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Wednesday, August 25, 2010
d&b Audiotechnik J-Series Makes Many Appearances On The Latest Jackson Browne Tour
House engineer Paul Dieter has fun mixing on his PA in a variety of environments
With a career in sound spanning well over two decades, mix engineer Paul Dieter is now enjoying himself mixing for one of rock and roll’s more enduring, if understated, legends, Jackson Browne.
“I started mixing live in the 80s, then spent maybe 15 years in the studio; I was just so frustrated with the live sound systems available then,” he states.
“When line arrays came along I was eventually tempted back to live and I’m having much more fun.”
“It’s a subtle consideration,” says Dieter, “Jackson’s song-writing is rock and roll for the discerning ear. I try to be manufacturer and sound company agnostic, I don’t want politics getting in the way of making the best choice for my client.”
“The combination of J8, J12 and J-SUB loudspeakers must be absolutely correctly balanced; I expect to be able to achieve nothing less than great vocal clarity throughout the house.”
Dieter’s system technician, Tom Laveuf, is the man responsible for creating that correct balance day to day. “Truth is, the system is very well behaved,” he begins.
Greek Theater, Berkeley. Photo: Tom Laveuf (click to enlarge)
“We’re touring through a mix of theaters, arenas and sheds which we can adapt easily, ArrayCalc makes that very straightforward,” Laveuf continues. “The 180-degree amphitheater of The Greek (Theater) in San Francisco was a delight.”
“The only EQ on the system is in the R1 file (d&b’s proprietary remote control software); there’s nothing in the desk or in the Lakes (processors), which I think says it all. The only challenge has been to figure out what to do with the subwoofers.”
Cuthbert Amphitheatre, Eugene, OR. Photo: Tom Laveuf (click to enlarge)
Laveuf has only recently joined Schubert, having cut his teeth as a system tech at Beachsound, another d&b advocate, in Florida.
“They taught me well; I’ve modeled many B2 and J-SUB arrays and find them very well behaved. Although the J-SUB is inherently cardioid, we quickly found that putting this type of defined Sub-array arc across the front of stage worked best for Jackson, leaving his mic totally uncolored by the low end.”
It’s a liberating condition for Dieter’s gain structure and a pleasing experience for his studio sensibilities.“That’s what I mean about correctly balanced; I don’t have to pull the subs at all, Tom got that right away,” Dieter notes.
Fabulous Fox, St Louis. Photo: Tom Laveuf (click to enlarge)
“Last night we played our first closed in arena, I was a tad anxious but Tom set it up and I was immediately struck by just how even and well distributed it was.
“Mixing on the d&b J-Series is the closest I have found to listening to great studio monitors.”
Q: I’ve noticed that when I’m recording guitar, often the bottom end is really muddy and it just sounds terrible.
I’ve thought about getting a stand or something to raise the amp up off the floor, but I always thought those stands were just so the musician could hear better.
Would something like that help the sound of my recordings?
A: Though some people may be surprised, a stand often will help in the case you’re describing.
In fact, it’s one of many tips courtesy of multi-platinum engineer/producer Keith Olsen on recording.
To achieve tight, controllable bottom end when miking a guitar amp, get the amp up off of the floor on a stand, case, or anything else that’s handy (and that’s sturdy enough to support the amp and damped enough not to resonate in response to sound from the amp).
In his opinion, elevating the amp a bit reduces floor reflections that can interfere with the low-end coming from the amp.
As always, we welcome input from the PSW community and would love to know your thoughts on this situation. Feel free to let us know in the comments below.
Symnet At The Heart Of The Historic Rose Theater’s Much Needed Audio Upgrade
Auto-mix and feedback suppression provided by SymNet made the system fully automatic and foolproof.
The building that houses The Rose Theater in Omaha, Nebraska originally opened its doors in 1927 under the name The Riviera.
Lavish in every respect, the building boasted ornate tapestries and Oriental rugs, sculptures, a mosaic floor, decorative fountains, Mediterranean-style murals, and a ceiling painted with sunset clouds and dotted with electric stars… not to mention stunning acoustics.
Like many other theaters built in that era, hard times fell upon The Riviera during the depression, and the theater changed hands numerous times in the ensuing decades.
Each time, the new owners changed several aspects of its original architecture and charm until what remained in 1981 bore little resemblance to what had once been so magical.
That year, furniture magnate Rose Blumkin purchased the building to save it from the wrecking ball and generously deeded it to the Omaha Theater Company for Young People, along with the first $1 million towards its full restoration and an endowment for upkeep in perpetuity.
More recently, a parallel tale played with regard to The Rose Theater’s sound system. Installed in the mid-1990s, the system was passable, though hardly exemplary, when new. Coverage, in particular, was mediocre.
After a brief maintenance-free run, console channels began failing, amps stopped working, and speaker components lost the crispness and intelligibility they once had. The theater was moved to action, spurred by the volume and quantity of complaints about the sound system from patrons and renters.
Julie Walker, managing director of The Rose Theater, turned to the Designed Systems Group at Omaha’s prominent Midwest Sound & Lighting, who had been dutifully applying band-aids to the old equipment.
Initially, David Walters of Diversified Design in Lincoln, Nebraska drew up a plan for the new system using equipment other than SymNet. However, Tim Burkhart knew that SymNet could do the job better with more flexibility and eventually convinced Walters that SymNet was a better choice for this project.
“Walters didn’t have anything against SymNet per se, rather he simply felt most comfortable recommending the manufacturer that he was familiar with,” said Burkhart. “We lobbied hard for SymNet, as we have had several very successful SymNet installations in the area and we felt that the SymNet ARC remote control panels would give The Rose Theater the sort of simple, intuitive user-interface that they were hoping for.”
Burkhart invited Walker and the other interested parties at The Rose Theater to visit the Omaha Community Playhouse (the largest community theater in the country), where a recent Midwest Sound & Lighting installation had been a big hit. “The group was impressed by the system’s performance, and there were several bits of functionality with respect to the ARC controllers that they wanted to go directly into The Rose Theater renovation.”
Everyone, including Walters, was sold on SymNet and so the project went forward. Working with speed and flexibility around a non-stop performance schedule, Midwest Sound & Lighting gutted the old system and replaced it with something vastly better.
