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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Yamaha Commercial Audio To Present Digital Sound Reinforcement Class In Kentucky

The class provides complete audio system design and networking solutions and will focus on set up techniques ranging from microphones to large-scale loudspeakers

The Yamaha Commercial Audio Training Seminars (YCATS) group will hold a two-day Digital Sound Reinforcement (DSR) 101 class on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 11 and 12 in Covington, Kentucky.

Sponsored in part by Shure, the class provides complete audio system design and networking solutions and will focus on set up techniques ranging from microphones to large-scale loudspeakers. Topics include: gain construction, attenuator settings, and SPL estimation.

Yamaha DSR101 course components include fundamental concepts: dBSPL, dBu. dBV, calculations, and level management; cables for various signal formats, word clock distribution; microphone techniques: microphone characteristics, how to select a microphone, digital technology; wireless technology: how to maximize the benefits of wireless systems and managing frequencies; digital vs. analog systems; speakers and processors: designing output systems and level management for system protection.

The two-day course is designed to assist audio engineers, system designers, system techs, audio operators in houses of worship, live sound venue/tour engineers, obtain a better understanding of available solutions.

In order to maximize the Digital SR System 101 training seminar and demo experience, attendance for the seminar is limited. There is no cost for attending and breakfast and lunch will provided. Travel and accommodations are the responsibility of the attendee.

Attendees must reserve their spot by August 7. Seminar details can be found at http://www.yamaha.com/ycats/digisr101/description.asp.

For Registration visit: https://www.yamaha.com/ycats/digisr101/registration.asp  The location and class time will be provided upon registering on line.

Yamaha Commercial Audio Website

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Friday, July 17, 2009

Sennheiser MKH 800 Mics Key Top-Shelf Recording Project Featuring Stile Antico At London Church

Recording Engineer Brad Michel's approach to capturing the essence of a lauded, award-winning classical vocal ensemble performing in a unique setting

The awards and accolades earned by the work of Stile Antico would be an accomplishment for even a seasoned vocal ensemble, but their meteoric rise to fame in the classical music world makes their successes all the more impressive.

Comprised of twelve young British singers, Stile Antico first attracted the attention of harmonia mundi usa’s artistic director, Robina Young, at the 2005 Early Music Network International Young Artists’ Competition.

From there, the group’s debut disc on the harmonia mundi label earned a Grammy nomination, an appearance at number two on the Billboard Classical chart, and they’ve also won the Diapason d’Or and the Diapason D’Or de l’Année, the Choc du Monde de la Musique, and the Preis der Deustchen Schallplattenkritik. The group even toured the world with Sting in support of his “Songs from the Labyrinth” project.

harmonia mundi recently assigned Recording Engineer Brad Michel the task of recording the group’s fourth disc, featuring music penned four-and-a-half centuries ago by Renaissance composer John Sheppard, with the sound stage at All Hallows Church in the Gospel Oak neighborhood of London. Sheppard is arguably the most renowned English church composer of the Tudor era, and the acoustics of All Hallows approach perfection.

Thus, the performers, the material, and the space were all of the highest caliber. And Michel has recorded hundreds of albums for harmonia mundi and earned copious praise and numerous awards for his audiophile recordings (including a 2007 Grammy).

On the project, Michel started with a pair of Sennheiser MKH 800 condenser microphones for the primary stereo pickup. Set far back from the vocalists and high up in the air as an omni pair, the MKH 800s were targeted to capture not just the performers, but also their interaction with the acoustic space.

“The MKH 800s are simply clear, precise and true,” said Michel. “I wasn’t trying to give the recording any kind of ‘sound.’ To simply capture the magic in the room would give us the best recording we could hope for. In my experience, the MKH 800s are pretty rare because they don’t have a color of their own. They’re clean, but not boring clean. Far from sterile, they capture the rich texture of the music and the room. They were the ideal front-end for a project like this.”

The remainder of the minimalist signal chain was also of the highest quality. Another pair of microphones located six feet behind the Sennheiser mics and slightly farther apart provided surround pickup.

All four microphones had short cable runs to an eight-channel, remote-controlled Millennia Media HV-3R preamp.

The output of the preamp fed an EMM Labs Meitner DSD converter for capture in a Pyramix Pure DSD Recording Workstation. It was truly a “less is more” approach.

harmonia mundi will release the stunning results of the quick three-day session as an SACD later this year.

Sennheiser USA Website

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Friday, July 10, 2009

Ocean Way’s Record One Studios Re-Opens After Five-Year Lockout

First project in new film mixing studio is Disney's "G-Force"

After five years of lockout by producer Dr. Dre, Ocean Way’s famed Record One studios have reopened. 

The first project was mixing Trevor Rabin’s score for Disney’s upcoming “G-Force,” about a specially trained squad of guinea pigs out to save the world from evil.  Tommy Vicari and Steve Kempster were mix engineers.

The newly reopened Record One features a half-million dollar remodel and in Studio A, the installation of the largest and most sophisticated SSL Film console ever built, which was acquired from Todd-AO Scoring when it shut down operations in Studio City. 

Studio B features a large tracking room and an SSL custom 9080J console.  All studios feature LCR custom-designed Ocean Way monitor systems. 

Additional amenities include private lounges, full gourmet kitchen/dining room and a sumptuous living room with classic furniture and artworks.

In addition to recent top sellers by Dr. Dre, Eminem and 50 Cent, some of the many historic albums recorded at Record One include Quincy Jones’ “Back on the Block” and his follow-up, “Juke Joint,” and Michael Jackson’s “Bad,” “Dangerous,” and “HIStory,” all of which were recorded by Bruce Swedien and received Grammys for Best Engineered Album and sold in excess of 65 million records collectively.

