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Wednesday, September 15, 2010

FCC Moving To Release “White Spaces” Later This Month?

It’s not been widely reported, but the FCC could be preparing to finally authorize “white spaces” equipment in the U.S. by the end of this month. 

A long-time friend and colleague who tracks these issues closely notes that, “details are still mostly unknown, but some reports are that only two TV channels per TV market are being set aside for wireless mics. Plus, one report says that they won’t even be ‘clean’ channels, they will be shared with other services.”

Sunday’s Washington Post offered this relatively detailed account of the situation.

Just when you thought things might not get any more complicated…

Anyway, we’ll provide further information as soon as its available.

Related articles on PSW:
The Time Is Now - Save Our Wireless Systems
Wireless Zero Hour Is Nigh: Step Away From The 700 MHz Band
Real World Gear: Is Now The Time To Replace 700 MHz Wireless Systems?

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Thursday, February 18, 2010

From The Editors: The Time Is Now - Save Our Wireless Systems!

You only have until midnight on March 1 to do your part in helping save wireless microphone and monitoring systems from eventual extinction

UPDATE: The FCC has moved the deadline for filing comments to Monday, March 1, 2010.

Last month, the FCC announced that wireless systems must cease operation in the 700 MHz frequency band by June 12, 2010.

In reading through their 103-page document, it’s clear the FCC doesn’t attach the same urgency to the operation of wireless systems that we do in professional audio. (Read more about the situation here)

Therefore, it is crucial that you write and send a double-spaced comment letter to the FCC (at www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs) regarding the importance of reliable wireless systems to your business and livelihood! The deadline is midnight on Monday, March 1.

Sample comment letter for the FCC below:

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Dear Sir or Madam:

With regard to 08-166, 08-167 and 10-24, I’m concerned as a professional sound engineer and user of wireless microphones. I own a dozen systems and often rent others for use in live concert sound. I’m writing to encourage the FCC’s expansion of licensing under Part 74 to include theaters, performing arts centers, sports facilities, churches, educational and government institutions, which all benefit enormously from reliable wireless microphones used for public assembly.

Unlicensed use under Part 15 - sharing spectrum with unlicensed consumer services (TVBDs) - would eventually be catastrophic to my business and to live events in general. I urge you to expand the categories of licensed wireless microphone use under Part 74.

Respectfully submitted,
Name
City, State
E-mail address
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With your double-spaced comment letter ready, simply:
1. Visit the FCC’s “Electronic Comment Filing System” home page at www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs
2. Click on the “Submit a Filing” link under the “ECFS Main Links” section (NOT Express)
3. Click “Add Another Proceeding…” TWICE, and enter 08-166, 08-167 and 10-24.
4. Continue filling out the form, entering all the required (*) fields.
5. Attach your letter, preferably as a PDF on your letterhead, or at least as a Word doc.

Note that Audio-Technica, Shure, and Sennheiser are also offering to assist:
—Write to Shure at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for help with the process or find instructions here;
—Audio-Technica has instructions here;
—Sennheiser has offered assistance in filing a PDF of your comments with the FCC. Contact Sennheiser for more information.

The time is now, literally. Again, the FCC’s comment period ends at midnight on Monday, March 1. Please take 15 minutes to save your wireless systems while you still have the chance.

Thank you,
The Editors of ProSoundWeb & Live Sound International

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Friday, December 25, 2009

Ray Kurzweil: How Technology Will Change Humanity In The Next Decade & Beyond

A visionary looks ahead

Happy Holidays!

I recently ran across an interesting article in the New York Daily News, authored by Ray Kurzweil, best known to us in the audio/music business for his creation of a new generation of music synthesizers in the mid-1980s, in which he provides his views and predictions on how technology will change and impact our lives over the next 10 years and beyond.

Kurzweil is also noted as a “top futurist” and has achieved much outside of the synthesizer business, involved in endeavors such as optical character recognition and speech recognition technology, in addition to authoring books on diverse subjects ranging from health to artificial intelligence, and much more.

Anyway, check out his recent article on what the future might hold here in the New York Daily News.

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Monday, October 05, 2009

A Look At The Recent “Complete Front of House Engineer” Workshop Hosted By Robert Scovill

Strongly rooted in audio fundamentals with an emphasis on understanding the “why” rather than just the “how”

I recently had the opportunity to attend a portion of Robert Scovill’s latest “Complete Front of House Engineer” seminar and workshop, held at the beautiful Church On The Rock in St. Peters, Missouri, just outside of St. Louis.

The group of 30-plus attendees represented quite a wide range of folks in terms of experience and expertise, yet it didn’t seem to matter as Robert provided practical techniques, ideas and insights gained over his career as a multi-TEC Award winning live sound engineer.

