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Digital
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Allen & Heath iLive For Revitalized Islington Assembly Hall In London
The reopened Islington Assembly Hall in London has selected an Allen & Heath iLive digital mixing system, comprising iDR-48 and iDR-32 MixRacks with two iLive-T112 Control Surfaces, to manage both front of house and monitors.
Originally opened in 1930, the fully refurbished 800-capacity Hall was reopened in 2010 having fallen into disuse for nearly 30 years. The venue now hosts a busy rota of live music, as well as a vast range of events from conferences and parties to vintage fashion events.
“We chose iLive for several reasons,” explains Dan Turner, events operations manager at Islington Assembly Hall. “First, it sounds great and much better than many other digital desks out there. Allen & Heath clearly spent a lot of time getting the preamps right.
“It’s also an incredibly versatile system in the way it works, and pretty much any input or output can be configured to do what you need it to do. I have mainly used analog desks in the past, and iLive almost feels like it is one as the design is more hands-on than menu driven. This helps you get to grips with the beast a lot more quickly than with other digital desks where features can be hidden in layered menus and thus almost useless in the live environment.”
The venue refurbishment plans did not include the installation of a mixing desk, and as such, no multi-core was installed.
“The beauty of this digital system is that to increase the number of available channels all we need to do is use a larger mix rack, there’s no need to dig up the floor to install a cable. Having the mix rack on stage and the control surface at the rear of the hall connected by a single Cat-5 cable was a big selling point,” continues Turner. “We needed an elegant solution to stage monitoring using as few cables and as little space as possible. Using two iLive systems connected together we have achieved this. All signals are routed to where they need to go without the need for active splits on the floor saving valuable space”
The venue also installed Electro-Voice XLE181 line arrays with additional front fills and subs, and Martin Audio monitors on stage.
“Overall, the system sounds fantastic and will enable us to meet all the challenges that our varied events calendar will throw at us!,” concludes Turner.
I’m in the process of helping one of my churches transition from an analog mixer to a digital mixer.
They were in need of more channels than their Allen & Heath 16-channel MixWiz with some outboard gear (front of house EQ, couple of compressors, effects unit) could provide.
Based on the maximum number of channels that they anticipated needing over the next five years, I recommended the PreSonus StudioLive 24.4, one of the least expensive 24-channel digital mixers on the market.
The church has two audio volunteers that are pretty much average in their knowledge of sound and sound systems so this would be a typical transition for a lot of churches in the 100-400 person attendance range. Volunteers selected more for their willingness to serve than their knowledge of audio. I know that nothing has been touched with the front of house EQ, compressors and FX since I helped them set it up about a year ago.
Some things that you need to consider in this transition is how uncomfortable the volunteers are going to be until they make the paradigm switch from the analog WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) to the digital layers.
Depending on the digital board, layers control everything from different grouping of faders (1-8, 9-16, etc) to control over the aux sends, FX, etc. Outboard gear usually goes away and everything is now handled with the digital mixer. It’s a big transition and you shouldn’t minimize it, but treat it with care and planning and the transition will go smoothly.
Getting Started
What I recommend is that the digital mixer not be put into service immediately but be brought into a two-to-four-week training duty cycle. It requires some mics and cables as well as a couple of speakers for monitors and front of house stand-ins. If you have instruments that you can plug in that helps as well. Keep the existing analog system going as the production system until everyone has been trained and is comfortable with the digital board.
Before you start with the digital mixer, make sure everyone has reviewed the user manual. A digital board is a computer with knobs and faders and is significantly more complex than an analog mixer. While they are pretty robust, you can still mess them up and repairs can be costly.
An Investment of Protection
One thing to invest in if you haven’t is a top-line power conditioner like those from Furman. I also recommend a computer UPS (battery backup) from a company like APC or Tripp Lite. Get a decent capacity one. The reason is that because a digital mixer is a computer, when power is interrupted you can’t just switch it back on like an analog mixer. You need to boot it up and, depending on the mixer, that could take anywhere from a minute to several minutes.
Having a UPS unit, the mixer will stay powered on, so even if the rest of the system is knocked offline by the power interruption, when the power comes back on, the mixer will still be up.
Unboxing The Mixer
Once you get the mixer unboxed, check for any damage. If everything looks good bring all faders down to minimum and turn on the mixer. I like to let the mixer “burn in” for about four hours with nothing going on or plugged in just to let all the electronics warm up to full operating temperature. This will check to ensure that nothing is shorting out. Be aware of any burning electrical smell or smoke. If you detect either one shut the mixer down immediately and unplug it. Contact the vendor.
Preparing For Training
The StudioLive is close to an analog board in that all the channel faders are on one surface as opposed to layers. This makes the transition somewhat easier. All effects, aux send levels are controlled through the center “Fat Channel.” That will be where most of the confusion is going to come in so be prepared to spend a lot of time going through this area.
The StudioLive is set up pretty easy so I was able to figure 85% of the board out without looking at the manual. There are also a ton of video tutorials on the PreSonus site and YouTube that can help with anything to do with the board. But for volunteer sound techs it will be a bit of a challenge.
Building A Mini-System
Hook up a mic to channel 1 on the mixer and hook up a speaker to aux send 1 and to front of house. This will be the basic training setup.