Ocean Way/Record One Website

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Monday, July 06, 2009

British Indie Band Doves On Global Tour With DiGiCo SD7 & SD8 Digital Consoles

The group needed compact consoles to handle FOH and monitor necessities, with a small footprint that could handle the varying venue sizes with ease

British indie rockers Doves are currently headlining their first world tour in four years in support of their latest and fourth outing, Kingdom of Rust. Front of House Engineer Paul Ramsay specified a DiGiCo SD7 digital console for the U.K./Ireland bigger venue shows and a DiGiCo SD8 digital console for the smaller club tour in the U.S.

Meanwhile, Monitor Engineer Ian Barton has been using an SD8 for the entire tour run.

As a result of the band’s streamlined transportation accommodations for the U.S. leg of the tour (band bus plus gear trailer), plus the moderate venue sizes (1,000 to 3,000 capacity), and a scaled-down production budget, the group needed compact consoles to handle FOH and monitor necessities, with a small footprint that could handle the varying venue sizes with ease.

“Size was definitely a big issue for this tour,” Ramsay explains. “The gear trailer needed to fit everything—from the band’s backline equipment, my FOH console and outboard gear, monitor console and in-ear systems, snakes, mic stands, sub boxes, and also a projector, lighting desk, back drops, etc. Basically, it’s our entire production in a trailer. The FOH and monitor consoles fit the space with room to spare at the back.”

Ramsay has been mixing on DiGiCo consoles since the start of 2003, first on a D5 and later an SD7. Working on an SD7 initially on tour with The Who in 2008, he was impressed with its user-friendly look and control surface right out of the gate.

“I think it is stunning! I love all the functions, the color-coding, and it has a very analog feel to it,” Ramsay says. “The dynamic EQ and multiband compressor were a huge bonus, not to mention the I/O counts. After hearing it, it does sound slightly different than the D5; the high-end sounds sweeter and the low-end tighter.”

When he eventually migrated to the SD8 for the first time, he was somewhat unprepared for what to expect. “At that point, I hadn’t actually mixed on one, but what blew me away about the SD8 was when I was pre-programming the show on my laptop using the RCE (Remote Control Editor). I didn’t think its technology would be so much like the SD7, especially being so much less expensive. But in fact, the sound quality is equally as good. OK, so it doesn’t have the multi-band or dynamic EQ, or the dual engine redundancy, but with only one screen it’s still really quick to get around.

“I had to ring DiGiCo to confirm the cost (U.S. list $53,000). I would have still been impressed if it had been double the money. I have now had the chance to mix the same band on first the SD7 and then the SD8, and I felt quite comfortable moving from one to the other, and the sound quality was equally as good.”

As for inputs, the tour requirement is approximately 60 inputs total—from the stage, for various stereo feeds and effects. “We are running 42 inputs from the stage and I have some VT playback at FOH for the intro, which is a stereo feed. I’m running three internal and five external stereo effects, with an iPod and mic at FOH, which brings up to around 60 inputs total. As we are using house PA generally, it adds just a left and right to this and maybe an infill or delay, so that’s maybe an additional four outputs, and I also have sub setup on a mono aux if required. In addition, I’ve got eight stereo effects sends, a couple of sub groups for kick and snare, which I compress at FOH on internal compressors, and that’s it. It’s pretty simple and straightforward.”

In order to keep his packaging small, Ramsay is using all the internal EQ as well as delays when necessary on inputs and outputs. In addition, he’s using snapshots for each song, which changes faders, dynamics, mutes, pans, and internal/external effects fired via MIDI. So at the start of each song, he’s already ready for it with adjustments made and programming set, and can just concentrate on listening and tweaking the mix.

Virtual soundchecking has literally removed the need for nightly sound checks, and Ramsay also uses this tool on an Apple MacBook Pro in tandem with a RME MADIface, to archive shows nightly. “I record broadcast wave files straight into the laptop with great results,” he explains. “I’m archiving every show for potential use as a future B-side or a live album, because for the cost of hard drive space, we can literally record every show on the whole tour. In fact, I’m so impressed with the MADIface, I’m buying one for myself.”

On side-stage monitors is engineer Ian Barton (Chemical Brothers, The Charlatans, Air), who is handling 41 inputs and 21 outputs from an SD8—which includes mixes for floor wedges, in-ear monitors, a subwoofer and drum seat ‘thumper’. Apart from a handful of one-offs on a D5 in the past, this was his first experience using a DiGiCo console for a lengthy tour.

“I had used a D5 years ago and found it to be very friendly compared to other digital consoles I had used. With the SD8, I like being able to update snapshot groups or single snapshots with ease, while still having my eye on the artist and show,” Barton says. “Also this console has enough outputs in a single layer to not have to switch constantly between layers during shows—which has been an issue when so much is happening on the stage… knowing what position your board is in needs to be instantaneous! The ability to run two solo outputs for in-ears and wedges independently and simultaneously is easy to do with the SD8. Overall, it sounds great. Having used wedges everyday in the harsh land of U.S. club/theatre touring, this was a dream: Trailer, backline, two SD8s, tour bus… ‘Let’s go!’”

DiGiCo Website

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Friday, July 03, 2009

NSCA Announces New Online Entry-Level Class Providing Practical Knowledge Of Audio Systems

Valuable information on topics such as decibels, Ohm’s law, series and parallel circuits as voltage and current dividers, subjective loudness and temporal masking, sound distribution over time, and more

The new NSCA University Technical Fundamentals of Audio online seminar helps entry-level to experienced audio systems technicians gain years of experience and knowledge in a relatively short amount of time.

The course supplies technical knowledge for a variety of audio markets, including commercial, industrial, education and government facilities. 

Participants will earn 8.0 Learning Units (LUs) within NSCA University’s College of Technical Knowledge and gain valuable information on topics such as decibels, Ohm’s law, series and parallel circuits as voltage and current dividers, subjective loudness and temporal masking, sound distribution over time, and more.

“NSCA understands that technicians and installers don’t always have time to participate in on-site training,” said Norah Hammond, NSCA senior director of professional development. “The Technical Fundamentals of Audio course provides a concise summary of techniques that can take years of self-training and experience to obtain otherwise.

