Features

From June 9-16, 34,268 AV professionals from 90 countries came to Las Vegas for InfoComm 2012, the annual conference and exhibition for the audiovisual and information communications industries. The week-long event offered dozens of seminars, training sessions, technical tours and educational programs, as well as the tradeshow floor, which featured 933 exhibitors displaying the latest AV technology in 487,000 square feet of exhibit and special events space.

On April 27th, Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business presented its GSB Show 2012, an entirely student-written/student-run production that provides a humorous reflection on the past academic year. Held in Palo Alto’s 950-seat Spangenberg Theatre and located in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley, it’s no surprise that technology played an integral role in the production.

HONOLULU — It’s not often a sound company is asked to specify a full PA system and backline for a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, let alone to look after it on its cruise from Hawaii to San Diego, but that’s exactly what Southern California-based audio providers Mambo Sound and Broadcast Support were tasked with last month, and they chose dB Technologies for the job.

For the last 22 months, wireless microphones haven’t been allowed to operate in the 700 MHz band (698 – 806 MHz) in the US. Many systems were sold in this spectrum, but are now illegal to resell or operate in the US. This remains news to some wireless users, and illegal 700-band systems can be found in ballrooms, churches and schools, with some continuing to plead ignorance as an excuse.

When the envelopes were opened for the 54th annual Grammy Awards Show on Feb. 12 from the Staples Center arena in Los Angeles, there were few surprises between Adele, Foo Fighters and Taylor Swift. But at the ends of the fiber optic snake, there was a big one. After a decade with the venerable (and recently discontinued) Yamaha PM1D console at the FOH and monitor mix positions for the Grammy Awards telecast, DiGiCo’s SD series desks made their first appearance on “Music’s Biggest Night,” and did so in force. If the Grammy’s tendency to stick with technology platforms consistently for long periods continues to hold true — the Yamahas were there for nine consecutive years — expect to see these British imports in place for some time to come.

Do you remember the 1980s? Riding along in the back lounge of the audio bus, solving the world’s problems and wishing for a console with “total recall.” Those of us old enough remember the massive effort it took to “chart” an analog console so you could “dial it up” on a different desk. Oftentimes, multiple opening acts would share the same console, requiring the “dial up” procedure to happen during set change, which was always nerve-wracking and prone to mistakes. The idea of a console that could recall a complete setup with the push of a button was a “pipe dream” that defined the distant future of audio mixing.

The FRONT of HOUSE Theater Installation Showcase profiles sound system installations that made a dramatic difference at the following venues: Human Nature Theater, Las Vegas, NV; Skirball Center for the Performing Arts at NYU, NYC; Eisenhower Hall Theatre, West Point, NY; The Rose Theatre, Brampton, Ontario; Palace Theatre and New Victory Theatre, New York, NY; Star Plaza Theatre, Merrillville, IN; Union Theater at LSU, Baton Rouge, LA; McCallum Theater, Palm Desert, CA; Budapest Cultural Centre, Budapest, Hungary.

To download the FRONT of HOUSE 2012 NAMM Show Report, CLICK HERE

A week that began with clear but cool blue skies in Anaheim, CA ended with Pineapple Express showers, dramatic NFL conference championships and a record number of attendees for the Winter NAMM Show, the annual kick-off trade show for both pro audio and musical instrument manufacturers.

To download the Feb. 2012 Tech Feature, CLICK HERE

Last February, when the Libyan civil war began, my wife and I began discussing how a sharp rise in the price of gasoline would make buying a Prius logical, as the money saved on fuel would cover the payments on the car loan. My wife is amused that I turn most life situations into math problems, but both my father’s parents were math teachers, and pro audio is nothing without numbers. Since the average American drives 12,000 miles annually, switching from a 20 mpg Honda to a 45 mpg Prius saves 333 gallons of gas, which is $1,000 annually at $3 per gallon and $1,333 at $4 per gallon. Trading in her 2006 Element left us with $6,000 to finance. At $4 per gallon, the payback becomes 4 ½ years.

St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, Cedar Rapids, IA

Audio Logic provided xA-Series loudspeakers from d&b audiotechnik’s White loudspeaker range for St. Paul’s United Methodist Church to address a double challenge: the semi-circular shape of the 97-year-old church’s sanctuary, and the restrictions preventing acoustical treatments from being used at the church.

Blue-collar heartland rocker Bob Seger and his Silver Bullet Band spent last spring and this winter on their first tour since 2006’s Face the Promise tour, earning a spot right in the middle of Pollstar’s Top 25 North American Tours of 2011, selling over a half million tickets for 48 shows in 45 cities, and winding up like many good runs with a stop in my hometown of Jacksonville, FL.

The 10th annual week-long Rock In Rio festival returned to Brazil after spending even years of the past decade in Lisbon and Madrid, drawing 700,000 to the site planned for the 2016 Summer Olympics to hear Guns N’ Roses, Shakira, Katy Perry, Stevie Wonder, Ke$ha, Metallica, Rihanna, Coldplay, Elton John, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and many other top artists perform.