For a recent performance at the Robert E. Jacoby Symphony Hall in the Times-Union Performing Arts Center in Jacksonville, FL, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, which derives its name from the Preservation Hall venue located in the New Orleans French Quarter, benefitted from the application of Lectronsonics Digital Hybrid Wireless technology.
Mark Frink, audio and RF engineer for the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, was on hand to lend his expertise for the Preservation Hall Jazz Band concert, utilizing a Lectrosonics Venue with Lectrosonics LMa beltpacks and HH handheld transmitters. Specifically, Jacoby Symphony Hall has a single Lectrosonics Venue receiver mainframe that is fully loaded with six channels of standard VRS receiver modules.
“Due to its flexibility, the 6-channel Venue is perfect for the vast majority of our Symphony Hall productions, which constantly vary in wireless requirements from conductor announcements, to narrators and actors, to pop vocalists, comedians and occasional solo instrumentalists, such as our presentation of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band,” Frink states.
In order to provide the “right tool for the job” in captureing the various instruments during the concert, Frink a variety of microphones at his disposal. Due to what’s become an industry-standard screw-on capsule thread, the Lectrosonics HH handheld transmitters can be used with Lectrosonics’ HHC cardioid condenser capsules, as well as many other popular SM and Beta dynamic and condenser capsules.
In addition to the Lectrosonics HH transmitters, Lectrosonics LMa beltpack transmitters are often used in conjunction with Countryman E6i earset microphones as well as B6 and B2D lavaliere microphones.
“We have six Lectrosonics LMa beltpacks that employ dual 16-position rotary switches to adjust their frequency,” Frink explains. “These transmitters perform very well for us and, while changing frequency settings is really quite easy, we never change them since they never leave the building. By using simple 4-pin male to 5-pin female mini XLR adapters, we were able to easily accommodate the band’s request for Beta 98 mics with the LMa transmitters for the band’s six wind instruments.
“In a symphony hall, sound quality is of paramount importance because our audience is accustomed to natural, unamplified sound,” he concludes. “Lectrosonics Digital Hybrid Wireless compandor-free technology is preferred by wireless guitarists and by system engineers for wireless measurement mics. Further, the equipment is easy to use and is extremely reliable, so it inspires confidence.”