“Plus, the online option allows for convenient training that fits your schedule, and produces skilled employees for years to come.”

The instructor-led course brings together two of the industry’s most knowledgeable instructors on the fundamentals of audio systems. Larry Garter, NSCA’s master instructor, provides techniques 10 great ideas in audio technology, including math, measures, electrics and hearing.

Cost is $299 for NSCA members and $369 for non-members. NSCA members can also apply their education credits for up to 25 percent of the price of the course. Upon registration, participants will have access to the instructor-led course for 45 calendar days. 

For more information, go to www.nsca.org/elearning

NSCA Website

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Top-Flight Sound Reinforcement For A Raucous Week Of Concerts At Arizona’s Annual Cyclefest

Pro Production Services handles the wild ride by combining experience and top components to serve a week of live performances by a roster of A-list artists

Fifty weeks out of the year, WestWorld in Scottsdale, Arizona is an equestrian center and special events facility, but during Arizona Bike Week (ABW), held in early April of this year, the ABW Cyclefest turns WestWorld into a raucous concert venue.

A 27,000 square-foot tent is erected on the premises and dubbed the HandleBar Saloon, and it’s where the majority of the concerts take place during Bike Week.

Arizona Bike Week, which actually spans 10 days, is an annual event that has taken place for the past 13 years in the territory in and around the city of Scottsdale and is the fourth-largest bike festival in the country.

Pre-Rally Days, the five days leading up to Cyclefest, also features concerts, rides and events – including the coronation of Miss Arizona Bike Week – that take place at various towns in the area. This year Pre-Rally Days started off with a concert staged at Chester’s Harley-Davidson in Mesa by the Charlie Daniels Band.

Pro Production Services has been handing production for ABW Cyclefest since 2004, and the Tempe-based company maintains a pretty diverse client base covering everything from fairs and festivals to corporate shows and even events for the White House.

Donovan Mote, director of operations for Pro Production Services out of their Phoenix office, relied on EAW KF750 loudspeakers and BH760 subwoofers driven by Crown I-Tech Series amplifiers to provide the wide horizontal coverage needed for the tent, as well as satisfy rider requirements for the bands coming through. This year’s lineup featured performances by hometown group the Gin Blossoms, Blackfoot, Eddie Money, and Cheap Trick, as well as performances by local bands.

Faced with the physical challenges of staging a large scale production in a tent, Mote has tried various configurations opting this year to go with ground stacked mains positioned in front of a 40- by 40-foot stage, expanded up this year from a 40- by 32-foot stage to satisfy set requirements for Cheap Trick. Crown I-Tech amps provided the power, and Rational Acoustics Smaart was employed by Mote primarily for time alignment of the system.

At front of house and monitors, both analog and digital consoles were represented. “This year we had a Midas XL200 (analog) at front of house, which is kind of our festival workhouse,” Mote says. “It’s really easy to use. There’s not always a lot of time for sound checks and there are charity raffles and things like that that happen in the tent where the concerts occur as well, so something that is really familiar to everyone is pretty important.”

A Midas Heritage 3000 (analog) console was provided for monitors, while Yamaha M7CL digital consoles were situated at both house and monitors. Mote continues, “It’s really kind of an ideal scenario for us, some bands prefer to work on the M7CL because they already had the cards or were more familiar with the console, so we were able to provide the headlining acts what ever they wanted to use.”

Both 12- and 15-inch Radian MicroWedges (the original Dave Rat design that the new EAW monitors of the same name are based upon) were employed on stage, again powered by Crown I-Tech Series, though as Mote recalls, “Several of the acts had in-ears, and we provided some. We used the Shure PSM 700s and the PSM 600s for hard-wired, and Cheap Trick brought out their own set.

“We just picked up Crown I-Tech 4000s for the monitor amp rig and that was the first time we used them all networked. It’s really nice to be able to set up a custom panel and see the status of all the amplifiers and know how much headroom you have.”

“I’ve got our laptops set up so I can monitor all of the (Harman Pro Group HiQnet) System Architect devices, and in this case, it’s the I-Tech Series and a dbx 4800 DriveRack at house,” he continues. “I can also monitor all the wireless systems, and I also have it so I can run either of the M7CLs remotely from the laptop, walking through the crowd making mix adjustments and so forth. To be able to do all that from one laptop is pretty cool.”

The microphone selection is diverse, including AKG C414s and Neumann KM 184s, Shure KSM 9s and a standard selection of Shure SM58s and SM57s. Sennheiser e908s handled toms with Sennheiser 421s for other drum needs.” We just bring out basically two full mic packages and they’ll have pretty much anything that they could want to choose from,” says Mote.

In addition to sound reinforcement, Pro Production Services also provided all staging, lights, video, and backline, with Mote explaining, “More and more these days clients want to have company that they can make one phone call to and have most of their needs, if not all of them, met. So we’ve been trying to diversify our business model to accommodate that.”

He estimates that 50,000 people attended the five days of Cyclefest. “This year there were two other really large festivals that were the exact same time frame, and I hear reports from the other two as well as Bike Week that the numbers were as high as ever and in some cases higher. So while the economy is affecting a lot of people, we’ve been real lucky.”

(Be sure to check out our accompanying PSW Photo Gallery to see a wide range of images of the system, gear and people at Arizona Bike Week/Cyclefest)

Arizona Bike Week Equipment List

Front of House Consoles
Midas XL200
Yamaha M7CL-48

Front of House Processing
Yamaha SPX-2000
Yamaha SPX-990
TC Electronic D-2
BSS DPR-404
dbx 1066
dbx 1074

Front of House Drive
dbx DriveRack 4800
Klark Teknik DN360
Shure P4800

Front of House Loudspeakers
EAW KF750/755
EAW BH760
EAW JF80
Mackie SRM450 (vendor area public address)

Front of House Amplifiers
Crown I-Tech Series

Monitor Consoles
Midas H3000
Yamaha M7CL-48

Monitor Processing
BSS DPR-404
BSS DPR-504
Yamaha SPX-990

Monitor Drive
Klark Teknik DN360

Monitor Amplifiers
Crown I-Tech Series

Monitor Loudspeakers
Radian MicroWedge
EAW KF600i
EAW SB250
EAW SB1000
Buttkicker
Shure PSM 700 wireless IEM
Shure PSM 600 wired IEM

Microphones
Shure UHF-R wireless
Shure
Sennheiser
AKG
Audio-Technica
Neumann

Miscellaneous
Motion Labs Distro
Rational Acoustics Smaart
Harman HiQnet System Architect

Mark Johnson has been involved with audio and video for more than 35 years, including production, manufacturing and writing for various publications.

