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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

dBTechnologies Helps Upgrade Santa’s Cave In The Artic Circle

The Santa Park stage entertainment arena was upgraded with Opera 410D speakers and PU920 series wireless microphone systems

This month has seen the installation of dBTechnologies’ wireless microphone and loudspeaker systems at Santa Park, Finland’s festive theme park, just in time for its busiest season.

The project for newly appointed Finnish distributor Live Nation, involved upgrading the stage entertainment arena at the underground attraction, where Opera 410D speakers and PU920 series wireless microphone systems are now used in the Santa Park Show.

Jori Asikainen of Live Nation says, “It was an easy decision when specifying the sound equipment for this project; both systems we used were exactly what we needed.

“The install went smoothly and it is proving to be reliable even at Arctic temperatures.”

The digitally controlled 16 channel PU920 wireless microphone system features extensive working range, long battery life and a newly developed digital squelch control, offering extremely high operating reliability.

The Opera 410D is part of the newest Opera Digital range which boasts digital bi-amping, dual active limiter, digital sound processor and asymmetrical horn design, all packed neatly into a rugged yet lightweight polypropolene housing.

“We are extremely excited about our new cooperation,” explains Asikainen about their partnership with dBTechnologies.

“The timing was perfect to present the new Opera Digital, as well as the Flexsys and DVX series. And the DVA Line Arrays are absolutely in a class of their own.

“The whole concept of active professional audio was something we were looking for, and now we have it – and we are very proud of it.”

Harald von Falkenstein, dBTechnologies European Sales Manager adds, “We needed a distributor who would be able to promote all the different new lines. Not only retail, but also to the rental and installation markets.

“Live Nation’s contacts through event organization ensure great access on the rental side, and they have the added bonus of doing their own installations too.”

Live Nation was responsible for providing the new sound and lighting system for the stage entertainment venue at Santa Park.

dBTechnologies
Santa Park

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International Touring Engineers Utilizing Sennheiser IE 8 Earphones

Off-the-shelf, flagship IE 8 earphones receiving rave reviews for their sound quality and fit

Custom personal ear monitors typically cost $1,000 or more and involve a visit to the doctor to be fitted for ear molds. Costing less than half the price, Sennheiser’s new off-the-shelf, flagship IE 8 earphones are receiving rave reviews for their sound quality and fit from international touring engineers, who are using them both onstage and off.

“I think they’re one of best things I’ve plugged into my head, ever,” comments Wil Burton, the monitor engineer with Australian band, Jet on their current world tour. “They’re absolutely deadly accurate.

“They have what I call the ‘Sennheiser sound,’ which means that they’ve got the proper dynamic weighting for the bottom end. They’ve got weight and depth and thickness to them, unlike a lot of earpieces.”

Burton reveals that his IE 8s are in constant use, whether he is traveling or working. “The band were laughing the other day because they never see me without them hanging around my neck,” he says.

In addition to using them as onstage IEMs on tour, Burton, who is also a studio engineer, has been using them to evaluate reference mixes being produced in his absence back in Australia.

“I find that I can make completely informed mix decisions via remote using them,” he says.

“They sound spectacular,” agrees Steve Bumbera, FOH engineer for Somali-Canadian hip-hop artist K’naan, “and they have great isolation.”

Both K’naan and bass player Ray Nesmith have adopted the IE 8 earpieces, which are supplied with a wide variety of bud adaptors to fit almost any ear size.

“They fit really well and give you a molded ear feel. If you’re spending a considerable amount of money on personal monitors they’re all going to sound spectacular.

“But I think what sets these apart are their price range and that they fit. You put them in and you’re not going to have to worry about them falling out,” notes Bumbera.

“In fact,” adds Burton, “I recommend to clients that they try the IE 8s. You can get them off-the-shelf, and fit them however you want them to fit, with whatever attributes you want.

“You can have them completely sealed or you can leave them slightly open.”

“They’re very transparent and they’re very flat,” states Sean Quackenbush, FOH engineer for Robert Randolph and the Family Band.

“You can tailor them to the way you want them to sound. I like a lot of low end, so I crank it up. They sound phenomenal and the isolation is great.

“They mimic the personal monitors that we’re using onstage really well.”

Mike Fanuele, who acts as production and tour manager, as well as FOH and monitor engineer, for super-group Tinted Windows, is also pleased with the fit.

“They really are light and easy to put in. You almost don’t even notice that they’re there.” adds Fanuele, who has also worked with Dashboard Confessional and Fountains of Wayne.

“I did a comparison to my custom personal monitors and the IE 8s are on the same quality level. I also mix records, and I could absolutely use these for referencing.”

Bumbera adds, “The carrying case is incredible. I keep them in one of my road cases and there’s no worry that they’re going to break.”

Quackenbush concurs, “It’s a hard shell case, so they’re protected if you throw them in your backpack or your pocket.”