Once you get it hooked up, bring up the gain to an appropriate level. A digital board is less forgiving about exceeding the 0 level than an analog board before going into clipping so run the level less than needed for training until you get comfortable with the way the board handles signals.
Don’t worry about EQ settings or FX yet. All you want to do is to learn the signal flow from the channel to the aux send and FOH.
Once you’ve figured out how to adjust the aux send levels for the channel and you can adjust FOH level you’ve gotten over the initial hump.
Using EQ
The next thing you’ll want to learn is how to adjust EQ’s for each channel. Depending on the digital mixer you’ll either have a screen that will have a parametric equalizer, or in the case of the StudioLive, you’ll have the knob adjustments for high, high mid, low mid and low bands. As with all digital mixers you are able to set the frequency points for all these bands as well as the Q, which is the width of the frequency adjustment. This is a lot more adjustability than what an analog mixer has and is worth spending some time practicing.
After the channel EQs get figured out you’ll want to adjust the front of house EQ. On the StudioLive it’s set the same way that the individual channel EQs are set. One nice advantage about digital mixers is that most of them have a library of preset EQs that you can start with. The StudioLive has built in a nice set of professional quality EQ presets that are good enough to leave alone and assign to each channel.
The other nice feature of digital boards is the ability to save all your settings to a scene. So you are able to set up multiple scenes for different worship teams or different instruments and recall them just by dialing up the scene and pressing the load button. So no more needing to reserve channels based on who’s playing that day.
Enter Effects
The power of digital mixers means that you can assign FX to each and every channel, both to auxes and to front of house, so you’ve got a lot of flexibility. Just remember that just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Less is more, at least in the beginning. Some boards give you more FX capabilities than others. The StudioLive offers two channels of FX, others more.
Multi-track Recording
Another advantage that digital mixers have is that they usually provide some form of multi-track recording capability. In the case of the StudioLive, it’s provided by a FireWire port into the provided Studio One software. This means you can record each channel separately into your computer, as long as it has a Firewire port.
One very cool reason for doing this for the worship team is the ability to do what’s called a Virtual Sound Check. What that means is that you don’t need the worship team there to set up the board. You can play back the individual tracks back into their respective board channels and use those tracks as the sound check.
Then, once the band gets in, sound check is very minimal. It’s also a great way for the sound team to train on the board and allows them to massage settings without needing the musicians.
Saving Scenes
Once you get everything set the way you want it remember to save your settings to a scene. I usually recommend naming the scene with the church name and 1. That way you can always recover your baseline settings.
Sound techs should create their own “sandbox” scene, which allows them to manipulate settings and save it to their own scene without affecting the master scene. Make sure that no one other than the lead sound tech saves to the master scene.
Once you’ve got the master scene saved it won’t matter what changes people make to the board during the week. Bringing back the master scene will only require a quick push of a button, and in the case of the StudioLive, resetting the gain and adjusting the faders. In other digital boards, gain settings and fader positions are saved within the scene.
Making The Switch
Once the sound techs are comfortable with the digital board then it’s time to switch out the old analog board with the new digital one. Check all your settings. Be sure any settings you change are saved to the master scene once you’re happy with how everything sounds.
Finally, when you shut things down, do NOT shut things down by just turning off the power conditioner. This WILL damage the digital mixer. Follow the shutdown procedure in the manual. It can be anything from just powering off the mixer with the mixer’s power switch to a shut-down procedure on the screen.
Summary
A digital mixer is a whole new way of doing the same old things. It’s exciting as well as terrifying for volunteers, so go slow. Take it one step at a time and ensure they are comfortable with the new system before putting it into production. You’ll achieve a seamless transition and have fun doing it!
Brian Gowing has helped over 30 churches meet their technology requirements. Brian works towards shepherding the church, analyzing their technical requirements, sourcing the equipment, installing the equipment and training the volunteer personnel. As he likes to say, “equipping the saints with technology to help spread the Good News.” Contact Brian here.
PreSonus Adds New Control Options To StudioLive Mixers
PreSonus has announced new updates to its StudioLive Series digital mixers, including a number of features not found on any other digital mixer from any manufacturer.
New features include:
QMix. Up to 10 musicians can simultaneously control their PreSonus StudioLive monitor (aux) mixes using an iPhone or iPod touch and PreSonus’ QMix app, a free download from the Apple App Store. QMix/VSL is the only solution that allows multiple users to each control their own aux from separate iPhones.
Smaart Engine Technology. PreSonus has begun incorporating Rational Acoustics Smaart Measurement Technology for sound-system analysis and optimization directly into PreSonus Virtual StudioLive remote-control/editor/librarian software.
With Smaart technology and VSL, you’ll be able to precisely identify nasty feedback frequencies and get your loudspeakers to play nicer with the room-all without having a degree in acoustical engineering.
The first version of VSL to incorporate Smaart technology will be part of PreSonus Universal Control 1.6, which is expected to be available later this spring.
Universal Control 1.5.3 and StudioLive Remote 1.2. Universal Control 1.5.3 features an improved version of Virtual StudioLive that supports the new QMix iPhone app, including QMix permissions (so that each user controls only one specified aux mix) and the ability to name aux buses.
Universal Control 1.5.3 also adds VSL features that work with PreSonus StudioLive Remote 1.2 for iPad to enable SL Remote permissions so that iPad users can only control front-of-house mixer features or a specified aux. Tap tempo has been added to both VSL and StudioLive Remote.
