Pollstar: U2 is Number 2 - FOH Online

ThE NEws MagaziNE For LivE souNd 

January 2006 Vol. 4 No. 4 

Still Rocking at (Almost) 64 

While the Stones have to put up with constant old age jokes every time they go on tour, 

no one seems to make quite as big a deal of it with Paul McCartney. As he has for the least few 

tours, Pablo “Pab” Boothroyd is at the FOH console for this short tour of the States. FOH caught 

up with the team at a recent show in Dallas. See pg. 16. 

Pollstar: U2 is Number 2 

FRESNO, CA—Pollstar has released its endof-year 

report on the highest-grossing tours of 

2005, with some surprising results. 

Despite widespread industry estimates 

that U2 would take the 2005 crown, the Rolling 

Stones emerged the victors with a total gross of 

$162 million. U2 placed second with $138.9 million 

despite an average ticket price of $96.92, 

the lowest ticket price among the top six finishers. 

In other words, U2 sold the most tickets, but 

the lower price per ticket meant a second place 

finish in terms of total gross. 

Third was Celine Dion with $81.3 million, 

and her Vegas compatriot for portions of 2005, 

Elton John, was sixth with $65.8 million. Ducking 

between the two were Paul McCartney, with 

$77.3 million, and the Eagles, with $76.8 million. 

Rounding out the top 10 were Kenny Chesney, 

seventh with a gross of $61.8 million, Dave Matthews 

Band with $57 million, Neil Diamond with 

$47.3 million and Jimmy Buffett with $41 million. 

Pollstar’s report also says that 2005 was 

another record year for gross ticket sales, with 

total sales for all major North American concerts 

jumping to $3.1 billion from $2.8 billion 

in 2004. The top 100 touring artists sold a combined 

36.1 million tickets, which is a decline 

from 2004’s 37.6 million. 

NAMM—Still “Just” an MI Show? 

Major Pro Audio Announcements Share 

Space with World’s Biggest Guitar Store 

ANAHEIM, CA—It is easy for us pro 

audio types to sneer at the Winter NAMM 

show with its nonstop cacophony as what 

seems like a 1,000 out-of-tune guitars are 

wielded by an army of wannabe rockers 

and the line at the Paul Reed Smith booth 

never seems to get any shorter as the 

same wannabes (or their girlfriends) wait 

for autographs from the rock star du jour. 

But while the rock ‘n’ roll MI thing is in full 

swing, major pro audio companies have 

used the show to announce new products 

and technologies that the average NAMM 

attendee has little chance of caring about, 

much less understanding. In the past, companies 

like Harman’s JBL have used the 

show to announce products like the VRX 

speaker series and technologies including 

the still-developing HiQnet. Not exactly 

guitar amps, if you know what I mean. 

You can expect that trend to continue 

with the show that opens Jan. 19 in 

Anaheim, Calif., as companies that don’t 

seem NAMM-like announce products 

that musicians may find interesting and 

companies that you completely expect 

to see peddling MI gear make big moves 

into the pro audio space. Companies like 

upstart speaker manufacturer A-Line 

will introduce a new powered arrayable 

sub, Digidesign shows a line of Drawmer 

plug-ins for the VENUE and even a total 

tech outfit like Aviom will unveil a new 

universal patch bay system. 

On the unexpected products from 

companies you expect at NAMM, the 

leader has to be the announcement that 

Peavey—yes, you read that right—is 

entering the line-array fray with its ribbon-driven 

VersArray that includes both 

ground-stack kits and a crankable tower 

lift that will support a six-box array available 

as accessories. 

For a quick preview of some of the 

gear being unveiled at NAMM, see New 

Gear on pg. 12, and look to the Feb. issue 

of FOH for full show coverage. 

— By Bill Evans 

Masque Takes Luxor From 

Blue Man to Hairspray 

LAS VEGAS, NV—They were a team 

when Hairspray first hit Broadway, and 

now Masque Sound and sound designer 

Steve Kennedy bring that partnership 

west as they begin work on the new 

$12-million production of Hairspray set 

to open at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas 

in February, starring Tony Award-winner 

Harvey Fierstein. The newly installed 

system will include a total of 39 Vortex 6 

high power amps from CAMCO, which will 

be used with an L-ACOUSTICS dV-DOSC 

system in a design by Kennedy. 

Speaking on behalf of Masque Sound, 

Walter Yurgel commended the sound 

quality of the CAMCO amplifiers. “We own 

Stefan Gubi 

nearly 200 of the Vortex amps now, and 

use them a lot. We find them to be very 

warm, and they match up really well 

continued on page 11 

In This 

Issue: 

On the Bleeding Edge 

When is a console not a console? When it’s a 

control surface. Steve La Cerra explains why 

you need to care. 

Product Gallery 

Time to look at line arrays again, but the 

field has grown so much that we had to 

limit it to self-powered systems just to keep 

the chart manageable. 

Ad info: www.fohonline.com/rsc



January 2006, Vol. 4.04 

Table of ConTenTs 

at’s What’s Hot What’s Hot What’s Hot Hot Features 

16 

20 

FOH Interview 

Pablo “Pab” Boothroyd mixes real rock royalty. In this case, that would 

be Sir Paul McCartney. We catch up with the tour in Dallas. 

Producing a Great Corporate Event 

It may not have the glitz of a big rock tour, but companies like LMG 

know that corporate one-offs can be the lifeblood of a soundco. 

I had my heart in my throat when I saw the title of Mark 

Amundson’s tech article this month (“Gain Structure Revisited,” 

Theory & Practice, Nov. 2005). We’ve had some turnover 

at the soundco this past year. A lot, in fact. One of our new 

co-owners is one of those guys you described as a “bass-ackwards” 

gain structure “engineer.” He’s spreading this mindset 

into the staff, and I’m wasting a lot of time reinstructing my 

new hires to use optimal gain structure instead of whatever 

the hell you want to call the opposite view. 

The fact that fooling with the mic pre during a show 

messes up everything from the aux send levels (causing 

stage feedback when he randomly decides to boost the 

pres) to EQ headroom (cause he loves to boost shit 10 to 

22. When You Are Not 

Mixing the Headliner 

Working with an opening act can be challenging. 

But remember that the sound 

guys who have been with the same act 

for multiple decades were mixing them in 

clubs long before they hit the arenas. 

25. Product Gallery 

Self-powered loudspeakers are gaining 

an increasingly higher number of proponents 

in the live event audio world. Here 

we take a look at the ones that get flown 

or stacked as a line array. 

30. Road Tests 

A pair of Allen & Heath consoles on the 

front end and JBL’s new VRX “line array 

on a stick” on the back end. Sounds like a 

system to me. 

Columns 

18. On Broadway 

We usually go with the high-tech, but 

opted this time out for a show where there 

is not only a single actor, but he is handling 

sound as well. Welcome to the One 

Man Star Wars Trilogy. 

24. On the Bleeding Edge 

Is it really a console if audio does not actually 

pass through it? 

28. The Biz 

It may seem like amateur hour, but house 

concerts have become a big part of the 

folk and acoustic markets. 

Feedback 

Bass-Ackwards Gain Structure 

15dB at either end of the sonic spectrum) has no effect 

on his thought process. I first heard about this weirdness 

two years ago from a friend who runs a sound company 

in New York, where he’s gone through a dozen new hires, 

who can’t work anyway, that doesn’t have channel faders 

arranged in a nice straight line. 

Got any idea where this idiocy came from? 

Anonymous 

Holiday Gems 

FOH is always good, but the December issue contains 

two gems: 

The article on acoustics (“Beat Mixing in the Sanctuary,” 

36. The Anklebiters 

Jamie Rio has grown out of anklebiter status 

and become a small regional provider. 

Here is how he did it. BTW, any anklebiters 

out there looking to vent in print? 

41. Theory & Practice 

The proper care and feeding of cables. 

Sure, they seem unimportant—until one 

goes down in the middle of a show. 

44. FOH-at-Large 

Baker sets up for a gig. Just ignore the 

James Brown-like shouts… 

Departments 

2. Feedback 

4. Editor’s Note 

6. News 

10. House of Worship 

News 

11. On the Move 

12. New Gear 

14. Showtime 

40. In the Trenches 

40. Welcome to 

My Nightmare 

Sound Sanctuary) should be engraved on every architectural 

student’s forehead. It is like three more immutable 

physical realities—water runs downhill, heat rises and light 

diminishes with age and distance thrown. 

The hilarious piece on “Non-Fatal Sound Defense” 

(FOH-at-Large) should be headlined in The New Yorker. It 

typifies so much that is written by rank amateurs about 

technical information. 

Good show! 

Sincerely, 

Gersil N. Kay 

Conservation Lighting International, Ltd.


Editor’s Note 

It’s one of those nights. It is 4:15 a.m. and 

I can’t sleep. You know how it is: I’m tired, 

but my mind is racing and I can’t fall 

asleep. So, what the hell? It’s a perfect time to 

write this month’s missive. 

It will be early to mid-January by the time 

you read this, but I am writing it a few days 

before Christmas. As we begin 2006 with this 

issue, I find myself looking back on the past 

year. Most of us do that and, like most of you, 

some years bring a sense of opportunity lost 

and others of accomplishment, some of sorrow 

and some of great joy. As I look back over 

the last 12 months, I am struck with a profound 

sense of gratitude. It has been a year of 

growth, both personally and professionally, 

and a year of many changes. 

To start out, thanks to my family. My 

wife and daughter put up with a lot, and the 

pressure of putting out a monthly magazine, 

doing production gigs, playing out with the 

band from time to time and doing some 

freelance writing here and there can make 

things tough on the home front, but they 

have never been anything less than supportive. 

I realize just how blessed I am to be able 

to say that, ‘cuz not many people can. 

Thanks to Terry Lowe and the crew 

at Timeless Communications (the parent 

company of FOH, as well as Projection, Lights 

& Staging News and the Event Production 

Directory). I can be pretty demanding when 

it comes to maintaining the quality of our 

publications, and my colleagues are most 

often on the end that’s taking the demands, 

not making them. A couple of years ago, after 

a particularly loud rant over some glitch in 

the production process, my friends in the art 

department made up a fake cover of FOH 

with my picture in one of the news stories 

and the headline “Ass-munch Editor Yells at 

Employees.” I think they thought I would be 

pissed about it, but it hung on the wall beside 

my desk for a couple of years and would be 

Ad info: www.fohonline.com/rsc 

A Simple 

Thank You 

here today if I could figure out what box it is 

packed in. To Terry, thanks for the opportunity 

to lead a publication that puts people ahead 

of gear and works hard to maintain a reasonable 

balance between editorial integrity and 

business reality. Like any business, we exist to 

make a profit, but every time there has been 

a direct conflict between the interests of an 

advertiser and the FOH readership, Terry has 

come down on the side of the readers. I have 

been in the publishing business a long time 

and can tell you that is often not the case. He 

has worked like a fiend to ensure that FOH has 

the tightest and most qualified circulation in 

the industry and to make people understand 

why our message is important. 

Another big tip of the hat to Peggy Blaze, 

our national sales manager, who brings in 

the money that makes it possible to publish. 

I have always referred to my ad sales people 

as “ad weasels,” but Peggy exhibits no 

weasely tendencies, so I will have to come up 

with another moniker. Besides, with a degree 

in journalism, she helps keep us ink-stained 

wretches honest. 

On the editorial side, I have been lucky 

enough to have not just one, but two really 

good associate editors at my side. Stephanie 

Fletcher was with us through mid-year 

before taking off for grad school in New York, 

and Allison Rost has done an excellent job 

of replacing her. Neither of these people had 

any background at all in live event audio, but 

they have educated themselves, and I can 

count on Allison to catch my mistakes. 

I also have a great crew of freelance writers 

who would be perfect if they would just 

hit their damn deadlines. Seriously, without 

listing names (‘cuz I know I will leave someone 

out), a blanket thanks goes out to the 

entire group for keeping the content of FOH 

current, dependable and relevant to working 

audio and production pros. 

Thanks to the production department 

By BillEvans 

January 2006 www.fohonline.com 

for making sure you readers actually have a 

magazine to hold in your hand (or lay on the 

bathroom floor…) each month, and to our 

administrative support, William Vanyo and 

Nancy Lopez, who go above and beyond 

the call so often that we are no longer really 

sure what the limits of their job descriptions 

actually consist of. 

There is a large group of friends and 

supporters both in the industry and out of it 

who have seen me through some major life 

changes this year, and I thank them all for 

being there when they were needed, even if 

that meant getting a call at midnight. Life today 

is infinitely better than it was a year ago, 

and these folks deserve a lot of that credit. 

Those of you who don’t do the God thing 

can skip this next sentence, but I also need 

to thank that power greater than myself for 

putting up the dominoes that have fallen so 

neatly into place in 2005. From moving my 

family to growing the magazine, it has been a 

challenge and a joy, and I look forward to bigger 

and better challenges in the coming year. 

I am taking the time and space to do 

this because in the daily nuttiness that is 

the publishing business, it is easy to forget 

to thank people and give props for a job 

well done. Ditto with the world of live event 

production. Like any business (actually, more 

so than most), audio providers are dependent 

on good people, not just state-of-the-art gear. 

Make sure your people know that their work 

and contributions are appreciated. This year, I 

will try to remember that a simple “thank you” 

can be a big thing. I hope you will join me. 

Publisher 

Terry Lowe 

tlowe@fohonline.com 

Editor 

Bill Evans 

bevans@fohonline.com 

Associate Editor 

Allison Rost 

arost@fohonline.com 

Technical Editor 

Mark Amundson 

mamundson@fohonline.com 

Contributing Writers 

Jerry Cobb, Dan Daley, 

Steve La Cerra, 

David John Farinella, 

Nort Johnson, Paul Overson, 

Baker Lee, Tony Mah, 

Bryan Reesman, Jamie Rio, 

Richard Rutherford, 

Photographers 

Steve Jennings, Bree Kristel 

Production Manager 

Shawnee Schneider 

sschneider@fohonline.com 

Senior Graphic Designer 

Robert A. Gonzalez 

rgonzalez@fohonline.com 

Graphic Designers 

Ezra Padua 

epadua@fohonline.com 

Josh Harris 

jharris@fohonline.com 

National Sales Manager 

Peggy Blaze 

pblaze@fohonline.com 

National Advertising Director 

Gregory Gallardo 

gregg@fohonline.com 

General Manager 

William Hamilton Vanyo 

wvanyo@fohonline.com 

Business and 

Advertising Office 

18425 Burbank Blvd. 

Suite 613 

Tarzana, CA 91356 

Ph: 818.654.2474 

Fax: 818.654.2485 

Circulation 

Stark Services 

P.O. Box 16147 

North Hollywood, CA 91615 

Front Of House (ISSN 1549-831X) Volume 4 Number 

4 is published monthly by Timeless Communications 

Inc., 18425 Burbank Blvd., Suite 613, Tarzana, CA 91356- 

6902. Periodicals Postage Paid at Tarzana, CA and 

additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address 

changes to Front Of House, PO Box 16147, North 

Hollywood, CA 91615-6147. Front Of House is distributed 

free to qualified individuals in the live sound 

industry in the United States and Canada. Mailed in 

Canada under Publications Mail Agreement Number 

40033037, 1415 Janette Ave., Windsor, ON N8X 1Z1 

Overseas subscriptions are available and can be obtained 

by calling 1-818-654-2474. Editorial submissions 

are encouraged but will not be returned. All Rights 

Reserved. Duplication, transmission by any method 

of this publication is strictly prohibited without the 

permission of Front Of House. 

ESTA 

ENTERTAINMENT SERVICES & 

TECHNOLOGY ASSOC IATION 

Publishers of...


News 

PRG Audio Rocks Around the Christmas Tree 

NEW YORK—The tree lighting ceremony 

at New York City’s Rockefeller Center is much 

more than just a local event. It gets national 

TV coverage, and this year’s event drew approximately 

250,000 people and was performed 

on six separate stages. For the 2005 

ceremony, Mount Vernon, N.Y.-based PRG 

Audio provided the sound system, which was 

designed by Westchester, N.Y.-based Daryl 

Bornstein and operated by Erik von Ranson. 

The event featured live performances by Sheryl 

Crow, the Goo Goo Dolls, Earth, Wind and 

Fire, the Brian Setzer Orchestra, Il Divo, Regis 

Philbin and the New York Youth Choir, along 

with prerecorded performances by Brian 

Wilson, Rod Stewart and Carrie Underwood, 

among others. 


Using JBL’s self-powered VerTec with 

the DrivePack saved Bornstein and the 

production both time and space, with three 

clusters of VT4888DP line array elements 

in use. “We significantly reduced our setup 

time and the equipment footprint typically 

used for amplifiers and processors, which 

was a huge advantage because time and 

space is always an issue on this project,” 

Bornstein said. “Having a self-powered 

system was a calculated risk considering 

the weather forecasts, but even after 

getting soaked several times, the speakers 

still performed flawlessly.” 

The line arrays were arranged in a 

left-right setup on the Prometheus stage 

adjacent to the ice skating rink at Rocke- 

feller Center, as well as in the Channel 

Gardens, an area directly east of the rink. 