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Tuesday, June 30, 2009

The RF Spectrum Before & After The “Big Day”

A look at the spectrum between 500 MHz and 700 MHz

So the big day (June 12, formerly February 17, 2009) came and went, and now we have the results of “the change”.

For those of you living under a rock for the past 10 years, what has happened is that full-power analog TV broadcasts have ceased in most US markets.

At the same time, most of the of spectrum between 698 and 806 MHz, formerly used by TV broadcasts and wireless microphones, now has new owners and is not populated by TV broadcasts any longer.

The legal status of wireless microphone systems in the 700 MHz band is not entirely clear, but the FCC’s intentions appear to be that wireless mics will not be allowed here.

So let’s look at the spectrum between 500 MHz and 700 MHz, covering most what is now available to DTV broadcasts and Part 74 users, including wireless microphone systems.

The first/top image (below) shows this range before the transition, and the second/bottom image (also below) shows the same spectrum after June 12. It is evident that almost all analog sources have disappeared, while only DTV sources remain.

What about using wireless microphone systems in the 700 MHz band?

First, you may still have systems in the 700 MHz band that will continue to operate, until such time as a new, strong signal comes along and interferes.

For many, this may be the right approach: use your equipment until it no longer works. However, keep your eyes open for any announcements about the likely FCC ruling rendering such systems actually illegal.

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Currently, there are few signals in that range, but there are some, and soon there will be more.

For those of us using systems between 470 and 698 MHz, our lives should actually be a bit easier for a while. The spectrum is more open, and we should not see the kinds of rapid changes we have seen over the past couple of years.

DTV transmissions are still being optimized, and broadcasters are recommending that people “do a new scan for channels once a month”. I would suggest the same thing for your wireless microphone systems, to insure that you are steering clear of any potential interference. (But you were doing that already, right?)

As to what will become of the remaining usable spectrum, it’s too early to tell. But as TVBD (TV Band Devices) begin to appear, we’ll certainly learn more.

Signing off for now…
Mike Wireless

Mike Wireless is the nom de plume of a long-time RF geek devoted to better entertainment wireless system practices the world over.

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More posts on PSW by Mike Wireless:
Latest Wireless Series #3: Inside The Lectrosonics D4
Latest Wireless Series #2: Inside The MIPRO ACT Digital
Latest Wireless Series #1: Inside The AKG DMS 700
Is The UHF Spectrum Going To Ease Up After June 12?
Change The Only Constant In Marketplace For Wireless System Spectrum

Also check out:
Basic & Essential: What You Need To Know About Wireless Systems (A Primer)

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Monday, June 29, 2009

Tuning A System At The Ultra Music Festival With EASERA SysTune (And “Dr. Bassenstein”)

A look at the tuning process - for subwoofers in particular - for an annual festival featuring performances by some of the top DJs in the world (Also be sure to check out "An Overview Of EASERA SysTune" by Charlie Hughes)

The Ultra Music Festival takes place annually in the spring in Miami, concluding a week-long Winter Music Conference attended by electronic music artists, producers, and fans from around the world.

Ultra Music features performances by some of the world’s top DJs, with the festival site crammed full of PA systems from various vendors.

This year I returned at the invitation of UMF Audio Chief Terry MacNeil (“Dr. Bassenstein”) to perform alignment work on systems as a couple of the stages.

In particular, a lot of attention gets paid to the subwoofers - there’s a lot of content below 50 Hz, and the subs need to be as “right” as possible. Unfortunately, festival scheduling issues restricted my efforts to a fairly tight window..

Advance Work
The PA vendor for both the main stage and Bayfront stage was Beach Sound (www.beachsound.com). The main stage would be equipped with 32 d&b audiotechnik J8/J12, 16 d&b J-Sub subwoofers flown along the J8s, and 24 d&b B2 subs in three high CSA stacks, four stacks per side.

In addition, BASSMAXX supplied 16 beta test subwoofers currently given the model designation SP218 or the “Dub-ill 18.” These are double 18-inch direct radiating vented subs. The challenge would be integrating the centered BASSMAXX subs with the B2s flanking them.

Issues:
1. Physical separation between sources, setting us up for interference problems.
2. Different models of subwoofers, setting us up for potential phase (frequency specific delay) issues.
3. Subjective sound quality difference between the two models of subs.

BASSMAXX chief David Lee supplied some phase data for the new sub, and it appeared the phase response wrapped smoothly enough (for example, no abrupt variations in the operating band) that there would be a good chance of acceptable integration.

I contacted Neil Rosenstock, Beach Sound System Engineer, about “the plan” and we began to coordinate a rational approach to getting as much of the work done in advance as possible. The initial plan was to be able to use incremental delay taps for the center cluster. However, the stacking arrangement proved to be advantageous, allowing us to fill the center without beaming as much as if it had been an eight wide/two high system.

Neil came up with a CSA stacking plan that would steer the B2s away from the center a bit, supplying an ArrayCalc solution that did just this.

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As we shall see later, a bit less steering got it within acceptable limits out in the overlap areas.

EASERA SysTune
I decided to give SysTune a test drive for the event, so three weeks prior I downloaded the evaluation and worked my way through the tutorial.

The tutorial is very good, and anyone who understands measurement issues and has used a dual channel FFT analyzer before will be in a good starting place after completion. Particularly, I wanted to use SysTune’s ASIO multichannel capacity.

