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Thursday, April 01, 2010

Jim Cousins Joins Rational Acoustics Smaart Instructor Team; New Training Sessions Announced

Training sessions upcoming in Manchester, Minneapolis and Chicago

Jim Cousins has joined the cadre of worldwide Smaart Instructors and will be conducting Smaart training classes on behalf of Rational Acoustics in the U.K., Europe, Asia and Pacific Rim.

Cousins has been involved with almost every aspect of professional audio for the past 25 years starting with a stint in technical design for Midas consoles and moving on to independent design and alignment services for artists like Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras, Pavarotti, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Lou Reed and Paul Weller, large scale operas such as Carmen, Aida and Turandot plus countless live events, musicals and festivals.

He has also provided design and technical training support to companies such as Autograph Sales and Meyer Sound, where he ran SIM training workshops across Europe.

Most recently Cousins was the Product Manager for Martin Audio where he provided system design and project support training for Martin Audio’s worldwide users. In January 2010, he returned back to the world of independent sound consultancy, forming his Oxfordshire, U.K. -based company Sound Improvement Services to provide a full spectrum of design and support services to fixed install, touring and special event clients across Europe.

He also regularly presents guest lectures for the live sound section of Manchester’s School of Sound Recording.

Cousins’ first class will be the Manchester, U.K. class scheduled for April 29/30, 2010, and he will also be working with Rational Acoustics and its U.K. Distributor NTM Systems (formerly known as Lava Integration) on additional Spring/Summer 2010 training classes which will be posted on the company’s training schedule page as soon as dates and locations are confirmed.

New Training Classes Scheduled: Manchester, Minneapolis and Chicago
The Manchester U.K. Class will be held on April 29-30, 2010 at the Shena Simon Campus of Manchester College. Registration, pricing and logistic information can be obtained through Rational’s UK Distributor, and host of the class, NTM Systems, by e-mailing .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

The Minneapolis and Chicago Classes are being presented in conjunction with the yearly Bormania Road Show, hosted by Bormann Marketing:
• The Minneapolis Class will be a two-day Smaart Fundamentals & Applications class held at the Bormann Marketing offices on May 3-4, 2010.
• The Chicago class will be also be a two-day Fundamentals and Applications class, with an optional 3rd day Practicum. It will be held at the Irish American Heritage Center on May 6-8, 2010.

Both classes will be taught by Jamie Anderson. Registration, pricing and logistic information is available through Bormann Marketing by e-mailing Glenn Manske at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Rational Acoustics Website

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Kensington Church Notices The Difference With VENUE

After upgrading to the VENUE profile there was a tightness and clarity to the sound that they’d never heard before.

Nearly two decades since a handful of congregants gathered in a rented school cafeteria for Kensington Church’s first service, today Kensington’s five campuses are the epitome of activity.

Bustling with activity, there’s always something going on from youth programs and community groups to multiple services throughout the week.

Kensington’s main campus in Troy, Michigan recently upgraded its sanctuary with a new Avid VENUE Profile system.

As veteran engineer, Tim Corder explains, the VENUE is the first phase of an upgrade plan that will eventually include a new P.A. system.  However, Corder observes, the new Profile console has already delivered far more than expected.

“The VENUE system was the only thing we changed, so we were able to clearly hear what a difference it made,” Corder says. “I was sitting in the booth with the music director, and we were just giggling like little kids.”

“There was a tightness and clarity to the sound that we’d never heard before. I’d never have believed one piece of gear could make such a difference. Even our lead pastor – who’s definitely non-technical –  remarked on the difference.”

No stranger to digital consoles, Corder cites several factors that influenced the decision to choose VENUE. “One of the main considerations was the fact that we don’t have a monitor engineer. When the church started 18 years ago they didn’t have one, and that’s never changed.”

“It’s a big job for the FOH engineer, who has to contend with both in-ears and wedges in addition to the house mix. The VENUE Personal Q option gives us a great degree of interaction between the engineer and the musicians.”

The VENUE system’s integration with Pro Tools systems was another deciding factor, but not for the usual reasons. “We don’t do a lot of live multitracking,” Corder admits, “but our music team does a lot of their composing and arranging in Pro Tools.”

“Being able to work with systems that speak the same language means I can be an active collaborator. When they bring me a new song, I can pull up the same plug-ins they used in the demo, and deliver a live mix that sounds like what they intended. That kind of partnership is invaluable.”

Corder also points to Virtual Sound Check as an important feature. “I can come in on a Tuesday morning and fine-tune the mix without the pressure of a live congregation,” he says. “It also allows me to see what’s happening with the monitor mixes from up on stage, as well as allowing the musicians to come out to the console and hear what their mix sounds like.”

