Well, almost. This issue marks the end of five years of FOH. That’s right, next month will open year six. I am getting a little jump on things just because, well, just because I feel like it.
Lots has changed in the last five years, and lots more is going to change. Companies have been bought and sold. Digital technology has become the norm on many stages instead of some kind of freak occurrence. Most important, what you need and expect from us has changed.
As we move out of toddlerhood and into our second five years, big changes are occurring. The magazine you read and — I hope look forward to reading — is not going anywhere; it is just expanding its scope and reach. Most of this will be happening in the electronic world, although there will be lots of connection between the Web and the printed page.
You can see some of this already on the FOH-TV portion of the Web site, where we include video companion pieces for a couple of product reviews and production profiles. In the past couple of weeks, we have done a backstage tour with one of the biggest shows in Vegas — all on video — and spent some time with a company in Reno that is REALLY going digital by using Yamaha digital consoles, but leaving the consoles backstage and mixing using a wireless tablet PC.
Just as the skills you need for work have changed, so have the skills we need to bring you information in a compelling format. I never expected to have to learn to edit video, but it is something that I do now. You probably never thought you would have to worry about sam-ple rates, word clock and digital jitter, but you do.
The biggest changes will be in what we offer in the way of information. Very soon, in addition to news and features, you will see actual training opportunities and even help in finding your next gig. That’s enough hints for now. Don’t want to give it all away, but keep your eyes open and stay tuned to this bat channel. It’s gonna get interesting.
To help us celebrate our five years, we want to make a kind of reader-generated birthday card. Here is the idea: send us a picture of you or your crew reading FOH. Outrageous situations are encouraged. We will gather them all together in the October issue, which is the official five-year anniversary, and the issue that will be distributed at AES.
Need an idea for the kind of shot we want? Here is one that ran a few months back. That’s Alex “Sarge” Fletcher of Vegas’ H.A.S. Productions on a trip to the “Library.” (BTW, there is an actual “gentlemen’s club” here in Vegas called the Library. Never been there, but it does make for a great alibi. “I was at the Library, honey, I swear…)
Send those pics to pics@fohonline.com (and keep the files under 3 meg total, or the system will bounce you.)