My multichannel measurement rig currently consists of:
PreSonus Firestudio Project 8 channel FireWire mixer
Small custom 2 space rack, with power strip
4 SIA RTA-420 microphones
Josephson C-535 microphone
4 Manfrotto collapsible microphone stands
7 microphone cables, of 50- and 100-foot lengths
Assortment of cables and turnarounds
WiFi router and IBM X41 tablet PC for remote access into measurement computer

This all rides in a Pelican 1650 case. Because I was arriving on tuning day and didn’t want take a chance on an airline losing it, I used FedEx to deliver it to Beach Sound.

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On With It
After some travel delays, I finally arrived at the festival site around 2 p.m. the day prior to the kick-off of the festival. Due to the schedule restrictions noted above, we weren’t able to make “big noise” until 5 p.m.

I got my multichannel rig set up in less than 10 minutes, but the amp rack for the center BASSMAXX subs had not yet arrived. Rosenstock and I walked the field briefly to see what the steered B2’s were doing, and sure enough there was somewhat of a hole carved out in the center.

In the meantime, I took a small measurement rig to the Bayfront Stage, with this rig consisting of the Dell Inspiron 4150 measurement notebook, an M-Audio MobilePre USB, and the Josephson microphone.

The PA consisted of flown d&b J8/J12 (no J-Subs), and 16 BASSMAXX X2C “Deuces” lined up across the stage.

The sub line was long enough to get some serious pattern control outside the edges, and in fact this is what we wanted in order to avoid spill to the extent possible in other areas.

With this many systems, and this much sub content, any control available is gladly exercised.

The quick alignment job consisted of sub alignment via phase trace to the flown PA, some quick EQ on the PA (the d&b systems seem to never need much, particularly outdoors), and some sweetening by ear on the subs.

A 6 dB low shelf boost on the Deuces suggested by Dr. Bassenstein was applied, and after a little experimentation using Lake Contour controller, we liked what we heard.

The lack of a tech day meant that forklifts and lulls were constantly working everywhere. At one point I had my back turned to the stage, trying to figure out what was going with this crazy transfer function that could not possibly be right, noise running at a fairly high level.

I turned around and a lull had pulled up next to my measurement microphone, completely contaminating the measurement. It turned out this would be the rule, and not the exception, the rest of the day.

Back To The Main Stage
The amp rack for the center BASSMAXX array eventually arrived and we began. The first set of measurements was mostly on axis with the house right portion.

Using the multi-channel capacity of SysTune, it was quite easy to quickly switch between measurement microphones. Additionally, the easy management of overlays helped me move quickly between tasks.

Since we were short on time, our efforts were concentrated on integrating the center BASSMAXX stack with the spread CSA B2 stacks residing under each side of the PA.

The Figure 1 screen shot shows a measurement overlay taken on site, and reloaded back into SysTune after the fact. The measurements were done with a 64 kHz FFT size, yielding 1.46 Hz frequency resolution.

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This resolution is OK for low frequency work but is too fine for HF work.

Also, the delay offset and measurement levels do not affect the loaded overlays. Savvy users will notice the “zero” delay time – this is because we’re looking at reloaded overlays, not live measurements.

The previous measurement is of only the steered-out B2s, taken from the center of the audience area. The next step is to add the BASSMAXX cluster in the center as seen in Figure 2.

Keep in mind here we have steered the outside B2s away from the center a bit to allow the BASSMAXX boxes to have some of their own space. We have not adjusted the gain on the center sub array at this point.

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Listening tests validated our original notion that if they sound different enough, we should avoid overlap if possible, and these subs definitely do not sound “the same” - whatever that means.

So in our center position, the B2s began to drop off just below 40 Hz as seen in the screen shot. The BASSMAXX subs remained quite flat to 30 Hz.

The phase angles are mostly matched, if not perfectly timed at the measurement position.

However, after listening we decided to treat the BASSMAXX array separately and Rosenstock inserted an 18 dB octave low pass filter at 47 Hz (after some experimentation), and this yielded the above result.

Note the phase response in the areas of interest, not varying more than 90 degrees between the two systems. We played with some delay times but this yielded no appreciable difference, so we left it “as is.”

Walking the field revealed a few but mostly insignificant nulls, certainly far fewer than a traditional left and right sub arrangement. This is the measured response of the summed systems, in the center of the audience area, as shown in Figure 3.

A little subsequent tweaking sweetened the very bottom end, of which a few of the DJs (and particularly The Prodigy) tested to the limits.

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Overall, everyone was satisfied with the arrangement.

DJ Tiesto’s Production Manager walked the field and commented on a few minor nulls but said “it is powerful enough.” Rosenstock and I walked around a bit and decided to pull the CSA stacks back in toward the center and it did help.

The Prodigy’s Front of House Engineer Jon Burto, had a few comments regarding the implementation and offered some suggestions. He had an interesting night mixing, between artists directly in front of the PA, an artist with a somewhat weak voice that evening, and the unenviable position of not hearing the same bass response his audience was hearing.

Final notes and observations:
• The mix platform was located on an SL-100 mobile stage. In fact, the bass response “up there” was significantly different than what the audience experienced.
• The RTA-420 microphone delivered equivalent performance to an Earthworks M30 for subwoofer work. The sensitivity is different but I detected no real difference in either magnitude or phase.
• The BASSMAXX array was quite powerful. We inspected it a few times during the show and experienced blurred vision and difficulty communicating. Yes, I had my -25 dB earplugs in.
• Behind the barricade, there was complete (and I mean COMPLETE) cancellation for a small distance between the stacks.
• While mixing sub models is generally not recommended, with some careful planning and overall awareness of the issues, if you have the tools you can make it work (usually…).
• Yes, it was “powerful enough.”

Doug Fowler is Director of Audio Engineering Services for Logic Systems Sound and Lighting in St. Louis.

