David Scheirman: Last time I mixed a show for less than a thousand? Well...I just volunteered at a local church event and helped the kids make sure the two RF mics had the right 9V batteries. It was five inputs on a Mackie, as I recall. I think it is good for all of us who've learned 'the ropes' to get involved in community service projects whenever possible.

And, there are a great many young people today who are trying to figure out how to get into this business. (They can't all stumble across a garage band practice while they are throwing newspapers, like I did!)

Chris Kathman: You are very lucky to still have your hearing after all those shows! There were no custom-molded earplugs then. Do you ever use them now?

David Scheirman: Hearing protection is very important. Our ears are the tools we use to make a living. Custom molded plugs didn't appear until the early 1980's. I was lucky...I used to have a girlfriend who was an audiologist when I was about 23 years old. She worked in the Speech & Hearing clinic at a major university research center. I got my hearing tested...learned what to watch out for...and still like to have regular checkups.

As far as using earplugs now...I always carry custom molds, with both 10 and 20 dB pad inserts. And I carry cheap foam plugs to pass out to friends and associates whenever I see somebody who's not 'protected'. As they say, "Practice Safe Sound" !!!

I'd also suggest, for those of you who are sound system operators on a regular basis, discipline yourself to take breaks to let your hearing system recover from noise exposure. If you're "on the bus", out on tour...take frequent breaks by going outside, get out in nature. Condition yourself to listening to natural sounds far away, such as insects, birds and running water. This helps your hearing system stay in balance.

Moderator: Was there a defined time when things went from "one box per passband" to the "all in one box" like the Clair S-4 or KF-850?

David Scheirman: Hmmm...history of "boxes" is a fascinating subject. Roughly, in my experience, you could say that column speakers and early line arrays from Bozak, EV, JBL, University, Altec etc. "ruled" in the 1960's. The 2-way stuff with separate horns muscled in during the late 60's.

Then, the Altec A7 "Voice of the Theater" put the LF and HF in the same box...that was an innovation. Clair Bros. surely gets kudos for pulling the multiway system into one box, circa 1973-75. It was first built to help make sure that high profile projects (such as the co-headlining tour with Beach Boys and Chicago) could present a new level of concert audio quality.

Things like the KF850, the Meyer MSL3, and the Turbosound TMS-3 all began to proliferate in the 1980's. That certainly made life easier for those of us who had to travel around and were constantly challenged, seeking some consistency from company to company and city to city.