“It’s the best solution to date for those 

spaces, achieving the best overall coverage 

with the least amount of equipment,” 

Bornstein explained. 

Bob Rendon, co-founder of ProMix, now 

PRG Audio, recommended the VT4888DP 

self-powered line array speakers with coverage 

and utility in mind. “As a company, 

PRG’s philosophy has always centered on 

providing the artist and audio engineer 

with the most versatile, powerful sound 

systems available,” noted Rendon. “We 

had 100% confidence in the VT4888DP 

models, which provided a flexible yet 

highly predictable speaker system.” 

Line Arrays Go Simply Red in Europe 

LONDON, ENGLAND—Following 

the pairing of an Electro- 

Voice X-Line array with Simply 

Red on their last tour in 2003, London’s 

Britannia Row has supplied 

the same system for the Simplified tour 

of Europe. 

Once again mixed by Front of House 

engineer Gary Bradshaw, the system 

uses left and right arrays of X-Line cabinets, 

each comprised of eight Xvls highoutput 

cabinets and four Xvlt 5-degree 

trapezoidals for the lower section of the 

array. A center array uses eight Xvls plus 

three Xvlt cabinets. Xi1152 full-range 

boxes are flown two-deep at the side of 

the stage, with two more on the ground, 

with six Xsubs completing the picture. 

X-Line is powered by 16 racks 

of amplifiers, each containing four 

P3000RL Precision Series units, all under 

the IRIS software management system. 

Britannia Row has been involved in the 

development of this powerful software 

tool, providing feedback to Electro- 

Voice programmers from front-line applications, 

notably the Live8 production 

in London last summer. 

Spectr Audio Appoints New Sales Rep 

Bill Sheppard 

ANAHEIM, CA—Spectr Audio USA has 

partnered up with Bill Sheppard of FABS 

Marketing Group. Based out of Anaheim, Calif., 

Bill Sheppard has a long and rich history 

in the business. He and partner Fred Allard 

head FABS Marketing Group and along with 

several associates, rep for such companies 

as Lightronic, Hosa, Radian and Avlex/Mipro, 

and many others. Fred Allard has been in 

the business for several decades, spending 

15 years with TASCAM. Sheppard became 

interested in pro audio when playing at the 

Whiskey and Roxy in L.A.; his rock ‘n’ roll accomplishments 

landed him his own wall at 

the “50 Years of History of Rock—Orange 

County” museum presentation.



News 

Just Like Vacation 

LAS VEGAS, NV—Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day performs “Holiday” with the help 

of Shure’s new UHF-R Wireless at the 2005 Billboard Music Awards. The band received six 

awards in total throughout the evening: Billboard 200 Album Group of the Year, Pop Group 

of the Year, Hot 100 Group of the Year, Rock Artist of the Year, Rock Song of the Year (“Boulevard 

of Broken Dreams”) and Modern Rock Artist of the Year. 

January 2006 www.fohonline.com 

Everly Brothers Still Selling Out Tours 

LONDON, ENGLAND—Fifty years after the 

release of their first recording, Don and Phil 

Everly are still packing in the crowds. On their 

current UK tour, every show, from the National 

Indoor Arena in Birmingham to London’s 

Royal Albert Hall, is sold out. Front of House 

engineer Dave Wooster is keenly aware that 

when people are paying £80 a ticket, it’s very 

important to make sure the sound is absolutely 

right. “And the toys in my racks help me 

do that,” he says. 

Sound equipment for the tour, supplied 

by Capital Sound, includes a substantial compliment 

of XTA equipment, with the new 

DP428 audio management system playing a 

major role. “This is the first time I’ve used the 

DP428 in front of everything as the system 

driver,” says Wooster. “We’ve got eight DP226s 

behind it, but the DP428 is driving the entire 

continued on page 43 

in BriEf 

Dave Wooster 

Miller Pro Audio Directs new GB4 Quintet 

Oklahoma City-based Miller Pro Audio, a live sound reinforcement company primarily serving 

the central southern U.S., has now purchased five Soundcraft GB4 consoles. According to 

Matt Arnold, manager for Miller’s satellite Texas operations in Lubbock and Austin, the four 32channel 

and single 24-channel desks are being deployed on the company’s smaller productions 

and for rental use. 

Long island Theatre Outfitted with Donated Equipment 

The IMAC (Inter-Media Art Center) Theater on Long Island has just received a gift from JBL 

Professional—a major improvement to the theatre’s sound system, consisting of JBL’s newest addition 

to their professional speaker line, the VRX932LA constant curvature line array speaker system. 

IMAC has acquired Crown Macro-Tech sound amplifiers to power the new speaker system. 

Harman Consumer Group, a division of Harman International, is located in Woodbury on Long 

Island. Over the years, many employees have become regulars at the IMAC Theater, and because 

they are lovers of great sound, took the IMAC cause to the top company executives. 

UB40 Goes High-Tech on European Tour 

UB40 has been carrying a NEXO GEO T tangent-array system on its current European 

tour. Provided by the SSE Audio Group, the compact array has proved equally versatile in 

arenas and smaller venues, and the UB40 team of engineers, led by FOH Tom Wiggans, has 

also been pioneering the use of an Ethersound network for time alignment of system components. 

Britain’s best-selling homegrown reggae band, UB40 is running a high-technology 

show for this tour. FOH engineer Tom Wiggans is mixing on a DiGiCo D5, and the stage is a 

silent one, with all musicians using PMs. And the P.A. is a NEXO GEO T system, typically configured 

in a L/C/Rdesign, with 20+3 box arrays left and right, and a five-cabinet center cluster. 

Peavey raises Hurricane relief with Hank Jr., Jack Daniel’s 

Peavey, Jack Daniel’s and Hank Williams, Jr. raised $2,550 for the American Red Cross’ Hurricane 

Relief Fund in a special eBay auction on Dec. 10. Peavey auctioned a Peavey Jack Daniel’s 

guitar that Hank Williams, Jr. autographed during his “Hank & Hannity” hurricane relief concert in 

Choctaw, Miss. The concert, held Oct. 14, also featured Sean Hannity, co-host of Hannity & Colmes 

on the Fox News Network as well as a talk show on the ABC Radio network. Longtime Peavey 

endorser Williams donated $125,000 to the Red Cross relief effort that night, and then signed a 

Peavey guitar to raise even more money for the rebuilding efforts along the Gulf Coast. 

Peavey has also donated 10% of revenues from its PV® Series musical instrument and 

microphone cable sales to the Red Cross for hurricane relief. This accessory line includes 

more than 40 products. Peavey is based in Meridian, Miss., where Katrina wrought damage 

as a Category 1 hurricane. 



House of Worship News 

Abundant Life Church Arranges 

for Abundant Live Sound 

LAKE CHARLES, LA—Pastor Perry Gaspard 

left the life of a rock ‘n’ roller behind and returned 

to his hometown of to start the Abundant 

Life Fellowship church in his house in 

1978. The congregation has since grown from 

its humble roots to encompass 80 acres, including 

a 14-acre park, ministries for all ages, 

a food distribution center and an in-house 

recording studio. The service each Sunday is 

recorded for broadcast the following week 

throughout Louisiana as well as on stations in 

Indianapolis and Denver. 

But Abundant Life’s sound system was 

not keeping up with the demands of the 

burgeoning church’s needs. It was time for an 

upgrade, and the pastor had some thoughts 

of his own on the matter. “Pastor is a very 

talented musician,” reports Brad Daigle of 

design-build firm MSC Systems of Beaumont, 

Tex. “He wanted something with pristine 

sound and very transparent reproduction.” 

After a side-by-side comparison of their 

options, the decision was made to install a 

carefully-configured system of Meyer Sound 

self-powered loudspeakers. 

The final phase of installation for the new 

system was recently completed with the addition 

of six Meyer Sound UPA-2P compact 

narrow coverage loudspeakers to provide 

delay fill for the back rows of the 3,000-seat 

sanctuary. These join an existing system of 


Meyer Sound UPA-2P and UPA-1P compact 

wide coverage loudspeakers, complemented 

by USW-1P compact subwoofers. 

Meyer Sound’s design services team 

pitched in with MSC Systems on the design, 

using Meyer Sound MAPP Online software to 

generate a layout of the system implementation. 

The new sound system replaces an older 

setup in the church. “It was a retrofit,” Daigle 

recounts. “They had an existing system that 

had been there for a while. It was okay, but 

not great; they wanted something better. It’s 

a beautiful sanctuary, and they’ve gone way 

‘out of the box’ (with the facility design). Their 

choir loft, when not in use, is hidden away by 

a flyaway wall that closes.” 

An added benefit is that the system has 

plenty of gain in hand to satisfy even the 

youth ministry and their contemporary music 

services, Cloutman reports. “If we crank it up, 

it can rock the building, so there’s headroom. 

But we’re barely pushing these puppies and 

it’ll comb your hair!” 

10 January 2006 www.fohonline.com 

N.C.’s Oldest Catholic Church 

Receives Newfangled Audio 

NEW BERN, NC—St. Paul’s, North Carolina’s 

oldest Catholic Church, has installed 

multiple SLS Loudspeakers in its new sanctuary. 

F.C Schafer Consulting spearheaded 

the installation of the top-of-the-line audio 

system in the new and contemporary, semicircle-shaped 

auditorium. 

“I specifically chose SLS because of the 

ribbon technology and the fact that we were 

able to get a speaker that was not too big, 

but gave us the coverage we needed,” says 

Frederick Schafer, president of F.C. Schafer 

Consulting. “We have been so pleased with 

the support from SLS throughout the project. 

They went a step further not only providing 

us with a cost-effective system for St. Paul’s, 

but were involved through the final stages 

of testing and tuning. SLS also assisted us by 

custom-modifying the floor speakers, which 

were placed on a concrete-stone step.” 

With the chancel more centered, and 

the congregation surrounding the celebrants 

on three sides, Schafer was faced 

with many challenges. The fairly reverberant 

room had to be bright enough to 

support an electric organ with multiple 

speakers, which led to obstacles maintaining 

speech and musical intelligibility. 

EDEN PRAIRIE, MN—Grace Church, a large, 

nondenominational house of worship serving 

the Twin Cities metropolitan area of Minnesota, 

has completed an upgrade of its audio/video 

system that incorporates several different 

Furman products. Performed by Audio Logic 

Systems of Bloomington, Minn., the installation 

included the purchase of six new PL-8 Pro 

Series II 20-amp power conditioners, plus the 

reinstallation of an HDS-16 headphone/audiodistribution 

system and eight accompanying 

HRM-16 headphone/audio remote mixers for 

a new Yamaha PM1D monitor desk. 

The three-week project involved completely 

upgrading the Front of House system, installing 

a modern replacement and adding a monitor 

desk to the system. “Grace Church needed 

cost-effective, reliable power conditioners that 

would protect its Yamaha PM1D, DM2000 and 

AT5000-series wireless system without creating 

any audio hums,” said Audio Logic Systems’ Jason 

Kartak, who led the installation. 

“Voltage irregularities are so commonplace 

in AC power, it’s likely that sooner or 

later without protection they would have 

damaged Grace Church’s sensitive, expensive 

electronics,” said Dave Keller, executive vice 

president of Furman. “In addition, electrical 

noise would be an obstacle to achieving the 

level of performance they paid for. Our PL-8 II 

conditioners filter the noise and provide protection 

against bad power, while our HDS-16/ 

HRM-16 system will give Grace Church great 

flexibility in creating custom audio mixes 

from multiple mics.” 

Furman’s PL-8 Series II power conditioner 

features proprietary Series Multi-Stage Protection 

Plus (SMP+) technology, which combines 

three filtering and protection circuits: 

Linear Filtering Technology (LiFT), to suppress 

noise dramatically and consistently across the 

entire dynamic range; Series Multi-Stage Protection 

(SMP), to clamp and dissipate damaging 

transient voltages without sacrificing 

itself and Extreme Voltage Shutdown (EVS), 

“The congregation needs to be able to 

sense that the celebrant is speaking from 

the chancel and the choir is singing from 

the choir loft, which is off to the side,” comments 

Schafer. “We were able to do this by 

taking the speakers near the choir and leaning 

them forward. By positioning them this 

way, they fill up the first third of the room. 

The remaining speakers are aimed to fill the 

far seats on the other side of the chancel. 

When a celebrant is speaking in the front, the 

sound is directed from the chancel.” 

Minnesota Church Graced 

With Audio Upgrade 

to protect against accidental connections to 

208 or 240 VAC. It has eight outlets on the 

rear panel, an additional outlet on the front 

panel, retractable LED rack lights and a BNC 

connector that accepts any standard 12-volt 

gooseneck lamp. 

The HDS-16/HRM-16 distribution system 

cleanly routes eight mono and four stereo 

signals to remote mixing locations via Centronics 

50-pin cables. Up to eight HRM-16 

remote mixers can be connected directly or 

daisy-chained to a single HDS-16, allowing as 

many as 16 users to customize eight different 

mixes. A talkback system allows each user to 

communicate with other users and the main 

mixing location, and a SOLO system allows the 

engineer to mute all but one stereo send from 

the mix location for reviewing recent takes or 

rough mixes. The 2-RU HDS-16 provides power 

and signal conditioning to the HRM-16 units, 

which also feature local effects send/return, 

line out, overall bass/treble controls, talkback 

level and a master level control.

Masque Takes 

Luxor From Blue 

Man to Hairspray 

continued from front cover 

with the DV-DOSC loudspeakers. In 

fact, CAMCO has become one of the 

staple amplifiers of our concert-touring 

division, used by artists such as Jesse 

McCartney and Hilary Duff.” 

The Luxor is not the only Vegas local 

with a new L-ACOUSTICS rig. Shortly 

after acquiring its new 16-box L-ACOUS- 

TICS KUDO system, sound reinforcement 

provider 3G Live flew the rig at the MGM 

Grand Garden Arena for Pre-Paid Legal 

Services’ (PPLS) 2005 Las Vegas Leadership 

Summit. 

Attended by nearly 15,000 PPLS associates, 

the event utilized eight KUDOs 

per side as side hangs, plus twin house 

arrays each comprised of 12 V-DOSC 

mains and six dV-DOSC downfills. A total 

of eight SB218 subs provided the lowfrequency 

reinforcement, with six racks 

of LA 48a amplifiers called upon to drive 

all of the enclosures. 

“This event was one of our first big 

opportunities to use our new KUDO system,” 

said 3G live audio engineer Curtis 

Zavodny. “And they require very little, if 

any, EQ to do so. For the Pre-Paid Legal 

show, we made one minor 1.5dB cut at 

400Hz, but it was the fault of the room, 

not the loudspeakers. That particular frequency 

always rolls around in an arena. 

Other than that, the EQ was flat. 

“One of the challenges of this 

particular event was that it had an 

enormous set, complete with front-projection 

video, so we were dealing with 

a much higher trim height than normal. 

However, we plotted out the system 

using L-ACOUSTICS’ SOUNDVISION 

acoustics-modeling software and, as 

predicted, the system’s coverage pattern 

was ultra-precise, providing consistently 

even coverage throughout the 

entire seating area. There were no audio 

‘surprises.’ We were really knocked out 

by the amount of level we were able to 

achieve considering the fact that most 

of the input signals were from wireless 

lavs and podium mics. With those types 

of mics and that much P.A. in the room, 

most people expect to wrestle with 

low-end rumble, feedback and other 

issues, but we experienced none of that,” 

Zavodny notes. 

The MGM Grand Las Vegas Hotel and 

Casino is no stranger to L-ACOUSTICS. 

Six years ago, the facility installed an 

ARCS/dV-DOSC system in its Hollywood 

Theatre, and for the past year, the 

in-house production team has been 

making nearly constant use of its own 

16-box dV-DOSC system powered by 

LA Series amplifiers for conventions, 

ballroom shows and other events. 

Mr. Koh (center) from Sindo Exports, with Allen & Heath’s sales 

director, Bob Goleniowski (left) and regional sales manager, 

Bardy Hayes. 

Allen & Heath has appointed Sindo 

Exports PTE Ltd. as its new distributor in 

Singapore and Malaysia. The firm will manage 

the sales, distribution and service of the 

complete Allen & Heath product line from 

their offices in Singapore and office/show 

room in Malaysia. 

Vista, Calif.-based Power Plus Sound 

& Lighting has moved into a new building 

six miles from their original location. The 

company’s new address is 2460 Grand Ave. 

Sennheiser Electronic Corporation 

has promoted six key employees to new 

positions within the growing marketing and 

sales department. To handle overall professional 

sound and MI, Mark Humrichouser 

On The Move 

was promoted 

to the 

newly-created 

position 

of industry 

team 

manager for 

professional 

systems and 

music industry, with Joe Wagoner as the new 

industry team leader for installed sound. 

Chris Phillips will assume the role of product 

manager for professional systems products 

and Robb Blumenreder will move into the 

position of product manager for music 

industry products. Vanessa Jensen is the 

new product manager for installed sound, 

with Dennis Zembower in the new position 

of market development manager for the 

Tourguide and guidePORT systems. 


