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December 2017

Meyer Sound’s MAPP is among the analysis/prediction programs available as a free download.

Acoustic Fixes for Better Sound

Its effects are commonly misunderstood. Its importance is criminally underrated. It is the first thing on the chopping block in any church install or retrofit. You guessed it — acoustics. How something that is so important and has such a tremendous impact on the performance of a sound system gets put on the chopping block is a mystery as old as time. People like us — audio geeks, audio nerds — we get it. Lay people rarely understand until it is too late.

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Illustration by Andy Au

The Quest for the Perfect Mix: Human and Technology Skill Sets

During the course of a recent conversation with one of my shop guys, the discussion turned to analog consoles, bi-amplification, crossovers and crossover points. I was talking to him about how one could control the audio from the amplifiers or crossover either by turning down a given field or by moving the crossover point. He admitted to me that he “missed being a part of the whole analog thing,” but would really like to learn about it, since he does find it “fascinating.”

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The concert, for University of Wisconsin/Madison students, was held at 17,000-plus-capacity Kohl Center on Oct. 30.

DJ Khaled

Sound Co
Intellasound Productions

Venue
Kohl Center, University of Wisconsin
Madison, WI

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The Free (Audio) Press – and You

No, this month I am not launching into a heated diatribe about restrictions on the freedom of the press, as outlined in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Not that I won’t be addressing this topic in some future issue, but at least for the time being, let’s examine a quite different “Free Press” theme, this being the accessibility of FRONT of HOUSE to help promote your company and/or products.

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FOH engineer Ben Monroe

Mary J Blige ‘Strength of a Woman’ Tour

Arguably the best-dressed person working FOH today, Ben Monroe cuts a dapper figure in the three-piece suits he is known for wearing. Having just completed a 44-gig tour with Mary J. Blige, Monroe was in good spirits, coming off two tours with Blige that he calls “hands down, the best in my life.” A big statement from someone who’s been in the biz for 40 years now.

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Left to right: monitor engineer Jayson Pietri, tour manager Kyle Wood and FOH engineer Rob Thomas

Third Eye Blind 20th Anniversary Tour

Following up on their 2017 “Summer Gods” tour in June and July with special guests Silversun Pickups, Third Eye Blind embarked on their October-and-November “Fall of the Summer Gods” tour, continuing their travels across the U.S. and Canada in celebration of the 20 years since the band released their first album, Third Eye Blind, in April 1997.

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From left, Antony King (FOH engineer), Richard Trow (systems engineer) and Terence Hulkes (audio crew chief & FOH tech). Photo by Steve Jennings

Depeche Mode ‘Global Spirit’ Tour

For more than 30 years, Depeche Mode — comprised of Dave Gahan (lead vocals), Martin Gore (guitar, keys, vocals) and Andrew Fletcher (keyboards) — have dominated the scene with their mix of electronic pop/rock/new wave and dance music. They have had 17 Top 10 albums in the U.K. charts and sold more than 120 million albums. On the road for the current Global Spirit tour, which runs until July of 2018, the band is accompanied by Christian Eigner (drums) and Peter Gordeno (keyboards, bass, backing vocals).

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