VSL adds the ability to copy and load channels, copy main mix to aux mix (and aux to aux), link channel faders so that they can move together, and make your StudioLive mixer default to Fader Locate Mode once a fader has been adjusted in VSL or in StudioLive Remote for iPad.
Brigham Young University-Idaho Goes Digital With Dual DiGiCo SD7 Systems
The new BYU-Idaho Center at Brigham Young University-Idaho, is a sprawling 435,000-square-foot building that includes a 15,000-seat auditorium outfitted with two DiGiCo two SD7 digital mixing systems as well as six DiGiRacks.
The process to outfit the venue with an audio/visual system took roughly three years from conception to completion, spearheaded by senior project engineer Andrew Prager of New Jersey’s Diversified Systems with the aid of BYU-Idaho audio engineer David Mann.
As a representative of the venue and its principals, Mann’s number one design criterion for the system was overall speech intelligibility. “Because this is primarily a worship facility,” he explains, “the spoken word is the reason the facility exists and was of utmost importance to everyone involved.”
Armed with that missive, Prager identified the scope of the system and its components, which included a front end and monitor mixer, digital signal processing, amplifiers, and loudspeakers.
As for the mixer specifically, it needed enough inputs/outputs to be shared between both the front of house and monitor mix consoles. Additionally, it needed to be digital and fiber-optic based. The sale comprised the two SD7s and six DiGiRacks—one dedicated to each console at front of house and monitors, with four shared between the two.
Having a fiber optic-based system was also top priority with a majority of advantages—price notwithstanding—including latency and speed. “It’s very cost effective to run fiber,” states Mann. “Obviously, the cost benefit of fiber is much more budget-friendly, but also the amount of information you can send via fiber optics is incredible.”
“The things that come to my mind when we’re talking about digital audio traveling as light instead of through copper is that it’s faster in terms of latency,” Prager adds. “It gives us a smaller cable pathway rather than big fat copper hoses running around the place, and there is a built-in immunity to grounding problems, which can be caused from different power ground and sources.
“We have a third party digital audio transport system running MADI over Opticore—a dual ring of fiber that goes between the mixer and the DiGiCo stage racks. It’s a very robust, very redundant system and because it’s a ring there’s a connection of fiber and the signal can just come from one way or go the other. “
The consoles are being put through a rigorous pace since their installation, on events ranging from BYU-Idaho’s on-going weekly Tuesday devotional service to a small number of musical and theatrical productions.
“Both the events and the Tuesday services range in size and scope,” says Mann. “The Tuesday service, with its single talking-head presenter, also showcases a special musical number, which ranges from a soloist with piano accompaniment to a 350-voice choir with orchestra. Depending on the week, it can be very simple or very demanding. On our typical devotional, we’re running approximately 6-8 inputs; on an elaborate one, it’s more like 80.”
Perhaps one of BYU-Idaho’s most elaborate events was the “Savior of the World” production performed in March, involving an 80-piece orchestra and a 230-voice choir. The input list alone was staggering—in the high 80s—40 of which were to accommodate wireless mics.
Coming from a live sound background, Mann says the challenges of the worship environment are very much different. “When you’re working with a band and vocalists, you generally get a good strong sound coming into your console so you have something solid to work with. In a worship environment, dealing with a single speaker on stage, especially in a podium-type situation, you don’t always get a great level and so it’s a challenge to get enough signal before it starts to feedback. That’s my main challenge in this environment. I think I would rather mix a 300-voice choir and 80-piece orchestra any day over a single voice speaker.”
Church Sound Files: The Reason For “Bad Sound” May Not Be The Sound System
Three factors, roughly equal importance, play the key role in good sound - and “two out of three” isn’t good enough
Many things around us are getting better. Computers are faster, televisions have more resolution, and dishwashers are quieter and more powerful than ever.
But with all of our digital wiz-bang processors, technology has been unable to eradicate “bad sound.” Why is this so? This short piece is an attempt to shed some light on three possible causes, two of which have been completely unaffected by the technological revolution.
The goal of most sound reinforcement systems is to deliver high quality sound reproduction to the listener. While we would like to think that a high quality sound system guarantees this, it does not.
The quality of the reproduced sound will only be as good as the weakest link in the reproduction chain. Let’s examine some of the major “links” individually.
The Room
The room is a major factor in the reproduction chain. Most large spaces are hostile environments for sound systems, unless they have received special attention from a professional and a considerable financial investment from their owner. Good acoustics doesn’t just “happen.” It is the by-product of careful planning.
A quality sound system may radiate an exceptionally high-fidelity sound field into the room. Unfortunately, most of the radiated energy will create acoustic events that detract from the listening experience. While small rooms have their share of acoustic problems, these problems pale next to the late reflections, reverberation, and energy build-ups encountered in large spaces.
If your sound system doesn’t sound good, ask yourself the question “What have I done to provide a good acoustic environment?” If the answer is “nothing,” then you got what you paid for.
The Sound System
Of course, a good sound system is a vital link in the reproduction chain. But this doesn’t just mean expensive equipment. It means that equipment that is suitable for the environment has been selected and implemented by someone who understands the compromises involved in large room reinforcement systems. Money can be wasted on “features” that offer no real benefit for the large room environment.