Sennheiser USA

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Monday, November 23, 2009

Harman Professional Announces End-Of-Year Equipment Rebates

Applies to select JBL, AKG, Soundcraft, dbx, Lexicon and Crown Audio products

Harman Professional is offering including rebates, bundle offers and added values on select JBL, AKG, Soundcraft, dbx, Lexicon and Crown Audio products.

According to Scott Robbins, Harman Professional, Vice President of Sales, the rebate offer is intended to support loyal retailers during a challenging season and provide end customers with a remarkable opportunity to access the same technologies used by the production elite.

The full roster of special offers and rebates is available here www.harmanrebates.com/

For example, one package includes a $100 discount when buying one Lexicon Lambda USB interface, one pair of JBL Control 2P Studio Monitors, and one AKG Perception 120 USB microphone.

In another package,  Lexicon teams with AKG to offer a free D 5 microphone with the purchase of an I-ONIX U22, I-ONIX U45, or an IONIX U825 recording interface.

The other Harman brands also have similar deals. JBL and AKG are offering a package deal of one pair of JBL LSR2328P studio monitors with a free set of AKG 240 studio headphones. Soundcraft is giving a $250 discount with the purchase of a Soundcraft MFXI20 Mixer with an AKG WMS 450 wireless system, and Crown is offering similar deals with $75 off the XLS 602, $100 off the XLS 802, and $150 off the XLS 50000.

Harman Professional Website
Harman Rebates Website

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Friday, November 20, 2009

Lab.gruppen Joins Open-Platform Crestron Integrated Partner Program (IPP)

The new Crestron module features full amplifier fault reporting, muting, and soloing at the per-channel level, as well as power on/off and real time metering

Lab.gruppen is now a fully certified member of the Crestron Electronics Integrated Partner Program (IPP), following the co-development of a Crestron Integrated Partner control module which allows Lab.gruppen amplifiers and Lake products to operate seamlessly with other hardware in an open-platform Crestron systems environment.

IPP applies to audio/video, security, HVAC, lighting and other controlled devices that may be incorporated into commercial systems.

The module is a custom control protocol developed for Lab.gruppen by Crestron and is available at www.labgruppen.com for Lab.gruppen C Series and FP+ model ranges, and will be available shortly for the PLM Series of Powered Loudspeaker Management systems that feature Lake Processing inside.

Access to the C and FP+ Series amplifiers is provided via the NLB 60E NomadLink Bridge & Network Controller, which allows control and monitoring of up to 512 amplifier channels within a single network.

The Crestron module features full amplifier fault reporting, muting, and soloing at the per-channel level, as well as power on/off and real time metering, of both individual channels or user-defined groups.

According to Lab.gruppen product manager Doug Green, the new Crestron module is an essential tool for all Lab.gruppen users working in the installed sound sector.

“With our entry into the Integrated Partner Program, our products can be seamlessly integrated into any Creston-based, and Crestron-controlled system anywhere” said Green. “As one of the world’s leading providers of third party control hardware and touch panels to the installed sound sector, this is a great way of making Lab.gruppen products even more usable.

“It’s also good for Crestron, as it offers them greater choice of hardware when developing their network solutions.”

“Installed systems are growing ever more complex,” continued Green, “and often the biggest headaches faced by system designers and specifiers are about getting pieces of equipment to communicate and integrate effectively with each other.

“Ideally we’d like as many manufacturers as possible to be able to control our products – indeed, we already have a generic version of our own protocol on our website that allows users to custom design their own control software so that they can incorporate our products into their systems.

“Crestron’s control module is another part of the puzzle, and particularly important for large scale, complex projects that require remote control, fault monitoring and integration with Voice Alarm systems. Crestron is already in the process of developing a similar module for PLM, which we look forward to announcing in the very near future,” he concluded.

Lab.gruppen Website

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Thursday, November 19, 2009

Yamaha Digital Consoles Cast For Stage Production Of “SAMMY”

Production's sound designers John Shivers and David Patridge incorporate the digital consoles

The Tony Award-winning Old Globe in San Diego, California is currently hosting the hit play “SAMMY” based upon the life of legendary entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr., the production’s sound design by John Shivers and David Patridge incorporating Yamaha digital consoles.

Masque Sound (East Rutherford, New Jersey) provided elements of the sound system for Shivers and Patridge. “It’s always a pleasure to work with clients as skilled and as organized as John and David,” states Scott Kalata of Masque Sound. “They are especially capable of designing well thought out systems that are extremely reliable and sonically pristine. They’re both right up there with the best sound designers in the business.”

A Yamaha PM5D digital audio console is ats the center of the sound system.

