbies:Hangingoutwithmywifeandkids,playingmydrumsandsleeping.Equipment:Peavey,Mackie,Soundcraft,Shure,AudioTechnica,TascamDon’t leave home without:Thatpeskyoddballpoweradapter.
Audio engineer, lighting programmerMS ProductionsAliso Viejo, [email protected]
Services Provided: FOH audio engineer, live event production, installations, automated light programming
Clients: Katharine McPhee, Coast Hills Church, Dana Hills High, Systems 2000
Quote: “Nine times out of ten, you won’t get the equipment you want.”
Personal Info: I am 16 years old and in the audio-visual industry, hoping one day my career will take off. I have three years of sound and lighting experience.
Hobbies: Playing the drums, critiquing films.
Equipment: Yamaha M7CL, Yamaha LS9, Allen & Heath ML5000, Wholehog III, Midas Heritage, Sennheiser, Shure, EAW, dbx, Meyer, JBL, BSS Soundweb, ETC.
Don’t leave home without: Zip ties, iPod, gloves.
If you’d like to see yourself featured in “In the Trenches,”visit www.fohonline.com/trenches to submit your information to FOH, or e-mail [email protected] for more info.
RICH MORRISMax Shiffman Mike Kephart
Mike Kephart (left) with Al Stewart
Howdy Anklebiters readers,My esteemed colleague Brian Cassell is
getting married and all that it entails, so at the suggestion of the Editor, I am writing this column with my imaginary friend to keep the conversational quality of the piece. I have de-cided to name my imaginary friend Gear Snob Rob. He is a smarter and more experienced sound engineer — a little jaded, because he’s a major tour guy.
In honor of Brian’s wedding, I recount a wedding situation I recently worked. Hope you enjoy it and send Brian well-wishes on his hon-eymoon, while he employs a part of his anato-my besides his ears!
Ken: Gear Snob Rob: Are you familiar with an instrument called a krar? That’s how I was told it was spelled. It is a stringed, almost-sitar-sounding thing that the player, when stand-ing, holds up by a strap around the arm/wrist and strums/plays with the other hand. The notes of the krar are played by fingering the strings with the hand of the supporting arm. This gig was an East African wedding that ran two days and was quite a culture clash for my fairly Westernized ears. Did I mention that the event happened with two hours notice (no lie) and the advance guy answering my ques-tions was a police officer friend of the bride? You ever walk into situations like that?
Gear Snob Rob: Yes, I’ve had my share of dealing with pressure-filled situations. Ever mix among 50k screaming fans?
Ken: No. Upon arriving, I check with the building guy about power and he tells me the last time they had entertainment, some band flipped the breakers 10 times. I am a little worried about my stuff. Most of the processing is protected, and the amps are good about shutting down if there is an is-sue, but I really don’t want to risk one of my bread-and-butter pieces on this gig. Since I have never destroyed anything electronic, I didn’t want this to be the test case for the “Lost, stolen or damaged” clause in my con-tract. Especially when English-speaking re-sponsible parties were few and far between. Ever worry about this Rob?
Gear Snob Rob: No. I have a systems tech or two and dynamics and effects on my digital console. Do you know where the hospitality buffet is located?
Ken: Ah, no. We didn’t have a meal on this gig. Back to my story. With a little searching, we came up with two-and-a-half 20-amp circuits to use. Based on the police officer/advance guy’s information, I set the speakers at the front of the stage, facing the dance floor. We get everything, and I mean everything, plugged in and ready to go for sound check, and another guy walks in and says he wants the speakers on the wall with the wedding dais. I explained that that might be an issue with the wedding party, because the subs were literally two inches from their tables. And to top things
off, the mains are facing perpendicular to the front edge of the stage. Needless to say, I was worried about this situation and the front vocal mics, but also the krars, which had pickups attached.
Gear Snob Rob: I have a buddy who recently did a fly date. He showed up and the Meyer rig and subs were flown behind the stage. Full band, four or five front line vocals. It is what it is. You come into a tough situation, you correct it if you can, or you deal with it.
Ken: Yeah, well we down-stacked and restacked the speakers, and I had just enough cable with me to do the job. I did lack the appropriate Ethiopi-an/Eritrean break music. My whole point was, I came in, dealt with an unknown in-strument and did a pretty good job! I kind of sur-prised myself when every one of the 400 guests was dancing in a circle, and they were all smiling. It made for a truly happy wedding, and I felt like we helped make it the special day it is supposed to be.
Gear Snob Rob: So you did your job? You’re a freakin’ superstar.
Ken: Hurry back, Brian!
To send Brian congratulations or to just vent, e-mail the guys at [email protected].
By KenRengering
Hanging with Gear Snob Rob
332007 NOVEMBERwww.fohonline.com
Anklebiters
In The Trenches
34 Month 2005 www.fohonline.com
Ad
info
: http
://foh
.ho
tims.co
m/
Ad
info
: http
://foh
.ho
tims.co
m/
Ad
info
: http
://foh
.ho
tims.co
m/Ad
info
: http
://foh
.ho
tims.co
m/
Ad
info
: http
://foh
.ho
tims.co
m/
You don’t need to steal a copy ofGet your own Subscription!