“That’s huge in terms of the creative partnership between us. I can hear what they’re hearing, and they can hear what I’m hearing, and that’s provided us with a level of trust and confidence that would never have been possible before.”

Overall, Corder is very happy with the new system. “VENUE has completely changed the way I work. It allows me to be more of an artist. And the system is so sophisticated, so rock solid, and has such great support from the company. The Avid folks really did their homework, and it shows.”

Avid Technology, Inc. Website

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JBL PD Series Loudspeakers Installed In The ShoWare Center

PD Series loudspeakers were chosen to tackle the acoustical challenges of a venue which caters primarily to hockey.

At the beginning of 2009 a new arena opened in the Seattle region; the ShoWare Center.

Located in the suburb of Kent, the ShoWare Center is a multi-purpose venue that plays home to the Western Hockey League’s Seattle Thunderbirds.

Milwaukie, Oregon-based Delta AV and Seattle-based Sparling collaborated in the design of a state-of-the-art JBL loudspeaker system for the new arena.

The ShoWare Center has a seating capacity of 6,500, with retractable seating to accommodate other events such as concerts and other sporting events.

With this in mind, the arena needed a PA system as powerful as it was flexible.

Given the arena’s primary purpose as a hockey facility, the venue posed more than its share of acoustical challenges. “Acoustically speaking, hockey venues can be a nightmare because of the large amount of glass and ice in the arena,” said Steve Jellerson, Vice President of Delta AV. “Because of that, the system needed to be highly controllable.”

Delta AV and Sparling developed a main PA system of 12 distributed clusters featuring a range of JBL PD Series loudspeakers. The system features six JBL PD5322/64 loudspeakers, six PD5322/95 loudspeakers, 12 PD5122 loudspeakers, with eight ASB6128 subwoofers.

Additionally, two PD5212/95 and two PD5212/64 loudspeakers serve as ice fills. Eighteen Crown I-Tech amplifiers power the system, which also features networked processing from BSS Audio. Harman’s HiQnet™ System Architect platform is used for amplifier monitoring.

“It was a bonus to be able to add the PD5122 boxes to control the lower midrange pattern, because we wanted to keep as much sound off the side walls and ceilings as possible,” said Richard Erwin, Audiovisual Project Manager for Sparling.

“With the PD5122’s we could deliver a better controlled lower vocal range to the stands. Delta AV did an incredible job with the rigging and we didn’t have to move a single enclosure once the system was set up.”
       
“The system has performed great,” Jellerson said. “It kicks, it’s loud and penetrates in an acoustically hostile environment.”

“The ShoWare Center is a prime example of the controllability and power of JBL’s PD Series loudspeakers, and also a demonstration of Harman’s ability to develop products along the signal chain that are optimized to work together,” said Brad Ricks, Senior Application Engineer, JBL Professional. “The ShoWare Center demonstrates the possibilities when these products are applied by industry-leading firms like Delta AV and Sparling.”

JBL Website

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METAlliance Academy Event At Capitol Studios A Resounding Success

The first event sponsored by the META featured artists Lalah Hathaway & Trev Lukather.

According to the METAlliance Academy, the inaugural event on March 20 & 21 in Hollywood at the historic studios in the Capitol Records tower was a resounding success. 

“In Session with The Guys,” drew 26 attendees from around the country and as far away as Japan. 

During recording sessions with soul singer Lalah Hathaway and hard rocker Trev Lukather, participants got a close-up look at basic tracking and mic techniques; in the separate mixing sessions they were engaged in the processes in significant detail and participated in critical listening. 

The METAlliance Academy occupied the historic Capitol Studios for the entire weekend.

“This was simply a great experience for all of us,” commented Phil Ramone.  “Working hard with a very diverse group of students, pros, educators and recording beginners.” 

“It’s so great to have our work appreciated with such new energy,” added Elliot Scheiner.  “It was quite an experience sharing our passion for recording with people who really care about the music,” said Al Schmitt.

“We were surprised with the depth of the questions we were asked,” offered George Massenburg. “This weekend we really brought the best of the old school and the new technology together,” said Frank Filipetti. 

“The search for good recording is just a passion that chooses you and drives you forward,” said Chuck Ainlay.  Ed Cherney summed it up:  “I think we have inspired this first METAlliance Academy group to carry the message of quality back to their worlds of recording. What could be better for the future of music?”

METAlliance co-founders Phil Ramone and Al Schmitt recorded the soulful Lalah Hathaway in Capitol Studio A, where such artists as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Nat King Cole recorded in the past.  Chuck Ainlay and Ed Cherney worked with Trev Lukather and his band, Intelligent Design, in Studio B demonstrating the fine art of tracking and mixing a power trio.