The vast majority of auditoriums that I have visited are not suitable for multi-channel formats such as stereo, surround sound, etc. since each channel must be delivered to all listener seats. Loudspeaker placements that are optimal for stereo reproduction are horrible choices for single-channel systems.
Even with monaural systems, “first choice” loudspeaker placements often create problems with sight lines and aesthetics, and are therefore ruled out by venue owners. Multiple loudspeakers must overlap somewhere, and there will be sound problems in these areas.
A properly designed system will often sound bad in the aisles – the very place where casual onlookers will stand to evaluate it. We all have good sound at home, but the rules change as the listening space grows. Intuition that is not filtered through the proper large-room principles leads to errors.
Sound system designers are often forced to compromise away the performance of the system to make it fit aesthetic concerns, budget limitations, and fashion trends within the industry.
The Operator
I’ve intentionally saved this one until last. The most overlooked link in the chain is the end user of the system. This includes the mixer operator and any supporting staff, such as those who run the monitors and place microphones.
A monitor system that is too loud will dump excessive energy (usually low/mid frequency) into the audience area. This excess energy will upset the spectral balance of house sound system, tempting the front-of-house operator to compensate by over equalizing (usually in the form of high frequency boost). This results in a reduction in gain-before-feedback and an unnatural sounding system. Microphone placement is equally critical, as is an understanding of the shortcomings of various miking techniques.
If a lapel mic could sound like a hand-held, then no one would use hand-helds. The overhead drum mic that captures the cymbals also captures the stage monitors and “spill” from other instruments, as does the vocal mic used at arm’s length. And that “mellow” bass guitar sound that the musician likes in the practice hall turns to “mush” in a large space, where increased definition provided by the use of a pick and brighter strings may be required.
These factors and many more “eat away” at the sound quality of the system as a whole. A good mixer operator will evaluate and optimize the sound of the instruments individually before allowing the band to perform as an ensemble. There’s no room for democracy here – effective mixer operators learn to say “no” and “be quiet.”
A question that I recommend for an interview of prospective mix personnel would be “What will you do if something starts to squeal?” If the answer is anything other than “Turn the offending channel down slightly until I figure out what the problem is” move on to your next applicant. Filters implemented in desperation do nothing to preserve sound quality.
Modern mixing consoles pack a considerable “wow factor.” It’s fashionable to sit behind a large one and move knobs all of the time. But doing so doesn’t make one an engineer. Completing an accredited academic program or piloting a locomotive does. The decision as to which console to purchase is often made with no consideration as to whether anyone at the facility will be able to operate it. The result? Bad sound.
I have personally witnessed the performance of many good sound systems ruined by bad rooms and incompetent operators. I have also seen skilled operators “salvage” the sound reproduction in situations where the room and system were less than optimal.
The performance of a sound system is only as good as its weakest link. Unfortunately, all of the links that I have mentioned are of roughly equal importance, meaning that “two out of three” isn’t good enough. Good sound requires all three.
Experienced, well-trained audio people realize this and are there to help you find your weakest link. Pay for their advice and follow it.
Pat & Brenda Brown lead SynAudCon, conducting audio seminars and workshops around the world. Synergetic Audio Concepts (SynAudCon) has been a leader in audio education since 1973. With nearly 15,000 “graduates” worldwide, SynAudCon is dedicated to teaching the basics of audio and acoustics. For more information, go to http://www.synaudcon.com
New Firmware Update For Roland Digital Snake System Expands Flexibility
Roland Systems Group is now offering a new Version 2.500 firmware update for S-4000 Series digital snake systems.
The new functionality allows the S-4000H 8 x 32 digital snake head to support samples rates of 48 and 44.1 kHz – in addition to 96 kHz. This enables it to be used in V-Mixing System configurations, especially as an analog breakout box.
In addition, the update provides control of pre-amps of the S-4000S set in REAC Master mode using the S-4000R or S-4000 Remote Control Software (PC/Mac) without the need for slave equipment or the M-48 personal mixers present.
This allows new uses of the digital snake head such as a 40 input front end to a SONAR REAC Recording system – all connected to a PC via a Cat5e/6 cable.
The S-4000 Series was the first digital snake system using the REAC protocol - a low-latency, high-quality digital transport system.
The S-4000 digital snake system Version 2.500 firmware update will be available in mid-February. Visit www.rolandsystemsgroup.com/updates for more specific information.
Potawatomi Bingo Casino’s Big Payoff With DiGiCo Upgrade
Earlier this year, the staff of Milwaukee’s Northern Lights Theater at Potawatomi Bingo Casino decided to embark on a console upgrade in its intimate, 500-seat theater. Production manager Jamie Cobb called upon Kerry Miller and the integration team at Clearwing Productions to help.
Wanting to upgrade the sound and make the move to digital, the group collaborated on selecting a DiGiCo SD10 and SD Rack at FOH—handling the basic room feeds (L, R, balcony, and subs), hearing assist, green room feed and CD record—with a second SD10 on deck at monitor world. The payoff was an amazing-sounding system that better showcased the room’s warm, intimate acoustics.
“We wanted a console that was forward-thinking as far as digital technology,” explained Cobb, “with better A-to-D converters and an overall better sound quality than what was out there at this price point. I’d had experience working on a DiGiCo D5 in the past, and saw the SD10s deployed this summer at a local music festival, as well as noticing DiGiCo products featured in publications with the top touring artists and spec’d by leading engineers.