New Gear - Winter NAMM 2006 Preview 

Peavey VersArray 

Featuring ribbon drivers, neodymium magnets, exclusive angle-adjustment 

technology and multiple rigging options, Peavey 

VersArray enclosures mark the company’s debut into the line array 

market. VersArray Series enclosure modules utilize bracket-and-pin 

flying hardware that allows full articulation of the top boxes—users 

can adjust two modules away from each other in 2º increments from 

0º to 15º. The VersArray 112 ribbon-driver line array utilizes a 12-inch 

Neo Black Widow woofer featuring a 4-inch voice coil with a neodymium 

magnet structure in a 13-ply Baltic birch enclosure. The VersArray 

118 and 218 are vented subwoofers incorporating Peavey’s Lo Max 

18-inch woofer into a 13-ply Baltic birch cabinet. Peavey VersArray Series 

enclosures will be available in the second quarter of 2006 from 

authorized Peavey retailers. NAMM booth #5740. 

Peavey • 601.483.5365 • www.peavey.com 

Yamaha EMX5014C Powered Mixer 

The EMX5014C is a mixer offering a range of features to mix, 

process and deliver sound. Equipped with ultra lightweight amplifier 

circuits, power is the priority of the 500-watt-per-channel 

multi-mode stereo power section. A total of 14 input channels 

accommodate mics, instruments and playback gear with a selection 

of mono mic/line and stereo line inputs. Connections 

include XLR, TRS ¼-inch phone and RCA. A power-mode switch 

allows the two amplifier channels to be used with the stereo 

outputs, drive main speakers and separate monitor mixes, while 

power amp mode selector switches allow the user to configure 

the amp channels to suit a range of applications. The EMX5014C 

is housed in a lightweight (under 24 lbs) standard mixer format 

that can be used as a standalone unit or rack mounted with the optional RK5014 kit for spacesaving 

convenience. The mixer carries an MSRP of $899. NAMM: Marquis Ballroom at the Anaheim 

Marriott Hotel. 

Yamaha Commercial Audio • 714.522.9011 • www.yamahaca.com 

Aviom PB28 Patch Bay System 

The PB28 Patch Bay 

System is a universal modular 

patching system that 

allows the user to configure custom-patch panels in groups of eight channels. Up to two PB28 

Series modules can be installed per PB28 Patch Panel. The flexible PB28 Patch Bay System works 

with any audio or networking products, regardless of manufacturer. The PB28 Patch Panel is a 

blank, 1U-high unit that accepts up to two eight-channel modules. Patch panels can be userconfigured 

using only a screwdriver. A variety of PB28 Series audio and network connectivity 

modules including DB25, male and female XLR and EtherCon RJ45 connectors are available. 

NAMM room #7802. 

Aviom, Inc. • 610.738.9005 • www.aviom.com 

AKG WMS 40 PRO Wireles 

AKG’s new third-generation WMS 40 PRO range includes three 

families of all-new, application-focused systems: WMS 40 PRO FLEXX 

Diversity systems with three user-selectable frequencies for each 

channel, WMS 40 PRO systems with fixed frequencies and WMS 40 

PRO DUAL systems with two independent channels in a single halfrack 

receiver. These systems offer up to nine simultaneous channels, 

more than 30 hours of battery life from a single AA battery and compatibility 

with previous WMS 40 systems. NAMM booth #7800. 

AKG Acoustics • 615.620.3800 • www.akg.com 

Crest HP-W Mixing Console 

The HP-W is available in 28-, 36- and 44-standard mono input frames—with four full stereo 

channels, eight mono Automix channels and two stereo line returns plus sought-after features 

such as four-band, doubleswept 

mid EQ; eight analog 

subgroups; 100 mm faders; 

two-channel matrix; full talkback 

and monitor systems and 

eight-scene mute. This console 

also includes 10 aux sends on 

each input channel with fader flip functions for use as a monitor mixer, plus four stereo line input 

channels with EQ, assignment and aux sends capable of handling dual-mono or split-track 

signals. Also standard on all HP-W consoles are eight mono channels of Automix for “handsoff” 

spoken word mixing. Automix is a gain-sharing protocol that allows increased gain before 

feedback. Engaging the Automix priority switch will greatly reduce comb filtering by turning 

down unused or low priority inputs. HP-W consoles also include four stereo channels, a stereo 

ambient mic input and two alternate outputs with processing. NAAM booth #5740. 

Crest Audio • 866.812.7378 • www.crestaudio.com 


Audix MicroBoom 

The MicroBoom is a 50-inch carbon fiber boom arm that attaches to 

any microphone stand. Designed as an accessory for the Audix series of 

miniature condensers called the Micros, the MicroBoom has a diameter of 

less than .3 inches (7.4 mm) and weighs in at only 2.5 ounces (78 grams). 

The MicroBoom, which can be used either in a horizontal or vertical position, 

is designed for use with any of the microphones in the Micros series. 

The upper end of the MicroBoom features a mini-XLR connector that 

securely holds the microphone in place and also allows for easy access 

when changing out microphones. Mogami TM cable is used internally to insure 

the highest quality audio signal path between the microphone and 

the bottom of the boom, which terminates in a mini-XLR male connector. 

The suggested retail price range begins at $549. NAMM booth #6976. 

Audix USA • 503.682.6933 • www.audixusa.com 

SLS LS6593 Line Array 

The LS6593S/LS6593A concept is based on a woofer line array mounted 

on a front panel with a coaxially-positioned ribbon tweeter array. The woofer 

array consists of six 5.25-inch drivers while the tweeter array consists of nine 

3-inch proprietary ribbon planar drivers driven from a passive crossover point 

of 2,000Hz. The system delivers a frequency response of 80Hz to 20KHz with 

an SPL of 94dB referenced at 1 watt per meter and a calculated response of 

118dB continuous and 124dB peak. The system handles up to 600 watts of 

amplifier power. The low-frequency polycomposite cone woofers are mounted 

on a cast aluminum chassis with the entire enclosure made of extruded 

aluminum weighting in at 30 lbs. The system is 32.2 inches high by 7.5 inches 

wide and 8.3 inches deep. NAMM booth #5222. 

SLS Audio • 417.883.4549 • www.slsloudspeakers.com 

Mackie Onyx 4-Bus Series Mixers 

The new Onyx 4-Bus Series from Mackie 

upgrades the performance and functionality 

of the SR24*4 and 32*4 series. These new 

24- and 32-channel live sound mixers have 

a compact footprint and have new and improved 

features, including a built-in, assignable 

digital compressor. Most noteworthy 

are the Onyx preamps, Perkins EQ and a six 

by two Matrix mixer that provides two mixes 

built from the sub and main outputs for recording, PM systems, etc. NAMM booth #6690. 

LOUD Technologies Inc. • 800-258-6883 • www.mackie.com 

Neutrik Silent Plug 

The Silent Plug allows for switching an instrument, such as an electric 

guitar, under load without creating the pops or squeals typically associated 

with plugging and unplugging a cable from an instrument or amplifier jack. 

A ¼-inch mono plug that fits into any ¼-inch stereo or mono jack, the Silent 

Plug features gold-plated contacts, red coating, chuck-type cable retention 

and the integrated “Silent Switch,” which is hermetically sealed and, due to 

its “REED technology”-based design, offers lifetime durability. NAMM booth #6320. 

Neutrik • 732.901.94888 • www.neutrik.com 

A-Line ASA Series Flying Subs 

Designed and built to be flown with line arrays, the ASA-115 (1 by 

15-inch), ASA-215 (2 by 15-inch) and ASA-118 (1 by 18-inch) SubAR- 

RAY enclosures feature A-Line’s integrated EZAL rigging. Each cabinet 

is the height of two AL10 enclosures. SubARRAY systems are powered 

with Bang & Olufsen ICEpower technology with onboard DSP. A-Line 

Acoustics SubARRAY enclosures are constructed in DuraTex coated 

birch plywood with routed handles. An optional wheelboard is available 

for easy transport and load-in. NAMM booth #1867. 

A-Line Acoustics • 814.663.0600 • www.a-lineacoustics.com 

Shure KSM9 Handheld Wireless 

A wireless handheld microphone built expressly for vocals, the new KSM9 from Shure offers 

the world of live performance studio quality sound and a pair 

of industry firsts: dual-diaphragm construction and switchable 

cardioid/supercardioid versatility. Engineered using precise 

technical and endurance specifications to cleanly capture the 

human voice in demanding stage environments, the condenser 

mic will make its debut at this year’s Winter NAMM. Excellent 

gain-before-feedback qualities collaborate with minimal proximity 

effect to give the KSM9 accurate low frequency response 

and clear vocal performance. To reduce handling noise, a twostage 

shock mount stabilizes both horizontal and vertical movement. NAMM booth #6541. 

Shure Inc. • 847.600.2000 • www.shure.com


Lighting 

Showtime 

Venue 

Clearfield County Fairgrounds, 

Clearfield, PA 

Crew 

Soundco/Provider: 

Saturn Systems 

FOH Engineer: Chris Chalfin 

Monitor Engineer: Ken Chalfin 

Systems Engineer: Gary Johnson 

Gear 

FOH 

Console: Yamaha PM5D RH 

Speakers: McCauley Monarc MLA3, Saturn Systems 

XS-S Double 18” Subs, 

Bassmaxx B-THREE Subs 

Amps: Crown MA-5000, MA2400 

Staging 

Sound 

BOOKSHELF 

Your 

# 1 

resource 

for continued 

education. 

Ricky Martin, Jon Secada, Frankie J. 

Simple Plan 

Venue 

Manhattan Center, New York, NY 

Crew 

Soundco/Provider: Abe V. Systems 

FOH Engineer: Eliezer Traval (ET), Keith Harewood 

Monitor Engineer: Marc Van Rompaey, Derek Prescod 

Systems Engineer: Edwig Timmer 

System Techs: Manny Martinez, 

Rodolfo Ramos (Junior) 

Gear 


Console: Yamaha PM5D, Midas H3000 

2005 Clearfield County Fair w/ 

38 Special, Bill Engvall, Chris Cagle, 

Lorrie Morgan and The Lettermen 

Processing: BSS FCS-366 Omnidrive 

Mics: Shure, Sennheiser, AKG, A-T 

Power Distro: Saturn Systems 

Rigging: 6 x CM One-ton 

MON 

Console: Soundcraft SM20 

Speakers: EAW 15x2 

Amps: Crown MA24X6 

Processing: Crown P.I.P. Cards 

Mics: Shure, Sennheiser, AKG, A-T 


Venue 

Ritacco Center, Toms River, NJ 

Crew 

Soundco/Provider: Saturn Systems 

FOH Engineer: Trevor Coppen 

Systems Engineer: Chris Chalfin 

Tour Manager: Anthony Pitcher 

System Tech: Dale Miller 

Gear 


Console: Midas XL-4, Soundcraft Series 5 

Speakers: McCauley Monarc MLA-3, 

Speakers: McCauley CSM88, MLA5 

Amps: Crest Audio 

Processing: XTA, Klark Teknik, TC Electronic, Yamaha, 

Drawmer Comps & Gates 

Power Distro: Custom 

MON 

Console: Yamaha PM1D, Midas H3000 

Speakers: EAW SM950, KF850, 

custom-made artist PMs 

Amps: Crown 

Processing: dbx DriveRack, Klark Teknik 

Mics: Sennheiser, Shure 

Power Distro: Custom 

McCauley CSM-88 

Amps: Crown MA5000, MA2400 

Processing: BSS FDS-366 Omnidrive 



Rigging: 4 x CM One-Ton Motors 

MON 

Console: Soundcraft SM20, SM-12 

Speakers: Sennheiser IEM, EAW 15x2 

Amps: Crown MA24X6 

Processing: Crown P.I.P. Cards 



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Future Farmers 

of America 

National 

Convention 

Venue 

Freedom Hall, Louisville, KY 

Crew 


Bartha Audio Visual Inc. 

FOH Engineer: Will Sargent 

Monitor Engineer: Jeff Higgins 

Systems Engineer: Shawn Boyd 

Production Manager: Chris Zervos 

System Techs: Jason Brentlinger 

Gear 


Console: 2 x Yamaha PM5D 

Speakers: Meyer Milo, M3D Sub, MSL-4, 

CQ, UPA 

Amps: Meyer 

Processing: BSS Sound Web, Meyer LD3 

Mics: Shure UHF Wireless 

Power Distro: Motion Labs 

Rigging: Meyer Flybars, CM Chain Motors 

MON 

Console: Soundcraft SM20 

Speakers: EAW SM200, Stage Accompany 

Wedges, Meyer CQ, UPA 

Amps: Crest 

Processing: 

BSS Sound Web, BSS EQ, BSS X-Overs 

Mics: Shure UHF Wireless 


Salsa En La Calle 2005 

Panic with a K 

Tour 2005/ 

Relient K, MXPX, 

Rufio, & Special 

Guests 

Venue 

North American Tour 

Crew 


Clearwing Productions 

FOH Engineer: Scott Cannon, 

Tommy (Rat) Dubelac 

Monitor Engineer: Timmy 

Systems Engineer: Andre St. Pierre 

Production Managers: Scott Cannon, 

Tommy Rat 

Tour Manager: Tommy Rat 

System Tech: Andre St. Pierre 

Gear 


Console: Yamaha PM4000 (Main Acts), 

Midas Siena (Support Acts) 

Speakers: L-ACOUSTICS V-DOSC and 

218 Subs 

Amps: Lab.gruppen 

Processing: XTA DP226 

Mics: Audix, Shure, BSS Active DIs, 

Sennheiser 


Rigging: 6 x One-Ton CM Motors & 

2 x Half-Ton CM Motors 

MON 

Console: Midas XL250 (Main Acts), 

Venue 

Eastbank Festival Plaza, Portland, OR 

Crew 

Soundco/Provider: All Tech Sound Engineering 

FOH Engineer: Chris Garcia, CEO 

Systems Engineer: Chris JR 

Gear 


Console: Allen & Heath GL3300 

Speakers: EAW 

Amps: Crown Macro-Tech 

www.fohonline.com 

Midas Siena (Support Acts) 

Speakers: Martin LE 700 Wedges, 

2-18” Drum Sub, Drum Throne Kicker 

(Relient K), Martin F1 Sidefills, 

Sennheiser IEM 300 PMs 

Amps: Crown MA24X6, 

MA3600, MA5000 

Processing: Crown PIP IQ 

Revive/Tree63, 

Sarah Kelly 

Venue 

Crossroads Church, Red Deer, AB 

Crew 

Soundco/Provider: Axe Productions 

FOH Engineer: Chase Tower 

Monitor Engineer: Kelly Kimo 

Systems Engineer: Chase Tower 

Gear 


Console: Midas H1000 

Speakers: EAW KF853, BH853, SB850 

Amps: QSC PL-1.8, PL-2.0HV, PL-4.0 

Processing: EV Dx38, BSS FCS960, TC 

D-Two, M-One, Yamaha SPX990, Lexicon 

PCM80, dbx 160A, 166A, Drawmer, 

Aphex 622 

Mics: Shure, AKG, Sennheiser, 

Countryman E6 

Power Distro: Motion Laboratories 

MON 

Console: Yamaha PM4000 

Speakers: Proprietary (15” 2”) 

Amps: Yamaha H5000 

Processing: dbx, Ashly, Drawmer 

Mics: Shure Beta 

Power Distro: 220v 

MON 

Console: Allen & Heath GL2200 

Speakers: EAW 

Amps: Crown 

Processing: Drawmer 

Mics: Shure 

Processing: dbx Drive Rack, BSS, dbx 2231 

Mics: Shure, AKG, Sennheiser, Countryman 


High Holy 

Day Services 

Venue 

Reform Congregation Keneseth 

Israel, Elkins Park, PA 

Crew 


Spellcaster Productions 

FOH Engineer: Kevin Rodio 

Monitor Engineer: Dave Kuenzner 

System Techs: Mick “Mason” Satur, 

Steve Mills, Joe Werner 

Gear 


Console: Midas Verona 

Speakers: McCauley M-Line 

(M-120/M-90) MS1 Subs 

Amps: Crown MA5002, MA1202, 

MA3600 

Processing: dbx, Yamaha, 

Drawmer, TC 

Mics: Crown, Shure, Sennheiser 

Snake Assemblies: Whirlwind 

MON 

Console: Midas Verona 

Speakers: McCauley SM90-1 

Amps: Crown MA2402 

Processing: Ashly EQ 

Mics: Crown, Shure, Sennheiser 


January 2006 

15 


FOH Interview 

Pab 

Boothroyd 

By JamesLeasing 

How many times have you encountered 

a lead singer with an attitude? 

Like he consistently comes to work 

with the right attitude each day, excels at 

his job and seems to have a sense of just 

being a regular guy on and off the stage? 

Well, that’s Paul McCartney, the guy Pablo 

Boothroyd mixes for each night. 

Pab will tell you it is business as usual 

to record each sound check and each show 

for every stop on a Paul McCartney tour. 