(Also be sure to check out “An Overview Of EASERA SysTune” by Charlie Hughes)

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Friday, June 26, 2009

What’s The Delay? The Effects Of Weather Conditions On Sound

Temperature changes, as well as wind and humidity can wreak havoc on our carefully aimed and tuned rigs. Here's what's actually happening and steps to counter the difficulties.

Summer is here, and a good many of us are out working those “mud and dust” shows, fairs and festivals.

We get to clean amplifier filters on a daily basis, put wedges into garbage bags to keep them dry, mix with visqueen draped over the console (also to keep it dry). And, we’ll have a shop vacuum at front of house as well as the monitor “beach.”

That said, the toughest aspect to deal with when doing shows in the great outdoors is the effects of atmospheric conditions on a system’s behavior. Temperature changes, as well as wind and humidity can wreak havoc on our carefully aimed and tuned rigs.

And the larger the venue, the greater the effect that these conditions will have on sound propagation. The effects are not preventable, but at least they’re (at least partly) predictable.

Morning, Noon & Night
Any time you’re doing sound outside, temperature gradients are an issue. In the morning, the ground retains the nighttime coolness longer than the surrounding air, resulting in a cool air layer near the ground with a warmer layer above it.

The velocity of sound increases slightly with higher temperatures. For example, at an elevation of 0 feet above sea level, at a temperature of 50 degrees (Fahrenheit), sound will travel 110.7 feet in 100 milliseconds (ms).

At 90 degrees F, it will travel 115.14 feet in the same 100 ms. This will force the wavefront angle of sound from loudspeakers to track slightly downward, bending toward the cold air layer.

In more extreme conditions, sound waves can actually bounce off the ground and skip over part of the audience before refracting downward again further on, causing dead spots in the system coverage.

In the evening the opposite happens. Because the ground is still warm while the air is cooling off, a layer of heat is trapped near the surface. Thus the wavefront angles upward, and can be refracted right over the top of the crowd. (Note also that the warm air layer generated by the crowd itself increases this tendency.)

Wind can produce similar effects. The speed of sound traveling with the wind will equal the speed of sound plus the wind speed; thus, when sound is firing into the wind, you must subtract the wind speed.

And since the wind speed in a boundary region like the ground is at or near zero, a wavefront heading into the wind will refract upward as the top part of the wave is slowed slightly by the headwind.

With the wind behind sound - pushing it - the wave will bend downward. It’s not the wind itself that causes problems, but the velocity variations with altitude.

The effects of a crosswind can be analyzed with a little simple trigonometry. (Is there really any such thing?)

Let’s look at an example. Start with the fact that the nominal speed of sound is 770 miles per hour (mph). Then, let’s say that a crosswind is blowing at 90 degrees to the direction of the sound system propagation at a rate of 40 mph.

We can use those speeds as distances on the legs of a right triangle and determine the angle of deflection. In this example it’s about six degrees.

However, this can be a little deceiving.

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Because the typical cluster may have a horizontal dispersion of 120 degrees or more, part of the wavefront is moving perpendicular to the wind, but other parts are quartering into the wind or away from the wind.

This causes their behavior to be affected as though the wind were pushing the sound as noted above. Very complex!

More & Less
Humidity is another factor that can produce large changes in sound system propagation but this time in the frequency domain.

Although it can seem counter-intuitive, lower humidity equals more attenuation and higher humidity equals less.

Humidity effects on frequency response start at about 2 kHz and become progressively more pronounced at higher frequencies.

At a distance of 100 feet and 20 percent humidity, 2 kHz will be attenuated by only 1 dB, while 10 kHz will suffer a whopping 8.5 dB loss.

And these losses are cumulative for longer distances. At 200 feet, that 10 kHz loss doubles to 17 dB! These losses are also in addition to inverse square law losses - they’re not linear with frequency, so amplitude response can vary greatly over the coverage area.

The inconsistencies are worst between 10 percent and 40 percent humidity. At higher humidity, the losses become smaller and also more linear across the frequency range.

These variations can be an issue with arrayed point sources that have a total vertical dispersion of 50 to 80 degrees. But when the forces of nature are applied to a line array with a wave front that is very narrow in the vertical axis, there is not much room for errors in directivity.

The fact that line arrays maintain their vaunted 3 dB loss per doubling of distance for a far greater distance at high frequencies than at low frequencies is somewhat offset by the higher atmospheric losses at those high frequencies.

But because humidity losses are not linear this isn’t as helpful as it might seem.

Line arrays are also typically used to cover larger venues. The phenomena we’re examining here become more pronounced with distance.

The more air that the sound waves have to travel through, the more opportunity there is for mischief. At 100 feet, the effects are noticeable. At 500 feet, they can be dramatic.

Prime Weapon
So how do we overcome all this atmospheric mayhem? One way is to use delayed stacks. But that’s so 20th century, you say - haven’t line arrays made them obsolete? Not necessarily.

Getting people closer to the loudspeakers is a prime weapon in the temperature and humidity wars. Not only do we preserve a reasonable facsimile of the desired frequency response, we keep a much more even volume level over a large area.

Admittedly, the physical aspects of using delayed systems are a pain.

Obscured sightlines, audio feeds, power availability and extra setup and teardown time add expense and complexity to the production.

But we can minimize the inconvenience. Because air absorption doesn’t affect low frequencies as much as higher ones, we can skip the subwoofers, and in some cases, even the low-frequency cabinets in the delayed system.

This cuts the size and power requirements way down.

And co-locating a delayed source with the mix position cuts down on audio and power feed issues.

Delay is an ideal application for some of the new smaller-format line array systems. They provide plenty of horsepower in a small footprint preserving sight lines.

Alternatively, smaller full-range cabinets can be deployed from the “B” system.

How far from the main clusters should delays be positioned? Sometimes this is governed by physical considerations, and sometimes sound pressure level (SPL) limits are set by the venue in consideration of the surrounding communities.

If SPL is being measured at FOH, the main system may be operating at a fairly low level, keeping the delayed systems from being very far from the stage.

