Harman Buyout Dead - FOH Online

40
The Bleeding Anklebiters Edge
Sammy F. — Where Are You?
We’ve said a lot in these pages
about how digital technology has
shaped our audio lives, including
the ability to create scenes or snapshots
for a digital mixer ahead of time, and then
store or load them into a desk for show
time. Mixing systems such as the Digidesign
Venue, DiGiCo D5, Soundcraft Vi6 and
Yamaha PM5D have the ability for true total
recall of every setting, which means we can
preprogram a show at a rehearsal, store the
settings into some sort of memory and then
load that data into another desk of the same
type on location. This summer, I observed
that — instead of carrying their consoles
on tour — many bands requested in their
rider that a particular console be provided
by the promoter. Once the band arrived onsite,
the engineer loaded their show into the
desk, and off they went.
Wouldn’t It Be Great If… TBE
As I was programming a Yamaha M7CL
the other day at a sound check, I had a brainstorm:
Wouldn’t it be great if I could load my
scenes for the PM5D into the M7CL? In fact,
it’d be amazing if we could have a universal
storage format that loads our settings into
any digital console regardless of make or
model.
I don’t think it’s as far-fetched as it
sounds. Not too long ago, the concept of
one manufacturer’s keyboard triggering
sounds from a keyboard made by another
manufacturer was a dream. For 20 years, it
has been called MIDI. It would be an incredible
resource for engineers if audio manufacturers
could create a universal file format
for digital mixer settings. We could call it
SAMFF — Standard Audio Mixer File Format.
OCTOBER 2007
I’d like to see the manufacturers of digital
consoles get together and create a common
file format that would allow you to (for
example) load a scene from your PM5D into
a DiGiCo D5 Live.
Obviously, we can’t expect that every
setting would be identical, or even that the
desks would sound the same. But at the
very least, we could have the more “utilitarian”
aspects of a console scene stored to this
format. Settings such as channel name, pan,
EQ on/off, dynamics on/off, DCA and mute
assignment, phase normal/invert and send
levels could be translated easily from one
desk to another.
I don’t think it’d be realistic to expect
that your kick drum EQ on a Yamaha PM5D
would be the same as on the Digidesign
Venue — particularly when third-party
plug-ins are involved. But simpler settings
such as a high-pass filter should be easier
to translate from console to console; we’d
avoid the need for traveling with a bag full
of memory cards, and it would give engineers
a starting point when faced with a
new console for the first time. Total recall?
No, but at least it could save you setup time
when you get to the gig. Mixers from many
manufacturers can already be controlled via
MIDI. It can’t be that far of a leap to somehow
map that data from MIDI to whatever
data format is used to file settings on their
digital mixers.
And Now for Something
Completely Different…
TBE
Over the past few years, we’ve seen a
trend in loudspeaker design toward selfpowered
units. Active loudspeakers have
a lot of advantages over their passive
STAGING • LIGHTING • SOUND
LIVE SOUND, Theory
and Practice
This book oers practical
advice on real topics
important to technicians
and engineers in the live
sound business. In these
pages sound engineers of all
levels will nd vital help on
how to deal with real-world
problems such as
time-pressure,
troubleshooting a rig and
dealing with non-technical
individuals.
Concert Tour
Production
Management
Concert Tour Production
Management deals with
the business of production
and sets out
guidelines to follow in
order to literally get the
show on the road. Concert
Tour Production
Management provides the
basic information to
manage the production
for a touring concert from
start to nish in the most
eective and ecient way
possible.
Live Sound
Reinforcement
The simple language,
detailed illustrations, and
concrete examples in this
book are suitable for
novice to intermediatelevel
users. Live Sound
Reinforcement outlines all
aspects of P.A. system
operation and commonly
encountered sound
system design concerns.
Computer Sound
Design
This comprehensive
introduction to software
synthesis techniques and
programming is intended
for students, researchers,
musicians, sound artists
and enthusiasts in the
eld of music technology.
