Features

For the 2,150-seat theater built for Cirque du Soleil's ZED at Tokyo Disney Resort, sound designers François Bergeron and Vikram Kirby are using Meyer Sound's Constellation electroacoustic architecture to invite guests into a world of imagination.

The Boston Park Plaza Hotel and Towers, a landmark since the Roaring Twenties, has been inducted as a member of the Historic Hotels of America. But the sound system used for its six sizable ballrooms was a source of frustration to the hotel staff.

You had to be there.

You had to be there to see a hilariously self-deprecating Dennis DeYoung emcee. You had to be there for touching, moving documentaries on the three Parnelli honorees, Stan Miller, Jake Berry and Richard Belliveau, You had to be there for the surprise winners and their usually unconventional acceptance speeches.

AUSTIN, TX — Austin City Limits Music Festival featured 130 bands one eight stages in three days of performances. Robert Ausmus of LD Systems (Houston, TX) and his crew relied on an Electro-Voice X-Line line array loudspeaker system to provide sound reinforcement for the Xbox 360 stage.

INDIO, CA — After a five-year hiatus, Phish reformed earlier this year for the release of Joy and a subsequent 27-date national tour, which included headline spots at the Bonnaroo Music Festival and a four-night run at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver.

From AC/DC to U2, Berlin to Yes, Janet Jackson to Tina Turner, Cher to Madonna, Barney to Walking with Dinosaurs, Bob the Builder to the Wiggles, Metallica to the Rolling Stones — production manager Jake Berry has earned a backstage pass to some of the biggest acts in the business, and to rock ‘n’ roll history itself.

Live music is the new record business. And Live Nation is the new Warner Brothers. Live sound has now become the lifeblood of the music industry, but what makes this shift unusual is that it has taken place during unprecedented economic strife.

I’ve been fortunate to be able to work with Stan Miller for almost 40 years. Every performer knows that the show’s production staff off stage is as crucial to a great presentation as the people on stage. My production organization has always been top flight and Stanley stands at the top of that esteemed list.

He’s worked for John Denver, Johnny Cash and Stevie Wonder. He built the wall of speakers for Pink Floyd’s The Wall concerts. He provided sound for Bob Dylan when he performed at Zeppelin Field in Nuremberg, Germany. He’s also been called on by the likes of the Pope and the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

For the past five years, Fall Out Boy FOH engineer Kyle Chirnside has been manning the controls. For the band’s current world tour, Chirnside is turning to the Midas PRO6.

In 1978, Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of the War of the Worlds made its debut. This year, The War of the Worlds — Alive On Stage paid homage to Wayne’s Worlds in arenas around the UK and Europe. RG Jones, meanwhile, supplied a Synco by Martin Audio-based sound system for the touring spectacle

Swearing In Ceremony 

Talk with MSI on handling the swearing in ceremony were ongoing throughout the year, but the contract wasn’t finalized until the end of November, says Robert Goldstein, president of Maryland Sound International (MSI). The physical install started January 2.