“My agenda is to expose sound reinforcement pros and semi-pros alike to professional concepts and techniques that they can employ on today’s technology in order for them to develop a “method” for attaining the results they desire in their day to day work,” he explains.

“Be it for touring, night clubs, pro AV work or houses of worship, the seminars are strongly rooted in audio fundamentals with an emphasis on understanding the “why” rather than just the “how” to do a given task.”

One particular aspect I enjoyed was Robert’s focus on the importance of understanding music, which sometimes seems to get overlooked in the quest to know all things technical, particularly since not everyone who finds themselves working with sound has a background as a musician, and even if so, a deeper understanding can only be helpful in furthering the goal of crafting mixes that both fit and benefit the music.

For example, he offered an discussion of tempo, how to find it within a song utilizing techniques like determining Beats Per Minute (BPM), and then tied it all together as to how this can be very instructive in deploying things like reverb and delay on certain elements of a song to enhance the overall musical presentation in addition to specific instruments and vocals.

That said, basic bedrock technical information is well covered, and as in all quality educational programs, in a building block manner that’s essential. Attendees are supplied with a helpful coursebook that outlines all of the discussions and concepts, and it includes plenty of space for additional note taking.

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Check out a video I’ve also put together regarding the latest “Complete” workshop, which includes commentary from Robert and several attendees.

And for further information and announcements regarding upcoming workshops, go to www.proaudioseminars.com

Thanks to Robert, the attendees, and the folks at Church On The Rock for their gracious hospitality. It was definitely time well spent, and I strongly suspect there are more than 30 other folks who readily agree with me.

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Thursday, August 13, 2009

Les Paul: June 9, 1915 – August 13, 2009

The passing of a man who really lived

In my job, I receive a lot of written materials that include the application of the word “icon” or “iconic” to many things which surely are not.

Now, here’s the term properly applied: Les Paul was an icon.

He passed away today from complications of severe pneumonia at White Plains Hospital in White Plains, New York, at the age of 94, following a fascinating life of invention and music.

I grew up listening to his records, and those of fellow icon Chet Atkins. Les was always one of “those guys” who kept popping back into your life - lose track for a while, and then, there he was again, doing something different and interesting.

It was more than his physical longevity, but rather, that he really lived.

Pioneering work with developing electric guitars. Innovation with multitrack recording. Superb musicianship. Radio star. Television star. Playing live gigs well into his 90s.

And much more…

Gibson guitars has a nice overview of the life and times of Les Paul. So does Wikipedia.

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And go here for a taste of his musical greatness.

Les Paul is the only person to share membership in:
- Grammy Hall of Fame
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- National Inventors Hall of Fame
- National Broadcasters Hall of Fame

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And yet, that doesn’t seem to say nearly enough.

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Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Update: First-Hand Account Of The Power (Not Sound System) Issue At Aerosmith Concert In Sturgis

A report from someone who was on the scene...

I just received the following update from Ben Shipman of AVA (Audio Video Associates, St. Louis), who was on hand with the sound crew for the Aerosmith concert a few days ago in South Dakota, providing more information and photos from the power (not sound system) failure. (My original post is here.)

Thanks much to Ben for these materials. Matt Lawson of DiGiCo produced the illustration, by the way.

Take it away, Ben:

Before the Aerosmith concert, we had completed five and a half nights of successful shows at the Buffalo Chip Campground Amphitheater, in Sturgis, SD, without any technical issues, other than the wind blowing over a ground-stacked subwoofer with some wide-fill boxes stacked on it before a show a few days earlier. 

This year, we powered the 24 Renkus-Heinz Versys VLX3 mains with eight MC2 Audio E45 and eight E90 amps processed by XTA DP448 processors.

Aerosmith carried two DiGiCo D5 monitor consoles and an SD7 at FOH position to deliver the best sounding rig of the event!

Ten great songs into an eighteen song playlist, we fell prey to a little house wiring mistake. Shown in the illustration and enclosed pictures below, there was a clean 200 Amp fuse box being fed from a transformer overhead just to the rear of the stage. 

About 100 feet away, was a second, identical 200 Amp fuse box that Sure Sound & Lighting tied their A/C Distro box into. 

Somewhere along the line, an electrician decided they would never cook during a concert, so he peeled off ABOVE our fuses and fed an adjacent 200 Amp breaker panel for the dressing rooms, a full in-house catering kitchen, a BBQ restaurant AND a Domino’s Pizza! 

Our full FOH and Monitor rig should have drawn under 160 Amp a leg.

Standing at FOH, taking pictures of the SD7 in operation, I heard the PA go down, and frantically forced my way through a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd to the stage to investigate. 

When I got to the Stage Right amp rack, I discovered half of the amps were dark. I immediately turned them all off and ran to Stage Left to do the same. 