Order online TODAY at www.plsnbookshelf.com
www.fohonline.com
brethren. To start, there’s that often scary
decision regarding what power amp to
match with your new speakers. The designer
of an active loudspeaker knows
exactly “how much is enough” and will do
the grunt work for you in this department.
You don’t have to worry about setting
crossover points, what type of filters to
use and at what slope. The amount of cabling
required to set up an act ve system
is much less than that required for a passive
system, and setup time for an active
P.A. is shorter. There’s also less truck space
required because you can likely lose the
amp racks (especially advantageous when
using active monitors). Since the amps in
most active designs feature limiters or
protection circuits of some type, chances
of blowing up a driver are reduced, and
because many active loudspeakers feature
active crossover circuitry, amplifier
muscle is used efficiently.
In the Land of Oz TBE
Alas, all is not perfect in the “Audio Department
of Oz.” Most self-powered loudspeakers
are heavier than passive speakers
of similar size, simply because the cabinet is
housing one or more amplifiers. You’ll have
to run AC service to wherever the speaker is
located, and this must be done with care to
avoid interference with audio lines. If something
inside that active cabinet fails, you
temporarily lose the entire unit.
You might be able to replace a defective
cabinet more quickly, but it will probably be
difficult to repair (replacing a broken amp in
a powered array during a show is probably
not going to happen). That’s a drag because
it means that you need a spare for the entire
By SteveLaCerra
active unit — which is often more expensive
than having say… an extra power amplifier
lying around. It’s worth noting that some
manufacturers have addressed this problem
by employing modular construction
in their active speakers cabinets, whereby
a power amp can be quickly removed from
the cabinet and replaced without moving
or disturbing the placement of the cabinet.
Very clever.
So, if self-powered loudspeakers are
the bomb, why (other than economics)
are sound companies still designing P.A.
systems with passive loudspeakers? There
is one thing you lose with a self-powered
loudspeaker — the do-it-yourself aspect
of P.A. system design. I’d heard more than
a few owners of sound companies bemoan
the fact that using self-powered
cabinets “ain’t like the old days.” One gentleman
told me he was frustrated using
a particular powered line array because
he felt the low-frequency crossover was
too high. In a passive system, he’d make a
quick adjustment at the crossover to correct
what he felt was an audible problem,
but the active system did not offer access
to such parameters, precluding the possibility
for user-tweaking or fine-tuning.
Of course, there’s always a possibility that
if you dismantle that cabinet, you might
find some control hidden inside… .
Steve “Woody” La Cerra has been out on tour
all summer mixing front-of-house for Blue
Öyster Cult. He can be reached via e-mail at
Woody@fohonline.com.
Your #1 Source for
continuing education.
Back-to-Basics Audio
Back to Basics Audio is a
thorough, yet approachable
handbook on audio
electronics theory and
equipment. The rst part
of the book discusses
electrical and audio
principles. Those
principles form a basis for
understanding the
operation of equipment
and systems, covered in
the second section.
Finally, planning and
installation of a home
audio system is addressed.
Professional Sound
Reinforcement
Techniques
In this witty and
informative book, author
Jim Yakabuski translates
his 20 years of experience
with live sound into
informal, easy-tounderstand
tips from the
front lines of the touring
industry. Learn the secrets
that Yakabuski has used to
make Van Halen,
Aerosmith, Julio Iglesias
and others sound great as
they play to sold-out
crowds night after night!
Basics of Video Sound
Now fully updated to
reect the latest advances,
the second edition of
Basics of Video Sound is a
primer for anyone wishing
to learn about recording
sound. It describes the
principles and processes
involved in obtaining
professional results in
educational, training and
corporate environments.
Acoustics and
Psychoacoustics
This book provides a
comprehensive introduction
to the subject of
acoustics, including the
principles of human
perception of sound,
sometimes called
psychoacoustics.