A SymNet 8x8 DSP forms its heart, with a SymNet BreakIn12 and a SymNet BreakOut12 bringing the I/O count to twenty on each side. Three Crown CTS600, four CTS1200, and two CTS2000 amplifiers power an array of JBL loudspeakers. Left, center and right arrays, composed of one JBL AL6115, two JBL ASB6118s, two JBL AM6315-95s, and three JBL AM4212-00s for the balcony, provide elegant coverage of almost all the seats in the theater.
A handful of JBL Control-25 loudspeakers complete it with front fill. A new Yamaha M7CL-48 upgrades the system’s capabilities at FOH, and a Lectrosonics Venue wireless microphone system provides the system with a high-end input.
Two SymNet ARC-2 wall panels greatly simplify control of both large-scale performances and smaller-scale events. “A lot of the time small events will rent The Rose,” said Burkhart. “Before, they had to wrestle with the FOH console, even if they simply wanted a few microphones for speech reinforcement. With the SymNet DSP and remote control, they can put mics up in simple situations and bypass the console entirely.”
“SymNet’s auto-mix function and feedback suppression makes the system fully automatic and foolproof. An interface at the stage manager’s position makes simple volume tweaks intuitive. A second ARC-2 at the FOH position allows an engineer to send the program mix or a submix to anywhere in the building.”
“We used to get so many complaints about the sound system,” said Walker, “It really compromised the quality of our productions.”
“But after this fabulous renovation, not only is there an absence of complaints, but a steady stream of compliments, which we like! I also want to add that the professionalism of Midwest Sound & Lighting made this the smoothest project I’ve ever been involved in.”
Kramer Electronics’ Announces New VP Of National Accounts
Industry veteran and accomplished employee Mike Lewis promoted from national account manager.
Kramer Electronics USA has announced that it has promoted Michael Lewis as its new Vice President of National Accounts.
Lewis has a long history of association with Kramer Electronics.
He spent 15 years at Comprehensive Video Supply in New Jersey selling cables and Kramer Products, and then spent the next 6 years selling cables for CompuCable before joining Kramer as Regional Sales Manager of the western region in 2003.
For 4 years, Lewis was consistently one of Kramer’s top performers in regional sales before being promoted to National Accounts Manager.
As National Accounts Manager for the past 3 years, Lewis has increased sales to Kramer’s several large accounts with multiple locations across the U.S., at a higher growth rate than the average double-digit growth rate Kramer has enjoyed for the last 12 of 13 years.
Mike Lewis has been an integral part of Kramer’s ongoing success, resulting in his newly deserved promotion to Vice President of National Accounts.
Within this new position, Lewis will be responsible for managing a group of sales personnel tasked with continuing to grow Kramer’s National Accounts business at a rapid rate, as well as building and actively promoting Kramer’s ever-expanding line-up of cable, wall plate and table box products through all levels of distribution.
Along with his Kramer team, Lewis is confident that he can uncover new opportunities, not only directly related to cable products but opportunities within the A/V marketplace as a whole, ensuring the continuation of Kramer’s success.
Dave Bright, President of Kramer Electronics USA, states that “Mike is the perfect choice with his many years of cable knowledge and experience prior to joining the Kramer family.”
“Furthermore, I am very proud to have Mike join our Kramer sales management team. He is one of the purest salesmen I have ever had the pleasure of working with. At Kramer, much of our success is the result of relationship selling…and Mike is the master at that.”
“His great work ethic and the always positive attitude he brings to his job every day is what makes him so successful. I am sure Mike will continue to excel in his new position.”
Do you know what to do if the drums in the sanctuary are too loud?
Any time a band has some of its sound coming through the main PA system (usually vocals and electronic instruments) and some of the sound coming from the stage acoustically (most notably the drums) you have problems.
The drummer must play loud enough to keep up with the sound system, which he cannot hear.
However, playing loudly enough for the back row of listeners means that the drums are often too loud for the first several rows. It’s even louder on stage, which requires the rest of the band to play louder and turn up the stage monitors.
The result is a stage volume that is overwhelming – too loud for the room, and often louder than the main sound system in the room, and still unclear.
People get frustrated and irritable, and some leave to find another church where they can understand the music.
A major part of the solution for this problem is to control the sound of the on-stage instruments, beginning with the drums. There are three steps in controlling drums in church:
1. Contain the acoustic energy from the drums, 2. Absorb the acoustic energy from the drums, and 3. Reinforce the sound that you want from the drums and provide monitoring back to the drummer.
Containing the acoustic energy from the drums is the easiest part. The sound of the drums travels from the drum head to the ears of the people hearing it.
The strongest part of that sound is generally direct line-of-sight.Many churches have installed plexiglass drum shields around the drums for this purpose. It’s cost-effective and it’s a reasonably effective starting point.
The plexiglass reflects most sound, preventing the direct line-of-sight sound from reaching the people in the congregation.
This solves one problem and introduces a couple of new ones.
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Plexiglass does not absorb sound; virtually all of the sound created by the drums is reflected; that means that the sound is still in the room, it’s just not traveling to the listeners in a direct route.
The drummer often feels more confident now that he’s behind the plexiglass, and often times he plays harder, creating even more sound than before. Now that sound is bouncing around the room as reflected sound.
Reflected sound is, by definition, noise: it has the same amount of energy as direct sound, but because it is reflected, it has become “incoherent.” Now instead of hearing the clear “slap” of the snare from a single source, we hear reflections of that slap from various reflective surfaces around the room.
The clarity is decreased, but the energy of the snare is still there, rattling around the room, muddying up the rest of the sound.
The second problem with a plexiglass drum cage is that the first reflection of the sound is concentrated back at the drummer’s ears.
The potential for hearing damage is greatly increased. That’s one reason some drummers want to play loudly – they can’t hear the sound as well as they used to, so they feel the need to play louder.
The result of plexiglass by itself is that the total energy of sound is not decreased. Instead, it’s just bouncing around the room, making the rest of the sound muddy, and damaging the drummer’s hearing.
After we block the direct sound of the drums with a plexiglass drum shield, the next step is to absorb a good portion of the sound, to keep it from filling the room with incoherent echoes. This is generally accomplished with sound-absorptive foam.