Meanwhile, the electrician standing by quickly replaced the blown fuse at the transformer location with a spare.

We powered back up just in time for Joe Perry to announce the end of the show. I made it off stage in time to see Steven hauled off stage under cover and rushed into an ambulance and off to a waiting copter and flown to the Rapid City Hospital. 

I completely missed his fall from the 6’ high or so thrust they hauled in with them and built for the show.  I don’t know whether it was the recent leg injury, damp stage or a simple miss-step that caused him to fall, but I hardly think the loss of power to the PA can be blamed.

We all wish Steven a fast and complete recovery and return to a much-anticipated KISS/Aerosmith Tour.

 

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Monday, August 10, 2009

Closing Of The Famous “Abbey Road” Crossing?

A little searching turns up some fun details...

The Sun (the daily tabloid newspaper and website published in the United Kingdom) offers a report today that officials want to move the iconic “zebra crossing”  featured on the cover of The Beatles’ Abbey Road album.

The article explains, “Councillors say tourists flocking to be snapped on the road are causing crashes, with the accident rate on the rise,” with the councillor for the Abbey Road ward stating that there have been 22 accidents at the location since 2000.

You can read the whole thing here.

The article includes a copy of the album cover image, and it also notes that last weekend marked the 40th anniversary of the photo.

I did a quick search, and Wikipedia supplies further info of interest: “The cover photograph was taken by photographer Iain Macmillan. Macmillan was given only ten minutes around 11:30 that morning to take the photo on a zebra crossing on Abbey Road. That cover photograph has since become one of the most famous and most imitated album covers in recording history.” The Wikipedia link is here.

Another cool thing I ran across is a webcam providing a live video feed of the intersection, hosted on the Abbey Studios website. Check it out here.

OK, just one more note of interest, again from Wikipedia: “Abbey Road was the only Beatles album mainly recorded on an 8-track tape machine, rather than the 4-track machines that were used for prior Beatles albums starting with the single I Want To Hold Your Hand in 1963 and the album A Hard Day’s Night in 1964.” Again, more here.

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Thursday, August 06, 2009

Aerosmith Tour Update: It Was A Power Failure, Not The Sound System

Some facts from the folks actually there and working sound at the event

I’ve just fielded a call from someone in direct contact with the sound team regarding the alleged “sound system failure” last night on the Aerosmith/ZZ Top tour during its stop in Sturgis, South Dakota, where a series of events led to Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler injured and transported to a hospital after falling off the stage.

The Associated Press wire report on the incident - picked up by news outlets around the country - begins: “Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler was airlifted to a hospital after falling from stage during a concert at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in western South Dakota. Tyler, 61, fell while entertaining the crowd by dancing around after the sound system failed during the song ‘Love In an Elevator,’ said Mike Sanborn, spokesman for the Buffalo Chip Campground, which hosted the outdoor concert.”

First and most importantly, we hope that Mr. Tyler is not badly injured and recovers quickly, and ultimately can continue the tour. The report notes: “Tyler suffered minor head and neck injuries and a shoulder injury, but it wasn’t immediately clear how serious that was.”

Now, as noted above, a couple of individuals traveling with the tour, both of whom are working on the sound system team, passed along word that there was no sound system failure of any sort last night, explaining that the power system, apparently overloaded, was the problem.

It appears that the sound system was receiving AC power distribution service rated at 200 amps, with an audio professional at the event testing the sound system’s power draw during soundcheck, verifying that the system was drawing only 80 amps total.

However, unnamed parties also providing services at the rally and concert later (and unbeknownst to the sound crew) tapped into the same power service, overloading it .

Therefore, there was absolutely nothing under the control of the sound professionals that caused the power failure, the equipment was in top working order, and in fact and as noted, the sound crew verified the sound system’s AC power draw prior to the show and found it to be less than half of the rated power service.

I will provide more details and confirmation as soon as they’re available.

For what it’s worth, you can read the full AP report here, among hundreds of places.

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Thursday, July 16, 2009

Report: Madonna Concert Stage Collapses In France; One Killed, Many Injured

The Associated Press (AP) is just now reporting that “One person was killed and several injured Thursday in the collapse of a stage being set up for a Madonna gig in the French city of Marseille, forcing the cancellation of the giant concert.”

The report also noted that at least six more people were hurt in the accident, two of them critically. The production, which was scheduled for Sunday and is now canceled, was being staged at the Stade Velodrome, France’s second biggest sports arena.

The full report is here.

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Friday, June 19, 2009

InfoComm 2009, Day 2: Digital Tide Keeps Rolling

Lots of digital developments, and other technology as well. Go here for 2009 InfoComm Day 1 coverage.