This time, the job also entailed sending two 

songs live, as they happened, to a couple 

of astronauts for a morning wake-up call in 

space. A Paul McCartney tour also usually 

results in a live CD and a tour DVD, as well 

as some goodies used for Internet content. 

When it comes to the art of the concert 

tour and everything that surrounds it, and I 

mean everything, Paul McCartney is simply 

one of the best to work for out there and he 

just keeps on doing it better and better. Pab 

and I each pulled up a road case and sat down 

for a look-see at the Front of House position 

used on the 11-week Paul McCartney US tour. 

“Of course, mixing the show is my 

primary function really, but when you work 

with somebody like McCartney, we do a 

lot of recording, a lot of archiving, a lot of 

capturing of event situations where there’s 

a sound check or a moment in a sound 

check,” Pab told FOH. “On the last tour, we’d 

recorded shows and sound checks with no 

problems. That was all good, but that’s 2002, 

and now it’s 2005. Technology in those 

three years was just always improving, always 

expanding, always bettering itself, and 

I looked at what was around and decided 

to upgrade various aspects of my Front 

of House world. One of them was to have 

more digital tools available to me. 

“I need the facilities to be able to 

mix sounds for various promos, radio or 

whatever needs to be done. And to me, the 

stuff that’s around at the moment —the 

D5 excellent, even PM1D, excellent. Lots of 

good things out there, but in the recording 

world, Digidesign ProTools are fi eld leaders 

and they decided to go and rock my world 

by bringing out a digital console that was 

the last piece in the whole jigsaw puzzle 

that let me fi t a lot of things together. 

“We’ve already had several products or 

mix sessions from the setup we’ve got. Such 

as an HMV competition where there were 

three songs that myself and Wix Wickens, 

the keyboard player, remixed. I just set up 

monitors in a room at the back of the gig, and 

we knocked out three songs that were used. 

Then, we ended up doing another thing for 

AOL and the projects go on and on, you know. 

It’s a handy way of getting an instant result.” 

Tell me about how you 

are using the two consoles 

you have chosen. 

Pab Boothroyd: People have their 

arguments and people say, “No, he’s mixing 

on a Midas! No, he’s gonna record it on a 

VENUE!” It’s not true. I’ve got a Midas and 

I’ve got a VENUE. I mix on both of them. 

They are both one console. One feeds the 

other and the other feeds that one. One is 

helping to record the show. One is helping 

more to mix the show. I wouldn’t want to do 

without any of them. 

How long did you 

consider the VENUE 

before having it on 

this tour? 

When the desk fi rst came out, working 

with Mike Case in England—formerly of 

Yamaha —he was calling me and talking to 

me about the development of the Digidesign 

desk. So, I listened to it. I tried stuff on 

it. I was intrigued by the plug-in side. 

As soon as the VENUE console was available 

on a demo form, it was pulled into the 

warehouse at Concert Sound. We compared 

it against other consoles—the M5D, lots of 

things and a reference analog board like 

the Midas XL4, and it seemed to sound really 

nice. It had a nice, sweet top end to it. An 

interesting layout, but different. Not hard to 

get your head ‘round or to navigate. A very 

simple, clean desk with a fairly normal-sized 

footprint. Kind of appeals to some people, 

doesn’t to other people, but I liked it. 

I could see information in front of me. 

So the board got a thumbs up. 

We tried it on a few things. The board 


sounded great, nothing wrong with that. It 

seems to be safe, seems to be reliable. All 

major factors. And then, as McCartney came 

together and it was developing, I decided to 

take the plunge and offer a proper ProTools 

recording system to Paul, which he was 

already familiar with obviously from studio 

stuff and even his own studio. 

So working alongside of Digidesign with 

Ian Nelson, Steve McCale and Chris Bock, 

who runs VENUE Digidesign U.S., we started 

to put together a system with a ProTools 

work station. I record 64 tracks every night 

with the capability of actually recording 112 

tracks. The VENUE takes absolutely every 

input we’ve got for the show plus all the 

audience mics, various mix-backs and VT 

from our video world. That all gets recorded 

and tracked on the ProTools in a proper Pro- 

Tools session—48K, 24-bit and we write to a 

couple of Glyph 73 GB ultrawide SCSI drives. 

There’s a bigger saving with a VENUE and 

in the recording aspect of a ProTools HD rig 

in that the stage box acts as all my mic pre’s, 

so you haven’t got racks and racks of them 

elsewhere. You’ve just got a stage box that 

gives you all the A to D conversion that you 

need. So that was accomplished. I have to 

say we have no problems with it, knock on 

wood. We hit go, and it records two and a 

half hours of show every night. 

Well, let’s get a point 

of comparison. What 

were you doing the 

last time around? I 

know you recorded 

every gig three years 

ago for a live album. 

We had 48 tracks of TASCAM. Absolutely 

fi ne, no problem there, but because we were 

going to 48 tracks, there were certain things 

that were being sub-mixed down. All of 

Paul’s instruments would hit a pair of tracks. 

All three of his vocal positions would hit a 

single track. We managed to whittle it down, 

but there was a little bit of compromising 

with that within some of the sub-grouping 

and sub-mixing from the XL4s. Even though 

most things were taken from direct outputs 

and analog bus sub-routing. Certain things 

had to be post-fade, just purely from switching 

inputs to an output. Not that there were 

any problems with the several products that 

came from that method—a multi-platinum 

selling DVD and an album. All great, you 

know, but I knew I could take it a large step 

further. I could have just one instrument assigned 

to its own track all night, untouched, 

unabused, straight from the mic, and the 

mic pre. There you go, Mr. Producer. Do 

whatever you like. 

What about mic 

selection? 

We tried a few mics on this tour. I’ve 

been pleasantly surprised by some of the 

newer models that are coming out. It’s no 

secret that monitor engineer John Roden 

and I and the band up there —we’re all very 

familiar and very happy with the Shure mics 

and products. We’ve got 58As on the vocals. 

A lot of that is familiarity. Paul knows if he’s 

2 inches off the mic, he knows what it’s doing. 

He knows if he’s off the mic, he can sing 

into the side of it. He’s become familiar with 

things. It’s like a comfy pair of slippers. They 

sound fi ne. 

There are other things out there now. 

We all know that. That on paper, it would 

outperform, but if I put it in front of Paul 

one day and he decided to get off the 

mic 10 inches, it’ll react differently. He’s 

been singing into one of those mics 

for longer than I’ve been with him. And 

he’s happy. People seem to be happy 

with the sound of the show, so I don’t 

see why I need to change that. I have no 

complaints from producers with regards 

to the recording. Those things are taken 

into consideration, but John and I are 

always striving to see what’s out there. 

We’ve got a few new things on this tour. 

We’ve been checking out some of the 

excellent range of Audix. 

Some of their drum mics, the kick drum, 

lots of things, the piano mics which we’ve 

got in the piano —the SCX 25As —we’ve 

got a pair of them in the piano. Absolutely 

superb. So we’re trying out some stuff. 

Photo Credits: Debi Moen

In the back (L to R) are system technician Dave Dixon, Pab Boothroyd 

and system engineer Jason Vrobel. In the front (L to R) are monitor 

technician Joe Manges and Martin “Tike” Santos. 

We’ve got the D4s on the toms and the 

D6 in the bass drum and the SCX 25As in the 

piano—great. 

We wanted to try a few things. Like I say, 

you’ve got to try things, to try to stay on top 

of what is out there. 

Rode is another company, a manufacturer 

that I’ve heard about, but never in my life wanted 

to check out, but they’ve got a whole bunch 

of new stuff out. I actually approached them 

about certain things. So we’re trying some NT3 

guitar mics. We’re trying NT4 room audience 

mics—the NT4s, the NT3s, we’ve got the NT1G 

shotgun mics across the front of the stage. 

Do you have a new 

piece of equipment 

you’re using that 

you’ve just grown to 

love in these 11 weeks? 

The Lake controllers in the form of the 

Clair I/Os, which is where I first came across 

them. I just think they’re a great bit of kit 

with, you know, the tablet where you can 

walk the room during the sound check. 

When the system engineer—Jason Vrobel 

in this case—he walks the room, he can 

hear how the vocal is hitting up in certain 

corners, whether there’s any punch up there 

and all that. He tweaks away, and we do 

little things to try and settle the room. This 

continues on when Paul comes on stage. The 

first couple of songs, Jason’s running around 

the building. We’ve then got input in a show 

form and he’s tweaking away, tweaking away. 

And once we think we’ve got the room balanced, 

then I just start mixing the show in a 

bit more of an extreme form. 

Yes, I saw Jason up in the seats with the 

tablet during sound check. 

There’s so many more ways you can 

control a P.A. now, rather than physical alignments 

and speakers. The electronics now are 

just so much more advanced than they were 

even 10 years ago with analog crossovers, 

it’s just amazing—it’s just so unbelievably 

amazing—and so things have moved on 

for different reasons. It’s not just about the 

shape of a P.A. or box or whatever. 

Where do you see 

things heading concert 

sound-wise, from here? 

Concert sound as in sound reproduction 

and where’s it gonna go? I have no idea. 

Where would you hope 

it goes? 

I just hope it just goes on and live music 

is kept real and we’re not all sitting in some 

sort of anechoic chamber with headphones 

on and 3-D goggles, although that would be a 

great experience in itself. People do like when 

they come to a show and feel the 

flaps of their jeans wafting with 

every kick drum beat. They like to 

feel a bit of energy. Some people 

may only go to a couple of shows 

in a year, they come out and they 

get dazzled, they get pyroed. They 

feel the heat from flames. They feel 

a kickdrum in their stomach, and 

to them, it’s a pleasant experience. 

It certainly is an experience and 

I think that’s what hopefully will 

be maintained—a real experience 

that comes across. 

With such a high- 

profile artist, you 

must get inundated 

with people 

trying to get 

equipment into 

your hands and 

to get you to try 

them. How do you 

deal with it? 

I try and look at everything that’s out 

there and I have no problem with people 

trying to go, “Ooo! Try this! Try that!” I’ll try it, 

and if it does the job better than what I’ve 

got, I will use it. And if it makes him get his 

show across better, then Paul’s all for it. 

You have companies approach you and all 

that and some of them go, “Here, use this. It’s 

the best thing in the world and you shouldn’t 

be without it.” OK, great, and then something 

happens and you phone the number and you 

say, “Any chance of…?” and you don’t get a 

response and all that. That can happen. 

In the case of Digidesign, I first worked 

with them in the studio with AC/DC guys. 

That’s where I first learned how to use ProTools 

and I came across the Digidesign world. 

So when I came out on this tour, one of the 

things I wanted to be able to achieve with 

the hectic tour and schedule—you want to 


have backup and support should anything go 

wrong. It happens. 

At Madison Square Garden, we had a 

chair trolley at the end of the night wheeling 

out that caught one of the multi cords. Cut 

straight through it. Gone. One phone call and 

that thing is replaced before the next day. 

Digidesign has been exceptional as any 

of the good companies have been. Midas 

and all of those. I just have to say coming 

across Digidesign and with them venturing 

into the touring world… and that’s new 

for them… they’ve been exceptional. Can’t 

thank them enough. 

Lastly, how about SPL 

for this show? 

Paul has a vast repertoire of songs with 

all kind of levels, song dynamics, SPL, playing 

style. They’re all in this show. It’s a bit of a 

juggle to keep an even keel with all of the 

songs. I haven’t had too many complaints 

just yet, so I’m going to keep my fingers 

crossed, for tonight as well.

On Broadway 

One Man 

Trilogy 

Star Wars 

One man. One stage. One microphone. 

One ambitious actor performing an 

entire trilogy of famous sci-fi fi lms 

with dozens of characters. Charles Ross 

deserves props for taking George Lucas’ 

famous fi rst triad of intergalactic adventures 

and condensing them into an hour-long solo 

performance that is equally a loving homage 

and hysterical parody of this beloved fi lm 

franchise. Ross plays all the parts, uses no 

props and imitates as many sound effects as 

he can, even simulating an X-Wing crashing 

into the Death Star. In other words, he’s like a 

kid imitating his favorite movie, zooming and 

rolling around his bedroom, except he’s in 

front of a much bigger audience. It’s a show 

that can be punishing on his body, voice and 

microphone setup. 

For four years, this show and One Man 

Lord of the Rings have been the bread and 

butter for Ross, who has reportedly seen the 

original Star Wars movie 400 times. He has 

played in different parts of the U.S., from 

audiences as small as a few dozen people 

to as many as 3,500 at a major Star Wars 

convention. A week after his FOH interview 

in Manhattan, Ross went on Late Night with 

Conan O’Brien, and this month, he is off to 

South Africa and Japan. 

Normally in this column, I tackle massive 

Broadway or ambitious off-Broadway shows 

that require an arsenal of gear, but this 

month, I’m taking the opposite approach 

with a show where the lead actor is also the 

sound man. But if you think there’s little to 

be learned from a one-man, one-mic show, 

you’re mistaken. Prepared to be schooled by 

a master of minimalism. 

FOH: How have things 

been going? 

Charles Ross: Good. We were gone 

for a couple of weeks and went to Boston 

and Tampa. Monster shows. In Boston, we 

played at the Wilbur Theater for 700 people. 

It’s totally different than what it is here at 

a tiny theater smack dab in the middle of 

Disney-ville. 

I normally cover shows 

with MICS 100-plus inputs, 

but you literally 

have one mic and two 

channels of sound. Obviously, 

you had to pick 

a specifi c microphone 

for the show since it’s 

pretty much nonstop 

for an hour. What do 

you use and why? 

I’ve got an AKG SR4000 receiver, and I 

have has a really, really thin microphone, 

a C 477 WR L wireless, that’s easy to move 

around with. It’s got a small, lightweight earpiece 

that doesn’t come off no matter how 

I shake my head. I use a Neoprene belt pack. 

It’s been great. This is the longest I’ve been 

able to use any microphone at all without 

it totally smashing. Aside from using lead 

cleaner, I haven’t had to have anything redone. 

I probably spent $3,000 on the whole 

setup, and it’s been worth every penny, so 

much so that I bought another microphone 

because I’m going to be touring in South Africa 

and Japan. It takes awhile for it to come 

in when I order it, but it still comes in. 

Here at The Lamb’s 

Theatre in New York, 

you’re running an Allen 

& Heath GL-4000 

board, using only two 

channels. Do you use 

any processing? 

No. Depending on where I go to, if there 

is a board op or house tech that wants to 

play around, they’re welcome to play around 

as much as they want and EQ as I go. If I’m 

there for two weeks, by the second week, 

I’ve got somebody that’s playing around the 

whole time, EQ’ing the whole show. 

Microphone, transmitter, 

receiver and belt 

pack aside, do you 

bring your own gear on 

the road? 

Usually whatever’s in the house, but because 

we’re going to be touring, we’re probably 

going to get a mixing board. I haven’t 

shopped around yet. 

You’ve been doing this 

show for about four 

years. What other 

microphones have you 

used previously? 

I’ve been using this one for more than a 

year now. I used to use lav mics. I would get 

a lot of sound from my body. You saw how I 

sweat, and a lav mic starts to fail. It’s so weird. 

It shorts out. I sweat a lot, so it gets into the 

mic pack, which becomes a real issue. 

What do you wrap the 

pack in now? 

I use a nonlubricated condom around 

the actual transmitter. It’s stuffed in a Neo- 


prene CD pack for running. I just toss it in, the 

wire sticks out and leads up from there. 

Have you had any issues 

with the wiring? 

Not so far, but what were supposed to be 

two stainless steel screws on the back of the 

head pack are rusting. I can’t fi gure it out. Of 

all the things to have that are not stainless 

steel…people are going to sweat, especially 

if somebody’s doing a long concert. I just 

know that if I get this thing worked on, I’m 

going to send it to Nashville because that’s 

the only place I can order this stuff from. I 

couldn’t get it in New York or New Jersey. 

So this is the fi rst 

year you haven’t had 

any major technical 

issues with your microphone 

then? 

Yes. It really has made my life so much easier. 

Did your old mics go 

out on you? 

All the time. But I had to keep going. For 

two years, I didn’t use any mic at all. So if I 

were in an 800-seat venue, I’d be doing it 

with my voice. 

That’s got to kill your 

voice after awhile, 

especially with all the 

non-stop dialogue and 

sound effects you 

emulate. 

Yeah, it does. The nice thing about having 

the microphone is that I can do eight or nine 

shows in a week, if I have to, and even if I’m 

sick, I can still do the show that night. 

Thanks to amplifi cation, 

you don’t have 

to strain your vocal 

chords. 

Absolutely. It’s nice because I think the 

mic has an internal compressor, so if I get too 

loud, it won’t ever peak on me. 

When you’re doing the 

different characters in 

the show, you’re moving 

back and forth between 

soft and loud, 

smooth and scratchy, 

By BryanReesman 

human and computerized 

voices. Are you 

thinking about the fact 

that you don’t want to 

create distortion when 

you get really loud? 