Generally, the foam is installed in three locations: on the wall behind the drummer, on the plexiglass itself, and as sound-absorptive “lid” over the top of the drummer.
How much absorption to install is governed by several factors, some practical and some aesthetic. Since the drummer needs to be able to see the rest of the band, it’s best to not block all of the plexiglass.
Click to enlarge.
Rather, install foam along the bottom and sides of the plexiglass. Generally, the foam is not installed above the height of the drumheads themselves, and often only to the top of the kick drum. On the sides, install the foam higher, particularly on the side with the snare and hihat, as these are the greatest sources of sound.
Install a greater amount of sound absorption on the wall behind the drummer. In fact, complete coverage of this wall is often appropriate, up to the height of the plexiglass drum shield.
Since the sound from the drums is omnidirectional it will either strike the wall first or it will reflect off of the plexiglass and then strike the wall. Absorption on the wall behind the drummer will be a big help in keeping the reflections around the room under control.
Some of the sound from the drums, of course, goes straight up, where it will bounce off of the ceiling before eventually making its way to peoples’ ears.
If you have done an effective job of absorbing the sound inside the drum cage this reduced amount of reflected sound may be acceptable, or even desirable.
It may still be too much sound, especially in a low-ceilinged room, or with a large drum kit, or with a particularly physical drummer. In this case, it may be necessary to add a sound absorptive ceiling over the top of the drum kit.
All this absorption sounds expensive, but it is possible to cover all three sections - on the plexiglass, the wall behind the drummer, and the lid - for about the cost of the plexiglass drum shield itself.
To this point, we have been reducing the overall volume of the drums. The stage volume is under control, so the musicians can hear themselves, and the sound from the stage doesn’t overwhelm the main speakers. The front several rows of the congregation are no longer being overwhelmed by sound. But now the back part of the sanctuary isn’t being reached.
The third step of controlling the drum sound is to put the drums into the sound system. At the very least, you’ll need to mic the kick drum, the snare drum, and the hihat. With careful placement, a single mic can pick up both the snare and the hihat, for a two-mic minimum.
As far as mic selection goes, my preference is to use a large diaphragm mic on the kick drum – either a dynamic mic like the Shure Beta 52 or the Sennheiser E602II, or a large condenser mic like the CAD E100.
Dynamic mics tend to capture the “boom” of a kick drum well, and condensers can capture the “snap” of the sound.
Audio Technica makes a mic (AE2500) that has both a condenser capsule and a dynamic capsule in it. Be sure that the mic can handle the high sound pressure levels of a kick drum closely miked.
Your first choice for a snare mic is a simple dynamic microphone, with the ubiquitous Shure SM57 being the most popular. It’ll take a number of accidental whacks from overly-enthusiastic drumsticks and keep working well.
Dynamic mics can also be used on the toms, but there are several very nice tiny condenser mics that have become popular, like the AKG C418 or the Audio Technica PRO 35.
Sennheiser makes a small dynamic mic for this purpose, the E604. These small, specialized mics generally come with their own mic clips which attach directly to the drum itself, reducing the number of stands and cables sticking out of the drum kit, and allowing the plexiglass drum shield to be brought in nice and tight.
In a large room, you’ll want to add a pair of overhead mics, to capture the overhead cymbals and the overall ambience of the drum kit. Small condenser mics like the entry level AT Pro37R or the higher priced Sennheiser E914 are common choices.
Recently, the trend has been moving towards large-diaphragm mics overhead, including the inexpensive CAD GXL2200 or the versatile AKG C3000B. Be sure to experiment with mic placement, listening closely to the sound of each mic, to determine best placement on your drum kit.
Click to enlarge.
Once you route the new mics to your mixing console, you’ll need to consider monitoring for the drummer.
The simplest way to give your drummer the ability to hear what he needs to hear is to use an unused Auxiliary Send from your mixing console. Send that aux to a headphone amp (there are many entry-level manufacturers including Samson, Behringer, Rolls, and Carvin).
Headphones with significant isolation help ensure the drummer will get the reinforced sound and not just bleed from around the ear muffs, and some drummers like headphones that emphasize low frequencies. In-Ear Monitor models which produce extended low frequencies (dual driver models) are also an option.
Beyond this simple setup there are many other more advanced monitoring solutions such as a separate monitor console or personal mixing devices from folks like Aviom, Hear Technologies, Furman, and MyMix.
If you have the room, I prefer using a compressor on both the kick drum and the snare, and an ideal world would call for gates on the toms, the snare and the hihat, to tighten up the sound, but most churches will stop before that point.
The main goal is to prevent the acoustic sound of the drums from either overpowering the rest of the band, or reverberating around the room, by bringing the drums into the sound system with the rest of the band. You’ll be surprised how much cleaner your band sounds, and how much easier it is to keep the volume under control.
DPA Miniature’s Reinforce Concert At Hong Kong’s Polytechnic University
Jacky Cheung’s Private Corner made extensive use of DPA miniature microphones to amplify instrumental accompaniment.
A range of DPA miniature microphones were used at Jacky Cheung’s recent Private Corner concert in the Jockey Auditorium, Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
The DPA 4099S and 4099T instrument clip mics were used at the concert for trombone, trumpet and saxophones, while a grand piano was miked with 4061 miniature omnidirectional microphones.
Mike Wong, Cheung’s monitor engineer, chose the cardioid 4099s for their excellent focus on the instrument as well as isolation and rejection from adjacent musicians.
“In this concert, we were striving for a natural and uncoloured sound and therefore really appreciated the musical accuracy of the 4099s,” he says.
Added front of house engineer Daniel Kwan, “Besides the superior sound quality, we like DPA microphones for their mounting and positioning possibilities. The 4099 series has mounts and clips for a wide range of string, brass and woodwind instruments.
“We also appreciate DPA’s uncompromised attitude towards their products and the service provided. The local DPA distributor, DMT, has done a good job supporting us, too.”
Q: I need to use a mic splitter with my rig so that I can record my band playing live.
One side of the splitter will go to the house mixing console, the other side will go to my recorder.
I’m using some condenser microphones, which obviously require phantom power.
So my question is, can I use phantom power with a mic splitter?