“We know the PM5D to be a quality digital mixing platform that presents a good combination of feature set versus economics. For shows on the scale of most regional theatres in the U.S., the PM5D offers a solution that has a reasonable footprint, is reliable, and extremely operator friendly, explains Patridge. “On SAMMY, we took advantage of the ability to cascade the inputs from a Yamaha MY16-AT card to buss the sound effects system into the PA.

“Sound effects for SAMMY were programmed using QLab V2 that we used as a master cue list to recall scenes in the PM5D. QLab’s audio was routed over optical from an RME Fireface 800 to the PM5D’s card slot, cascaded to the busses and, in turn, routed to various speakers.”

Patridge says that a Yamaha DM1000 digital console was paired with two AD8HR external preamp units to serve as a sub-mix for both drums and percussion as the sound design for SAMMY easily exceeded the inputs available on the PM5D.

“We like the higher quality microphone preamps available via the AD8HR and the ability to pair them with Yamaha’s product line of digital consoles using MY slots and serial control of preamp functionality is very convenient.”

Front of house mixing duties are handled by Old Globe engineer Erik Carstensen, the second project he has mixed for Shivers and Patridge. “Erik combines a good deal of industry experience as a sound engineer with a calm and good-natured demeanor - an excellent combination for a venue that could easily produce 15 different works in a season,” Patridge says.

“The selected channel programming and routing on the Yamaha PM5D is intuitive and flexible,” adds Carstensen. “I find that changing and storing EQ and dynamics settings, for example, is achieved quickly - vital in the production process where audio usually doesn’t get a lot of time to get it right. On top of that, using the PM5D in combination with our DME64 has been very reliable, show after show.”

With a cast of 16 of Broadway’s best singers and dancers, the world premiere musical, written by two-time Academy Award and Grammy Award winner Leslie Bricusse, depicts Sammy Davis Jr.‘s days as a child working in vaudeville through his time with Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra as a member of the Rat Pack.

Yamaha Commercial Audio Website

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Klein + Hummel To Be Integrated Into Sennheiser & Neumann

"We would like to benefit from the strength of the Sennheiser and Neumann brands in this business area, too." - Volker Bartels, Sennheiser

Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG will integrate its subsidiary K + H Vertriebs- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH, manufacturer of studio monitors and installed sound products, into the Sennheiser and Neumann companies.

“We would like to benefit from the strength of the Sennheiser and Neumann brands in this business area, too,” states Volker Bartels, speaker of the Sennheiser executive team. “Neumann and Sennheiser are firmly established in the studio and installed sound areas, respectively, and promise a much better market penetration than is at present possible under the brand name of Klein + Hummel.”

Georg Neumann GmbH, Berlin, will become responsible for the studio monitor business, while an optimized installed sound portfolio will be continued by Sennheiser.

“Under these well-known brands, we hope to considerably increase sales of these premium products,” says Bartels. “Neumann – as the studio brand – will expand its portfolio, and Sennheiser will further strengthen its installed sound business, which is the company’s third ‘pillar’ so to speak, besides the consumer and professional business.”

Wolfgang Fraissinet, president of marketing and sales at Neumann in Berlin, adds, “In its long company history, Neumann has set many milestones in studio technology worldwide. We will now also use this expertise for studio monitors and offer optimum solutions to our customers, to international artists in the areas of TV and radio broadcasting, recording and audio productions.”

Bartels estimates that the integration of Klein + Hummel will be completed by the new year. For the most part, the employees of K + H Vertriebs- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft will be employed by Sennheiser and Neumann.

On March 1, 2005 Sennheiser had taken over the areas of sales and development of Klein + Hummel GmbH, Ostfildern and thus the worldwide rights in sales, products and the brand.

Sennheiser Website
Sennheiser USA Website

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Fun With Studio Funding: Cash Poor But Laughing About It

Finding it tough to get enough cash to stock your home studio? Our man Jackson B. Jackson, president of the “JBJ First National Bank,” offers financial advice virtually guaranteed to get you nowhere - except perhaps into a better mood!

To: JBJ First National Bank

Dear Sirs:

I am just starting into the recording business and need financing to build a studio and buy equipment. Could you please send me information on your financing packages, what your current rates are, and if there points involved? Zero down and 0 percent would be nice.

Thanks,
Swap Happy

P.S. I plan on quitting my job after you lend me the money to make time for running the studio, so could you please make the terms for 30 years?

——————————————————————————-
Dear Mr. Happy :

Here at JBJ First National Bank we strive to help small business owners achieve their dreams. We have many lending plans that may suit your needs. Please take a moment to browse through our selection of small business loan packages.

1. “Zero down, Zero payments, Zero money”
That’s right, you pay NO down payment, NO additional payments, and we give you NOTHING in return! Simply make an appointment with one of our qualified lenders, come down to one of our branch offices, and you will be promptly ignored.

