Before I jump into our usual high-tech trash talk, I have to relate a recent story regarding what could have been a complete audio disaster. We were doing a show at the Umatilla County Fair in Hermiston Ore., on a hot August day. As is often the case, heat + humidity = a multitude of weather-related anomalies including (but certainly not limited to) thunderstorms and hail. When my crew and I arrived for load-in, we were warned that there was a good chance for a hailstorm with 70-mph winds. In fact, there was a tornado warning for a few of the surrounding counties. We proceeded with our setup knowing that if a storm came we’d have to lower the roof of the stage and wrap up the PA system to protect the gear.
The Storm Hits
The company providing PA for our stage, as well as a few other smaller stages, was North West Staged Events Ltd, led by Larry Aitken. Once our gear was set up, we proceeded with a line check and everything sounded great. Larry had a tent covering front-of-house and tarps ready to go, anticipating the possibility of bad weather. When the storm hit, no one could have predicted how fast it would come in, or that the tent would be blown over on its side leaving the entire left half of the console exposed. The desk was pelted with hail and rain and became soaked.
Needless to say, both Larry and I were concerned, though I stayed out of the way as much as possible, until checking in with Larry at FOH about an hour later (I knew the PA was down and figured that Larry did not need me breathing down his neck). Larry powered everything down and was pulling modules from the bucket of the Yamaha PM4000 at front-of-house. Sound check would have to be cancelled, and it was getting near the time when the opening act was supposed to be taking the stage.
Grace Under Pressure
In spite of the pressure, Larry was calm and proceeded to do the only thing possible: He found an air compressor (where, I’ll never know), removed each module and began to blow and dry them out one at a time, methodically replacing them into the bucket. As Larry proceeded (I eventually assisted), time was getting short. Luckily, the promoter agreed to cancel the opening act (sorry guys).
After Larry dried out all of the suspect modules, we fired up the console. A few of the modules freaked out, showing Christmas tree LEDs, so one by one, Larry and I unmuted each module, routed them to the L/R bus and listened. A few of the modules were making weird noises, some of which we discovered were actually a function of the position in the bucket, not the module itself. But after re-patching our mic connections, we found that most of the modules were OK. We re-routed a few lines to avoid the suspect positions and proceeded with another line check. Most of the desk appeared to be unharmed.
Although the crowd got a little restless with the lack of supporting acts (or even walk-in music), most of them waited patiently. At only 10 minutes past the scheduled time, we were ready to put the band on stage. I hit the opening cue while Larry and I held our breath — you never know how a PA will react after something like this until you fire it up at full tilt. Through almost two hours, we heard not a pop, click or static noise from that desk and the band turned in a great show. Kudos to Larry for keeping his wits, and proceeding methodically to perform the steps necessary to make that show fly — grace under pressure in human form.
White Space Recap
In case you haven’t been paying attention, during the summer, the audio community invited the FCC to a variety of functions including an NFL football game and a Broadway production. The purpose of this was to allow the FCC to test some of the proposed “white space” devices that have been submitted to them for approval under real-world conditions. Unless you have been living under a rock, you should be aware of the fact that the FCC is considering giving license to manufacturers of broadband devices (think iPhone) for use in the UHF band where we operate our wireless microphones. In theory, these devices have an auto-sensing function whereby they would — on powering up — scan the local RF spectrum, identify what frequencies are already in use by TV and wireless microphones, and then set themselves to operate on different frequencies, thus avoiding interference. The devices under testing performed miserably, causing interference and either completely failing to recognize existing wireless mics, or incorrectly finding that all UHF channels were already occupied. Fabulous.
It’s a sad fact of life that the audio industry is not the big fish in this pond. Earlier this year, the FCC auctioned off a section of the UHF band for $19 billion, reallocating the range from 698 to 806 MHz for broadband use by communications companies. In the past, the pro audio industry has been able to use this frequency range for our wireless mics and instruments, but it appears that we will be outlawed from using it in the future. Telecommunications giants like AT&T, Verizon and Motorola probably pay way more in quarterly tax that the entire pro audio industry generates in a year, so we are being seen as a fly in the ointment, the crackpots who are standing on the way of technological progress.
On Aug. 21, the FCC proposed the prohibition of what they classify as “low power auxiliary stations” (i.e. pro audio wireless devices) from the 700 MHz band. Unfortunately there are a lot of existing pro audio wireless systems already operating on frequencies in that range, so users will have to figure out a way of transitioning their gear to other UHF bands (most major manufacturers of wireless are already working on this). Here is an ironic thought for you: If AT&T finds out that your wireless mic is interfering with their delivery of broadband data, they could actually take legal action against you.
The proposal would go into effect on Feb. 17, 2009, and also proposes that the FCC prohibit the manufacture, import, sale or shipment of “low power auxiliary station” devices that operate in the 700-MHz band after the end of the DTV transition. The FCC maintains that this procedure would ensure that pro audio wireless would not cause harmful interference to new public safety and commercial wireless services in the band. The FCC does not make laws, so the proposal would still need to go before our lawmakers in Washington, but quite frankly, it’s starting to look like they don’t give a damn about pro audio… that is (as I have said before), until a broadband device interferes with their wireless mic during a speech. For the latest news on this issue, read our cover story “Google Claims FCC Tests Are Rigged.“
Steve “Woody” La Cerra is still out on tour mixing front-of-house for Blue Öyster Cult. He can be reached via email at woody@fohonline.com.