If not, what do I do? Is there some kind of separate phantom power supply boxes I can use in this situation?
A: A very tricky question, indeed! I’ll preface my answer by warning you it ends with"it depends”, but I can give you a bit more than that.
Mis splitters generally consist of a “direct” out and one or more “isolated” outs. When we’re talking about which connection can carry phantom power, it’s generall going to be the direct out, if any at all.
The isolated outs usually pass through a transformer in the splitter, so they’re far less likely to work with phantom power.
As I mentioned, it depends. The answer to your question is read the manual to your splitter which should be readily available online, or just contact the manufacturer for clarification.
However, in most cases, just connect the phantom power source to the direct out and you’ll be fine. No matter what, it’s unlikely you’ll be needing those external phantom power supplies.
As always, we welcome input from the PSW community and would love to know your take on this situation. Feel free to let us know in the comments below.
Tannoy VQNET Plays An Integral Role In Madison Park Summer Shows
The historic NYC venue selected Tannoy to provide consistent coverage throughout the summer's rigorous production schedule.
New York based SIA Acoustics prides itself on creating spaces that work well for both audiences and performers.
That ethic was employed to great effect during the 2010 season of Mad. Sq. Music and one that comes naturally to SIA consultant and system designer, Adam Shulman.
“When someone asks why you’re recommending a piece of gear or a certain workflow, it’s important to be able to have actual field experience to bolster credibility and to make the right decisions.”
“For this reason our team includes designers, engineers, technicians, architects, and performers,” explains Shulman.
For the Madison Square Park project Shulman’s job involved wearing a variety of hats; as de facto project manager and designer of the Tannoy-centric FOH and monitor system, and, often, as the house mix engineer.
Free concerts in the park feature a handpicked line-up of national touring acts ranging in style from jazz, soul and R&B, to folk, bluegrass and pop. 2010’s offerings include the likes of jazz pianist Mose Allison, Grammy nominated singer Ruthie Foster, The Wailin’ Jennies and James Carter.
Prior to its revitalization in 2001 as a result of the efforts of members of the Campaign for the New Madison Square Park and the city, Madison Square Park was neglected and crime-ridden.
Now overseen by the Madison Square Park Conservancy, the park – situated on 6.2 acres between 23rd and 26th streets and Fifth and Madison – offers cultural activities that include Mad. Sq. Reads, Mad. Sq. Art and Mad. Sq. Kids, which offers various children programs and family art workshops. It has become a thriving community oasis for Manhattan’s Flatiron District and a major destination for visitors to the city attracted to its growing reputation as an important venue for contemporary art, music and literature.
In the three years since SIA became involved, the summer series’ infrastructure has increasingly become more integrated. Always, Shulman says, balancing aesthetics and functionality is a key concern.
The custom-designed stage – developed initially for the 2009 season – was designed by SIA and engineered by McLaren Engineering, and incorporates a cantilever roof structure with Milos Truss and an open rear and sides.
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Supported entirely by in-ground anchors, the structure can support up to 2,400 lbs of suspended equipment and withstand wind gusts up to 60 MPH without the use of guy wires or counterweights.
In tandem with a suite of Tannoy VQNET and VNET loudspeakers the open stage and the system present a compact footprint, allowing audiences to experience the shows without overpowering the surrounding park, or obstructing views of the city’s streetscape and skyline.
This is where VQ Series (or indeed the self-powered, networkable VQNET variant as specified in this case) offers a critical advantage over line array systems. That is, its ability to deliver comparable SPLs, with greater broadband coverage control, but with far fewer boxes – minimizing the visual impact thanks to the compact point-source modular approach.
First opened as a public park in 1847 and named for former US President, James Madison, the site was once occupied by the nation’s first baseball club, The New York Knickerbockers, and is rumored to be the birthplace of baseball.
It also hosted the nation’s first community Christmas tree in 1912 and, beginning in 1876, played an important role in the history of the Statue of Liberty; temporarily displaying he arm and torch of Manhattan’s favorite lady in an effort to raise funds for the construction of the statue and its base.
Like that historic installation, the stage and systems for Mad Sq. Music are temporary.
Shows are held once a week; the Oval Lawn Series, on Wednesdays throughout the summer facing the central Oval Lawn, and on rainy days and Saturdays during the autumn Studio Series, at the park’s south end.
At both locations the only physical trace visible between shows are the outline of two rectangular plates, largely hidden by pavers, covering the couplings used to install the stage. “It’s like going on tour for the summer,” Shulman says.
Everything, including the stage, is erected on show days, then torn down after the gig and stored off-site in a 24-foot truck.
“Because of the aggressive single-day show schedule, the structure’s often up before the feeder cable has been run. For events like this, a compact, quickly assembled and straightforward package is needed.
The Tannoy VQ arrays remain assembled from show to show; we clip them to the chain hoist, connect a few cables, and they are ready to be flown.”
Part of the reason the park was rescued from longtime neglect was to preserve its distinctive character. Simply put, for this application, your average truck stage with a huge array of speakers hanging off either side would be difficult to set up, strike and store, as well as interfere with the vibe of the park and character of the shows.
“The typical production elements would not match the nature of these shows – visually or functionally. This fits,” says Shulman. “The design of the stage and system fulfill the production needs, but also maintain the park’s atmosphere.” Correspondingly it was a necessary to specify a system that provided ample power while preserving that aesthetic.
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“There’s a need for the whole package to fit into that truck and not need racks and racks of amps and DSP. In this situation a self-powered system with on-board processing is very advantageous.”
“It doesn’t detract or compete with the park,” adds Maggi Landau, Executive VP of the Madison Square Park Conservancy since 2006.
For Landau, working with all the members of the team overseeing and running the series goes well beyond being just a job. It is truly a team united by a shared passion for the project.
“Working with SIA has been a complete pleasure. They really understood what we wanted to achieve, both sonically and visually.”
“A lot of outdoor concerts have sound systems that sound muddled. Because SIA has fantastic ears and uses extraordinary equipment we were able to achieve a sound quality that surprises people in the music industry – managers, booking agents, record label representatives – when they come to the park for the first time.”
SIA’s exploration of Tannoy is relatively new, based on the firm’s use of Tannoy’s VQNET loudspeakers and a number of their innovative QFlex digitally steerable line arrays in another project – A corporate event staged in the acoustically challenging Paul Hamlyn Hall in the London Royal Opera House in 2009.