Day 2 of InfoComm 2009 in Orlando proved just as interesting as day 1, starting with a big announcement from Yamaha, which will be handling the North American distribution of the Audinate Dante-MY16-AUD card, which was also just introduced at the show.

Specifically, the MY16-AUD card is fully compatible with Yamaha digital MY16 card slots in consoles, processors and digital power amplifiers.

Audinate’s Dante technology supplies high-performance digital media networking, and it is self-delivering for true “plug and play” digital audio networking capability.

It uses standard Internet Protocols at 1 Gbps and/or 100 Mbps Ethernet. Dante-enabled devices that self configure and automatically discover the location and number of channels of other devices on a network. In short, this takes out a lot of complication.

“The Dante MY16-AUD card supplies a sophisticated, yet easy to use digital media networking approach with our products,” notes Marc Lopez of Yamaha Commercial Audio.

I’ll be providing more details about Dante next week… Stay tuned, as they saying goes…

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Progress continues full speed ahead on the new version of Smaart sound system measurement and optimization software from Rational Acoustics, Karen and Jamie Anderson report, with a launch date of this fall, perhaps before the AES show in New York. Beta testing will commence soon.

Keep an eye on the Rational Acoustics website for the latest updates about new Smaart version 7, which Karen notes “will provide all of the features that everyone loves about version 5 and version 6, plus much more.”

In the meantime, she also told me that Rational Acoustics is offering an Early Adopters special on Smaart, with anyone purchasing v6 right now eligible for a free upgrade to v7 as soon as it is released and available. Those who purchased Smart v6 prior to June 1 of this year can get the upgrade to v7 for $199.

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Audio-Technica has long been noted for its very clever and highly useful microphone developments, with evidence at this InfoComm show coming in the form of the new BP892 MicroSet headworn mic and the BP896 MicroPoint subminiature lavalier mic.

Both models are absolutely tiny, with the capsule on the headworn mic measuring just 2.6 mm and the capsule on the lavalier checking in at 2.5 mm.

Both are omnidirectional condenser type, capable of handeling high SPL and offering a wide frequency response.

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The MicroSet headworn mic has a contoured earpiece that hooks behind the ear and is very secure, and it’s available as a wired model as well as in a multitude of terminations to work with A-T and other wireless systems. (The wired version also features a switchable integral 80 Hz high-pass filter that provides easy switching from flat frequency response to a low-end roll-off.)

The MicroPoint lavalier plugs into its companion power module, which provides a low-frequency roll-off switch and an integral connector supplying a low-impedance balanced output. It also comes with an extensive accessory kit that includes clothing clip base, viper clip base, three single mic holders, two double mic holders, two windscreens and six element colors.

Steve Savanyu of A-T, who also was recently named to InfoComm Academy’s adjunct faculty, provided the overview, and he also showed me the new ATCS-60 IR Conference System, which I’ll provide more details about as soon as possible.

Powersoft has been developing leading power amplifier technology for several years. Based in Italy, the company has been enjoying increasing growth and acceptance in the North American market, as evidenced by the recent sale of 450 units of Powersoft DIGAM K-10 power amplifiers to leading sound company ATK Audiotek. (Go here for more details.)

At InfoComm this year, Powersoft has introduced Audio Suite software, wich provides PC-based control of numerous parameters found in the company’s amplifiers, as well as serving as the framework control protocol for current and future Powerswoft products.

Audio Suite allows users to manage and monitor all Powersoft K-Series products as well as remote versions of Q, D and QTU Series amplifiers. It’s downloadable (free of charge) from the Powersoft website.

A quick conversation with Robert Scovill of Digidesign confirmed what I had suspected - demand for the new Digidesign SC-48 digital console is strong. Last month I reported on the first public “trade show” debut of the SC-48, so you can read more about it here.

EAW has been steadily building a line of commercial audio products under the direction of Dave Raneses, with the results of that effort now coming to full fruition. Dave showed me the new DX1208 DSP matrix mixer that EAW Commercial is unveiling at this year’s InfoComm, and its a very flexible and expandable unit incorporating a lot of great features specifically for install applications.

The DX1208 is a 12-input, 8-output 1U-rackspace DSP matrix mixer. Eight inputs are mic/line capable, with selectable 48-volt phantom power provided when the user selects mic level.

Four additional inputs on unbalanced RCA connectors allow the users to “stack” inputs, increasing the number of audio sources that can be connected, and yet another four digital inputs are available on S/PDIF with sample rate conversion to 48 kHz.

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In additon, the DX1208 can also receive up to six logic inputs and send up to three logic outputs, combined on a single 18-pin connector and programmable via the included EAW DX Navigator software. The DX1208 has serial RS-232 remote capabilities via a DB9 connector on the rear panel, for control by AMX/Crestron and other third party integrated control systems. Two RJ-45 connections are provided as well, for linking multiple (up to eight) DX Link-enabled products together in a ring network topology.