“For that reason, we thought it was the best choice for this install and offered a substantially better system than other theaters in this area. There was no comparison to what we’d used previously… it was like taking a blanket off the PA! DiGiCo has developed another layer of sonic quality that wasn’t there before and we are reaping the benefits.”
Once in place, the theater’s sound technicians found the SD10’s ease of use and unequivocal sound quality among the console’s most impressive features.
“A musical equalizer is a must, but ease-of-use is really the big one,” said Cobb. “If a visiting engineer is frustrated by the work surface, then all the features serve no good purpose. The SD10’s control surface has the flexibility to be laid out exactly the way a visiting engineer would want, and we’ve been able to show these engineers how to use the features of the soundboard so they’ll be able to get up and running quickly for their show.”
The first major, long-term production to employ the new system was Cheap Trick, who reprised their “Dream Police” show for a second time in 2011 at the venue—the first in January/February and more recently in October/November.
The multimedia opus featured a performance of the platinum-selling Dream Police album in its entirety, followed by hits from their extensive catalog—accompanied by the 18-piece Rhythmic Noise Philharmonic Orchestra, the 4-piece men’s Mind Choir, and state-of-the-art video. The production came to fruition through collaboration with production designer Butch Allen (Paul McCartney, Metallica, No Doubt), producer Bello Nock and world-class video and film director Jim Yukich.
For the Fall run of shows, the theater’s sound technicians operated FOH production alongside the band’s analog-driven production team—longtime engineer Bill Kozy and A2 Mark Gustafson—who teamed a Midas 3000 at FOH for mixing the band along with the new DiGiCo SD10 to handle orchestra and additional playback feeds.
With a very short setup/rehearsal schedule of only a few days—and a massive number of inputs to coordinate for the band, an 18-piece orchestra, 4-man choir, guest artists and multimedia sources—the guys were able to get in sync quickly.
“With myself quarterbacking from the analog console and Mark running the SD10, it was important that we were both on the same page right away,” Kozy explained. “We did a training seminar with Matt Larson from DiGiCo before the actual load-in and the console sounded great and was easy to get our hands-on quickly, which was very important. I was impressed with how easy it was to implement the console given the tight schedule we were on; we really didn’t have time for a steep learning curve.
“We literally were building a show, preparing the stage and basically starting rehearsals all within a couple of days of the first show. I was able to take about 40 inputs from the analog console of the band’s inputs and create 3 stereo stems and a mono vocal stem that was fed to the DiGiCo, which served as the show’s main mixing production hub with Mark at the controls.
“He would bring in my stems, all the audio/video feeds, the orchestra, the men’s chorus, and then assemble them, about 30-40 inputs in total, in the DiGiCo. The STEM sounded great and had a lot of headroom, so all the analog stuff sounded awesome and it was really easy to hit the ground running using the DiGiCo. As far as the drum compression and processing, the DiGiCo really kept the Midas sound in tact… and the sound of the SD10 was really transparent.”
“With the band being a primarily analog band, the DiGiCo had wonderfully analog user-friendly aspects that my brain could comprehend,” Gustafson added. “I’ve used other digital consoles and consider myself to be tech-savvy in that sense and the SD10 didn’t feel foreign to me; the technology didn’t get in the way, it only enhanced the experience.
“Handling nearly 40 inputs, I was able to use the local I/O, which was very handy. I thought the onboard effects were quite nice, and although we had the option to use outboard gear we didn’t need to because everything was right there and sounded great. My favorite feature was the Gain Tracking with digital trim, which seems very silly but working with two consoles sharing the new SD Rack made things incredibly fast. Working with an 18-piece orchestra, you can imagine the soundcheck for that… it was hairy!
“Bill and I were able to work together on the main gain structure and then do our own separate things without touching or restricting each other’s boundaries. Earlier in the year we did the show with another consoles and with this new setup, DiGiCo’s flexibility enabled us to cut down our setup time. Even the string players, many of whom were on the last show, were astounded at how fast we were able to get them up and running.”
After the close of ‘Dream Police’, the theater seamlessly moved on to host productions with Kenny Loggins, Air Supply, Lee Greenwood, Smokey Robinson, Jon Anderson/Rick Wakeman and the Tubes with great reviews.
“The Cheap Trick engineers loved the new DiGiCo consoles and the increased detail to the room,” summed Cobb. “I have to also say that the consoles—coupled with the L-Acoustics DV-Dosc 4-way stereo array system—offered a sound quality that was simply amazing in our intimate theater.”
Compact iLive Selected For Stripped Down Rodrigo Y Gabriella Tour
Internationally renowned guitar duo, Rodrigo Y Gabriella, recently embarked on their EU tour, cutting out the big production and stripping back to just two people and two guitars. Performing in a handful of intimate venues across Europe, the tour also carried a compact Allen & Heath iLive digital system, comprising the iDR-16 MixRack and iLive-R72 rackmount Control Surface, with a Dante audio interface card for virtual soundcheck.
“We kept all the gear down to just what we could carry,” comments production manager, Mike Taylor. “You might think that two guitarists can’t need much but we didn’t want to compromise quality just because we had to fly from venue to venue. Both Rodrigo and Gabriella have two set-ups each - a full electric and an acoustic - so in reality we are taking 4 guitar rigs. We are carrying a total of 9 cases of guitars and production equipment, plus luggage, so ‘small’’ was the watch word for this tour. Allen & Heath has nailed it with this iLive system - there is absolutely no compromise, not even slightly!”