It’s FREEJust go to www.fohonline.com/subscribe to start your own personal subscription
www.fohonline.comwww.fohonline.com
Marketplace
EMPLOYMENT
ForAdvertising Information
Call Dan Hernandez at 415.218.3835
www.fohonline.comwww.fohonline.com
Make sure your staff is up-to-date on the industry by having them read Front Of House every month. Send your company an e-mail with our URL
www.fohonline.com/subscribe/ and encourage them to get their own subscription. If they are serious about your business, they should be seriously reading...
Business Owners and Managers:
35Month 2005www.fohonline.com
ADVERTISER’S INDEX COMPANY PG# PH URL
A-Line Acoustics 13 814.663.0600 http://foh.hotims.com/12796-100BBE Sound 9, 11, 13 714.897.6766 http://foh.hotims.com/12796-148d&b Audiotechnik 5, 6 828.670.1763 http://foh.hotims.com/12796-132dbx Professional Products 23 801.568.7660 DiGiCo Consoles 19 877.292.1623 http://foh.hotims.com/12796-105Digidesign C4 650.731.6287 http://foh.hotims.com/12796-169EAW 10, 30 800.992.5013 http://foh.hotims.com/12796-173Heil Sound 11 618.257.3000 http://foh.hotims.com/12796-158JBL Professional 3 818.894.8850 Lab.gruppen C1 818.665.4900 http://foh.hotims.com/12796-133Martin Audio Ltd 17 519.747.5853 http://foh.hotims.com/12796-207Meyer Sound Laboratories C2, 12 510 486.1166 http://foh.hotims.com/12796-112OVO/Mega Systems 9 210.684.2600 http://foh.hotims.com/12796-154Peavey Electronics/Crest 7 877.732.8391 http://foh.hotims.com/12796-174Precise Corporate Staging 29 480.759.9700 http://foh.hotims.com/12796-164QSC Audio Products 25 800.854.4079 http://foh.hotims.com/12796-115Renkus-Heinz 21 949.588.9997 http://foh.hotims.com/12796-117RSS by Roland 24 800.380.2580 http://foh.hotims.com/12796-165TMB 15 818.899.8818 http://foh.hotims.com/12796-120Ultimate Ears 14 800.589.6531 http://foh.hotims.com/12796-155Westone Music Products 4 719.540.9333 http://foh.hotims.com/12796-121Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems 1, C3 714.522.9011 http://foh.hotims.com/12796-123
MARKET PLACEAudioEast 34 866.274.4590 http://foh.hotims.com/12796-124dblittle.com 34 423.892.1837 http://foh.hotims.com/12796-126Gabriel Sound 34 973.831.7500 http://foh.hotims.com/12796-149Hi-Tech Audio 34 650.742.9166 http://foh.hotims.com/12796-127New York Case/Hybrid Cases 34 800.645.1707 http://foh.hotims.com/12796-168Sound Productions 34 800.203.5611 http://foh.hotims.com/12796-129
www.fohonline.com
FOH-At-Large
COMING NEXT MONTH...
There’s a Bunch of Stuff to Keep Track of… FOH
Inventory! Not necessarily the sexiest or most glamorous part of the live audio busi-ness, but definitely the lifeblood of what we do. As well as providing income, our equip-ment defines us professionally. The equip-ment we stock as audio providers draws to us a certain clientele who, once happy with the product, will hopefully return to us time and again looking to repeat past successes. As our companies branch out and expand, we may sell or dispose of old equipment, while updating and replenishing our inven-tory with the hope of adding new clients to our roster. Certain companies cater to non-musical corporate events, while others ac-commodate concert venues. Whether one has a warehouse filled with all the latest gear, or just a small DJ rig stored in the back of a van, it is still inventory that needs to be taken into account.
Lost, broken and misplaced gear is al-ways a problem no matter how large or small it may be. The deficit cuts into our profit (which to begin with is not marginally that high) and also makes for more work, or pos-sibly the loss thereof. Regardless of size, all companies have ways to track and account for their equipment. Whether by a simple hand count, store numbers or bar codes, we all have load sheets and/or computer pro-grams that help us track and account for our equipment. Whether we rent one piece or multiple pieces of equipment, it is impera-tive that we can provide a paper or digital trail leading to said equipment. Not only do we need to know where it is, but we need to know when and how it is being returned so that it can be reserved and rented once again.
Small Does Not Equal Cheap FOH
Small pieces of gear are the easiest to fly under the radar, and though they may be small, they are not necessarily inexpensive. Let’s say a pair of Sennheiser G2 personal
monitors rent for one hundred dollars per day, and the client calls up and requests three pairs for a show. It’s a busy day in the shop upon their return, but a quick check by the Q.C. department verifies that the belt packs and transmitters are in the case. Un-fortunately, someone overlooked that three generic Shure E5 earbuds went out with the order and only two were returned. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, as ev-erything else was satisfactorily returned, but considering the replacement cost for the E5 buds cuts the gross take from the daily rent-al of three personal monitors in half — that is a big deal.