I should also note that EAW is also unveiling the new MicroSub at 2009 InfoComm, the latest addition to the MicroWedge line. More on that soon.

Denon keeps coming up with more digital recording and playback solutions, with Peter Papageorge of D & M Professional showing me the recent DN-F300 and DN-F400 audio players.

Both read MP3 files and uncompressed WAV files from SD or SDHC cards, and the DN-F300 reads USB drives as well.

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The DN-F300 also has IR control and a microphone input with music ducking, exdellent for paging applications. The DN-F400 is a half-rack-space unit, controllable via RS-232-C and GPIO. An additional facet is an optional RC-F400 remote controller outfitted with a large LCD display and an intuitive control unit for instant playback of audio or audio elements such as sound effects.

More updates from 2009 InfoComm are coming, including a new products gallery. Check back often.

Go here for 2009 InfoComm Day 1 coverage.

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Wednesday, June 17, 2009

InfoComm 2009, Day 1: Back To The Future

Big new developments that feature some old-school philosophy at a very busy first day of InfoComm

The Expo portion of InfoComm 2009 at the Orlando Convention Center is underway, so let’s dive right into a very busy and interesting day one of the show.

This morning I had the pleasure of sitting down with Rich Zwiebel. Ever heard of Rich? If not, let me take this opportunity to note that Mr. Zwiebel has made a profound difference in the lives of many audio professionals for more than 20 years with trailblazing technologies such as MediaMatrix and CobraNet. And he’s not done yet, by any means, as evidenced by the roll-out of the new QSC Audio Q-Sys.

Here’s Q-Sys in a nutshell: it is a completely integrated sound system platform extending from audio input through to the loudspeakers, and along the way, it supplies all audio routing, processing, control and monitoring necessary for any sound reinforcement system. And then some… Get the salient details here.

Rich was very generous in sharing with me his observations on the way the technology has evolved as he’s gone along. An early inspiration came more than two decades ago, when he wanted to develop a mix-minus capability in a very large (more than 50 mics) system. This started with taking a large-format analog console and going through the arduous process of adapting it to the application. It worked, but obviously, something more streamlined, efficient and providing far more capabilities was the goal.

Another influence was his design of a sound reinforcement system for the then-new Georgia Dome in Atlanta about 20 years ago, which deployed a very early iteration of Crown IQ control and monitoring of the system power amplifiers. (I had the pleasure of meeting Rich for the first time on that project, and to my everlasting “thanks” still remember him leading me on a crawl around the catwalks at the top of the dome, blazing hot and a couple hundred feet above the surface.)

Several aspects of that project came into play that moved his mind along, but chief among them was the shear amount of cabling it took to link the entire thing together. In fact, he notes that the budget for wire, cable and installation easily matched that of the entire rest of the system. Cue the development of leading-edge digital system control and networking and audio and data transport that ensued.

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Yet it’s actually been a full circle process now with the introduction of Q-Sys, Rich notes. Back in the day (before digital), the first priority and emphasis was sound quality. In the ensuing years, rapid advancements on the digital front did wonders for functionality, infrastructure, convenience, repeatability, reporting, control and a myriad of other aspects, but in Rich’s take, it also led to less focus on sound quality. Addressing that was his imparative, shared by that entire QSC development team that includes long-time industry veterans such as Gary Tschetter.

As a result, Q-Sys isn’t just an exceptionally powerful platform. It has been designed for operational simplicity: so simple to operate that the user’s focus can be devoted to sonic excellence, rather than paging through myriads of computer screens and trying to understand device linking and so on.

Several large-scale systems currently moving into the installation phase are incorporating Q-Sys, and we’ll be providing coverage as soon as they’re ready. In the meantime, kudos to Rich, Gary, and the QSC team for raising the bar.

Michael McDonald, VP of sales and marketing for Harman Professional, opened an introduction to several new products with the observation that the economy seems on the way to recovery, and this is based upon his frequent discussions with dealers and distributors around the world.  In fact, the outlook in some markets is quite upbeat.

Harman presented a wide range of new developments. Highlights include a new automatic microphone mixer - the DMM 4/2/2 - from AKG. It’s a processor controlled digital automatic mixing algorithm with four balanced universal (microphone/line) inputs and two stereo AUX inputs providing a unique and very intelligent mixing algorithm with noise sensitive threshold.

Going “old school” again, the DMM 4/2/2 has a very cool control concept allows users to access all microphone functions (ducking, automix and so on) via a single rotary switch on the front panel. (It can also be remotely controlled via logic in/outs with a Sub-D connector.)

Meanwhile, dbx debuted the new DriveRack PA+, which includes a new, updated library of stored loudspeaker and amplifier settings, and much more.