As well as being compact, FOH engineer, David Marchant, also wanted a desk that he could call on at a moment’s notice, and supplement what was in-house.
“Rodrigo and Gabriela are extremely high energy and dynamic. We needed a small desk with a big desk capability and we certainly found that in the iLive-R72,” explains Taylor. “We have been turning up at venues and putting our small desk next to these big format analogue consoles and hearing a few sniggers from the local crew but that all stops the second the sound kicks in!”
We managed monitors and FOH from the same console, and also a number of matrix outputs for additional areas. Using inputs and outputs on both the Surface and MixRack we were able to adapt to everything the venues threw at us,” he concludes.
Rodrigo Y Gabriella will return to Europe and on to the US in 2012 with their project “C.U.B.A”, performing all of their hits with a full Cuban band.
New Wave Entertainment Utilizes Fairlight EVO and Xynergi Consoles
Supporting New Wave Entertainment in its content production for creative marketing campaigns and original TV programming is Fairlight’s EVO and Xynergi consoles.
New Wave Entertainment, located in Burbank, California, specializes in the creation of content, which spans the realm of creative marketing for TV networks and major motion picture studios to original TV programming. Their work has supported campaigns for blockbuster movies such as Avatar, Harry Potter, The Hangover Part 2, Happy Feet Two, and Alvin and the Chipmunks. Some of their recent TV promo work includes a spot for “The Ellen Degeneres Show” which was awarded a Creative Emmy, and a TV launch campaign for “Extra.”
New Wave Entertainment has five production suites, each with Fairlight’s EVO console. One room hosts the Xynergi console with a sidecar, adding tactile mixing controls. That elevates the traditional console-like hardware interface on the Xynergi platform to a full range of audio production capabilities from recording, editing and mixing. With limited space, the, the compact digital consoles of Fairlight provide the luxury of additional rack space.
A majority of the work New Wave tackles is on-air marketing, including television spots and theatrical trailers. They also do a large amount of Blu-ray Features & Menu Design, Broadcast Design, Mobile Content and 3D Modeling and Animation, which has been enabled by the flexibility of Fairlight consoles.
According to Mark Rodrigues, Chief Engineer and Senior Mixer for New Wave Entertainment, “The biggest selling point for us is the new dual video track, allowing us to work with 3D video. As 3D advances, the Fairlight systems give us the chance to evolve as well. The dual track helps us recognize the changes being made as many eyes are constantly viewing the content and adding input.”
“The presentation of the video track makes it extremely easy to follow. The ability to take video sections from one spot and string together a bunch of segments with the added option to edit with sound included is fantastic,” Rodrigues added.
With five suites each working on the same project, New Wave can do 20 spots and convert them to 10 different versions for different broadcasts quickly. Everyone can mix the same way with default settings for standards and compression, and simply add in their changes, which helps Rodrigues to take on the substantial number of projects that they do. “A project can be posted on a FTP site and we can be ready to mix and edit it within seconds.”
For Rodrigues, the drag and drop conversion process helps to save time and energy and allows workflow to stay constant. He notes, “Quicktime support is very valuable to us since most of our approval isn’t done in-house. It’s great to send short clips and have our clients understand what we are working on and they can give their input as well. We can change the frame rate and merge different files together without a worry.”
Rodrigues says one feature he enjoys is the ability of Fairlight to have full support of native plug-ins wherever you need it. “We use it on a daily basis for surround mixing and dialogue cleaning, and it has enhanced the process of editing.”
“I’ve always loved the sound with Fairlight consoles,” adds Rodrigues. “They have a warmth that other systems lack. Everything has worked out extremely well and we are happy with everything that Fairlight offers from the speed of workflow to the support that they have given us to help us meet the needs of our clients.”
New “Dangerous Source” Portable Desktop Monitor Controller
At the NAMM 2012 Show, Dangerous Music announced its newest monitor controller, the “Dangerous Source” - a portable and desktop unit designed for portable applications or to fit a limited space on the desktop, a complement to any DAW for its centralized control of loudspeakers, headphones, and more.
Dangerous Source fits beneath a 13-inch laptop computer, and it can also sit unobtrusively on the desktop within arms reach to provide easy control of volume, input selection, loudspeaker switching, and headphone control. An input for USB audio simplifies a traveling mix rig even further.
“With the explosion of professional recording and mixing being done on today’s powerful laptop computers, we wanted to bring our standard of audio path quality and functionality to portable monitor control,” says Bob Muller, president of Dangerous Music. “We’ve been making monitor controllers since before the product category existed in the mainstream, so the Dangerous Source seemed like the logical next step in the lineage of Monitor, Monitor ST and D-Box.
“We’ve also added a first for our products in that the Source connects directly to the computer via USB, saving even more cable hassles for the traveling engineer.”
The Dangerous Source monitor controller sports many of the key professional features of the company’s Dangerous D-Box, such as loudspeaker switching for two sets of loudspeakers, loudspeaker volume, AES/SPDIF digital IN, 2 Stereo Analog IN, and dual headphone out with a separate level control.
