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November 2017

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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On the Digital Edge, FOH, Nov 2017

Year-End Summary

At the end of each touring year, I try to go over what was done right, what was done wrong and what we could do better while out on the road and performing night after night. This past year was particularly interesting because of the variety of geographic locations to which we traveled and the diversity of gear packages that we encountered along the way.

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Infrared satellite imaging is one of the tools that can indicate storm activity.

Something Else To Be Thankful For

Just before you dive into that turkey this year, be thankful you got through the entire festival and outdoor touring season without a weather-related fatality. Compare that with the experiences of the last decade or so, particularly 2011, considered the annus horribilis of the industry’s history, when the stage structure at the Indiana State Fair collapsed in high winds, killing seven people and injuring 58 others.

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FOH, 'Theory and Practice' column, Nov 2017

Exploring the Parallel Universe

Anyone who reads FRONT of HOUSE is probably familiar with the differences between serial processing and parallel processing. Serial processing is used when we want 100 percent of the signal to be processed and none of the “original” signal to be allowed into the mix. For example, when compressing a lead vocal, we most often insert the compressor on the lead vocal channel in an effort to control the dynamics of the lead vocal. This prevents the uncompressed lead vocal from reaching the mix.

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