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JBL introduced 14 new loudspeakers, with additions to the ASB Series, 8138 ceiling loudspeakers and more that we’ll cover later, but the new CBT Series of passive line array columns stand out in particular. They feature proprietary Constant Beamwidth Technology circuitry, which delivers consistent constant directivity coverage and audio clarity. The coverage pattern of the CBT models can be adjusted—with a simple switch—between Broad Mode (designed for mid-throw situations) and Narrow Mode (for long-throw applications), which allows them to meet the requirements of a broad range of applications.

Again touching on the “back to the future” theme, recall that Crown was a leader in plug-in amplifier technology from the outset, and at InfoComm 2009 today unveiled the PIP-USP4, the fourth generation DSP-based PIP (programmable input processor) module for CTs Series amplifiers. This single plug solution contains audio distribution, control and monitoring, and is a Harman HiQnet series component. And, it also incorporates the OMNIDRIVEHD DSP Engine that is featured in premium I-Tech HD amplifiers. 

Speaking of HiQnet, Harman Pro VP Rick Kreifeldt led the introduction of new HiQnet System Architect 2.0, which provides users with intelligent choices based on job function, system application and system sophistication. Rick explained that this new system design philosophy centered on workflow and the use of a diagrammatic representation of the installed or live sound venue. Find out more about HiQnet System Architect 2.0 here.

A significant day one announcement from Loud Technologies explains that the company has now teamed up its previously separate engineering, brand management and product management functions, and re-split them into a Pro Audio Group and a Music Gear Group.

“Loud has some of the industry’s most admired brands, a brilliant collection of multi-disciplined engineers and truly customer-focused product management teams, explained Rodney Olson, Loud CEO, in a prepared statement. “By unifying these disciplines around our core brands and the markets they serve, we will markedly increase our technical innovation and speed the delivery of the next round of products that leave our customers smiling… and our competitors reeling.”

Jeffrey Cox, VP of the Pro Audio Group, will manage the EAW and Martin Audio brands and their market positioning, product strategy and product development efforts. Jeffrey’s group will include the Whitinsville, USA EAW Engineering team headed by Jeff Rocha, who will also take on EAW product management responsibilty; the High Wycombe, UK-based Martin Audio Engineering team headed by Jason Baird; and the Victoria, Canada-based Pro Audio Software/Hardware Development Group headed by Chris Jubien.

John Boudreau, VP of the Music Gear Group (“MG”), and his team will develop the next wave of Mackie, Ampeg, Blackheart, Alvarez and Crate products. John’s group will include the Woodinville, WA-based Engineering team lead by Nathan O’Neill; the Woodinville, WA-based Industrial Design team headed by Kimberly Van Horn; Greg Young, Mackie brand director; and Pyotr Belov, director of Instrument Amps.

While the two groups will focus on the brands in their immediate purview, they will share core technology where it makes sense for Loud’s benefit. “I am confident Jeffrey, John and their teams will add the creative spark and entrepreneurial spirit that will take Loud to the next level of growth,” added Olson.

In another significant announcement, Midas announced that effective 1 July 2009, Midas Consoles North America will be the exclusive distribution channel for Midas and Klark Teknik in the USA and Canada. Based north of Los Angeles, Midas Consoles North America, a wholly owned subsidiary of JAM Industries, is a new, brand focused, distribution company dedicated to the sales and after sales support of Midas and Klark Teknik products in the world’s largest single market.

“This is a huge new chapter in our company history,” states David Cooper, sales and marketing director for Midas and Klark Teknik. “It ensures that our present and future customer base in North America is offered dedicated, brand-orientated sales expertise and technical support. We believe that a focused, brand led distribution channel is the best way of ensuring our already industry leading support is maintained and then continually improved. Our aim is simple: to establish the XL8 and PRO6 as industry standards in the live performance sector across North America. We see this move as the means of making that happen.”

Adds Lynn Martin a JAM executive and president of JAM’s AM&S (American Music and Sound) division, “The creation of Midas Consoles North America is yet another milestone. We are extremely proud to be awarded two of the greatest live sound brands in the industry and see great opportunities for those brands via the new Midas Consoles North America distribution channel.

“Both Midas and Klark Teknik operate in a unique market and we need to address the requirements of sound engineers, rental companies, houses of worship, theatre, live TV broadcast – in fact the whole live sector. I am also happy to announce that Jay Easley, who has been heading Midas and Klark Teknik sales in the US, will be managing the Midas Consoles North America sales team from day one and will ensure we hit the ground running! We aim to offer seamless customer support during the transition.”

The move gives Midas and Klark Teknik direct control of its US distribution channel, allowing it the flexibility and freedom to respond to the market and tailor its sales and service network accordingly. Launching a dedicated operation in the US comes during a period of huge development for the company, particularly in light of the rapid uptake of the XL8 and PRO6 digital systems. 