2. “Five Finger Plan”
In building any small business we recognize that supplies are needed. With our “Five Finger Plan” you can simply go to the appropriate supplier (in your case, your local pro audio shop) and ask for Larry. When the sales person goes to the back of the store to look for anyone named Larry, simply place any needed merchandise in your pants and exit the store quickly. If anyone should ask you what you think you’re doing, or (for reasons unknown), accuse you of “stealing,” simply notify them of your FFP loan with JBJ First National.

3. “Audio Engineer Special”
This package was designed specifically for home recording and project studio owners.  We loan you enormous amounts of money filtered through a special broker called “Your Wife”. “Your Wife” will tell you EXACTLY what you can and cannot spend on your studio. This is a very popular package, and it isn’t hard to find professionals in your field who have recently signed up for this plan or who have had a contract for years!

Finally…

4. “The NO Limit Plan”
How much we’ll actually lend you is irrelevant, because as soon as you spend what you’re given, your gear will simply not be good enough for you any more. The equipment you wanted so much yesterday… now that it’s actually made it into your hands, it will simply lose it’s appeal. But this is NOT a problem! We’ll simply loan you more money so you can go out and buy more gear in hopes that those shiny boxes with the pretty flashing lights will cover up the fact that you have no idea what you’re doing in the studio!

I’m sure you will find a package suitable for your needs, and all of us here at JBJ First National look forward to helping you build a great big financial hole in your life!

And by all means, quit your day job today! You, my friend, are on your way!

Insincerely,
Jackson B. Jackson
President and CEO of JBJ First National Bank

More articles by Jackson B Jackson on PSW:
The Guide To Better Mixing Through “Mixing”
Watch Out For The Tall Tale: “We’ll Fix That During Mastering”
Keeping Fresh The Art Form Of Recording

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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Don’t Miss The New PSW Video Series: Introduction To Compression

The first in PSW's video educational series

ProSoundWeb has just launched the first in what will be a fast-growing series of instructional videos for audio professionals and neophytes alike.

The first program, Introduction to Compression, covers the necessary basics for success, as well as the keys to effective uses of compression, presented in 12 easy-to-digest entries.

All 12 installments are easily accessible via our video player here.

Don’t miss it!

 

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Ashly Processors And Amps Help Boston Landmark Improve Sound And Save Energy

Audio/video integrator Balanced Input (North Attleboro, Massachusetts) helped "green" the Park Plaza by replacing the old 96-space rack system with a much smaller system centered on energy-conserving, and using great-sounding Ashly DSPs and amplifiers.

The Boston Park Plaza Hotel and Towers was recently inducted as a member of the prestigious Historic Hotels of America. In addition to its upscale accommodations, the Park Plaza is well-known for its six ballrooms: the very large Imperial and Plaza ballrooms, and the smaller Georgian, Arlington, Berkeley, and Clarendon ballrooms. The Park Plaza is an ideal location for meetings and parties of all kinds.

Recently the hotel had grown increasingly frustrated with the audio system that served the ballrooms. A pair of seven-foot racks housed enough power amps to fry a dozen eggs while idling, and their opaque user controls flummoxed even the most audio-savvy hotel staff.

At its root, there was no core control and no time alignment, equalization, or limiting.

Audio/video integrator Balanced Input (North Attleboro, Massachusetts) helped “green” the Park Plaza by replacing the old 96-space rack system with a much smaller system centered on energy-conserving, and using great-sounding Ashly DSPs and amplifiers.

The original audio system was installed in 1996. Mark Waker, principal at Balanced Input, consulted with the hotel and offered a plan for a system that would give them ease of operation, while giving them a substantial energy savings.

“The bones of the system were quite good, EAW boxes and Electro-Voice ceiling speakers, some tweeters needed but nothing major,” Waker admitted, “but most of the amps had issues and the processing was simply missing.

“I knew we could save the speakers but the system desperately needed modern control and amplification to deliver.”

The hotel is configured with one equipment closet for the two larger ballrooms and a second equipment closet for the remaining four smaller ballrooms. Each of the closets contained a seven-foot, 48-space rack. Between them, ten amplifiers powered the speakers.

“The fact is, these systems idle most of the time,” said Waker. “They don’t do much most of the day, but then when they have to work, well… they have to work!

“At any rate, they spend most of their time using energy to make heat, which the building’s A/C system then has to use energy to cool down. With power-hungry amps in there, it was a big waste.”

To each of the replacement racks Waker added an Ashly ne24.24M Protea DSP, “fully loaded” with modular expansion cards to offer a tremendous amount of processing power within two rack spaces.

Each of the larger ballrooms received an Ashly ne8250 eight-channel power amp, whereas one ne8250 served all four of the smaller ballrooms. In addition, mp3 players and power conditioners added features that were entirely absent from the older system.