Elliot Scheiner was in Studio C soloing tracks, processing and mixing analog from multitrack masters on a large format Neve console. George Massenburg and Frank Filipetti explored home studio mixing “in the box” in the spacious Capitol lounge, taking great care in explaining how to make the most of past techniques in a world of new technology.

The METAlliance is comprised of seven globally-recognized, award-winning audio engineers and producers who have been deeply involved in establishing techniques and technical standards that are the foundation of modern music recording.

The METAlliance is a collaborative community that allows producers, engineers and audio technology manufacturers to work together to ensure the highest standards of audio production.

METAlliance Website

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JBL Loudspeakers Chosen By St. Francis Of Assisi Church

The JBL PD Series were the perfect complement to the complex acoustics of St. Francis’ sanctuary.

A new audio system was recently installed at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Bend, Oregon, featuring JBL Professional PD Series loudspeakers.

Chosen to deliver quality sound with the least amount of speakers possible, Morgan Sound of Lynwood, Washington was responsible for the acoustic consulting and design of the system.

Morgan Sound teamed with Anderson Group International of Eugene, Oregon for the installation.

The installation at the St. Francis of Assisi Church initially presented many challenges given the large space with polished concrete floors, CMU walls and granite and marble covering the substantial altar platform, all of which work together to create a very reverberant room.

A desire existed to maximize the presentation of sound without filling the entire auditorium with large speakers, which is why Morgan Sound President Charlie Morgan ultimately chose the JBL PD series, powered by Crown amplifiers.

The pattern control of the JBL speakers allows the church presenters to reach high SPL levels when needed while maintaining speech clarity.

“As the Application Engineer at JBL, Jay Fullmer’s advice was most helpful in using the PD boxes,” said Charlie Morgan, President of Morgan Sound. “The sound in the room is focused, very intelligible and even throughout the entire seating area. In short, we couldn’t be happier with the result.”

In addition to the JBL PD series loudspeakers and Crown amps, there are JBL Control 29AV loudspeakers, all of which are controlled by a BSS London processor.

An analog mixer on the platform gives the choir director control of the local inputs, and there is also the option to run everything in static mode with 16 microphone channels controlled through the BSS London processor. The system includes Harman’s HiQnet™ System Architect™ software for quick and easy configuration.

“We finished the installation in the 700-person auditorium of the church two months ago, and the customer is just thrilled with the result,” continued Morgan. “Using the Harman brands together gives the user a tremendous ease of use, and topping it off with the JBL loudspeakers means that they are getting the best possible sound available.”

JBL Professional Website

Crown Website

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Marianas Trench Carries APB DynaSonics Console

An APB ProRack Monitor console has been the perfect solution for their wireless IEM system.

“Masterpiece Theatre“, Vancouver-based Marianas Trench recently purchased an APB ProRack Monitor console for their wireless IEM system.

The band played the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and dates all across the.

Fronted by Josh Ramsay, the vocally oriented 4-piece band has been acclaimed for its musical intelligence and ability to play everything from soul/R&B to hard rock and punk.

Asked about APB, Brett Jamieson, monitor engineer/guitar tech said, “For the harmonies to be as strong as they need to be, the clarity of the APB made it an easy, obvious choice the minute we tried it.

The EQ and mic pres were so powerful at getting what we wanted, quickly.”

Josh Ramsay, whose father Miles Ramsay created Vancouver’s studio Little Mountain Sound, added, “I grew up listening to music through a Neve console so my ears have been spoiled and it’s hard to listen to mediocre stuff when you know how good it can be. We needed the quality we became used to in the stu-dio.”

The APB ProRack Monitor fit the bill perfectly and has become an essential part of the band’s touring set up. “We don’t use house desks anymore, we fly the ProRack with us wherever we go”. 

APB-DynaSonics Website

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DPA Microphones Used In SACD Recording

Opera singer Rick Heis recorded Caught In Paradise using DPA microphones.

Danish opera singer Rick Heis has recorded an SACD, Caught In Paradise, using DPA microphones.

The session, at the Jugendstiltheater in Heis’s adopted home of Vienna, used six DPA 4011 cardioid mics being for stereo recording.

Two were used for Rick’s vocals, two for his guitar amp and two for bass player Georg Straka, a member of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

In addition, a pair of DPA 4006 omnidirectional mics were used for a stereo recording of pianist Michael Rot’s Steinway model B.

After many years of singing and playing guitar, Heis made the discovery that he was a baritone, not a tenor as a music teacher had told him.

This discovery revitalized his musical career and Caught In Paradise, which so far has been released in Austria on the local label Gerimi Classics, has come from this renaissance.

“I’ve been using DPA microphones for years because I find they have a unique combination of musicality and a clean, neutral sound,” says Heis. “As our recording producer Jean-Marie Geijsen - a director and balance engineer at Polyhymnia International - also favours DPA it was an easy choice.”

DPA Website

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