All the time. The funny thing is, it’s nice 

having very little EQ’ing, but I always have 

to get used to another sound person every 

place I go. If I’m playing at a big venue, they 

have to learn it over the week, and then they 

start tweaking stuff. They’re becoming more 

a part of the performance rather than me 

having to modulate everything, whereas if 

I’m here in New York and there’s nobody doing 

anything, I’m modulating everything on 

my own. It’s a bit of a pisser because if I have 

more people in the house, I just need the 

volume boosted up so that I can adjust my 

voice to do it. I do some voices that just peak 

out, and I know sometimes there are things 

I’ve got where I have to speak out of this side 

of my mouth or that side of my mouth or 

speak straight ahead so I’m not getting poppop-pop-pop. 

You’re a human mixing 

board! 

Kind of. But I had all the years of doing 

it this way without the microphone, so 

now I have to adjust. It’s a bit of a learning 

curve, but it’s been about a year. The only 

time I really have any new learning curve 

is when I have a new sound person who is 

deciding to be really artistic while I’m doing 

the show. 

So someone might add 

reverb to your voice 

when you’re playing 

Darth Vader? 

Just a little bit. Enough so that it’s not 

actually me having to do the work anymore. 

Not all my voices are perfect, but I don’t care 

because that’s not the point of the show. The 

ones that I can do are the ones that I know 

how to do with my voice already, so if they 

start screwing with it, doing too many effects, 

I’m like, “Why don’t we just watch the movie? 

Why don’t we just have somebody go into a 

studio and work on it themselves?” It’s kind of 

weird because I’d love to be able to do a show 

with tons of effects, and I could work from 

day one writing and rehearsing it with these 

effects in mind, but everything was acoustic 

when I started off. Now I’m trying to make an 

acoustic thing electric, and there’s always the 

temptation—“let’s do a little bit of this, let’s 

do a little bit of that” — and if I come back to 

a place where I don’t have somebody that 

can do that, then it feels like everything’s all 

acoustic again. You don’t want to get used 

to playing electric when you’ve been doing 

acoustic for so long.


Production Profile 

By 

By Kevin Bridges 

For the 

fourth 

consecutive 

year, B&R Communications 

chose 

Orlando, Fla.-based LMG, 

Inc. to provide the audio and 

video for PartyLite’s National Sales 

Conference. As audio services manager for 

LMG, and this being an audio trade publication, 

I will focus on those particular aspects 

that went into this challenging endeavor. 

Challenges 

When speaking of this show, the phrase 

about “pounds of unmentionables in a 

too-small bag” comes to mind. In previous 

years, this event was held in a football-size 

indoor stadium. For 2005, the show moved to 

Washington, D.C. and a basketball-size arena 

was chosen, offering a lack of space for the 

backstage areas. Prior to 2005, the stage was 

set up around the 50-yard line, leaving an 

extra 50 yards for the setup of audio, video, 

lighting and scenic. With the stage end on 

the court of a basketball arena, we were left 

with little to no space. 

Enter the Meyer MICA system. LMG, 

which was founded in 1984 and is named 

for the initials of founder Les Goldberg, had 

been in the market for a mid-sized line array 

system for a few months and had listened to 

several competing products. The MICA fit the 

bill and definitely saved the day for this show. 

We went from needing four 53-foot tractor 

trailers to three due to the MICAs being selfpowered, 

resulting in the reduction of our 

backstage footprint by a great margin. 

Logistics were still quite daunting when 

dealing with an event of this size. After initial 

calculations were completed, it was discovered 

that more than 1,000 feet of snake 

would be needed to interconnect Front of 

House, monitor land and video village. The 

thought of humping that much 56-pair cable 

together is not what I consider a leisure-time 

pursuit, especially since the audio signal 

might suffer as well. The answer to this 

problem came in the form of the Whirlwind 

E-Snake. Frames were placed in the three 

strategic areas and interconnected via fiberoptic 

cabling. By simply assigning CobraNet 

bundles, we could receive or deliver signal 

anywhere in the arena. The digital signal 

Kevin Bridges sets up audio for the show 

path 

helped 

maintain 

fidelity and eliminate 

any ground loop issues. Also, the use of 

non-copper cable had an additional bonus in 

that we could power FOH from a local drop 

and not have to run 2Ø cable the aforementioned 

distance. 

The System 

What exactly did we do before the line 

array? I cannot imagine doing a show of this 

magnitude using conventional speaker technology. 

With a throw of 330 feet, the number 

and zones of boxes would boggle the mind. 

I have been involved with large-scale shows 

using conventional technology, but I like 

to think of them as the “dark ages” of my 

career. John Meyer and his capable staff have 

designed quite a gem in the form of their 

new MICA compact line array. System design 

was also greatly aided by the use of Meyer’s 

MAPP online prediction tool. We were able 

to import the CAD for the show, place boxes 

in the room and make what would later be 

proven to be very accurate predictions. The 

final system design for the show consisted of 

40 MICAs—two columns of 18 for mains and 

a center cluster of four. On-site, we were able 

to confirm our previous predictions using 

our new SIM System 3. Placing eight microphones 

around the room, we were amazed 

to find that the traces from MAPP were very 

close to our actual findings on-site. Most 

interesting, the measurements taken from 

330 feet away showed a very flat trace before 

any EQ had been applied. 

Outside of the MICAs, we made use 

of a subwoofer trick that one of our staff 

engineers, Jim Yakabuski, had used on a Avril 

Lavigne tour. A center column of 10 Meyer 

700 HPs was flown to avoid the typical build 

of low frequency in the sections closest 

to the stage and provide even coverage 

throughout the venue. With 10 cabinets 

at 259 pounds a piece, we were dealing 

with more than a literal ton of low end. The 


The Sound 

Corporate Event Mixes 

result—no one in the front row felt 

queasy while those seated hundreds 

of feet away still felt it in their chest. 

Electronics 

At Front of House, we chose a Midas 

Heritage 3000 console. In the midst of all 

of the whiz-bang digital technology, a 

nice, comforting console can be reassuring. 

We know from past experience with 

the PartyLite show that things come at 

you fast and frantic. Having a knob for 

everything within easy reach can be a 

lifesaver. Coupled with the Midas was one 

of our newly-retooled dynamics insert 

racks featuring a TC Electronic Finalizer 

96K, two Meyer CP-10 parametric EQs, two 

Sound flown with lighting rig 

Rear view of MICA cluster 

Crew & Gear 

Crew 

Front of House Engineer: Billy Walsh 

Systems, SIM and Monitor Engineer: 

Evan Hall 

Wireless and A2: Kris “Wildman” Walters 

Communications: Louie Hall 

Gear 

40 Meyer MICA Compact High Power 

Curvilinear Array Loudspeakers 

12 Meyer 700HP High Power Subwoofers 

12 L-ACOUSTICS dV-DOSC 

4 L-ACOUSTICS ARCS 

8 L-ACOUSTICS 115FM Stage Monitors 

Midas Heritage 3000 Front of House 

Console 

Yamaha PM5D Monitor Console 

2 Millennia TCL-2 Compressor Limiters 

2 Summit TLA-50 Leveling Amplifiers 

TC Electronic Finalizer 96K 

Meyer SIM System 3 

Whirlwind E-Snake 

2 Dan Dugan D2 Automatic 

MicrophoneMixers 

Klark Teknik 9340 Helix Digital EQs 

Clearcom Matrix Plus 3 

Shure UHF wireless microphones 

Shure PSM 700 and PSM 600 PMs 

Countryman E6 Earset Microphones 

Professional Wireless Helical 

Antenna System

of PartyLite 2005 

Cutting-Edge Technology with the Tried and True 

Summit TLA-50s and, most notably, two 

Millennia TCL-2 “Twincom” compressor 

limiters. The Millennias are very interesting 

in that they have tubes AND solid-state 

signal paths. With the push of a button, 

you can select between the best of both 

worlds on this mastering grade piece. 

We also chose the PM5D to mix to the 

talent’s personal monitors as well as eight 

L-ACOUSTICS 115FM stage monitors and 

dV-DOSC side fills. As mentioned earlier, 

we were faced with a very limited backstage 

area, and being able to do the entire 

monitor mix and processing with the 5D 

worked out very well. 

Most Importantly 

As anyone in my position can attest to, 

you can have all of the latest technology 

and fail miserably without having the right 

people. At Front of House for this event was 

Billy Walsh, who brought with him years 

of mixing experience, not to mention his 

extreme likeability. Handling system design, 

SIM engineering and everything in between 

was Evan Hall, a gear junky and all-knower 

of cutting-edge technology. Kris “Wildman” 

Walters did an incredible job of wrangling 18 

wireless systems and making sure that everyone 

had the proper mic at the right time. 

Making sure that the no-less-than-50 people 

on comm at any one time could hear each 

other was Evan’s father, Louie Hall. Everyone 

View from the Midas Heritage 3000 MICA Cluster 

pulled off a very technically-challenging 

show and did so with an exceptionally high 

level of professionalism. 

Lastly 

When the event is all said and done, 

the best thing we can hope for is that no 

one outside of the audio department will 

have a sense of the difficulty level that 

went into making it a successful show. In 

the case of PartyLite 2005, the audience 

was oblivious to the fact that extensive 

technology was in use—they just knew that 

they had seen and heard a great show. And 

that is fine by us. 

From the stage 


Midas Heritage 3000 

Load-in at the MCI Center 

January 2006 

21

Christian Seger 

Pete Robertson 

Consider it the equivalent of 

hazing before getting into the 

fraternity of Front of House 

engineers—you’re working with an opening 

band, and as you step up to mix a show, the 

main act’s muckety-muck reaches over and 

turns down the entire P.A. 

Welcome to the big time. Everything 

you’d hoped for, huh? 

That situation has played itself out over 

decades of FOH history and new engineers 

accepted it both as a right of passage and 

brutal reality. The good news, according to 

Seether FOH mixer Howard Worthen, is that 

those days may be passing. “I’ve gotten the 

shaft pretty hard as far as them cutting me 

on volume and stuff. You don’t see that a 

lot any more, and I think that comes from 

guys like me who started in the ‘80s going 

through that 

whole scenario,” 

he says. “I know 

my point of 

view is that I’ve 

been through 

that and I 

would never 

do that to another 

person. 

“I don’t 

want to 

be one of 

those guys, 

because 

I hated 

those 

guys,” he 

continues, 

“and I 

don’t want to be 

a dude that’s hated. As of the last few 

years, you don’t see a lot of that. You might 

get stuck with a console or some outboard 

that’s not as good as the headliner, but for 

the most part, if you know what you’re doing, 

you can make it work if they are giving you 

the P.A.” 

According to Big Mick Hughes, who has 

been on both sides of this topic while working 

with Metallica, there is a bevy of reasons 

for headlining engineers to keep an eye 

on an opener’s mixer. One of the first, and 

perhaps most important, is the damage that 

a new-to-arenas mixer could do to the P.A 

while attempting to create the same sound 

pressure that can be found in clubs. “If you 

look at the ratio of P.A. to environment in a 

club, normally, you have such a massive ratio 

of sound system to the size of the venue,” Big 

Mick reports. “Where as when you go into 

much larger venues, you haven’t got that 


Opening Ba 

By DavidJohnFarinella 

amount 

of P.A. to where you can 

saturate the arena to the same amount of 

pressure that you would do in a club. 

“It’s more of a concern of the system 

than anything, from my point of view. I’m 

concerned that somebody’s going to come 

along and try to get something out of the 

P.A. that’s not possible. Then it breaks, which 

I have to obviously deal with after they’ve 

broken it,” he continues with a laugh. “I’ve 

had situations where bands that have been 

on prior to Metallica have actually gone and 

destroyed a large portion of the sub bass. 

I’m not going to say who it was and what 

band it was, but it was a drastic loss and I 

was gobsmacked when I got up there. When 

I checked the kick drum, it wasn’t there. We 

went and had a quick look and the cabinet 

was ripped to bits. So, that’s the danger you 

run.” 

At the same time, Big Mick says that most 

of the time, he gives any opening FOH mixer 

the option of using the system full-on, with 

an important caveat. “I ask them not to be as 

loud as Metallica,” he admits. “If people have 

been in an arena for X amount of hours listening 

to opening acts, when Metallica goes 

on, I want there to be a discernable change. 

“I think there are a lot of people who will 

just turn the system down straight off the 

bat, to be honest with you,” he adds. “There 

is that side of it. They’re either nervous of 

their own position with their act, or that’s 

just something that they’ve done for years. 

It’s not very fair really, because all it basically 

means is that the guy runs his gains higher 

and his gain structure drives harder into 

drive rack. I don’t do that because you might 

as well let them have at it at first and see 

how they are going to do. If they go at it like 

demons, then of course you’re just not going 

to allow it. You can’t allow it; it’s threatening 

the system and it’s taking away from the 

impact of the main band as well. There has to 

be some common sense about.” 

From Worthen’s seat, it doesn’t matter 

how loud the supporting bands get during a 

tour. “We just came off a headlining tour with 

Crossfade and Dark New Day opening. I was 

like, ‘Okay, I mix here. If you guys want to be 

louder, I don’t care. Just don’t blow anything 

up,’” he says. 

That said, he has seen situations where 

an opening band is trying to blow the 

headliner off the stage by volume alone. “You 

walk in, and all you see are red lights all over 

the place. It’s like, ‘You don’t have to do that. 

Think about how that sounds. Back it off a 

little bit and everything is going to spread 

out.’ There are a lot of younger guys out 

there and they know how to mix a little bit, 

but all they are thinking is volume, volume, 

volume instead of separation and a nice mix. 

The volume has to be there because it’s rock. 

You have to have some punch and some 

crunchy guitars, but it doesn’t have to be 

parting your hair.” 

Worthen, who won’t name names, 

reported a situation during the early ‘90s 

where he was cut 10dB a night by the main 

act’s mixer, but he found a way around it. 

“As soon as you hear that kick drum, you 

know that that’s as loud as that kick drum 

is going to go, so you’ve got to mix everything 

around that and bring it down even 

a little bit more so the vocals will ride right 

on top of it,” he explains. “As much as I love 

instrumentals and doing a heavy rock mix, 

the vocals are the most important thing. If 

the audience can’t hear the vocals, that’s the 

first thing they complain about. So, that’s

nd Blues 

the main thing: If you’re getting screwed all 

the way around, get those vocals where you 

can hear them and do the best you can with 

the rest.” 

Compression has helped him achieve 

that. “I will over-compress stuff, and that 

way, everything is perfectly even,” Worthen 

adds. “You can compress everything about 

5 or 6dB, keep it nice and even, maybe not 

compress the vocals quite as much. I’ll even 

do something, if I were getting screwed over, 

like compressing the entire instrument mix 

to where it’s all riding at one level, and then 

compress the vocals to where they are riding 

at another level. That’s a helpful little hint: Just 

put compression over the entire mix and then 

a different compressor just on the vocals.” 

While obvious, volume is a just one of the 

challenges an opening act engineer faces. 

Second-class gear, lack of space at the FOH 

position and minimal (sometimes, at best), 

sound check times are additional situations 

that these newer mixers have faced. 

When Christian Seger was working with 

up-and-coming country singer Pat Green 

(he’s since been replaced by Sean Murray) he 

was crammed in between the stations that 

the FOH teams of headliner Kenny Chesney 

and second act Gretchen Wilson had set up 

with a Yamaha DM-2000 console. While not as 

powerful, the DM-2000 was perfect for the 

gig. “I love that board,” he says. “The footprint 

has been crucial at times when we’ve been 

squeezed in to Front of House positions 

where even a slightly larger desk wouldn’t 

have worked. It’s been on elevators, up stairs, 

in pickup trucks, you name it. Sonically, I’ve put 

down some of the best mixes that I’ve ever 

been responsible for out of that desk.” 

Worthen had a PM5D at his disposal 

while Seether was supporting Audioslave 

(which was using a Midas XL4), although 

he’s been thrown into the fire with a Yamaha 

“Lesser quality gear can be 

overcome. Lack of a sound check? 

That’s a bit dodgier.” 

-Pete Robertson 

3500. Rather than fighting it, he’s found that 

rolling with it has served him better. “I never 

get too wound up about anything. I’m very 

laid back and I just kind of roll with what 

they give me. I don’t complain, I just make it 

work, do the best I can and make it happen. 

That’s all you can do,” he says with a shrug of 

his shoulders. 

Coheed and Cambria FOH mixer Pete 

Robertson reports that getting over with 

less-than-ideal gear is a matter of looking 

at the venue and figuring out what can be 

sacrificed that night. “For example, if it’s a 

smaller room, maybe you don’t need to have 

an overhead mic on the drums,” he starts. 

“Our drummer, Josh Eppard, plays so loud 


Big Mick Hughes 

that 

a lot of times 

in a small club, you 

hear the cymbals 

just fine, or they 

are being picked 

up by the vocal mic. 

“There are other areas 

that you can kind of cheat and get away 

with,” he continues. “Having quality gear in 

the right places helps you out. With a good 

microphone selection, you can get by with 

one kick drum mic as opposed to two. You 

can get by with just a bass DI instead of a 

bass mic and a bass DI. A lot of bands out 

there now are double miking their guitar 

cabinets just to get a little wider spread.” 