Despite this, the rack size for the larger ballrooms shrank from 48 spaces to just twenty. Even more impressive, the rack size for the smaller ballrooms shrank from 48 spaces to just eight.

“Ashly amplifiers are ‘energy savers,’ but unlike most other ‘energy savers,’ they actually sound good,” said Waker. “We wouldn’t use them if they didn’t. In fact, we use Ashly PE Series amps and Ashly Protea processors in our live rig.

“In addition, Ashly products are resolutely reliable, which greatly reduces service calls - a benefit to both the hotel and us, as getting into Boston is no picnic! All that power and reliability comes with a very reasonable price tag.

“In fact, they helped us to come in below the figure that the hotel had budgeted for, so we helped the hotel spend that money on LED lighting.”

The old systems used to draw in excess of three amps while idling, more in the case of the bigger system. The new systems each draw less than one amp while idling. That represents a conservatively-estimated 60% reduction in power consumption. In addition, with Ashly processing, any hotel staff member can use the system.

“They just plug in a mixer or a mic, and clean audio comes out, no feedback, no fuss,” said Waker. “We also installed Ashly wall remotes so that banqueting staff can adjust levels without needing to call a tech. Genius!”

Ashly Audio

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Live Concerts In Surround? Despite Some Obstacles, It Can Indeed Be Done

A well-balanced left-center-right sound system is a beautiful thing, and there are many examples of them producing great stereo sound for an entire audience. But we want more than that; we want surround sound. How can this be achieved?

About 15 or so years ago, I went to a rock concert at a stadium in Chicago. Having heard this band’s best-recorded music on some excellent small systems, including high-end four-channel setups, I looked forward to this concert with great anticipation.

They were known for having elaborate and advanced concert setups. I expected many stacks of loudspeakers and amazing “big, immersive” sound along with a huge video display.

Unfortunately, the outcome proved just the opposite - talk about disappointing! It was barely loud enough, muddy, and distant-sounding.

I couldn’t even tell whether the giant loudspeaker stacks on each side of the stage were supposed to create stereo sound.

They were just too far away, and their coverage of the audience was inadequate.

The show may have been better for those who were close to the stage, but the rest of us could get superior sound with our home stereos.

Sound reinforcement (in general terms) has improved a lot since then, and good sound for every audience member is now possible in most venues. Although concerts are commonly recorded and produced in 5.1 format for DVD, surround sound for live concert reinforcement is still almost nonexistent.

Because progress is inevitable, it seems likely some day concerts will be routinely presented in high-quality surround sound.

But even if the budget is large enough, the laws of physics still create problems for design of a large surround sound system. Fortunately, we can make useful compromises, and as loudspeaker designs improve, we can more readily achieve effective stereo sound for an audience.

This is a good basis for surround sound, which can utilize many of the same principles.

Start With Stereo
Achieving good stereo sound for a large audience requires careful design with close attention to acoustic issues. The basic requirement is for each listener to hear each of the loudspeakers at nearly the same level, nearly the same time, and with matched frequency response.

This is a tall order for any size venue, and requires certain compromises.

The biggest problem is the timing of the sound heard from different loudspeakers. The arrival time of the sound from each loudspeaker will be different for every member of the audience.

Due to the precedence (or Haas) effect, the sound source heard first usually determines the perceived direction the sound is coming from.

When panning between adjacent loudspeakers, the sound from each loudspeaker (or cluster) needs to arrive nearly simultaneously.

To produce reasonably accurate panning, the sound arrivals need to be within about a millisecond (ms) at each listener.

For an audience of more than a few people, this won’t happen because 9 ms delay is created by every 10 feet of distance from the sound source.

The audible effect of this time error between left and right loudspeakers at a listener depends on both the time difference and the relative level difference.

When the levels are about equal, just 5 or 10 ms can cause significant image shifting toward the earlier sound source.

Longer time differences, up to about 40 ms or so, will yield significant precedence effect - the earlier sound source will set the direction.

Also there will be coloration and loss of clarity. Time differences over 50 ms can be heard as echoes, which of course is a major problem.

Dealing With Delay
Keeping the loudspeakers high enough above the audience will reduce the relative delay, due to the geometry of the layout. This is certainly helpful, but except for the smallest venues, it alone does not solve the problem.

One way to cope with delay is to control the relative amplitude of the loudspeakers in specific audience areas. If the delayed sound has a higher level, this can partially compensate for the delay and help to restore the spatial balance.

In the simplest implementation, left and right loudspeakers are toed in and across. This insures that the opposite side of the audience area is on axis and thus covered with higher output from the loudspeaker than those on the same side and nearer, who are then off axis.

It may offer an improvement, but typically suffers from degraded off-axis frequency response, as well as more sound energy being dispersed away from the audience where it’s not needed.

A better approach is to use loudspeakers with a directivity function tailored to the specific audience area to be covered.