“We’re constantly on the lookout for new, interesting technologies and we noticed Tannoy doing some innovative things, so we explored the QFlex product and that opened the door for further discussion.”
In addition to all the advantages a self-powered solution offers, the concept behind the VQNET/VNET loudspeakers represents an industry wide shift towards more compact, more functionally powerful components, Shulman believes.
“As the technology becomes smaller and DSP power grows, we feel strongly that the way things are going, loudspeakers, amplification and DSP should be integrated.”
The intention of the system, in service to SIA’s stated ethic, is to provide a good experience for both artists and audience.
“Acoustically, the VQ horn has exceptional off-axis performance. That was what sparked our interest initially. When you go to the side the tonality doesn’t change; the top end just rolls off smoothly.”
It’s not a totally different experience for audience members, including many who aren’t watching the show from directly on axis. The transition between various areas also needs to be fluid from a mixing standpoint.
“If the FOH system has poor off-axis behavior, you will have energy spilling onto the stage that will cause feed back and make the artist feel uncomfortable.”
To obtain maximum low frequency cancellation on stage, four VNET 218DR and one VNET 218DR LIVE subs are configured on the ground in front of the stage in an “expanded cardioid” configuration.
The system also incorporates nine VNET 12HP loudspeakers – One as a rear fill for the walkway behind the stage and eight as onstage monitors. “The requirements for a stage monitor are the same as for a front-of-house loudspeaker: smooth off-axis response, for the musician’s comfort and feedback stability.”
“If they move to the side and the loudspeaker has a radically different response it’s going to be a problem.” The open stage and rear fill allow passersby not only a view of what’s going on, but an idea of how the show actually sounds, as opposed to the kind of random sonic clutter typically heard when standing backstage at an outdoor show.
At front of house two Tannoy VQNET 100 loudspeakers are coupled with two VQNET MB subs opposite the horn, one array per side. “We worked with Tannoy, utilizing GLL loudspeaker data and prediction tools to develop the processing parameters necessary to integrate the MB and VQmodules.”
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“This provides improved low-mid pattern control below the horn cutoff, preserving a consistent tonality for even those sitting very close to the stage” Shulman explains.
Although the venue presents some challenges, they’re a part of what makes the park and this series so unique. The size of the Oval Lawn is substantial and the concerts are popular enough to routinely fill it. “We don’t want the experience to be compromised.
The expectations are for high-level production, despite the fact that we have an unusually high noise floor and cannot have enormous arrays or delay speakers.
This is right on Madison Avenue, where all the M-series buses originate and sit idling.
Doing shows, often with acoustic instruments, and having open microphones in that environment has its challenges. Your dynamic range is vastly less than what it would be in a controlled ambient noise environment.”
With all the traffic, sirens and bustle of daily life around the park, Shulman needed a system that provided adequate directivity to cover the 175 foot-long lawn without blowing away listeners up front.
“The horn does a good job of that in the mid and upper frequencies, but it’s not of a physical size to control the longer wavelengths. So we added another set of the MB’s on the other side of the horn to continue that pattern control for several more octaves.”
“In this sort of uncontrolled environment, it’s very difficult to determine crossover settings, so we used Tannoy’s directivity data to see, virtually, what different combinations of processing would yield, and determined the best solution long before the first performance.”
Two Tannoy VQNET 64MH’s are also used as side fills to cover the nearly 270 degree audience area around the stage and are aligned with front facing Tannoy VQ/MB arrays via on-board DSP and Smaart measurement system, as is the rest of the system.
“The whole rig was predicted thoroughly ahead of time. Then we used measurement and critical listening in the field to objectively confirm that the system was performing as predicted.”
Tannoy VNET USB Interface is employed for system control and Tannoy’s proprietary VNET Software was used for signal processing, in conjunction with an Avid D-Show Profile for control of FOH and monitors.
As with Tannoy’s self-powered speakers and onboard DSP, Shulman sees the console as a reflection of a general trend in pro audio with respect to modularity and the leveraging of DSP and plug-in technologies.
For SIA, the annual Madison Square Park series presents more than an opportunity to entertain people. “It’s a testing ground where we explore and field-test new technologies and techniques,” says Shulman, who is also a musician himself.
“People say ‘you’ve recommended this product or configuration for my venue, but would you mix or perform on this yourself?’”
“And I can say, ‘Last week I was mixing a show and the week before that I was on stage myself. I understand your position.” Throughout the course of their involvement SIA has explored not only various loudspeaker types, but also a number of digital networking technologies.
Again, that experience is critical. It’s a matter of achieving a balance between big picture concerns and the details that make all the difference at a live show.
Click to enlarge.
The same kind of balance Tannoy applies to the development of its product lines, and an essential component to their ever increasing reputation in the United States as a go-to audio solution for major corporate, sports and entertainment facilities, as well as clubs and concert halls.
While SIA Acoustics offer a variety of production management, product development and consulting services, a substantial portion of their work is design and they take pride in their objectivity when it comes to specifying solutions for clients.
“It was through an open-minded and impartial process that we came to the Tannoy and the VQ/VNET products” Shulman says, “for this type of application, they offer a number of very compelling and interesting features. Moreover, we are excited to see where this combination of technology leads.”
DiGiCo SD8/D1 Touring Package At The Heart Of Smashing Pumpkins U.S. Tour
Engineer Jon Lemon was a fan of the SD8's flexibility using touch faders and banks to assign screens.
When Christina Aguilera postponed her 2010 Bionic Tour in the spring, engineer Jon Lemon was able to transition his gig—and the DiGiCo SD8 he was using for the tour’s promo leg—onto a Smashing Pumpkins’ run.
Having worked extensively on an SD7 over the last few years with artists including Janet Jackson, Lemon wanted to use the few one-off gigs for Aguilera, including a VH1 “Storytellers” taping, to try out the SD7’s sibling.
“I decided to go with the SD8 as I originally didn’t need many inputs for Christina,” Lemon said.
“Plus, I hadn’t really played around with one… But we ended up using every input and output on the console because the band kept expanding as we went along, adding strings, brass, etc.”