So, lesser quality gear can be overcome. 

Good news. Lack of a sound check? That’s a 

bit dodgier, and there isn’t one working FOH 

mixer who hasn’t scrambled through the first 

few songs to nail down the sound for the rest 

of the night. 

Robertson’s toughest gigs came when 

Coheed and Cambria were just starting out 

and on the road with fellow hardcore bands 

Thursday and Thrice. For the first two weeks 

of the tour, Thrice was getting used to a new 

personal monitor system and spent a lot of 

time sound checking. Robertson and the 

rest of the Coheed crew would just get the 

equipment set up when doors would open. 

“Kids were running in the door and I still 

hadn’t heard an instrument. Some of the 

clubs were very unsympathetic,” he recalls 

with a laugh. “I would say, ‘Look, I don’t mind 

the kids being in here, but if you would just 

give me 10 minutes to go through and do a 

quick line check to make sure everything is 

working.’ That was the first time that I had really 

run into that very rushed feeling.” There 

were times it worked out, he allows, by the 

middle of the first song, but more often than 

not, it was the second or third. 

For Seger, the only challenge he faced 

while working for Green on the Chesney tour 

was “the amount of time I am given to put 

my own thumbprint on the system, if you 

will, with regards to EQ or levels. There’s just 

not 

enough 

time in 

the day,” 

he says. 

“The system 

tech 

has been 

incredibly 

helpful and 

willing to 

do anything 

that I would 

want, but so far, we don’t find the time for me 

to say, ‘Oh, can we tweak this or that?’ Simply 

because, by the time we’re up and running, 

it’s go time.” 

One of the keys for surviving a night 

without a sound check, Big Mick believes, is 

to trust the people who have set up the P.A. 

in the first place. “You do get some guys that 

are a little bit silly when they are backed up 

against the wall and the promoter is saying, 

‘OK, you’ve got an hour to get your shit together. 

Then the doors open.’ They suddenly 

start saying, ‘Well, I want to EQ the P.A.’ and 

stuff instead of just going on with inputs and 

stuff,” he says. “When they do that, it kind 

of casts aspersions on the capability of the 

person who EQ’ed it in the first place. 

“That’s normally myself or the systems 

engineer, who I trust as much as myself 

doing it,” he continues. “So, guys sometimes 

shoot themselves in the foot.” 

When it comes to surviving the pressure 

of working as an opening band FOH 

mixer, there are a number of tips that these 

professionals offer. None more important, 

though, than a touch of humility with a bit of 

Worthen’s take-it-easy attitude. 

“Prepare yourself to walk into a situation 

where the absolute best thing you can be is 

quick and friendly and out of the way,” Seger 

says. “If you don’t do your homework, you can 

end up on the wrong side of the guys that 

you need to help you along every day.” 

Big Mick is most impressed by new 

engineers who come in and ask questions. 

“There is no shame in coming up and saying, 

‘I haven’t done a show of this size before. 

What do you think I should know?’ People 

don’t sneer at you because that’s the situation,” 

he reports. “I mean, for some reason, 

it’s a bit of a testosterone-driven thing. We 

all learned at some point. I learned an awful 

lot of stuff when we supported with Ozzy for 

many months. We all learn off of each other, 

but you’ve got to be willing to listen.” 

January 2006 

23

On The Bleeding Edge 

Of Mouse 


and 

Men 

Riddle me this, Batman: When is an 

audio console not really an audio 

console? When it’s a control surface. 

With digital technology running rampant, 

there are plenty of control surfaces out there 

masquerading around as audio consoles. 

We’ve got to recognize the differences or 

we’re sunk. 

If you’re reading FOH, you already know 

that an audio console is a device with faders, 

button and meters designed to route 

and process audio. We’ve all plugged our 

mics into these desks and used them to mix 

shows. Ah, but a control surface would like 

you to think it processes and routes audio 

when really, it is nothing more than a very 

expensive mouse! Alas, this Mighty Mouse 

under your fi ngertips controls a computer, 

typically (but not always) processing audio in 

the digital domain. 

Now that we’ve identifi ed the difference, 

why should you care? 

There are a couple of reasons. First, let’s 

assume that you are a touring engineer who 

doesn’t have the luxury of carrying a P.A. 

system, and so must deal with P.A. du jour. 

Soon, you’ll be doing a show where your 

fi ngers are running a mouse and not an audio 

desk. It’s inevitable. With a little luck, the 

manufacturer of said device will have done a 

bit of homework to make the control surface 

look and feel like an audio desk with faders, 

knobs, some pretty lights and maybe an LCD 


screen to supply you with information. Truth 

is that the audio circuitry is likely to be in a 

rack somewhere either next to you or at the 

stage. Don’t look for the insert points on the 

back panel of the control surface because 

there are none, nor will you fi nd microphone 

inputs—all I/O is in the rack. What you will 

fi nd on the rear panel of a control surface 

will be an Ethernet, fi ber-optic or perhaps 

a FireWire port that links this mouse to the 

computer living inside the audio rack and 

routing your signals. You may also fi nd a card 

slot that lets you load in the preset scenes 

you worked up at home prior to the tour. 

Hmmmmm. 

In addition to the operational 

difference between an audio 

desk and a control surface, there 

will be some distinct advantages 

such as a compressor and a gate 

on every channel. 

You’ll need to get accustomed to this 

pretty quick so you can fi gure out where to 

patch your favorite effects processor or vocal 

channel that you’ve been carrying around for 

the star of the show. 

As you look around this Mighty Mouse, 

you will notice some unfamiliar things. 

There’s a serious lack of pushbuttons, often 

limited to Mute (or “On/Off”), Solo and “Sel” 

(which will soon be your best friend). Alas, 

there will likely be only one set of EQ, pan 

and aux send controls that serve every channel, 

one at a time via the “Sel” button. When 

you press “Sel” on a channel, that channel is 

selected for control by these EQ, pan and aux 

knobs (and maybe a set of bus assign buttons), 

enabling you to access those controls 

without paging through a menu. 


By SteveLaCerra 

Audio assignment will be on a separate 

menu page designated for that purpose, 

but mute and fader grouping will be elsewhere. 

You’ll still have channel and master 

faders, but there’s a good chance that you 

won’t fi nd any audio groups or VCA group 

faders. That’s because none of the faders 

on a control surface are audio faders anyway—they 

are either VCA or DCA (Digitally 

Controlled Amplifi er) faders so any (or all) 

of them can be a group master. Remember: 

Since audio is handled by the I/O rack 

and controlled via CPU, the CPU will deal 

with assignments. 

In addition to the operational difference 

between an audio desk and a control surface, 

there will be some distinct advantages. 

Almost certainly, there will be a compressor 

and a gate on every channel, so you won’t 

have to physically patch them in (though 

you’ll have to access a menu page). You may 

be able to use ‘plug-in’ software that simulates 

your favorite comps, gates and reverb, 

but you won’t need to worry about getting 

yelled at by management for carrying 

another rack. You’ll probably have the ability 

to link or at least copy EQ settings so you can 

create EQ for the overheads and copy it to 

the high hat and ride cymbal channels. Ditto 

for the vocal compressors. 

System installers will fi nd that they no 

longer need to run quite so much (if any) 

copper between the stage and Front of 

House. This is because the stage rack contains 

A/D circuitry to get the mics into the 

digital domain, where they can be routed 

to monitor and Front of House mouse (!) via 

optical cable if necessary. Since the conversion 

happens near the mics (onstage), the 

length of copper wire through which audio 

travels is kept at a minimum—reducing RFI 

and maintaining sonic integrity. A byproduct 

of this is that there’s almost no chance for 

a ground loop between FOH and monitors 

because they are not connected via copper. 

In venues that might require the capability, it 

is usually possible to hang another mouse on 

the system, adding an additional mix position 

to the monitor or FOH rig in any location 

of the venue. Imagine a scenario where one 

monitor engineer is responsible for the star 

performer’s monitor mix and a second is responsible 

for the band monitor mixes. Simply 

add another mouse (mixing surface) and 

they can stay out of each other’s way while 

using the same audio I/O rack. Try that with 

an analog desk. 

Oh, one other thing: If some jerk spills a 

beer on the desk, it may cause problems, but 

it won’t shut down the show. 

In addition to being the Front of House 

engineer and tour manager for Blue Öyster 

Cult, Steve “Woody” La Cerra teaches aspiring 

audio minds at Mercy College in White Plains, 

N.Y. He can be reached via email at Woody@ 

fohonline.com


Powered Line Arrays 

By BillEvans 

A 

little recent history that neatly sums up 

what has been happening in the world 

of loudspeakers for touring and theatrical 

installs: It wasn’t but around a decade ago 

that a company in France hooked up with U.S. 

sound stalwart Jeffrey Cox to sell the world 

of live event audio on the concept of vertical 

arrays of speakers as a way of more precisely 

controlling dispersion patterns. Today, there 

are no fewer than a dozen (probably more like 

20) companies making a line array, and terms 

like “aiming sound” have become common. 

When the premiere issue of FOH was 

being put together three and a half years 

ago, our very first Product Gallery was on line 

arrays, and the field was still small enough 

that we could get a representative sample of 

the product segment onto a couple of pages 

with photos. By the time we revisited line 

arrays about a year ago, the field had grown 

to a point that we limited the offerings to 

compact systems, which were then getting 

very popular and a bunch of new systems 

had recently become available. 

Time to take a look again, and this time it 

was tougher. The editorial calendar just said 

Product Gallery: Line Arrays. But I knew that if 

we really tried to do a complete chart on the 

general category of “line array,” it would take 

up most of the magazine. So this time, our defining 

factor is power, and we are taking a look 

at just powered boxes without regard to size. 

Just uttering the words “self-powered 

speaker” to a group of sound guys will elicit 

passionate responses on both sides. And we 

were stupid enough to do just that, albeit 

via e-mail. Here is what we asked a group of 

touring, regional and install pros. 

Hey guys, 

FOH is doing a product gallery piece in the 

Jan. issue on powered line-array boxes. The decision 

to limit it to powered boxes was STRICTLY 

to keep the number of entries in the chart down 

to something managable. But we really want to 

give more than just a comparison chart and include 

some voices of real working guys as well. 

With that in mind, could you take four or 

five minutes and dash of a few quick thoughts 

on powered boxes vs. passive boxes? I know 

some who think self-powered is the ONLY way 

to go and others who would much prefer the 

greater control allowed by separate drive, amp 

and speaker components. 

Your two cents? 

We got back some interesting responses. 

First, the touring guys. 

Pooch 

Hey Bill, 

Thought I would throw my “two cents” in. 

As a touring professional, I cannot think of 

time where I would NOT want the greater control 

allowed by separate drive, amp and speak- 

ers. Space is never a problem—we can always 

find room for amp racks and cable. The flexibility 

of having different components allows 

you to configure the system anyway you want. 

No worries about gear failing in the air and no 

way to get to it. It is rare that speakers fail, but 

amp racks and cables die all the time—much 

rather have them fail on the ground than in the 

air. So all in all, keep them passive boxes in the 

air and keep my amps on the ground. 

POOCH 

(Ken Van Druten—Kid Rock, System of a 

Down, KISS, etc.) 

Dave Skaff 

Hi Bill, 

Speaking from a correct-tool-for-the-job 

point of view, there have been tours I’ve done 

where having the amps in the cabinets would 

have been a major benefit to the tour and to 

the audio. A center-stage-in-the-round tour, 

where flying the amps is not an option, amps 

in the speakers boxes would have been ideal. 

I think even in a larger scope, any circumstance 

which requires excessive speaker cable 

runs would be better served with amps in the 

speaker cabinets. 

Now on the downside, I believe without 

proper drive zoning, and in my opinion, that 

would mean being able to access each speaker/amp 

combo individually. I believe it would 

be a compromised attempt. There is also the 

issue of amp or AC failure, and losing even one 

box in a line array can cause quite a shadow in 

the coverage. 

All the best, 

Skaffy 

(Dave Skaff—Alicia Keys, U2, etc.) 

Hi Bill, 

I have only recently gotten involved with 

powered boxes, and I have normally shied away 

from them. I think we have all heard the horror 

stories of the powered box system, where one 

box goes berserk and makes some horrendous 

noise and it’s flown so it can’t be switched off, 

blah, blah, blah. However, since the introduction 

of the Meyer MILO System, I have taken more 

interest. As I see it, the benefits of a powered box 

are quite good assuming that the box is correctly 

set up—crossovers, amp power, reliability, 

etc. The fact that there is no need to run all the 

speaker cables back to amplifier world is great. 

Think about the in-the-round system I have 

used—the MT4 system had a cable truss that 

ran down one side of the arena and gave us 

a speaker cable run of 450 feet to the far corner 

and all the hassle of running cables that far, 

not to mention the final impedance presented 

to amp world, which was about 25 by 15 feet of 

floor or corridor area. It was a similar story with 

the NEXO Alpha system too. So powered would 

seem a very interesting way to go. 

The other thing is, when you hire a system 


on one side of the world, that it should sound 

the same as one hired on the other. Not different 

power amps, wired with different impedance 

configurations because one company 

won’t buy the required amount or type of 

amplifiers. If you are shipping your system 

worldwide, with a conventional system, you 

would have to hire in a large voltage transformer 

(pig). With the auto voltage selection of 

the powered box, you can just plug and play. 

Sounds like a good idea to me. 

Best wishes, mate! 

Big Mick 

(Metallica, but does he really need 

an introduction?) 

Our regional guy was Las Vegas-based 

Larry Hall (mostly because his shop is just a 

few miles away, so he is easy for me to get a 

hold of ). 

OK, I have both and think both are equally 

important: 

With the powered D.A.S. Aero 28-38, 

there is no control over the component 

outputs or corrective EQ. This is a pro and a con. 

The pros—the plug & play aspect of simply 

getting the rig up and putting faith in the manufacturers 

ability to make the box sound good. 

Another positive (which visiting FOH guys hate) 

is that FOH guys CAN’T get in and dick with the 

settings. So many times with a non-powered 

system, some “I know everything” guy comes in 

and decides the crossover settings or the limiters 

are wrong (usually when the house tech 

is at the stage), changes them and you find 

blown gear at the shop! (Not gonna mention 

names, but we had that happen recently.) 

For larger-scale concerts when we use the 

Aero 48 large array, I find the I have the exact 

opposite feelings. When hanging a big system 

(10 to 16 boxes a side is big for me)! in a large 

venue, I want complete control. I like the ability 

to walk the venue, find “hot spots or dull spots” 

and make EQ or time alignment changes. 

Typically in this situation (at my level), 

visiting FOH guys need this as well. Here is 

the cool “combine part.” We use the Aero 48 

(non-powered) with the Aero 28A (powered) as 

underhangs. The cool thing is, once we figure out 

what we need to correct on the big boxes, we’re 

DONE! Maybe a little delay (outboard of course) 

and a bit of EQ, and its lunch time!! 

Too much info?? 

We only got a response from one theatrical 

install guy who, admittedly, has more of a 

rock edge and background than most. Those 

guys are seeing a lot of powered boxes on big 

installs. First, it was almost exclusively Meyer, 

January 2006 

25 



but lately, JBL and D.A.S. have been showing 

up, and even smaller companies like ISP are 

doing good business in the house of worship 

market. Given all that, here is what Ross Humphrey, 

lead sound guru for the Blue Man Group 

(who has done at least three huge new theatre 

installs in the past 12 months) had to say. 

Hey Bill, 

I think you summed it up for me perfectly 

with your last sentence: “Others who would 

much prefer the greater control allowed by 

separate drive, amp and speaker components.” 

Best, 

Ross 

So did we come to some meeting of the 

minds or standard of what is appropriate and 

when? Of course not. This still the live sound 

industry and few of us are known for not being 

pretty passionately opinionated. With that 

in mind, remember: Powered or passive, line 

array or not, they are all tools. It comes down 

to what is right for a particular gig (which may 

just mean, “What do we have in the shop?”) 

and what you like. Here is a look at some of 

the powered options out there. 