At a Sennheiser press event, not only were we treated to a tour of new Sennheiser wireless systems as well as the brand new K-array line of products that the company will be distributing in North Amerca, but we got to hear every word via Sennheiser Tourguide systems. (Read more about K-array here.)

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The brand-new Sennheiser 2000 Series wireless system is designed to make setting up multi-channel systems fast and simple. Depending on the UHF range, the units have a switching bandwidth of up to 72 MHz in the U.S., in which up to 64 compatible frequency presets are available for microphones and up to 32 for monitoring systems. The rack-mount units can transmit their frequency data, name, sensitivity, low cut, etc. to the corresponding portable transmitters or receivers via an infrared interface. Very slick.

More coverage of the news and new products from InfoComm 2009 will be coming tomorrow, and in fact, for several subsequent days. Be sure to check back often!

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Friday, June 12, 2009

Past & Present: Were The “Good Old Days” Really All That?

Some of the crazier (and unknown and uncertain) stuff has been taken out of the equation...

A recent poll here at ProSoundWeb asked, “The one thing I’d like to see the return of, or at least more of, in sound reinforcement is…”

Response choices included tube electronics, rotary faders, loud/distorted audio, wired-only microphones, and wedges only (no IEM).

Oh, and the winner: none of the above, which garnered almost 50 percent of the vote.

Number two was tube electronics getting more than 20 percent, with number three being wired-only mics at about 15 percent.

I was a bit surprised at the result, given the deluge of times over the years I’ve heard seasoned audio professionals fondly remembering the “good old days.”

Yet I suspect the real reason(s) behind this response are quite a bit more complex.

Obviously, technology “back then” was not nearly as advanced as it is now, but decades ago, exceptional results in both sound reinforcement and recording were attained regularly.

It was often just a tougher proposition, with the people doing the work figuring out techniques, working to maximize everything they had, and improvising when things went wrong.

There’s a lot of satisfaction in that type of endeavor, and also a lot of fun, even when the situation doesn’t go quite as planned.

Now, on the other hand, there are so many proven techniques, as well as proven tools readily available to a lot of audio professionals, of exceptional quality and reliability and from so many sources, that some of the crazier (and unknown and uncertain) stuff has been taken out of the equation. (And keeping in mind, of course, that in the wrong hands, a million dollar system can sound worse than two soup cans linked by a string, but I digress…)

So while some might say “tubes sound better” and the wireless/RF picture has been a tad rocky of late - and overall, the good old days may hold a lot of warm memories - there’s much to be said for the hard-earned techniques and technology of the current age. And this is reflected in the poll result.

What do you think?

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Thursday, May 21, 2009

Did You Know There’s A Digital LCD Specifically For Car Washes?

I learn something new every day whether I want to or not...

In my role as editor of PSW, I get a lot of press releases sent my way whether I want them or not.

Most of the time, at least, I enjoy receiving them - even the ones that don’t necessarily apply to audio/sound in any way, shape, or form are often interesting. (One of the “benefits” of being a certifiable information junkie, I guess…)

Case in point is the release below that I received earlier today. Again, certainly not audio related, but file it under “I really had no idea…”

As in, I really had no idea that on this earth there exists “a provider of premium digital signage displays for gas stations and convenience stores”.

Although when you get to thinking about how many gas stations there are in the U.S. alone, it makes sense that there could be such an exclusively focused provider. (A quick Google search tells me that according to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2002, there were/are more than 117,000 gas stations in the U.S. alone, and the same stats note that over 84,000 of these also have convenience stores.)

Of course, astute readers will recognize the name of the company distributing this particular press release and understand that it’s actually not a narrowly positioned niche outfit but rather a very large entity that makes a variety of LCD televisions and signage and related products…

Still, give them props on the market positioning…

“The Car Wash Display”? You don’t say…

And “SONNY’s Car Wash Factory”? I really had no idea… (Read more about SONNY’s here.)

Enjoy.

————————————————————————————————————————————————

New Westinghouse TV Topper Helps Car Washes Clean Up At The Register

Cost-Efficient Digital Signage Solution Lets Customers Know About The Best Deals and Promos Before They Reach The Register To Pay

Santa Fe Springs, CA—Westinghouse Digital Electronics, a provider of premium digital signage displays for gas stations and convenience stores, introduces a powerful and cost-effective way for car washes to educate and up-sell customers: The Car Wash Display. The self-contained system includes all of the hardware, software and simple-to-use content needed to easily create compelling ads and promos. The Westinghouse Car Wash Display is a unique solution that provides car wash customers with the latest product information and the day’s best deals while they wait in line before making their purchase. It is a great way for car washes to inform customers of the newest products and services available.