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A modeling program, or simple math and the inverse square law (or just the inverse law in the case of line arrays) can be used to determine what the acceptable level decrease is before the signal needs to be re-amplified.

Always keep in mind that the extra losses described are over and above the theoretical losses. If a show is being staged in a calm, high-humidity area, you may not have to allow for much environmental loss. But if a show is held in a windy desert, watch out!

Show The Arrivals
How do we determine the correct amount of signal delay to apply? In my view, measuring the actual time difference is the best way to go.

Use (Rational Acoustics) Smaart or (Gold-Line) TEF to produce an impulse response or an Energy Time Curve (ETC). This should clearly show the arrivals from the main system and the delayed stacks, and enable you to use the cursors to give you a delay number.

If you don’t have one of these tools at your disposal, just do the math. At 70 degrees F, at sea level, the speed of sound is 1,130 feet per second, or about .88 ms per foot. If you know the distance, you can determine the time delay.

Many audio engineers like to take advantage of the Haas (or precedence) effect. The human ear localizes on sound based on both time of arrival and frequency content.

The earliest sound - and/or - the sound with the most high-frequency content establishes the perceived direction that the sound is coming from.

The human ear also integrates sounds that arrive within about a 20 ms window, and this is called the Haas zone. In other words, within this time frame, the ear does not perceive separate arrivals.

Thus the audience can be “fooled” into believing that all sound is coming from the stage system by delaying the signal slightly beyond the acoustically correct setting, and by slightly rolling off higher frequencies. This is called localization. You know you’ve done it right if people are saying that the delayed loudspeakers aren’t working when you know they are.

And don’t forget, the speed of sound changes with temperature. If the environment has large temperature swings reset your delays as close to show time as possible.

Now if we could just get it to stop raining.

Bruce Main has been a systems engineer and FOH mixer on and off for more than 30 years. He has also built, owned and operated recording studios and designed and installed sound systems.

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Thursday, June 25, 2009

Avid Announces New Audio & Video Solutions Meet ARRA Act Of 2009 Guidelines

Stimulus funding and aggressive educational pricing enables educators to provide students with real-world audio and video production experience; company's solutions are available to educators at up to 85 percent off U.S. MSRP

Avid has announced that its array of audio and video solutions meet the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) funding guidelines for education and training.

Configured to address the respective skill and grade level of students ranging from elementary school through college, Avid is offering three new highly-customizable solutions: Avid Audio Recording Studio, Avid Film Production Lab and Avid Television and Video Production Studio. 

The solutions are available to educators at up to 85 percent off USMSRP and provide students with access to the media creation tools they will encounter in advanced education programs as well as in film, television, broadcast, music and audio production careers.  Now, any school or institution that qualifies for ARRA funding can apply stimulus resources to invest in the same tools used by professionals creating today’s most listened to, most watched and most loved media in the world.

Avid has integrated a selection of its tools such as Media Composer editing software, Pro Tools recording and mixing systems, Axiom MIDI keyboard controllers, and Sibelius music notation software, into three solutions for technology-based curriculum.

The solutions consist of the same tools used by creative teams behind Star Trek, LOST and Linkin Park, and are designed to help inspire creative expression and prepare students for advanced educational opportunities and/or digital media careers. 

The three solutions are:
• Audio Recording Studio is a collaborative solution that enables educators to teach audio recording and production workflow techniques such as audio editing, mixing and mastering for students interested in music production careers. 
• Film Production Lab consists of the same post production solutions used by professionals and is designed to prepare students aspiring to work on film and episodic television. 
• Television and Video Production Studio addresses all facets of broadcast television such as commercial, talk show and local news show projects. The studio provides an integrated toolset for students to hone industry skills from script writing and on-camera performance to sound and video editing.

Under ARRA guidelines, qualifying schools and institutions can also apply funding for Avid’s complete support services as well as professional development and training programs for certification.

“Knowing how to use Avid solutions is a prerequisite for working in the media and entertainment industry,” said Jennifer Bryant, former graduate and current production specialist at John H. Patterson Career Center High School (PCC) of the Dayton Public School District. 

“By investing in Avid, we essentially created a fast-track to jumpstart careers by giving students the opportunity to learn in the same studio environment they will encounter in college or on the job. When students make the connection between what they’re doing in the classroom and what they see on television—the light bulb goes on and that makes it worthwhile.”

Within six months of graduation, more than eight out of 10 Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) alumni who participated in recent surveys said they were employed in their field or admitted to graduate school.  Employers of SCAD graduates include award-winning companies, such as Rhythm and Hues Studios, Digital Domain, Fox, MTV, Panavision, Blue Sky, CNN and Digital Kitchen, among others. 

SCAD Professor Gokhan Ozaysin said, “Avid solutions give our students the professional skills and the competitive advantage they need to succeed in the industry. We look at Avid as an academic partner and as a team member.  At SCAD, we don’t just look for the latest technology; we seek tools that serve our curriculum, support our faculty in classrooms, and facilitate an interactive learning environment for our students.” 

Kirk Arnold, Executive Vice President Of Customer Operations at Avid added, “The audio and video professionals of tomorrow are starting to develop their skills as early as elementary school. Therefore, it’s critical that we work with our education customers to provide out-of-the-box solutions that help students across all grade levels to build and polish their skills for the future. 

“We’re thrilled to be working with educators to develop the next-generation of musicians, composers, filmmakers and producers.”

To learn more about Avid’s education solutions and how to qualify for funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, go to www.avid.com/arrafunding. 

Avid and its authorized education resellers can assist in developing complete systems and offer professional development resources, including Avid training and certification, third-party training for educators, and online Avid resources. Contact local Avid representative or resellers with pricing inquiries. 

Also for more information, visit Avid at Booth #3004 during the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC), held June 28 through July 1, in Washington D.C.