In addition, it can connect directly to a computer for monitoring of digital audio over USB. Dangerous Source is capable of up to 24-bit 192kHz on both digital inputs.
Although the Dangerous Source is the company’s first non-rack mount product, an optional 1RU user-installable front panel option will be available.
Highlights:
• Designed for portability
• Desktop form factor sits comfortably under a 13-inch laptop
• Optional 1RU front panel available
• Speaker volume control
• Two 1/4-inch headphone outs
• Supports 2 pairs of loudspeakers
• Alternatively select both loudspeaker outputs simultaneously for speakers and subwoofer combination
• Layering of multiple inputs in both the loudspeaker and headphone outputs
• 2 Analog IN: unbalanced 1/8-inch mini stereo at -10 dBv, balanced XLR/1/4-inch combo jack at +4 dBu
• AES/SPDIF digital IN, up to 24-bit/192 kHz
• USB IN, up to 24-bit/192kHz for Windows and Mac
• Line-level pass-thru for Control Room output
• Buffered digital thru output for AES/SPDIF input
The Dangerous Source is set for release in early Q2, 2012, the price is to be announced.
Jackson Rancheria Casino Upgrades To Yamaha Digital Consoles
GJM Sound and Lighting of Placerville, CA recently installed a sound and lighting system for the Jackson (California) Rancheria Casino ballroom that is used as its indoor concert hall, and it is also designed for use with the casino’s outdoor event center.
Owned and operated by the Jackson Rancheria Band of Miwok Indians, the ballroom concert venue seats approximately 600, while the outdoor venue seats 1,000. Both venues offer a variety of entertainment for their guests from rock and blues bands, to reggae and jazz, as well as comedy acts.
“The casino wanted to go digital for both front of house and monitor consoles and were sold on the Yamaha M7CL-48ES and LS9 digital consoles working together as a team,” states Greg Mace, owner of GJM Sound and Lighting. “The ES version of the M7CL was chosen because it is a more cost effective and convenient solution than having to purchase and install a splitter for an analog snake.”
The Yamaha M7CL is used primarily as the casino’s front of house console, and the Yamaha LS9 console is used in the “crows nest” which is located in the a/v booth overlooking the entire casino ballroom.
The LS9 is also used for front of house when events require a smaller amount of channels; for example, presentations, speeches, or comedy acts.
New Mackie DL1608, A 16-Channel Digital Mixer With iPad Control (Video Added)
At the NAMM 2012 Show, Mackie introduced the DL1608, which combines a full-featured digital mixer with the ease and mobility of an iPad.
The DL 1608 incorporates 16 Onyx mic preamps and 24-bit Cirrus Logic AD/DA converters. Wired to wireless iPad control allows mixing from anywhere in the venue. The DL1608 supports up to 10 iPad devices.
The package also includes plug-ins like EQ, dynamics, effects and more.
DL1608 Features:
• 16 Onyx mic preamps
• High-end Cirrus Logic converters
• Low-noise, high-headroom design
• 6 aux sends for monitor mixes
• Master L/R output for mains
Built-In Processing
• Powerful, touch-sensitive plug-ins
• 4-band EQ, gate and compression on inputs
• 31-band GEQ and comp/limiter on outputs
• Global reverb and delay
Wireless Mixing
• Seamless wired to wireless mixing
• Tune the room from anywhere
• Get on stage to ring out monitors
• Personal monitor mixing
• Use up to 10 iPad devices simultaneously
Control From iPad
• Intuitive Master Fader app
• “Grow and Glow” visual feedback
• Preset and snapshot recall
• Record the mix to the iPad for instant sharing
• Integrate music from any app into the mix
Install Features
• PadLock feature locks down iPad for permanent installs
• Kensington lock secures mixer
• Compact footprint—5.5-in x 11.5-in x 3.9-in, 6.9 pounds
Avid has introduced the VENUE SC48 Remote System, offering Pro Tools integration, direct plug-in support of the VENUE SC48 digital console, and remote I/O functionality for increased flexibility.
Consisting of the SC48 console and new VENUE Stage 48 remote box, Ethernet snake card, and VENUE 3 software, the SC48 Remote System is an alternative to the SC48, enabling engineers to place the I/O away from the console and closer to sources for optimal sound.
It also features fully redundant Ethernet AVB snake connectivity over inexpensive, lightweight Cat-6 cable.
Highlights:
• Gain extensive connection versatility, with 48 inputs and 16 outputs (expandable to 32), customizable between SC48 and up to two Stage 48 remote boxes
• Attain pristine audio quality, as mic preamps can be placed as close to sources as possible, eliminating long analog cable runs
• Get highly reliable transmission through low-latency, open standard Ethernet AVB, delivering fully redundant, all-digital connections through standard Cat-6 cable at distances up to 100 meters
• Record and play back up to 32 channels in Pro Tools (included) with just a FireWire-equipped laptop
• Bring the sound of the studio to any live performance with fully integrated plug-in support—no external cables or computers needed
• Load show files created on any VENUE system—no matter the configuration—for full show file portability
The Stage 48 remote I/O box will also be available as an add-on option (along with its companion Ethernet Snake Card) to existing SC48 users, enabling them to get more flexibility from their system and:
• Move existing SC48 I/O to Stage 48 for a more cost-effective remote I/O solution
• Get the best possible sound quality with the I/O closer to sources for maximum fidelity
• Increase reliability and reduce cable clutter with fully redundant Ethernet AVB connectivity
• Connect a second Stage 48 to SC48 for more distributed I/O versatility
The VENUE 3 software upgrade offers many new features, including faster workflows to significantly speed up all aspects of their mixing.