The loudspeaker further from the listener should operate at a higher level to compensate for its longer delay. This requires a specific loudspeaker directivity function in which the output level is dependent on the angle off axis, while maintaining good frequency response.

A cluster of two or more loudspeakers can be designed to approximate this function. Figure 1 illustrates the principle. Note that the higher-level cluster components (shown in yellow) have higher directivity and are aimed toward the farther part of the audience.

The right-side loudspeakers mirror the left. The center loudspeaker helps greatly to expand the effective stereo listening area, and it needs to provide even coverage for the entire audience.

Even with the most optimum directivity control, there is a limitation in how far apart the adjacent-channel loudspeakers can be. If they are more than about 40 feet (12 m) apart, then the relative delay causes serious problems for off-center listeners, including loss of intended localization and a noticeable echo.

The use of a left-center-right system increases the possible width of the front sound stage, as long as channel assignment or panning is kept pair-wise to adjacent channels (left to center, or center to right), so that the same signal is not heard from both left and right.

Long Distance Surround
A well-balanced left-center-right sound system is a beautiful thing, and there are many examples of them producing great stereo sound for an entire audience.

But we want more than that; we want surround sound. How can this be achieved?

Sound propagation in air takes about 90 ms for every 100 feet (30.5 m) of distance, and this creates a very bad situation for large venues that may be hundreds of feet across the audience area.

Additional loudspeakers at the back or sides cause problems because even a medium-sized facility has enough distance from front to back to produce echoes in both directions, as shown in Figure 2.

Listeners in the front will hear the back loudspeakers too late, and listeners in the back will hear the back loudspeakers too soon, compared to the sound propagating across the audience from the front stage.

In theater and cinema surround sound systems, these delay problems are largely mitigated through the limited size of the venue, and judicious application of the program material to the surround system.

Rarely is a particular component of the mix routed to both front and rear simultaneously; this would cause a problem with clarity and intelligibility.

But high-quality surround music needs more precise timing to provide sound from all directions nearly simultaneously for all (or at least most) listeners. One might conclude that there is no way to implement this in a large venue because of the great distances involved.

However, compromises can be made–sometimes with great results. The careful use of electronic delay and a number of well-placed, well-behaved loudspeakers can work wonders.

Whether the goal is to provide additional envelopment, bring the audience “into” the performance, or simply to present sounds from directions other than the front, we need the ability to provide sound that the entire audience can hear specifically from the sides or rear - without delay problems.

Go here as I present some possible solutions to these issues.

Michael Miles has two decades of product and system design experience, and he holds an Electrical Engineering (EE) degree from the University of Michigan.

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Building Your Church Sound Team: Job Descriptions & Scheduling

More insights and information on building your church sound team from "The Ultimate Church Sound Operator's Handbook", a new book written to specifically address the concerns and needs of the sound person who serves ministries and churches

Click here to read part 1 of this article.

The sound team leader should develop job descriptions for each position.

Most churches have a wide range of sound support needs, and each task is unique. Youth groups, various adult ministries, children’s groups, dramatic presentations, and regular Sunday services could all utilize different sound systems.

You will help yourself and your team if you prepare a detailed description of setup and striking procedures, as well as operational requirements, insights, and tips.

Again, this is a front-loaded activity that requires substantial energy to initiate, but offers a huge payoff. The team members will be happier because they’ll know what they’re getting in for, the ministry leaders will be ecstatic, and all the sound techs will be better at what they do.

Be sure that each job description includes:
• An explanation of the ministry
• The potential range of the time commitment involved, including typical event times, sound team staff meetings, setup and strike times, and the overall length of the commitment to serve
• A list of required equipment and cables
• The location of the equipment
• A detailed setup map showing the physical location of everything and everyone on stage
• A diagram showing how every piece of equipment is connected
• Suggestions for an efficient setup procedure
• A list of instruments and voices on the music or drama team
• Suggested equipment settings
• The location of all circuit panels and a digital photo of the circuit breakers that control each power outlet in the room
• The striking procedure and special instructions regarding storage locations after the event
• Contact information for the sound team leader, music director, ministry leader, facilities administrator, and so on

Over the course of time, develop these job descriptions so that they are complete, accurate, and helpful.

This type of job description can serve as a handbook for each team member, helping to eliminate confusion and increase efficiency.

Scheduling
Sometimes, the paid sound operator just shows up for church and runs sound, possibly maintaining the gear and making sure everything gets set up before the service and put away after.

However, typically the staff sound operator is given the primary responsibility of building and administrating a team of volunteers.

In a ministry application, there is a high level of importance placed on providing an opportunity for the congregants to participate in each ministry—the sound ministry happens to be an area in which volunteers can be trained to function well, as long as they have a sufficient aptitude and a strong desire to learn.

Once you build a team of several sound operators and as your church ministry needs expand, scheduling will become a concern.