“So when her tour got cancelled, I figured I’d take it out with the Pumpkins because it worked admirably and I’d gotten on really well with it.”
With no rehearsals prior to the first show, The Smashing Pumpkins limited 14-date U.S. club tour kicked off July 8th. The intimate shows were a warm-up for a global swing in the Fall, and to promote the band’s new, limited-edition box set, Teargarden by Kaleidyscope.
It was also the ideal setting to showcase frontman Billy Corgan’s new band, which including bassist Nicole Fiorentino (formerly of Veruca Salt), guitarist Jeff Schroeder and drummer Mike Byrne.
“I was shocked at how refreshing great they sounded, with no rehearsals,” Lemon mused. “This is definitely the best version of the band, and the SD8 lent itself perfectly to the line-up. The SD8 was an easy transition, once you work out accessing everything via one screen it’s very easy to get around.”
“The console is extremely flexible using touch faders and banks to assign screens. Since it’s a 4-piece band, we’re only using 26 inputs. There are two opening acts and because of the space in these clubs, I’m letting them use another 24 inputs, which we put on a file and away they go.”
“As far as outputs, I’m just going out—left and right—into the club system using Dolby Lake System for my outputs. It’s all very simple, but effective.”
In addition, Lemon is carrying a local rack for some additional, must-have, outboard gear, as well as two recording rigs to capture all of the shows. “Billy wanted to record and archive all of the shows with backup, so I’ve got my Pro Tools rig and a Logic rig out, which posed a bit of a challenge.”
“Using an RME MADIbridge, we’ve been able to split it all up so I’m able to use my local rack running the stage rack on MADI and two recording rigs that via the MADIbridge and a MIDI button so I can playback whatever I want and record whatever I want wherever I want.”
“It’s all pretty neat and tidy—which was another consideration for us when we start flying to the Far East. The smaller the better when it comes to airfreight. Having a compact setup, with the SD8 for FOH and D1 for monitors, was ideal.”
The DiGiCo D1 was the first choice for monitor engineer Seth Kendall, who has worked with a range of artists including Megadeth, Korn, Lionel Richie, Beyonce, Carrie Underwood and Lucinda Williams. “I’ve used a lot of the digital consoles out there and my preference is DiGiCo. I picked the D1 for this tour because of the audio quality and ergonomics of the desk, and because of the desk’s small footprint.”
“The richness of the bottom end and the clarity of the top end is something I haven’t found in other digital consoles. I know the D1 isn’t DiGiCo’s newest technology, but having multiple touch screens in monitor world is a real asset.”
“Monitors tend to have a lot going on at the same time, and being able to do two things at once is great and it’s something that I can do on a DiGiCo that I can’t on the others. I can keep a bank of inputs up on one module and page freely between the other inputs on the second module and have my EQ window popped up and work on another one on the next module… it allows you to multitask.”
“The way that the desk is laid out makes me think that the people who designed it were people who’ve actually mixed live shows. Everything makes sense and feels the way analog consoles feel. The sound quality, the ergonomics, and the ability to multitask are probably what I like best about the desk.”
On this tour, the Pumpkins are all on wedges and sidefills, a bit out of the norm for most tours. “It’s been a while since I’ve mixed a wedge band; it’s been mostly in-ears for the last several years.”
“Billy likes to have pretty significant volume come out of his guitar rig, so it’s loud onstage, and getting the vocal above the guitar and the stage volume is always a challenge, especially in the small venues we’re playing on this leg.”
“For this tour, being a 3-band tour and one of them being a considerably large band in terms of status—to have everything in one stage rack and one small console, one FOH package, is fantastic. I think for the price-point, you can’t beat an SD8. And once the sound grid is out, it’ll be a super-competitive package. I’ve very happy with it!”
API Selects APMG As Representative In Asia Pacific Region
APMG focuses on business development, distribution and marketing of clients' products in the Asia Pacific region.
API has announced that the Asia Pacific Media Group (APMG) will be its exclusive representative in the expanding Asia Pacific region.
APMG will also represent JDK Audio, a new brand from API that builds high-performance analog equipment at competitive prices - a concept hoped to be a hit in the price-sensitive areas of the Asian markets.
“We’re very excited to be working with an American brand with such a rich legacy in the pro audio industry,” said Laz Harris, technical sales director at APMG.
“Together with API, we are planning a very different marketing approach for Asia Pacific.”
Harris said that his approach is educational. “The region is full of audio professionals who have never experienced anything other than digital technology.”
“Our plan is to host hands-on events that will expose professionals to the sonic advantages of API’s analog topology, which adds considerable value to an otherwise all-digital production,” said Harris.
“The workshops will emphasize that analog and digital go hand-in-hand, and that it is possible and desirable to get the best of both worlds.”
APMG’s experience and perspective in the diverse region is critical. Each country presents its own challenges, peculiarities and opportunities. Through APMG’s extensive distributor network, clients are provided with quality information, expert training and professional support.
“Asia Pacific is an expanding market, with almost every country in the region showing growth,” said Gordon Smart, managing director at API. “Apart from the positive general economic indicators, it is well known that the film and recording industries are likewise exploding, particularly in India, and that the entire area is host to more and more live events.”
“And so this is a wonderful time for API to ramp up our presence and sales activity in the region. Of course, it would also be a daunting project if we undertook it alone, so we’re grateful to have the expertise and experience of APMG to guide our efforts for maximum effect.”
APMG focuses on business development, distribution and marketing of clients’ products in the Asia Pacific region, which in turn allows access to some of the fastest growing markets in the pro audio industry.
The compressor is a wonderful tool when used properly, however, often the basics of compression are misunderstood, leaving audio that would have been better left untouched.
A compressor is a threshold effect that will squeeze dynamic range.
If a sound has dynamics (increases and decreases in volume), a compressor will push them together.
This type of effect is called compression and is not to be confused with computer files compression (making files smaller) such as zipped folders or compressed mp3 files.
Imagine a clay model of a head face. If you push down hard on the clay, it will be squeezed down, together and out.
You will still be able to see the features of the face, but they will look shoved together and the whole model may be thicker.
The only problem is that you would have lost any hair the model may have had. If you keep pushing, you will end up with a bumpy brick of clay rather than a head.
