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The November 2017 Digital Edition

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November 2017

For the Palace Theatre in St. Paul, MN, Allied Productions and Sales worked with Randy Hawkins, the venue's head audio engineer, on a new system that includes L-Acoustics K2 components.

Recent Theater/Performing Arts Center Projects

FRONT of HOUSE profiles four unique venues, each with their own audio reinforcement needs. There’s the Palace Theatre in St. Paul, MN, a former vaudeville and cinema mecca saved from the wrecking ball and converted for use as a live music venue, and then there’s the Vietnam National Puppetry Theatre, where puppeteers wade behind a curtain in waist-deep water. We also profile the Queen’s Theatre in Hornchurch, Havering, London, which is making the switch from analog mixing to digital, and how acoustic treatments are optimizing the acoustics for different performances within the Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, FL.

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Hometown Heroes

2017 Hometown Hero Finalists

Audio Achievers Voted Best in Their Region by FOH Readers

Readers across the continent weighed in on which sound company deserved the certificate, bragging rights and the chance to take home the “Parnelli Hometown Hero Award of the Year” at the Parnelli Awards gala in January. There are some fresh faces along with several who are returning to the winner’s circle, but they all offer up a few things in common: a dedication to customer service, a commitment to constantly investing in their inventory and an unflappable commitment to getting the job done. Meet the people running the companies named as the best in their region by readers of FRONT of HOUSE.

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The venue has been part of Nashville’s Gulch district since 1984.

Nightclub Focus: Twelfth & Porter

After a One-Year Hiatus, 12th & Porter Returns to Nashville’s Live Music Scene By Thomas S.FriedmanI

n February 2015, when 12th & Porter’s previous owners announced that their storied venue was about to close, the local newspapers went into full obituary mode, lamenting the loss of a venue that helped put artists like Keith Urban, Sugarland and Dierks Bentley into the public eye (and ear).

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From left, Hugh Sarvis, chief designer, loudspeaker division; Tony Flammia, director, commercial division; Stephen Fraser, CEO; Jim Odom, chief strategy officer/founder; and Rick Naqvi, VP sales.

PreSonus’ Commercial Division

New Division Anchored by PreSonus WorxAudio Loudspeakers Thriving in First Year

At first glance, it might seem curious for PreSonus to get into the pro loudspeaker business and create speakers for tours and installs. After all, there are plenty of other companies building boxes. But looking closer, the evolution was inevitable. And based on the successes they’ve experienced already, it was more than justified.

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George Petersen, Editor of FOH Magazine

Stayin’ Alive, Part 2

One of author Peter Benchley’s ideas for a tagline to promote his blockbuster 1975 movie Jaws was “just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water.” Ironically, some version of that could today be applied to the safety of attending (or working) live sound gigs. This certainly comes to mind considering last month’s carnage at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas or the May 22 Manchester Arena bombing after an Ariana Grande show. Ironically, both of these attacks came from outside the performance space, where measures such as metal directors and security patdowns are ineffective.

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Custom Earpieces for IEM Systems

Custom Earpieces for IEM Systems

One of the major advancements in live sound has been in-ear listening/monitoring systems, which have made a significant impact in the way concerts are presented. A rock-solid wireless transmitter combined with beltpack IEM receivers and accurate earpieces can significantly improve nearly any show or presentation. Not only can performers hear themselves far better than stage wedge mixes, IEM use results in lowered stage volume. With a great IEM mix, the FOH engineer’s task becomes simpler, audience get better sound and artists are happy — a definite example of a win-win-win-situation.

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New Gear, Nov. 2017, FRONT of HOUSE Magazine

New Gear, Nov. 2017

FRONT of HOUSE’s Nov. 2017 New Gear section includes products from Allen & Heath, Audio Precision, BAE Audio, Bose, DirectOut, DPA, EarSonics, EAW, Eventide, Lectrosonics, PreSonus, sE Electronics, Shure, SKB, Waves and Whirlwind.

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Shure Axient Digital road test, FOH Nov 2017

Shure Axient Digital

Shure’s Axient Digital is the latest addition to the Axient line of high-end, robust wireless systems from the industry leader in wireless microphone and in-ear monitoring. Building on a tremendous wealth of experience with both analog and digital wireless, and coupled with an array of available microphone capsules and accessories, Shure is the most well-positioned company during a transitional time for the U.S. wireless spectrum.

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QSC K.2 Series Speakers

QSC K.2 Series Speakers

Powerred loudspeakers have become the mainstay for many applications. Compact and easy to set up, they eliminated issues with amplifier racks, impedance matching and speaker cabling. Simply plug them in, provide audio signal and away you go. QSC, a recognized name in power amplification entered the powered speaker market with their K-Series, which soon became a popular choice of musicians, sound companies and AV rental houses. The compact K’s had 1,000-watt amplifiers, multiple inputs with mixing and basic DSP. Rear panel switches allowed the user to configure the speakers to their needs. So, if the K’s are good, what could be better? Enter the new QSC K.2 models.

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The 58 “Crosses for Losses” near the Welcome to Las Vegas sign commemorate victims of the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting Oct. 1. The crosses were moved to the Clark County Museum in Las Vegas on Nov. 12.

Beyond Safety’s Reach

Las Vegas Shooting Shows That Even Best Practices Can’t Make Events Completely Safe

The real-life nightmare that unfolded during the closing performance by headliner Jason Aldean at the Route 91 Harvest Festival defied just about every best-practices precaution that could have been deployed to keep the performers, crew and 22,000 concert attendees safe.

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