Consider that most thriving modern churches have enough different ministries to fill up several evenings each week, along with several weekend activities, so scheduling audio support for all of them is an administrative extravaganza.

The need for organization is imperative in these situations.

There are many excellent scheduling software packages available on the Internet; plus, the calendar programs available in the Mac OS iCal, Outlook, Entourage, FileMaker Pro, Datebook Pro, and so on are becoming increasingly powerful and useful.

Whatever software you decide to use to keep your team organized and dependable, use it regularly and keep it up to date.

There are several features that you should look for in your scheduling system, including:
• Wireless bidirectional synchronization with your PDA, phone, laptop, desktop, work, and home computers
• Automatically generated calendars in HTML format for Internet distribution
• Individual calendars for each team member
• A comprehensive reminder architecture that automatically generates e-mails for sound operators, ministry directors, staff, and pastors
• Easy-to-use functionality
• Color coding so that each ministry category displays in its own unique color for easy visual recognition
• The ability to generate calendars that filter by ministry category as well as by team member

Be sure to take full advantage of the Internet in your scheduling communications.

Once all the team members understand that e-mail is an important form of communication, they’ll check it often and be appreciative of this vital connection point.

Most modern churches have a website, and the system administrator should be able to supply you with a sound team page so that you can post the schedule online.

Even in your e-mail connections, link to the online calendar so that any changes that are made are instantly available and accurate.

If your team gets used to checking the website calendar instead of looking at an old e-mail with an expired version attached to it, you’ll save yourself and them the heartache of missing a service or showing up for one that’s been canceled.

Whatever system you implement, try to find the routine that makes it convenient for you to update the information and easy for your team to access it. Automate as many features as possible.

The Internet is full of interesting utilities, and they can be helpful, but in addition, try your hand at scripting languages.

Scripts can automate almost any operation, function, or routine. The language isn’t always intuitive, but it’s also not that difficult to conquer.

The beauty of writing your own scripts is that you can easily incorporate multiple applications, documents, and utilities.

Scripts provide a convenient way to combine the functionality of your favorite software packages.

Click here to read part 1 of this article.

To acquire “The Ultimate Church Sound Operator’s Handbook” from Backbeat Books, click over to http://www.musicdispatch.com. NOTE: ProSoundWeb readers can enter promotional code NY9 when checking out to receive an additional 20% off the retail price plus free shipping (offer valid to U.S. residents, applies only to media mail shipping, additional charges may apply for expedited mailing services).

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Audio-Technica Offering Rebates On 4000, 3000 & 2000 Seiries Wireless Systems

Rebates available through December 31, 2009

Audio-Technica is offering the “Experience More Freedom Rebate” on its 4000 Series, 3000 Series and 2000 Series professional wireless systems through December 31, 2009.

All end-users who purchase these products from an authorized U.S. A-T dealer between October 1 and December 31, 2009, will be eligible for either a $40 rebate on the 4000 Series, a $30 rebate on the 3000 Series, or a $20 rebate on the 2000 Series.

Audio-Technica’s 4000 Series offers 200 selectable UHF channels per band, IntelliScan (which finds and sets the best available frequencies on linked receivers), True Diversity operation and Dual Compander circuitry for unmatched audio quality.

The 3000 Series also includes 200 selectable UHF channels per band, True Diversity operation, as well as an easy-to-read LCD information display.

The 2000 Series provides easy setup, clear sound and automatic scanning. All 10 channels are compatible, with no confusing frequency groups. Other features include True Diversity operation and automatic frequency scanning.

The mail-in rebate form can be found online at audio-technica.com. Claims must be received at Audio-Technica by January 31, 2010, to be valid.

Along with the mail-in rebate form, buyers must simply attach the original sales receipts for the Audio-Technica wireless products with the store name, date of purchase, model number and price paid clearly legible, along with the original UPC code cut from the carton of each product purchased.

Audio-Technica Website

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Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Rational Acoustics Announces Completion Of The Purchase Of Smaart Product Line

Rational Acoustics and LOUD Technologies will be working closely together in the immediate future to transition all online licensing, registration and sales processes

Rational Acoustics LLC has just announced that it has completed the purchase of the Smaart brand product line from Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW).

Concluding a deal that was initiated nine months ago; Rational Acoustics is now the sole owner of the Smaart brand and has title to all names, trademarks, code bases and assets for the complete suite of past, current and future versions of Smaart software.

Rational Acoustics Chief Operating Officer Karen Anderson comments, “This is a huge milestone. In just over 18 months, we’ve grown from a tiny start-up to being the owners of the most powerful and most popular acoustic test and measurement software brand in the industry. It’s the end of one phase of our journey and just the beginning of the next. 

“We are deeply committed to the future of Smaart and are excited to show Smaart users worldwide what we have planned,” she adds.