Brand Model Dimensions 

(in inches) 


Weight 

(in pounds) 

Frequency response Driver/Horn components 

A-Line Acoustics ALA-10 12.6 x 36.2 x 16 90 75Hz - 18KHz 2 x 10” LF neodymium, 1.4” HF, 

B&C 

D.A.S. Audio Of America Aero 182A 18.7 x 55 x 23.6 218 28Hz - 85Hz 2 x 18” 4” voice coil neodymium 

drivers 

D.A.S. Audio Of America Aero 218A 39.8 x 26.8 x 32.5 215.6 28Hz - 85Hz 2 x 18” 4” voice coil neodymium 

drivers 

D.A.S. Audio Of America Aero 38A 12.4 x 55 x 23.6 176 60Hz - 18KHz LF 2 x 12”, MF 2 x 10”, HF 4” driver 

connected via SERIPIS planewave 

generator to a 90º horn lens 

D.A.S. Audio Of America CA-215A 17.8 x 34.7 x 29.4 142.2 35Hz - 160Hz 2 x 15” 4” voice coil neodymium 

drivers 

D.A.S. Audio Of America CA-28A 10.4 x 34.7 x 15.8 80.5 80Hz - 20KHz MF 2 x 8”/HF 3” driver connected 

via SERPIS plane-wave generator 

to a 120º horn lens 

ISP Technologies Mongoose GSL12 24 x 27 x 19 115 52Hz - 19KHz 4 x 12” woofers, 1 x 4” midrange 

compression driver, 2 x 1.75” 

polyester neo HF drivers 

ISP Technologies Reference Line 210 35 x 13 x 23.6 110 per cabinet 

55Hz - 19KHz 2 x 10” neodymium woofers, 1 x 

4” midrange compression driver, 

2 x 1.75” polyester neo HF drivers 

ISP Technologies Reference Line 4215 36 x 38 x 28 400 43Hz - 19KHz 4-way 2 x 15” woofers, 4 x 8” lowmid, 

2 x 4” compression drivers 

high-mid, 2 x 1.75” neodymium 

HF drivers 

JBL Professional VT4882DP 39.9 x 18 x 39.8 154 32Hz - 110Hz 2 x 15” 2266H 

JBL Professional VT4888DP 39.9 x 14 x 26.7 148 60Hz - 16Hz 2 x 15” 2262Hs, 4 x 5.5” 2106 HPL, 

2 x 3” 2431H aluminum diaphragm 

KS Audio CPA Line Array 14.5 x 10.7 x 15.9 50.6 flyware 

built-in 

Meyer M1D: Ultra-Compact Curvilinear 

Array Loudspeaker 

Meyer M2D: Compact Curvilinear 


Meyer M3D: Line Array Loudspeaker 

Meyer MICA: Compact High-Power 

Curvilinear Array Loudspeaker 

Meyer MILO 120: High-Power Expanded 

Coverage Curvilinear 


Meyer MILO 60: High-Power Narrow 

Coverage Curvilinear 


Meyer MILO: High-Power Curvilinear 


60Hz - 20KHz 2 x 8” cone + 1” ND 

23.04 x 7.12 x 8.5 31 60Hz - 18KHz 2 x 5” 8 Ohm drivers (200 W AES), 

3 x 0.75” 8 Ohm metal dome 

tweeters (15 W AES) 

39 x 12.12 x 17.47 116 60Hz - 16KHz 2 x 10” 4 Ohm drivers (400 W 

AES), 1 x 4” diaphragm 8 Ohm 

compression drivers (250 W AES) 

54 x 20 x 30 415 35Hz - 18KHz 2 x 15” 4 Ohm front drivers (1,200 

W AES), 2 x 15” 8 Ohm rear drivers 

(600 W AES), 2 x 4” diaphragm 

8 Ohm compression drivers (250 

W AES) 

41.4 x 13.37 x 17.78 150 60Hz - 18KHz 2 x 10” 4 Ohm drivers (600 W 


compression drivers (180 W AES) 

54 x 14.47 x 22 235 60Hz - 18KHz 2 x 12” 4 Ohm drivers (1,200 W 


compression drivers (250 W AES), 

2 x 2” diaphragm 12 Ohm compression 

drivers (100 W AES) 











Renkus-Heinz PN102/LA 23.75 x 12 x 16 82 60Hz - 18KHz 2 x 10”, 2 x 1” 

Renkus-Heinz STLA/9 38.5 x 15.5 x 23 190 45Hz - 18KHz 2 x 12”, 2 x 6.5”, 2 x 1.5” 

SLS PLS8695 55.5 x 11.5 x 12 110 80Hz - 20KHz Low-frequency 8 x 6.5” woofers; 

high-frequency 9 x PRD500 ribbons 

WorxAudio Technologies, 

Inc. 

WorxAudio Technologies, 

Inc. 

Ross Humphrey 

TrueLine V10-PMD3 10.5 x 48 x 18 165 38Hz - 18KHz (-10db) 2 x 10” bass, 2 x 8” mid, 1 x 3” high 

frequency on flatwave former 

TrueLine V8-PMD1 10.5 x 28 x 18 108 50Hz - 18KHz (-10db) 2 x 10” bass, 2 x 8” mid, 1 x 3” high 

frequency on flatwave former

Meyer M1D 

Amp Wattage Per Driver Power 

Requirements 

Rigging Type Ground 

Stackable? 

500/LF, 125/HF 7 - 10 amps Proprietary EZAL System 

1,000 W 115 V, 50Hz/60Hz 

@ 5A 

1,000 W 115 V, 50Hz/60Hz 

@ 5A 

1,000 W LF/500 W MF/ 

500 W HF 

115 V, 50Hz/60Hz 

@ 6A 

1,000 W 115 V, 50Hz/60Hz 

@ 5A 

350 W MF/100 W HF 115 V, 50Hz/60Hz 

@ 2.5A 

Self-contained captive 

rigging 


rigging 


rigging 


rigging 


rigging 


Coverage Angles Long-term Maximum 

SPL Output 

Price 

Yes 90º/150º 129dB $5,899 

Yes 137dB $4,788 

Yes 140dB $4,420 

Yes 90º horizontal/vertical 

splay dependent 


splay angle dependent 


splay angle dependent 

1,700 W total system power 120VAC @ 12A N/A Yes 90º horizontal/18º 

vertical 

1,200 W per cabinet 120VAC @ 12A Multiple options No 120º horizontal/12º 

vertical 

2,000 W total power 120VAC @ 15A Eyebolt/other rigging 

available 

3,400 W peak total 6A/120V, 

3A/240V 

6,000 W 6A/120V, 

3A/240V 

JBL S.A.F.E, intergral 

hinge bars and rigging 

frames 

JBL S.A.F.E, intergral 

hinge bars and rigging 

frames 

400 sub + 80 high 30A breaker Built in—only flying 

frame needed 

500 W (two channels; 225 W x 

1, 275 W x 1) 

700 W (two channels; 450 W x 

1, 250 W x 1) 

4,500 W (four channels; 1,125 

W x 4 ) 

3,020 W (four channels; 950 W 

x 2, 560 W x 2) 


W x 2, 750 W x 1, 560 W x 1 


W x 3, 560 W x 1) 


W x 3, 560 W x 1) 

450 W system 115/230V ac, 1.4V 

for RPO 

1,000/800/320 115/230, 

50/60Hz, 1.4V 

input for RPO 

1,000 W low, 500 W high 1,000 W low 

frequency, 500 W 

high frequency 

1,000 W bass, 1,000 W mid, 

500 W high 

3.2A Integral QuickFly rigging 

frame, with captive 

connectors and 

quick-release pins 

3.1A Patented integral 

QuickFly rigging frame 

with captive CamLinks, 

rear connecting bars 

and captive quick- 

release pins 

18A Patented integral 

QuickFly rigging frame 

with integral CamLinks, 

rear connecting bars 

and captive quick- 

release pins 

5.4A Integral QuickFly¨ 

rigging frame, with 

captive GuideALink 

connectors and quickrelease 

pins 


frame, custom 

AlignaLink connectors 

and quick-release pins 


frame, custom 




frame, custom 



10 amps, 120V or 

5 amps, 220V 

500 W mid, 250 W high 8 amps, 120V or 

4 amps, 220V 

Renkus-Heinz PN102/LA 

Integral individual lateral 

bar and framework 

Integral single bar lateral 

framework 

No 120º horizontal/70º 

vertical 

137dB $6,670 

135dB $4,060 

131dB $3,520 

136dB long-term $10,500 for 

2-box system 

132dB long-term $10,500 for 

2-box system 

132dB long-term $18,000 total 

system 

Yes N/A 133dB SPL/1m peak $5,799 


configurable 

139dB SPL/1m $7,999 

Yes 120º x 7.5 128dB $5,600 

Yes 

Yes 90º 136dB $8,120 

Yes LF: cardioid, HF: 90º 145dB $20,440 

Yes 100º 138dB $11,550 

Yes 60º 138dB $15,690 

Yes 120º horizontal/20º 

vertical (single loudspeaker) 

140dB $16,530 

Yes 90º 140dB $15,690 

Yes 150º 132 + min $4,270 

Floor standing mount Yes Defined by height of 

array horizontal/120º 

vertical 

Proprietary aluminum 4 

point, 1º to 10º 

Proprietary aluminum 4 

point, 1º to 10º 

60º/90º/120º 132 + $7,945 

Yes 140º horizontal/0º-10º 

variable vertical 

Yes 140º horizontal/0º-10º 

variable vertical 

JBL VerTec DP 

130dB/1m $5,775 

128dB/1m $9,550 

128dB/1m min $6,480 

January 2006 

27

The Biz 

House 

Concerts 

MakeLiveSound 

a Lifestyle 

When the Beatles played Shea 

Stadium in New York in 1965, the 

music P.A. consisted of a half-dozen 

Shure Vocal Master systems—two columns 

of 6- and 8-inch speakers fueled by a combination 

mixer/power amplifier. Thankfully, 

the miles of Hi-Z cabling running around the 

stage didn’t honk back much telemetry from 

the then-relatively small number of satellites 

floating around in orbit. 

Looking back, it’s almost comical that an 

event of that historical magnitude had such 

a puny P.A. system, but that’s what you had at 

the time. The Vocal Master was the apotheosis 

of what someone could buy off the shelf 

in terms of a public address system in those 

days. But there are a couple of trends that 

make what was the state of the art at that 

time worth remembering. 

The Beatles were the leading edge of 

a wave that transformed the music and 

entertainment industries. Enough books 

have been written about that to not go into 

it here, but what needs to be pointed out 

is how the ensuing industry of rock ‘n’ roll 

transformed the technology of music. There 

was virtually was no pro audio business to 

speak of at the time, and even less in the 

way of live sound—mainly a few key names 

like JBL and E-V that had grown up with the 

cinema business, and the microphone and 

signal path gear makers that centered on 

the broadcast sector. In 1965, Manny’s sold 

you guitars and drums; in 2005, Manny’s 

(now part of the Sam Ash chain) can sell you 

everything else. 


The second point takes the form of 

a trend: the house concert. It’s mainly an 

upper-middle-class phenomenon—musicloving 

homeowners turn their living rooms, 

parlors, lawns and patios into concert venues. 

The performers range from someone’s 

ambitious kid sister to some of the most 

venerable names in folk music, including 

Tom Paxton, Eric Anderson, Ray Wylie Hubbard, 

Manhattan Transfer founding vocalist 

Lauren Massé and Cheryl Wheeler. It’s a pool 

made ever larger by the increased emphasis 

on acoustic music by shows such a MTV’s 

Unplugged series. (And a surfeit of suddenly 

agent-less artists.) 

A home in suburban Los Angeles, owned 

by graphic designers Julie and Russ Paris, 

is typical of the trend: Klieg-type spotlights 

wash one wall of the 500-square-foot living/dining 

area in the 3,000-square-foot 

house, under which a performer stands with 

a guitar, poised before 65 guests seated on 

folding chairs, a few more perched on the 

stairs. The Parises have no expertise in either 

the economics of the music industry or its 

technology. But they have an abiding love of 

music, all the more so if it’s live. The home has 

no formal stage. Russ Paris says they learned 

about the equipment as they went along, as 

performers or friends would bring in sound 

systems as needed, and from rentals from a 

local music store. In 2003, they bought their 

own Mackie 408M eight-channel self-powered 

mixer running a pair of JBL MP412 

speakers on stands, into which a handful of 

Shure SM58 microphones are plugged. The 

lights are off-the-shelf track lights fitted with 

colored gels purchased online from a professional 

lighting website. 

This all might fall under the rubric of 

“cute” if it weren’t for the fact that the people 

in the Paris’ house, not to mention the Parises 

themselves, are not in a club elsewhere—a 

place that might have spent $50,000 on a 

sound system and keeps one or two mixers 

on at least a minimal retainer. Getting people 

out of their homes is increasingly difficult: 

Last summer, Business Week reported a 12% 

decline in concert attendance (cinema box 

office was down as well—nearly 10%—as 

were theme parks and major-league baseball 

games). Small wonder then that in Manhattan, 

the Bottom Line is gone and CBGB is 

barely hanging on. 

Nor was it surprising when Soundcraft 

announced their support for CBGB when 

they loaned the club a new 32-channel 

MH2 console to replace its aging K3 board. 

Pro audio manufacturers with large stakes 

in the live music business are faced with a 

unique challenge, though one not unfamiliar 

to the recording studio sector: How do you 

cultivate the new “personal” markets without 

alienating the established ones? 

This is not to suggest that concerts and 

club tours are going to disappear. But as with 

recording and musical instruments, technology 

is making active doers out of people 

who were once only passive watchers. That 

phenomenon has already been extended 

to live music—portable, self-powered P.A.s 

like JBL’s EON were the PortaStudios of 

By DanDaley 

clubdom in the mid-1990s. The difference 

now, though, is that once people can do it all 

themselves, they’re increasingly reluctant to 

leave the house to do it. 

The trend is not likely to abate—acousticians 

who have based careers around designing 

commercial performance spaces are 

already homing in on the residential concert 

market, such as Steve Haas at SH! Acoustics, 

in Milford, Conn., who has adapted his 

Concertino concert hall processing system 

for several upscale residential applications. 

And the artists like it—folk circuit veteran 

Cliff Eberhardt told me that house concerts 

fill in early weeknights after college concerts, 

often for as much or more money, including 

sales of CDs to house guests. Furthermore, 

Russ Paris says that many of the artists’ 

agents and managers who once dismissed 

the idea of house concerts now embrace 

them as one more set of paying performance 

venues for their artists. 

So will pro audio companies embrace, 

or even acknowledge, the trend? Those who 

did so for home recording early on benefited. 

Live sound equipment makers won’t 

have to completely revamp their business 

plans, but they’ll ignore this trend at their 

own peril. 

And live music venues can learn something 

from this as well, just as cinemas are 

learning from home theatre: make the live 

music experience different and better than 

what people can devise at home. Compete 

with it, but don’t mimic it. Think of it as bringin’ 

down the house. 

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Road Tests 

Allen & Heath 

GL2800 and GL3800 Mixing Consoles 

By MarkAmundson 

When I first started shopping for an 

entry-level “professional” console, 

I purchased the Allen & Heath 

GL2200. And when I mixed on most of the 

club install rigs, I usually had Allen & Heath 

GL2200 or GL3300 consoles to work with. So 

when Allen & Heath put together the GL2800 

and GL3800 consoles, I knew they had to 

work hard to make improvements on these 

GL-series workhorses. 

And all that work and customer surveying, 

by Carey Davies and crew at Allen & 

Heath, really paid off on the new GL-series 

consoles. Right from the start, I knew the 

very clean mic pre’s and EQ sections of the 

ML-series went into the new Mix Wizards, 

and were destined for the GL-series. So, 

to check out the improvements, I had 

24-channel versions of both the GL2800 

and GL3800 sent to me for review. 

The GL2800 

While the GL2800 and GL3800 share 

many of the same features and architecture, 

the GL2800 takes on the look and feel of the 

GL2200 predecessor, with its stereo/mono 

channels at strip 15 and 16 and a straight, 

GL2800 

single-rank work surface with an eye toward 

many features at an economical price. The 

big changes are the eight subgroups from 4, 

and 10 auxes from 6. The channel strips got a 

minor revamping with the EQ section taking 

on the new mid-sweep ranges of 35Hz to 

1KHz, and 500Hz to 15KHz with a Q of 1.8 for 

fairly narrow tweaking. 

Gone are the internal power supply and 

BNC jack for console gooseneck lighting. 

Replacing the mini-switcher PSU are two 

metal connectors for one or two RPS-11 

external power supply units. The RPS-11 

units are built like tanks, and are highly 

reliable, three-rack-space, linear-regulated 

units. As with other newer Allen & Heath 

consoles, the console lighting has two or 

more four-pin XLR sockets rear-mounted 

for secure and generous task lighting. And 

Allen & Heath promotes its new LED-based 

18-inch gooseneck lights for low-heat, 

high-brightness usage. 

Running 

down 

the basics 

for you Allen 

& Heath 

non-believers, 

the preamps are 

high-quality transistor 

front-end circuits 

for +26dBu headroom 

(without the 20dB pad) 

and have a +6 to +60dB gain 

control range to handle every 

possible signal source. The line 

input on each channel strip has a TRS 

input jack and the 20dB pad inserted 

for a -14dB to +40dB gain range. Standard 

frond-end features like 100Hz, 12dB/octave 

high-pass filters, polarity and phantom 

switches accompany the pad switch to fill out 

the pre-insert electronics. After the TRS insert 

jack, the switchable four-band EQ section has 

80Hz and 12KHz shelving bands along with 

the fixed-Q swept mid sections. 

The auxiliary sends are grouped as 4 + 4 

+ 1 stereo, for 10 send busses. Part of the 

logic for the last pair of sends is for monitor 

use, where the console can be switched 

to eight wedge sends and three stereo IEM 

sends by using auxes 9 and 10 and the 12by-4 

matrix outputs. In the fader section, the 

100m dust-sealed channel faders have the 

pan control (L-R) and channel assigns for the 

usual L-R, M, 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 and 7-8 subgroups. 