We factor a certain amount for loss, damage and repair into our costs just to ac-count for such things as cables, microphone clips and microphone stands, which again by themselves don’t amount to much in the grand scheme of all things audio, but over a year’s time, if we lose 50 microphone cables, 20 clips and a few stands, it adds up. Not only does it cost for the gear to be replaced, but also there is a loss in rentals until it is restored to inventory.
Most companies I know take a deposit or a certificate of insurance against the safe return of their equipment. The credit is issued to the customer after the equipment is returned and all pieces are accounted for and verified to be in working condition. These deposits are usually waived when an audio technician is sent along with the rented gear — the assumption being that the technician is qualified and capable of keeping track of his gear. A technician who loses or damages a lot of gear is likely to lose his job as well, as he becomes more of a liability to the company than an asset.
Meanwhile Back in Iraq… FOH
This all said — my mind boggles at what I have recently been reading in the papers and magazines. The September issue of Rolling Stone magazine reports, in an article by Matt Taibbi, how our government sent $12 billion in cash to Iraq on huge wooden pallets, which was then stored in Iraqi government buildings and distributed to local contractors without any real proof of receipt. The money was earmarked to pay for rebuilding costs as well as security, labor and food, but was awarded in such wanton and random ways that approximately $8.8 billion of the $12 billion went unaccounted for.
Such businesses as KBR (a former Haliburton subsidiary), as well as an upstart security company by the name of Custer Battles and a contracting firm by the name of Parsons, received lucrative, no-bid contracts and either overcharged the government by millions or provided shoddy, if any, services. To give an idea of how much cash was available and how poorly it was accounted for, one has to imagine that out of the 366 tons of cash delivered to Iraq, 266 tons was unaccounted for.
The October issue of Vanity Fair maga-zine reported the same details in an article by Donald Barlett and James B. Steele. In their account, they claim that $9 billion went missing, but then again, what’s a billion be-tween friends. Friends it is, as they report that well-connected private contractors were awarded “cost-plus” contracts that en-sure a 3% profit of a project’s total cost. What this means is that the more the contrac-tor spends, the more he makes. One would think that if this type of deal is in place then it would be in the best interest of the client
(in this case the U.S. federal reserve) to be even more diligent in accounting for their cash. Sadly, this was not the case. One ex-planation for the lack of accountability was that a good portion of the money was not ours and was indeed Iraqi assets that had been frozen in U.S. accounts from as far back as the first Gulf War. (It wasn’t ours anyway, so who cares? ) The rest was U.S. cash, which means that our taxes paid for this loss; there-fore, we should care.
Another frightening aspect of this lack of accountability is that much of this cash was delivered to Iraqi contractors and may have easily ended up in enemy hands. Mark Thompson, in the September issue of Time magazine reported that along with the miss-ing cash, there was a missing stockpile of weapons that was sent to Iraq to arm the Iraqi army and security forces. In all, 110,000 AK-47s and 80,000 pistols have been report-ed missing and, as reported in Mark Thomp-son’s article, “Officials say it’s tough to track tens of thousands of weapons in the midst of a war.” I‘m assuming it’s like trying to keep track of all our cables when we do sound at an arena…NOT!
You Lost WHAT?!?! FOH
Apparently, in an unrelated incident, the Air Force lost track of a B-52 airplane that was armed with nuclear-tipped warheads ranging from 5 to 150 kilotons (just for perspective, a 15-ton warhead was dropped on Hiroshima). As reported in the New York Daily News, Sept. 7, 2007, quoting Lt. Col. Ed Thomas, “The Air Force standards are very exacting when it comes to munitions handling; the weapons were always in our custody.”
In the same paper, it was reported that in the latest federal statistics “illegal weapons are getting harder to come by, taking longer to land on New York streets and be used to commit crimes.” Apparently, in 2002 it used to take only nine years for the guns to go from a gun store to a crime scene in New York City, and now in 2007, it takes 12 years for the same trip. I’m not sure of the correlation between these articles, but maybe an extra stopover in Iraq adds four years to the trip.
At this point, I’m serious when I say I have no idea if what we are doing in Iraq is for the good or not. As much as I read or is told to me, I cannot honestly tell if, by our actions, we are stemming the tide of terrorism or creating a new, more virulent society, but I do believe we need to account for not only the money spent, but our actions as well. I also know that if we, as audio providers, managed to lose three quarters of our inventory every time we sent out an order, we wouldn’t be in business for too long.
Maybe bar codes would help keep track of the errant cash or maybe more troops, but at this point, we have lost not only $8 billion, but we have also lost more than 3,500 troops in our efforts to stem the tide of evil. I would hate to think that we are wasting the lives of our young men and women to line the pock-ets of the connected few, as it doesn’t seem to be the best way of deploying our most valu-able inventory.
E-mail Baker at [email protected].
Bits and PiecesBy BakerLee
COMINGNEXT
MONTH...
• The Top 10 tours of 2007.
• Cool tools for the holidays.
• Go to the Wall with Think Floyd.
Art by Andy Au
