The Winter Olympics just finished up and — other than getting hooked on endlessly watching all the competitions, one theme that struck me was the concept of a “shrinking” world. Between the Internet, Skype, emails, FedEx deliveries and web forums, the entire globe is a much closer knit community that ever.
Increasingly in the pro audio and music industry (but equally applicable to automotive or other technologies), we face realities of the world market. If you see a Yamaha drum kit onstage, you might then notice it may have a Premier (UK) snare, with DW (USA) pedals, Sonor (German) stands and a mix of Paiste (Swiss) and Istanbul (Turkish) cymbals. And miking that kit could be another international gathering, perhaps with a combination of models from AKG, Audio-Technica, Audix, beyerdynamic, DPA, Earthworks, Milab, Oktava, Rode, Sennheiser and Shure (among others) — representing more than a half-dozen countries.
At least in the pro audio realm, levels of nationalistic jingoism don’t often exist and certainly don’t make any practical sense. We want what we want because it best handles the job at hand, whether it’s a digital console from American, British, German, Japanese or Swiss manufacturers; or perhaps raw drivers for a retrofit or OEM project from Celestion (UK), Eminence (USA), RCF or 18 Sound (both Italy).
If truth be told, we exist in a truly global market. Perhaps the best-known example of this is Harman Professional, a very American company. Among its stateside-based pro audio holdings such as JBL Pro, Crown, dbx, Lexicon and DigiTech, yet also the U.K.-based BSS and Soundcraft, the Austrian AKG, Studer in Switzerland and Duran Audio in The Netherlands.
And this month’s Musikmesse / Prolight+Sound show in Frankfurt provides a perfect example of a meeting of the world market. In fact, that global microcosm will feature new product launches from dozens of countries, both domestic — such as VUE Audiotechnik’s new hs-20 compact subwoofer — and international, including Nexo’s M6 and L-Acoustics’ K2 loudspeakers (both of France) and Italian company Powersoft, with its remarkably efficient new X-Series of power amplifiers that pack 20,000 Watts into a single-rackspace chassis. (See page 45 in this issue for more details on the X-Series, and check out our special Frankfurt product preview section on page 24. And we’ll present a detailed highlights of Prolight+Sound 2014 report in next month’s FRONT of HOUSE.)
United, We Stand
Sometimes, competitiveness in the world market is set aside for a common cause. Just last month, representatives from Audio-Technica, Lectrosonics, Sennheiser and Shure made a joint visit to Washington D.C. During that visit, key experts from each company’s wireless division made their collective case known to members of the Federal Communications Commission in hopes of reaching an equitable solution for professional wireless audio users with regard to the FCC’s future auction of frequency bands in the 600 MHz spectrum. As of now, that sale (originally scheduled for this year) has been put off until mid-2015, ostensibly providing a little more time to reach a plan that would serve all the involved parties — both in the pro audio community as well as within the telecom/Wi-Fi internet industry.
Speaking of wireless, as the world evolves and available frequencies are more crowded, the need to work smarter becomes more important. With than in mind, check out “Antennas for Wireless: A Practical Guide” on page 36. Despite the reality of RF spectrum congestion, today’s wireless rigs are actually much easier to operate, yet for some reason, the basics of antenna use and selection always mystifies many users, and this tutorial presents straightforward and sensible advice for pros at any level.
On the Move
Globalization moves ahead, despite minor complications in different countries, among them being: line voltages that vary from 100 to 240 volts; 50 or 60 Hz AC line frequencies; three entirely incompatible television standards (NTSC, PAL and SECAM); and dozens of AC power receptacle types in use throughout the world. There’s also an endless variety of legal wireless frequencies that change in every country, so many things remain complex for the touring company or traveling audio tech. Yet common aspects, such as XLR microphone wiring, unpowered speaker connections and gear equipped with multi-voltage switching power supplies than handle any available line voltage, offer a step forward towards true global standardization.
These all represent progress toward a compatible brave new pro audio world. Now if someone could come up with a solution for what to do with dozens of those unused brass 3/8- to 5/8-inch threaded mic inserts that fill a drawer in my shop, well then we’d have a real global revolution in the making. Count on it.
Catch George’s editorial commentary at www.fohonline.com/foh-tv.