The picture of the face is being gradually compressed (as if it were a sound continuing to go louder than a compressor threshold). First the hairs and top and bottom of the face are squeezed in.
Then the face is compressed into a densely packed box. Notice that the ears, eyes and mouth remain the same size and in the same positions throughout the whole process, and that they take up a much larger percent of the overall face after the compression.
Compressing sound works the same way. You can control the dynamics so the sound fits into a smaller and denser dynamic range, and also you can “bring out” some softer parts of a sound.
However, you do lose anything that may have been important in the parts that are squeezed out of recognition (such as the hair and the shape of the head).
Compressors will stop a sound from getting too loud beyond a certain point. You set the threshold for where the compressor will begin to work (at a whisper, shout or normal volume), then set the ratio for amount of compression.
Click to enlarge.
The higher the ratio, the more the increase in volume will be pushed back, and the faster the sound will become more of a “solid brick” with fewer features.
Compressors can be used to control volume (especially in situations where volumes can be unpredictable and you absolutely cannot overload anything, such as a live broadcast of a speech) or to change the sound of an instrument.
Since the louder parts of a sound cannot get louder beyond a certain point, the softer parts of a sound (which are not held back at all) can actually be heard more loud and be a bigger part of the overall sound.
This can be used to make a drum room track thicker or to sustain a guitar by making the later (and softer) parts of a sustaining note loud.
Compression can be used to control the transients of a sound. A transient is a very sudden and short loud part of a sound. Percussion instruments have loud transients that can sometimes overload.
If they are reduced in volume so that the transients are well within safe limits then everything other than the transient may be so low that noise is heard.
A good solution is to set the threshold of a compressor so that only the transient triggers the process, and set the ratio so that the transient is under control but still effective.
Analog tape compresses naturally as it hits tape saturation levels. Since analog tape works by magnetizing the oxide particles on the tape and there is only so many particles, eventually every single particle will be magnetized.
That is the saturation level of magnetic tape. If you try to load more gain on the tape beyond that level, then the sound will be squished together in a process called tape saturation or tape compression. This compression is particularly warm and is sometimes relied on for end of mix compression.
Compression occurs at various places, and the sum of all compression on each individual instrument is important to consider. What kind of compression you utilize at which stage of the mix chain is important.
If you have a level controlling compressor on a vocal, and then an overall compressor on your mix output you are actually compressing the vocal with two compressors.
Many people do not realize how changing mix compression will affect how individual instruments are themselves compressed.
Some people used to count on the compression from tape saturation as part of their sound.
They simply were not finished until they had slammed their mix to a piece of half-inch. Me, I used a tape and an alignment that was slightly more conservative but accurate for most of my work but used tape that had a nice compression for multitrack or mix-down recording when the music called for that particular sound.
I’m often asked, as a matter of signal flow, should compression be placed before or after EQ. If compression comes first, then it is to either control level or to thicken the sound itself and then add an EQ contour.
However, if compression comes second, then you change an overall sound that you then thicken or control.
Bruce A. Miller is an acclaimed recording engineer who operates an independent recording studio and the BAM Audio School website.
The PA Trifecta: Handing Off A Live System That Checks Out
No matter what the back-story, the guy or gal coming in only wants to know that it works and works properly.
“Here…these are for you.”
“Let me count that back - One (1) pair floppy plaid shoes; one (1) Bravo-52 latex red rubber nose (with custom strap); two (2) mechanical chickens with servo-waste evacuation system; and three and a half (3 1/2) cans of I told you so (generic substitute).”
“I must ask you to put on these garments, pick up the chickens and proceed about your business until load out.”
“This demand is in accordance with our technical rider, which clearly states in verbiage Grouping 3, Subsection F, Line U: ‘…all drivers must exhibit the correct DC polarity as specified by their manufacturer.”
“Should a DC polarity inversion be suspected and confirmed through qualified empirical method by (the artist’s) engineer, the specified and introduced lead system engineer (A1) for the sound system provider must and will don a garb of traditional JESTER SUPPLIES (as provided by artist’s representative) and wear said fashion until such time as artist’s engineer deems the A1 has reached a sufficient level of contrition.’”
“We appreciate your cooperation in this matter.”
It doesn’t really say that. The production manager for the artist I mix does, however, begin the sound portion of our show advance with this caveat: Our front of house guy will confirm the DC polarity of your rig using a combination of software-based FFT and handheld pulse checkers.
If he’s just been mugged prior to load in and the thief has absconded with all his gear, he will still stagger naked up to your PA with a 9-volt battery and a screw gun. This will happen. If there is a problem, he will find it.
Along the way, he will also find every off center diaphragm, sketchy cone compliance and secret TRS-to-Edison connection in your rig. To spare yourself the misery of having your pants pulled down in public, please confirm that everything is moving the right way before it leaves the shop.
Is he kidding? Nope - we burned out two Makita batteries this year alone opening boxes. I’ve officially dubbed last summer the “Summer Of Left Isn’t Right.”
Using my nifty calculator with LOG function, I’ve determined that there was a 13 dB increase in the amount of systems we were provided that had a significant difference between the left stack and the right stack.
Some days it was subtle…pink noise coming from the left, the sound of me asking if the all amps were powered up coming from the right.
Then there were the 4 dB to 5 dB (SPL) inconsistencies in magnitude responses I was seeing in April, which paled against the 9 dB to sometimes 10 dB (again, SPL) variances I was encountering in September.
This wasn’t comb filtering from a spherical array in a geometrically symmetric room; this was daddy’s leaving the house on one side and mama’s coming home for the night on the other. Big deluxe, textbook inversions with a very demonstrative phase wrap right through the middle of a null at crossover.
I call it the PA Trifecta: the sound of the Left, the sound of the Right, and then the composite of both. Pick one, flip front of house, and make sure management stands only there, with their heads strapped into a neck immobilizers.
My hands-down favorite was panning a signal to the left and getting three of the six compression drivers on one side and four of the 12 cone drivers on the other.
Panning it right yielded all of the compression drivers on one side, a frontfill, two subs, and I’m pretty sure the soda machine started vending skittles.
Time to pause for a second and make sure something is clear - I am ALWAYS pulling for the PA company.