Rational Acoustics Chief Executive Officer Jamie Anderson notes, “It’s great to welcome Smaart back home. Four of the five people at Rational Acoustics were there in 1999 when Smaart became an EAW product, so it’s fitting that we’re all here 10 years later, the day it becomes a Rational one.”

Rational Acoustics and LOUD Technologies will be working closely together in the immediate future to transition all online licensing, registration and sales processes for Smaart from EAW to Rational Acoustics as well as transitioning sales and distribution networks worldwide.

Rational is currently in active development of the next generation of Smaart, dubbed “Smaart v.7”, which is scheduled for a December, 2009 launch.

Rational Acoustics Website

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Hal Leonard Books Announces Availability of “The Modern Era Of The Les Paul Legacy: 1968-2009”

"The Modern Era of The Les Paul Legacy: 1968–2009" offers lavish full-color never–before-seen photos plus exclusive interviews with players such as Slash and Warren Haynes as well as the Gibson designers and luthiers behind Les Paul guitars

Earlier this year the music world lost one of its last true renaissance men when Les Paul passed away at the age of 94. Les Paul was nothing short of a visionary; he invented the electric guitar and multi-track recording and still found time to maintain a career as a chart-topping singer and guitarist along with wife Mary Ford.

Last year Hal Leonard Books published the first volume of Robb Lawrence’s exhaustive chronicle of his life, The Early Years of the Les Paul Legacy. The Modern Era of The Les Paul Legacy: 1968–2009 is the highly anticipated second book in this comprehensive two-volume set.

As a close confidant to Les Paul for close to 40 years, Lawrence has had unfettered access. This project is the culmination of time Lawrence spent with Paul getting everything down on paper and in pictures.

In The Modern Era of The Les Paul Legacy: 1968–2009, Lawrence picks up where he left off in the first volume, offering lavish full-color never–before-seen photos plus exclusive interviews with players such as Slash and Warren Haynes as well as the Gibson designers and luthiers who have made the Les Paul guitar one of the world’s most versatile and enduring musical icons.

This is the first complete document of Les Paul’s entire life including his final days, his last performances at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the memorials in New York, and burial in his hometown in Wisconsin.

About the Author: Prominent guitar expert, player and photojournalist Robb Lawrence wrote the original Guitar Player magazine “Rarebird” column on vintage guitars. He began his association with Les Paul in 1972, a relationship that included work on The Wizard of Waukesha, a 1978 film about Les Paul, and the 2001 Grammys tribute film. Lawrence lives in Southern California.

Hal Leonard Books

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Waves Releases Vocal Rider—A Revolutionary Plug-In For Mixing

Waves Vocal Rider intelligently raises or lowers vocal volume without coloring or compression

Waves Audio is now shipping Vocal Rider, the first of Waves’ pioneering series of innovative new mixing tools. Vocal Rider is indispensable for mixers and recording engineers, automatically riding the levels of vocal tracks.

Instead of manually riding a console fader, or tediously drawing in every level change on a DAW track, Vocal Rider does it automatically, making it a true timesaver.

After the user sets the target range of the vocal level in relation to the rest of the mix,  Vocal Rider then compensates for all deviations from the target, intelligently raising or lowering the vocal volume, instantly. Unlike compression, Vocal Rider adds absolutely no additional coloring to the track.

Vocal Rider Features:
- Allows users to keep steady vocal and dialog levels automatically.
- Saves time by automating the vocal riding part of the mixing process.
- Writes the automatic riding to an automation track for fine tuning.
- Real-time means no latency and no pre-scan needed.
- Up to 24-bit 96kHz resolution.
- Supports TDM, RTAS, Audio Suite, VST, AU.
- Windows 7 and Mac OS X compatible.

Vocal Rider Controls:
- Target sets the reference range for vocal mix positioning.
- Vocal Sensitivity differentiates vocal content from noise floor and ambience.
- Vocal Activity LED indicates when vocal activity is detected.
- Attack sets the vocal detection attack behavior.
- Music Sensitivity determines the amount Vocal Rider adapts to instrumental levels.
- Music Sensitivity LED indicates Vocal Rider’s response to instrumental levels.
- Range Min/Max set the boundaries of the Rider Fader movement range.
- Effective Range displays the total gain range available for automatic riding.
- Idle Arrow sets the Rider Fader value when there is no vocal activity.
- Rider Fader is Vocal Rider’s automatic control.
- Automation Mode controls the Rider Fader operation.
- Output trims the vocal output gain, post-auto riding.
- Clip LED shows when output is clipping.

Waves Vocal Rider has an MSRP of $400.00 Native/$800.00 TDM. Waves Mercury V7 owners covered by Waves Update Plan receive Vocal Rider at no additional charge.

Waves Vocal Rider is now available from authorized Waves dealers and online.

Waves Audio

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