Avid Website

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NSCA Honors Members For Commitment To Audio Industry & Association

“This year’s recipients embody the type of individuals needed to help advance and grow the commercial electronics system industry." - Chuck Wilson, NSCA Executive Director

NSCA recently paid tribute to individuals and companies who continually support and represent the commitment NSCA members have to the industry and the association, with award recipients including Loyd Ivey, Lifetime Achievement Award; Steve Emspak, Volunteer of the Year, and Dan Erickson, Educator of the Year.

Awards were presented to instructors of the year within each college of NSCA University at the 2009 NSCA Member Meeting and President’s Reception InfoComm in Orlando.

Loyd Ivey, founder and CEO of Mitek Corporation, received NSCA’s Per Haugen Lifetime Achievement Award for his years of dedication, leadership and service to NSCA, including the NSCA Education Foundation Board, the NSCA Expo Committee, and has been a champion to many of NSCA’s events and activities including the Fall Business Conference, now the Business and Leadership Conference. Ivey has an unparalleled passion for the industry, advancing and promoting the electronics and communications industry in all that he does. 

The 2009 Volunteer of the Year award has been awarded to Steve Emspak, managing partner at Shen Milsom & Wilke, Inc. Emspak has been a strong advocate for NSCA for many years. Throughout this time, he participated on the NSCA Industry Advisory Board, leveraging relationships and introducing companies, associations, and partners to NSCA activities and events.

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In addition, Emspak’s involvement with the NSCA Education Foundation has created opportunities for development of the next generation of system integrators through events and sponsorships of Foundation activities, including the annual industry concert headlined by the Drunk Unkles, an industry blues band in which Steve plays guitar for.

Dan Erickson, vice-president at General Communications in Manassas, VA received the 2008 NSCA Educator of the Year award. Erickson received NSCA’s top education award based on student feedback from his course, “Networking Issues that Impact AV Integrators and Designers,” which he taught for the College of System Design during NSCA University at InfoComm 08.

“This year’s recipients embody the type of individuals needed to help advance and grow the commercial electronics system industry,” said Chuck Wilson, executive director of NSCA. “The service and dedication to NSCA is what has made this association what it is today. It is our hope that the future generations will learn and bring similar dedication and service to their careers and the industry.”

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Additional awards were given to the 2008 Instructors of the Year, including:
• Karl Rosenberg, Extron Electronics, College of Technical Knowledge, for his course, “Aspect Ratios: Why are there so many?”;
• David Marsh,  College of System Design, for his course, “Sound Reinforcement Design”;
• Marc Forman, Alarm Electronics & Communications, College of Systems Sales, for his course, “Better Ways to Estimate Your Projects”;
• Brad Nelson, System Solutions Northwest Inc., College of Business, for his course, “Top 10 Reasons Your Company May Fail and How to Fix Them”;
• Ben Wilson, Safeguard Security & Communications, College of Project Management, for his course, “Operation Best Practices for Project Managers.”

Member involvement in NSCA programs has led to the development of education programs, identification of the Electronic Systems Technician (EST), partnerships with industry organizations among other accomplishments such as research and analysis of the industry.

NSCA Website

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Monday, June 22, 2009

Soundcraft’s Complete “Guide To Mixing” Video Series Now Available For Viewing On YouTube

Provides tips and techniques for mixing live

Previously available only on DVD, Soundcraft has published its “Guide To Mixing” video series on its own YouTube site.

To view the first chapter of the series and to link directly to the Soundcraft YouTube site, go here.

All 18 chapters from this successful tutorial may be viewed online, including sections on microphone placement, setting up a mix and monitor mixing.

To complement the video tutorials, a PDF text version may be downloaded from the company’s website - www.soundcraft.com.

Qualified educational establishments may request printed copies of the “Guide To Mixing” as well as the full-resolution videos on DVD.

Soundcraft Website

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Biamp Systems Announces Six Recipients Of Syn-Aud-Con Scholarships

Scholarship recipients are able to choose one of the four offered courses: Sound Reinforcement for Operators; Sound Reinforcement for Technicians; Sound Reinforcement for Designers; and Syn-Aud-Con Digital

Biamp Systems has announced the six winners of its second annual Biamp Education in Audio scholarships, a program in partnership with Syn-Aud-Con that provides individuals an opportunity to further their understanding of basic audio technology.

Each winner receives a scholarship that covers tuition for a Syn-Aud-Con seminar as well as reimbursement of meals and lodging costs during the training session.

Scholarship recipients:
• Darin Meadows, Technician, Compview
• Joshua Foster, Engineer, Sensory Technologies
• Zeythel Soto, Technician, Advanced Techno Products
• Kerri Cooke, Engineer, OENE
• Fabio Banzato, Project Manager, ELETRO EQUIP
• Mark Grassi, Engineer, AVI-SPL

Biamp customers nominated 47 individuals to receive scholarships, based upon several criteria, including the desire to become more educated about audio technology.

“We’re thrilled about how many nominations we received this year,” said Steve Metzger, VP of Business Development, Biamp Systems. “Based on the feedback from last year’s sessions, I’m positive these six individuals will gain a better understanding about basic audio principles, as well as further their careers in the AV industry.”

Scholarship recipients are able to choose one of the four offered courses: Sound Reinforcement for Operators; Sound Reinforcement for Technicians; Sound Reinforcement for Designers; and Syn-Aud-Con Digital.

Nominees who were not awarded a scholarship will receive one-year memberships to Syn-Aud-Con courtesy of Biamp, as well as complimentary admission to the AV Math Online class, provided by the InfoComm Academy.

Biamp Systems Website
Syn-Aud-Con Website

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Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Crown Audio Calculators: Ohm’s Law / Watt’s Law

A useful calculator for designing audio systems with Crown amplifiers.

Ohm’s Law states the relationship between current, voltage and resistance. Watt’s Law states the relationships of power to current, voltage and resistance.

Enter any two known values and press “Calculate” to solve for the others. 

Fields should be reset to 0 before each new calculation.

Equations used to calculate the data:

V = IR
P = VI

Where:
I = current
P = power
R = resistance
V = voltage

 

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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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