Honestly, what I want to do is turn to the system tech, shake his/her hand vigorously and gush about how truly splendid the boxes are. (I’ve also found that proffering a half-eaten yet properly wrapped Milky Way will also go a long way toward cementing a friendship).
Instead, too often, I’m treated to wildly different responses coupled with the now absolutely classic (and I actually have this printed on a T-shirt), “worked fine last night…” This statement is usually uttered with a spectacular amount of affected indifference.
My retort, now equally worn out, is a paraphrasing of a statement made by a very good friend of mine years ago - to wit; “the only difference between last night and tonight is you”. Takin’ it right to third grade…
I guess, given my nature, what I really want is intense concern. You know, a significant “Hmmm…” from the system tech, a quick confab with his second, and a suggestion to me that I go get a coconut donut and all will be better when I return.
It’s how I handle the situation when I‘m the system guy. Abject internal mortification coupled with a smooth verbal map of the directions to catering.
Then, engineer properly shooed… warp 3 triage. After all, whether you own everything or work for a PA company, when the keys are handed off to a guest engineer, you are effectively saying, “I’ve checked this through and it meets with my approval”.
If something is wrong, three things are assumed: (1) You didn’t check it through carefully enough; (2) The problem is beyond your skill level;. (3) You own your own big floppy shoes and red nose and “know what? I think they match my cape very nicely.”
In all fairness, I’ve been handed rigs by a shop that I had no part in prepping.
Many times it was as if the shop manager sat me down, looked deeply into my eyes and told me he was putting a long piece of splintery two by four in the truck and I would know what to do with it when the time came.
On days like that it’s sometimes easier to introduce myself as the LD who’s actually only helping out with sound… but I can’t.
No matter what the back-story, the guy or gal coming in today only wants to know that it works and works properly. No excuses. My reputation that day will be tied to the functioning state of that rig.
But back to the “L&R and which one of these things is not like the other.” There are, without a doubt, very subjective aspects of our field. What sounds good to one person may sound like two ferrets mamboing on glass to another.
Equally there are simply some cold hard objective facts as well. Things like… your PA is not time aligned. That is a trademark. (If time could be aligned, I’d be rich and you would be my slave.
I’d also have a giant Sweet Tart dispenser in my bedroom) Or should 13 of 26 drivers be blown on one side of the PA finding half out of polarity on the other side does not make things a wash and give you time for a nap.
Without tuning this into a very special episode, here’s my basic idea. Before anyone you could look foolish in front of shows up (excluding video), turn the PA on and listen to it.
Even if it sounded great last night, do a bandpass check and then turn the whole thing on together. If it sounds different, now’s a great time to figure out why. If the PA is flown, press the big button under the down arrow on the motor control.
You might as well check this ahead of time since you really only have a two in five chance somebody won’t say something later.
Here’s another tip. If you’re running late and have just discovered a discrepancy; tell the band engineer straight up, “Hey, there’s something here I need to sort out, sorry. Can you give me a couple minutes?”
Say this even if it’s a complete lie and you have no idea what’s wrong. I guarantee if the guy (or gal) is qualified and professional, they will immediately add 10 “attaboys” into your petty cash fund just for caring.
Look earnest enough and they might even get you water and do helpful things like tell road stories that have no bearing on anything except tacitly coupling their name with someone famous. (Ooooh… just the thought of it makes me yearn for tomorrow)
I’m attending a meeting later this week with all of the band engineers on the planet. After the pre-screening (just like at the airport except it weeds out whining, complaining, and technically incompetent FOH guys), I’ll shout over the gate to the three people that make it through and discuss these issues with them.
Here’s my proposal; I’ll try and get them not torture your PA so badly that it gets in a snit and stomps off, if all the system engineers on the planet vow to stop trying the Jedi mind trick on us when we walk in…
“There is nothing wrong with this PA, let us pass… there is nothing wrong with this PA, let us pass.”
As the kids say… Peace. I hope they mean it.
Sully is a veteran live sound engineer based in Nashville.
The addition of Crestron compatibility furthers the Renkus-Heinz goal of providing a quality user interface to customers.
Renkus-Heinz has announced compatibility between their ICONYX Digitally Steerable Arrays and Crestron Remote Controllers.
All ICONYX systems have long been equipped with an RS485 external connector for data communication.
Now this data port will enable users to implement control and monitoring via third party controllers such as those made by Crestron.
Details on controlling an ICONYX array using a Crestron control system may be found on the Crestron website.
Further information on initializing Iconyx systems for third party control via RS485 may be found in the ICONYX manual, Appendix V.
“User interface has always been very important to our customers and the addition of an open third party control protocol really adds to our flexibility” said Renkus-Heinz Marketing Manager Margie Ulm.
Aphex Appoints Jim Bailey Head Of Product Development
Bailey excited to lead the development of the Aphex line forward into the 21st century.
Aphex has announced the appointment of pro audio veteran Jim Bailey to the position of Product Manager.
In his new position, Bailey will oversee the development of Aphex’s core line of professional audio and broadcast products, as well as the company’s expansion into other markets.
Bailey comes to Aphex after several years as Product Manager for Avid’s M-Audio division.
Prior to working with Avid, he was Product Development Manager at Tascam, where he oversaw the expansion of the company’s professional audio and recording lines.
He is a professional recording veteran and former owner of a premier Beverly Hills-based recording studio.
“I’ve known Jim for many years and had the pleasure of working with him at Tascam, and simply put, there’s no better person for this position,” said Rick McClendon, Aphex General Manager. “Jim is an innovator, visionary and a big-picture thinker. He’s the ideal person to oversee Aphex’s future product development.”
“Jim was our first choice to head up product development, and we’re excited to welcome him on board,” said David Wiener, President and Chief Executive Officer of DWV Entertainment, parent company of Aphex.
“There are few brands in our industry more legendary than Aphex, and it’s an honor and a privilege to join a company with such a great history,” said Jim Bailey. “We’ve got some great plans ahead, and I’m looking forward to being involved in taking Aphex forward into the 21st century.”
Quote meon an estimate et non interruptus stadium. Sic tempus fugit esperanto hiccup estrogen. Glorious baklava ex librus hup hey ad infinitum. Non sequitur condominium facile et geranium incognito.
