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Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Mark Frink 02/20/13 06:41 PM,Touring as a monitor engineer has taught me many tricks over the years. Here are some of my favorite pieces of advice for those who may be just starting out… Audio Logs Like Groundhog Day (or a symphony pops tour), I keep repeating the following: the best loudspeaker accessory is the simplest and cheapest. If you have nothing better to do one day, find an hour to cut some 2 x 4 lumber into one-foot lengths and paint them black.… View this story
Filed in: Live Sound • Feature • Blog • Study Hall • Production • Audio • Engineer • Loudspeaker • Monitoring • Stage -
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Mark Frink 01/24/13 10:16 AM,Like wedge-based monitoring, each in-ear mix is very personal, but unlike with wedges, the only way to hear something is if it’s sent to that mix. Stereo generally works better than mono. By leaving the listener’s inputs centered and panning other vocals or instruments, it’s easier to hear all the elements of the mix at a lower volume and this is crucial to hearing conservation over time. This is easily demonstrated by listening to a track in mono and then… View this story
Filed in: Live Sound • Feature • Blog • Study Hall • Concert • Monitoring • Processor • Stage • Wireless -
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Mark Frink 11/27/12 07:29 AM,A couple of years ago marked the 40th anniversary of Altec Lansing’s passive third-octave “continuous” equalizer that began modern sound system equalization. It didn’t start as a graphic equalizer, but rather, was three rows of eight knobs on third octave centers. A companion third-octave real-time analyzer, three rows of eight VU meters, provided a means to measure a sound system. Subsequent Altec EQs replaced the knobs with a row of sliders, earning the name “graphic” because their positions provide a… View this story
Filed in: Live Sound • Feature • Blog • Study Hall • Analog • Digital • Measurement • Processor • Sound Reinforcement • System -
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Mark Frink 09/11/12 04:24 PM,1) Both Ears Or None. Using only one ear encourages much higher sound levels. Good custom molds provide 20 to 25 dB of isolation, allowing lower monitoring levels for artists, and reduced stage noise to compete with front of house. Mixed mode monitoring combining wedges and personal monitors ultimately results in higher overall SPL. 2) Hard-Wired Equals Hi-Def. Wired personal monitors will always sound better than wireless. In addition to loss of stereo separation and frequency response, multiplexed stereo wireless… View this story
Filed in: Live Sound • Feature • Blog • Study Hall • Engineer • Monitoring • Sound Reinforcement • Stage • Technician -
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Mark Frink 07/14/12 01:41 PM,Though there are other conventions, it is generally agreed that the kick drum goes into the first channel of the console, and for time immemorial, inordinate efforts have gone into tediously adjusting it. Sound check never really starts until after this first input has been tweaked to satisfaction. The kick drum is the cornerstone of rock. It puts the pop in pop music and is the one input that holds it all together. It’s the heartbeat of rock and roll.… View this story
Filed in: Live Sound • Feature • Study Hall • Microphone • Sound Reinforcement • Stage -
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Mark Frink 06/13/12 10:01 AM,Welcome to doing monitor sound for a singer. There are many kinds of professional entertainers, songwriters and celebrities, but now you’re working for that breed of performing artist who sings quite well and requires a refined approach in order to do their best on stage. The Microphone If she is just starting out, microphone selection is something you could explore, but having used one particular microphone for vocals for her entire career, it’s simply a comfortable pair of shoes, its… View this story
Filed in: Live Sound • Feature • Poll • Study Hall • Consoles • Engineer • Microphone • Mixer • Monitoring • Sound Reinforcement • Stage • Audio -
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
Mark Frink 06/06/12 02:43 PM,Coordination. TV broadcasts are the dominant feature of the local RF spectrum. Online resources like the Sennheiser Frequency Finder, which uses a ZIP code, and the FCC’s database to provide a list of local TV broadcast stations and their signal strength, helps users tune wireless systems to interference-free frequencies, removing much of the guesswork. Antenna. Most wireless in-ear monitoring transmitters come with a simple quarter-wave whip antenna, which is fine for single systems at close distances. Multiple systems benefit from… View this story
Filed in: Live Sound • Feature • Slideshow • Monitoring • Sound Reinforcement • Stage • Wireless -
Monday, May 14, 2012
Mark Frink 05/14/12 08:31 AM,In the beginning, the list of microphones on drums was minimal, even in recording studios. Before the arrival of rock and roll in the late 1950s, with its steady emphasis on the 2-and-4 backbeat, putting microphone near the snare was out of the question, and there weren’t many drum microphones on The Ed Sullivan Show. The difference between country and western was the drums required to push western swing music, but it wasn’t until the Grand Ole Opry moved to… View this story
Filed in: Live Sound • Feature • Product • Microphone • Sound Reinforcement • Stage -
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
Mark Frink 05/09/12 04:29 PM,It’s common for live music clubs to economize with second-hand sound equipment, and some value can be found in older loudspeakers and analog desks which are no longer rider-friendly enough for their original owners. Used analog consoles cost a fraction of their original price, so it’s not unusual to find club equipment older than the engineer running it. However, concert sound production is accustomed to the benefits that digital consoles provide. Let’s see what those benefits bring to live music… View this story
Filed in: Live Sound • Feature • Poll • Consoles • Digital • Installation • Mixer • Sound Reinforcement • System • Technician • Audio -
Friday, February 26, 2010
Mark Frink 02/26/10 02:12 PM, 0 CommentsAs with all sizes of modular line array enclosures there are several designs in the “mini” genre, which we define as those with 7-inch “woofers”. The simplest two-way systems have a single cone driver and a high-frequency driver, side by each. Some employ dual woofers, and those with a center high-frequency section that provides horizontal symmetry. Quasi-three-way solutions use dual woofers, but cross one over earlier, so the other is the single source of mid-range, eliminating cancellations. True three-way designs… View this story
Filed in: Live Sound • Feature • Slideshow • Concert • Line Array • Loudspeaker • Sound Reinforcement
Articles Tagged Mark Frink
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