Sold exclusively via SONNY’s Car Wash Factory, the Westinghouse Car Wash Display solution includes an all-weather one-sided 19-inch Westinghouse Digital LCD screen and stand; Westinghouse’s proprietary neonSource™ software for easy creation of ads and promotional messages; and car wash related advertising content by Bclip Productions. The all-in-one solution comes loaded with ads and product demos but can be easily customized so car wash stations can display their own content.

Rey Roque, Vice President of Marketing at Westinghouse Digital Electronics, said, “Small to medium businesses like car washes need all the edge they can get to succeed in today’s economy and our PumpTop Topper is already a proven solution at thousands of gas stations and convenience stores across the country. Westinghouse’s full suite of cost-effective, out-of-home digital signage solutions—which includes hardware and software to meet the needs of all kinds of businesses and environments—offer a very powerful way to drive sales by reaching customers when they are in purchase mode. “

.

Westinghouse’s new Car Wash Display features the LCD screen, pre-loaded content and the company’s proprietary neonSource software. neonSource is digital signage software that allows businesses to advertise their latest product solutions, informational messages, daily specials, and promotional launches throughout the day on a timed schedule. neonSource displays current broadcast/satellite/cable TV or pre-recorded video while inserting banner ads along the top and bottom of the screen. The programming remains uninterrupted as the ads are dynamically inserted around it on the sides, top and bottom of the screen.

 

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Friday, April 17, 2009

Founders Of File-Sharing Site Pirate Bay Sentenced To Jail

Pirate Bay, with 22 million users in February, is the largest file-sharing site using BitTorrent software

Bloomberg.com is reporting that the founders of the file-swapping website Pirate Bay have been sentenced to jail time (one year each) by a Swedish court, who further ordered them to pay compensation and damages of about $3.6 million.

So, the good guys win one. Not that it would seem to matter all that much when there’s so much piracy still going on without a realistic way to curtail it. As the Bloomberg report by Niklas Magnusson notes, “The International Federation of Phonographic Industry estimates 95 percent of all downloaded music is pirated, as consumers can get access to files free of charge within minutes, often before commercial release dates.”

I’d be tempted to make a pirate joke here, with all of the media attention of late paid to the Somali pirates kidnapping shipping personnel, but really, that’s not funny, nor is piracy (stealing is what it is) of creative property.

According to the report, Pirate Bay, with 22 million users in February, is the largest file-sharing site using BitTorrent software, which allows users to download and share files in 34 languages for free.

OK, this is somewhat comical: “Pirate Bay has said the site is a network where users put up content to share with other users and that there is no copyrighted material on the site.” Followed by this: “The Swedish ruling won’t shut the Pirate Bay website, whose most popular downloads include television series ‘Lost’ and Academy Award-winning movies such as ‘Slumdog Millionaire.’ Other products include Apple Inc. software, computer games and millions of songs from bands such as AC/DC and EMI Music’s Coldplay.”

Ever seen the classic film “The Princess Bride”?

Vizzini: INCONCEIVABLE.
Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

Just substitute this:

Pirate Bay Founders: COPYRIGHT.
Sweedish Court: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

And really, what kind of morons name a file-swapping site PIRATE Bay?

It all goes back to a familiar refrain - I wish the recording industry (and other entertainment industries and companies) had gotten ahead of this issue way back when… way back when they had the opportunity. Letting things get to the courtroom stage does not often lead to the desired outcome.

Read the full Bloomberg.com article here.

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Monday, April 13, 2009

Legendary Producer Phil Spector Found Guilty In Retrial

Noted as the originator of the "Wall of Sound" production technique, working with a who's who of top artists, and a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee

I don’t much like the increasingly salacious nature of media, and try to take a different path here on PSW, but I’d be remiss in not reporting that legendary music producer Phil Spector has just been found guilty of second-degree murder.

Spector was charged with murdering actress Lana Clarkson at his Los Angeles-area mansion in 2003. He was originally tried in 2007, but the jury could not come to a unanimous verdict, which resulted in a mistrial and subsequent retrial.

Reports are that the jury for the retrial spent more than 30 hours in deliberation before coming to their decision earlier today, so it doesn’t seem to be a rush to justice. Spector could receive a sentence of 15 years to life in prison.

Phil Spector has been a major shaping force in popular music for more than 50 years, beginning with his penning the (Billboard) number 1 song “To Know Him Is to Love Him” in the late 1950s.

He went on to huge successes, such as being the originator of the “Wall of Sound” production technique, and working with a who’s who of top artists. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.

My favorite Spector project is “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’”, which he produced and co-wrote with the The Righteous Brothers. I’m not surprised in reading this Wikipedia entry that BMI lists the song as getting the most U.S. air play in the 20th century.

Sky News offers this report with more details.

 

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