The upgrade also provides more buses, input processing channels, plug-in slots, and Pro Tools channels, and
• Record and play back up to 32 Pro Tools channels (up from 18) over FireWire (SC48 and FWx Option Card users)
• Create bigger mixes with expanded input processing channels in SC48 (increased from 48 to 64) and VENUE Mix Rack (increased from 64 to 80) systems
• Get HPF settings included in all EQ presets, and when copying/pasting EQ settings
• Quickly configure console layouts by simply dragging and dropping channel strips
• Handle a full stage of monitor mixes with 24 buses available for SC48 (up from 16)
• Expand their creativity with more plug-ins, now with 40 plug-ins slots for SC48 (up from 20)
• Program the Console User button in the Events List to perform common tasks such as tap tempo or recalling a snapshot
“Customers are realizing the benefits of networked I/O solutions and are seeking ever more powerful features in compact mixers,” says Sheldon Radford, Avid senior product manager. “With the SC48 Remote System, they get the sound, performance, and reliability VENUE systems are known for, plus the flexibility to split up the I/O and place each distribution where needed for optimal sound. They can customize the system to support up to 48 inputs on stage or distribute the I/O to handle a variety of sources on stage, at FOH, and even another location anywhere in the room.”
The VENUE SC48 Remote System, VENUE 3 software upgrade, Stage 48 remote box, and its companion Ethernet snake card are all expected to be available worldwide in February 2012.
PreSonus Announces QMix App: Monitor Mix Control Via iPhone/iPod Touch
Up to 10 musicians can simultaneously control their StudioLive monitor mixes using an iPhone or iPod touch and Presonus’ free QMix app. QMix builds on PreSonus’ original Virtual StudioLive (VSL), which provides bidirectional computer control of PreSonus StudioLive-series mixers via FireWire. Next came StudioLive Remote for iPad, which provides wireless control of StudioLive mixers.
“SL Remote is very useful for the front-of-house engineer but it’s overkill for onstage performers, and the cost of iPads can add up. That’s why we created QMix,” noted PreSonus Chief Technology Officer Bob Tudor. “The iPhone and iPod touch offer enough screen real estate to comfortably manage an aux mix, yet are relatively inexpensive and ultra-portable. QMix is designed for musicians and can be used in parallel with an engineer running StudioLive Remote from an iPad.”
QMix works by networking one or more iPhones wirelessly with a Mac or PC, enabling QMix to remotely access Virtual StudioLive to control one or more FireWire-connected StudioLive mixers. As each iPhone connects to the network, its copy of QMix will discover all StudioLive mixers on the network, enabling each musician to quickly and easily create an aux mix that includes all mixer channels. And QMix lets the engineer set permissions so that each iPhone on the network only controls a specified mix.
QMix will be a free download from the Apple App Store and is expected to be available in January 2012.
Alesis Announces Three New USB MIDI Keyboard Controllers
Alesis has introduced the Q61, QX61 and QX25 USB MIDI keyboard controllers. Alesis unveiled the trio of new controllers at the 2012 NAMM Show in Anaheim, California.
The Q-series USB MIDI controllers are the no-nonsense way to add expressive MIDI control to any production or performance. Each controller features USB MIDI for easy connection to Mac, PC, iOS devices* and traditional MIDI hardware modules, samplers and synthesizers.
The Q61 is a 61-note keyboard controller that works with virtually any music software and MIDI hardware devices. With velocity-sensitive keys, the Q61 offers a five-octave range of expression in a sleek, portable controller, built for the studio or stage. A full array of essential controls is onboard, including pitch and modulation wheels, octave up and down buttons, an assignable data slider, and the ability to send program changes from the keys.
The QX25 and QX61 are 25-note and 61-note keyboard controllers, respectively, that deliver powerful tactile control over any parameter of any favorite music software. Both controllers enable musicians to punch out a drumbeat on great-feeling pads, open up a filter with smooth, tight knobs, or adjust volume and playback of sequencing software with long faders and snappy buttons. The QX25 and QX61 bring immense parameter control and velocity-sensitive keyboards that get the composer’s hands off of the mouse and into the action for a more efficient, visceral music-making experience.
Whether someone is looking to trigger drum samples, tweak a software synthesizer or adjust individual tracks in a mix, the QX25 and QX61’s extensive layouts ensure appropriate feel and proper response thanks to their eight sliders and rotary knobs, four backlit drum pads and dedicated transport controls.
“What began with the Q49 has now grown into a family of controllers with sizes and configurations for any musician to capture their performances,” said Dan Radin, Product Manager, Alesis. “Whether you need the simplicity of the Q61, the power of the QX61 or the compact punch of the QX25, there’s a perfect Q-Series companion for every musician.”
The Q61, QX25 and QX61 will be available in Q2-2012 from musical instrument and pro audio retailers with U.S. estimated street prices of $149.00 (Q61), $199.00 (QX61) and $99.00 (QX25).
*Requires USB adapter, sold separately as part of the Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit. iPad and iTunes are trademarks of Apple, Inc. registered in the U.S. and other countries.
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