Four mute group assigns are added, plus 

wider angle visibility four-LED channel metering 

for -12, 0, +6 and peak indications. The 

peak LED illuminates about -5dB away from 

strip supply rails to give you fair warning. 

The GL2800 and GL3800 master sections 

are about identical with two spare stereo line 

returns for effects or recorded source material. 

The 12-by-4 matrix mixing section is equipped 


with inputs from an external line source, the 

eight subgroups and L-R-M masters. Besides 

the now-standard group/aux flipping switches, 

the subgroups get the 100mm faders and 

more four-LED metering with L-R pans and L-R, 

M assign switches. Also in the master section 

is the cue wedge, or mono mix flip switch, to 

go along with FOH or monitor position dual 

functionality. And these consoles get the 

usual Allen & Heath treatment with extensive 

talkback and monitor source configuration 

switches and level controls. 

The GL3800 

The GL3800 is the “more, please!” version 

of the GL2800, in that it borrows the GL3300 

meter-pod bridge with 11 VU meters for us 

old fart mixers who prefer the averaging ballistics 

of needles besides peak-reading LED 

metering. The version of the GL3800 that I received, 

in keeping with the GL3300 heritage, 

loses the channel 15 and 16 stereo/mono 

strips, so you will have to burn pairs of channels 

on stereo effects or CD playback returns. 

GL3800 

(There are two other versions of the console 

that include up to eight stereo channels.) 

But the GL3800 does upgrade the 100mm 

faders to a higher quality dual-rail fader. 

While some may dispute this, I preferred the 

GL3300/GL3800 console in permanent install 

applications because the meter-pod grows 

the roadcasing into very large sizing. 

The Gigs 

I took each console out to a couple of gigs 

to see if I could find something to write about. 

The biggest thing to note is that the improved 

quality of the mic pres and EQ sections, just 

took my mixes to the next level in sound quality. 

While the earlier GL models could hold their 

own against the MI and pro-sumer console 

offerings, they could not compete well with 

the new consoles brought out by competitors 

within the last year. Now with the GL2800 and 

the GL3800, Allen & Heath has the GL-series 

performing with the best of the mid-market 

professional consoles, and at prices that are 

about the same as the legacy models. 

Looking for niggles, I really did not find 

anything in the consoles to complain about. 

The closest thing to a niggle for me was that 

the mid-sweep bands have the new design, 

and experienced GL2200 and GL3300 users 

will need some finger and ear retraining. I was 

hoping these consoles would have appeared a 

year earlier, but timing is only for Allen & Heath 

sales managers to fret about. 

What it is: Workhorse mid-market 

monitor mixing console. 

Who it’s for: Anklebiters and local/ 

regional soundcos that need reliable 

consoles for “C” rigs. 

Pros: Economical, plenty of feature 

flexibility, quality signal processing. 

Cons: None. 

How much: GL2800-824 $4,599 MSRP, 

GL3800-824 $6,599 MSRP.


Road Tests 

JBL VRX 900 Series 

Line Array 

By Paul H.Overson and AndrewPulley 

When we first got word that we 

would be testing a line array, the 

first thing we both thought was, 

“Are you sure you want a bad product 

review?” Coming from a line of traditionalists, 

neither of us have really had a good experience 

with a line array up to this point, and we 

had heard through the grapevine that this 

particular unit had sound “issues,” but JBL 

has launched an excellent-sounding product. 

The Gear 

Starting with the subs: Each VRX918S 

enclosure includes a single 18-inch neodymium 

woofer in a vented, front-loaded cabinet 

made of 13-ply birch. Coating the cabinet 

is JBL’s DuraFlex protective coating. Each 

cabinet is capable of handling 800 watts continuously 

at 8 Ohms, and 3,200 watts peak, 

and will put out a maximum SPL of 130dB. 

Alongside the cabinet are the array frame 

mounts, which can be used in conjunction 

with other subs or with the mid/high 

cabinets. Other array configurations include 

the threaded pole which mounts atop the 

VRX 2 Over 2 AWT 

sub. The pole is very heavy-duty, and can be 

adjusted to whatever height will suit your 

application. Also, the threaded mount makes 

for an easy, more stable and much quieter 

way to mount the mid/high cabinets. All this 

within 20 by 23.5 by 29.5 inches (508 mm by 

597 mm by 749 mm) and weighing in at 81 

pounds (37kg) each, these cabinets are not 

as apt to break your back as other cabinets of 

similar dimensions. 

The VRX932LA comes with a 12-inch midrange 

driver, front-loaded, as well as three 

1-inch voice-coil, high-compression drivers, 

mounted into a horn that allows for 100° 

horizontal coverage by 15° vertical. It has a 

power rating of 800 watts at 8 Ohms continuously, 

and 3,200 watts peak, in passive mode. 

In active mode, the mid range can handle 

800 watts continuously and 3,200 watts peak, 

while the high-frequency drivers can handle 

75 watts continuous and 300 watts peak. 

The cabinet itself is made with 11-ply birch 

and is also coated in DuraFlex. Measuring up 

at 23.5 by 13.5 by 14.8 inches (349 mm by 

597 mm by 381 mm) and weighing in at a 

measly 48 pounds (21.8 kg), these cabinets 

are, again, exceptionally small and light. The 

shackles along the side allow for a constant 

curvature setup, meaning you don’t have 

to spend time learning how to manage the 

high-frequency coupling issues as you would 

need to with a variable curvature rig. On the 

back of the cabinet, there are many settings 

that can be switched, depending on the 

situation. These include a 3dB cut/ unity/ 

boost on the horns depending on the throw 

needed for optimum coverage, as well as a 

passive/active switch. However, the cut/ 

boost switches cannot be used in active 

mode. Both the subs and the mid-range 

cabinets are connected with Neutrik Speakon 

NL-4 connectors. 

Upon opening the boxes that the VRXs 

were shipped in, we set the cabs up in a 

single sub/single mid-hi in passive mode. 

After tinkering with the settings/gains for 

the subs, we played some music through the 

system. We were met with clarity, definition 

and a fair amount of depth to the sound. We 

also tried the system in a three-way active 

situation and a four-way active system. Harman 

Pro graciously supplied us with a dbx 

DriveRack 480, in which we used the JBL factory 

settings. These sounded OK. However, at 

this time, it should be mentioned that we did 

not have access to power amps with the ratings 

that JBL recommended (Crown 3600VZs, 

with one channel per cabinet). Because of 

this, we ended up changing the original JBL 

tunings/crossovers to our own tunings to 

match our amp configuration. After spending 

a little extra time working that, we were 

very pleased at how smooth the VRXs could 

sound. It sounded like a system of a much 

larger size. When running the cabinets at 

higher dB levels, the sound stayed smooth. 

They didn’t sound like they were being 

pushed, unlike other cabinets of similar size. 

These cabinets had certainly put a dent into 

our “small cabinet, small sound” theory. 

The one gripe we had is with the quick 

release pins on the sub’s suspension system. 

In transit to our first gig, due to some truckpack 

issues we had stored the subs on their 

sides in the trailer. When pulling the cabs out, 

we noticed that six of the eight total pins 

between all the cabinets had either bent 

or broken handles. The pin handles have a 

recess that they sit in, but the recess is only 

below the pin, so the pin handles have to rest 

in that direction, or else they protrude significantly 

from the sides of the cabinet, making 

them vulnerable to being bent or broken. 

The solution was to store them upright, 

which was manageable with a little bit of 

work. If there is any other comment on them, 

it would be that it resonates out the back 

and sides a little more than either of our liking. 

This really wouldn’t be a problem when 

the cabs are flown, but ground-stacked, it 


What it is: Entry level line array. 

What it’s for: Systems for hire, clubs, 

touring, installs. 

Pros: Small, lightweight, easy to use, 

great sound. 

Cons: Sub quick release pin handles can 

easily bend/break when not transported 

correctly. 

How Much: $1, 399 (MSRP) per sub, 

$2,399 (MSRP). 

was a little hard to carry on a conversation 

behind the array. 

The Gigs 

The first gig was a community anti-drug 

rally. The source material included guest 

speakers, singing/piano entertainment, 

minus tracks and DVD video. The location 

was a local junior high auditorium. We were 

allowed two hours to set up, as the school’s 

drama department was doing rehearsals for 

their big play. It was set up in the four-way 

configuration. There were two subs and two 

mid-highs on the poles per side. The system 

went up with ease with three people, and 

we were able to be up, running and tuned 

for the room within an hour. The DVD came 

in last minute and delayed the start of the 

program, but after working through that, it 

was a problem-free show. As far as the room 

was concerned, we found ourselves wishing 

to either have the ability to fly the system, 

or to put in front fills, because 100° coverage 

was not enough to cover such a wide space. 

VRX 1 Over 1 AWT 

Even with the small dead spot downstage 

front, the rest of the hall had exceptionally 

smooth sound. 

The next gig was a little more involved. 

It was a live band performing in the cultural 

hall (think high school gym) of a church. 

It was a local country/pop act that had six 

musicians; two on PMs, and the remaining 

four on wedges. The guitar and bass players 

all had their amps on stage, and the drums 

were not behind any sort of a baffle. All 

of this added a fair amount of stage noise 

into the mix. We used the same rig setup as 

was used in the community gig. Again, the 

system went up with ease and speed, but 

this time, we used an RTA program to tune 

the room. We also set the cabinets a little 

closer toward each other, narrowing the 

dead spot that there was in the previous gig. 

Everything was fully miked with intentions to 

push the system to its limits. During the gig, 

the system performed very well. In particular, 

the drummer, whose kit is very nice and very 

well-tuned, sounded excellent. There was 

plenty of bottom end and attack out of the 

kick, but it still left plenty of room for all the 

other instrumentation. On top of that, the 

VRXs had little trouble overpowering all the 

stage noise. It felt like mixing a full-blown 

rock concert out of those little cabinets. 

There was plenty of sound for at least 1,000 

people coming out of those little speakers. 

In short, coming in at about $1,399 

(MSRP) per sub, and $2,399 (MSRP), the 

JBL VRX series still isn’t quite a poor man’s 

entrance into the line array world, but for the 

price, they are easy to use, have great sound 

and are very versatile. By the way, we’ve each 

become somewhat of a convert to the ways 

of this line array.


Installations 

A Horse, Of Course—But There’s More 

Installers come through at crunch time at new South Coast Casino to provide 

an array of sound environments, including a world-class equestrian center 

By LindaHutchinson 

When I telephoned Gary Nellis on 

Dec. 19 for an interview, he certainly 

sounded calm. Talk about 

the eye of a storm. 

Nellis, who headed up the electronic 

install at the brand-spanking-new South 

Coast Casino in Henderson, Nev., a city that 

hugs the southeastern rim of Las Vegas, 

didn’t actually answer the cell phone; 

someone on his crew answered for him 

as he discussed business on his other cell 

phone. Momentarily, he switched over, and 

with mind-boggling calmness, talked to 

me about the task of getting a big electronic 

install done under pressure. 

The most recent addition to the string 

of Coast Casinos—which includes the 

Barbary Coast, Gold Coast, Orleans and 

Suncoast—the new South Coast, which 

sits on 60 acres, has an 80,000-square-foot 

casino and race book area, 150,000 square 

feet of convention, exhibit and banquet 

space as well as a 25-story tower with 650 

hotel rooms and 54 suites. The complex 

also sports a bowling alley, a bingo room 

and an already much-talked-about 4,400seat 

equestrian center complete with 1,200 

climate-controlled horse stalls. 

The casino was scheduled for a soft 

opening on Dec. 20. The doors of the casino 

flew open to the public on Dec. 22. Please 

note the date listed in the first paragraph. 

Nellis stood amidst the nearly-completed-but-not-nearly-done 

Race and 

Sports Book area where he and his crew 

were just getting the passel of televisions 

to work. The audio/video jacks are 

on the front of the TVs, not the back, 

and prior to our conversation, Nellis had 

just rigged monitors so they could feed 

cords through the back to work with the 

already-made cabinets. Because they 

aren’t a big, for-hire operation, Nellis had 

set up shop wherever he could find the 

space, constructing needed items as they 

went, jerry-rigging where they had to, 

inventing solutions along the way. Other 

dilemmas included short-term storage 

of equipment; he had carefully wedged 

equipment into any available room or 

other low-traffic nook-and-cranny until 

the moment of installation. 

Nellis told me this kind of pressure is 

par for the course. He’s what you’d call an 


“old salty.” A sound engineer for more than 

30 years, he started in 1968 at a legendary 

hotspot, the Desert Inn. His first sound engineering 

gig was with Jerry Lewis, and for 

the next 10 years the big names just kept 

coming. Nellis went to the MGM Grand 

Hotel in 1988, where he worked with the 

likes of Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, The 

Lawrence Welk Show and The Carol Burnett 

Show, to name a very few. Nellis has been 

So, what’s the point? Point is, that 

between all the equipment, the deadlines 

and general craziness, the connective 

tissue that makes great sound is people. 

People have to give a damn. 

with Coast Casinos for the last 15 years. 

Gradually over time, he has transitioned 

from the engineering side of audio to the 

installation process. The current job is his 

biggest one to date. 

Nellis explained that after everyone— 

and I mean everyone, the carpet installers, 

the air conditioning guys—is done, it’s audio 

and technology installation showtime, and, 

said Nellis, “by that time, everyone is just 

ready to open.” Well, isn’t that just great? 

So, what’s the point? Point is, that 

between all the equipment, the deadlines 

and general craziness, the connective 

tissue that makes great sound is people. 

People have to give a damn. 

With cell phone in hand, Nellis walked 

me from room to room, zone to zone—giving 

the audio rundown. Already installed 

were 60 or so Radian audio speakers, 

sprinkled around the Race Book and Sports 

Book and a lounge area with a subwoofer, 

all powered by QSC amps. He also used a 

Mackie mixer, a Rane equalizer and a dbx 

128 subwoofer synthesizer. 

How does it sound? 

“Excellent,” Nellis said. “It’s very clear, 

the highs are very distinct and the lows are 

all there. The mid-range is there. It’s a very 

good sounding system.” 

It’s great moment of pure freedom 

when an installer checks the sound system. 

And, of course, they test with their own 

music. I would have never pegged Nellis 

as a Bocelli guy, but that is exactly what he 

played. “It was beautiful,” he said of opera’s 

current hot Italian tenor. “It’s like you’re 

there listening to him in the concert hall. 

You could get shivers.” 

In the Bingo Room are 8-inch overhead 

Lowell speakers, with Lowell 7-inch bat 

cans. There are, in fact, more than 1,000 

speakers of this kind all over the hotel and 

casino, facilitating the music and page

Photo by Linda Evans 

system as well. Nellis added a 70-volt transformer 

to give better frequency response. 

And he got the good ones. “You get a better 

sound, a full, rich sound that way,” Nellis 

said. “A cheaper transformer cuts off the 

lows at a certain frequency, and these 70volt 

transformers let more of the bottom 

end through.” 

Still in the Bingo Room, you’ll find two 

Shure SCM800 eight-channel mixers combined 

to offer 16 channels of audio input 

which control individual Shure radio mics, a 

CD player, an antennae distribution system, 

a power amp and the eight Shure handheld 

wireless mics—each with a SM58 head. 

Since the “cosmic bowling” phenomena 

kicked it, with its crazy mix of lights and 

music (which usually gets cranked) still 

in full tilt, the bowling area needs a great 

sound system with DJ capabilities. High 

overhead, Nellis installed three QSC 502 

amps and 10 Radian subwoofers along 

with 64 Atlas foreground wall-mounted 

speakers, “and I’ve got ‘em in stereo,” Nellis 

said. “There are two aisles of bowling—one 

on the left and one on the right— and on 

each aisle, we’ve got 32 of the Atlas speakers.” 

The DJ can plug into a Mackie mixer. 

Two meeting rooms adjacent to the 

bowling area each have small, six-speaker 

systems with TOA wall-mounted amps. The 

banquet room area will sport more than 

120 Radian speakers and QSC power amps. 

Because the room can split into two, there’s 

an FSR room combiner. Nellis set it up so 

all the meeting rooms can hook up to the 

system as well. In the exhibition hall, Nellis 

installed 70 Sound Tube speakers along 

with QSC amps, Mackie mixers, Raine EQs 

and dbx limiters. 

Nellis contracted Pro Sound, a company 

that does major audio installations, 

to complete the audio in the Equestrian 

Center, which is something of a “crown 

jewel” for the casino. 

Pro Sound has offices in Las Vegas and 

Miami and has an impressive list of past 

jobs, which includes the Wynn Las Vegas, 

the arena for the San Antonio Spurs and 

arguably one of the new audio wonders of 

the world, the Frank Gehry-designed Walt 

Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. 

At press time, the install had not been 

completed, but Gilbert Burke of Pro Sound 

was scheduled to head up the effort. A 

native of St. Lucia in the Caribbean, Burke 

worked for many years as a television 

audio electrical engineer in Los Angeles 

before moving to Las Vegas in 1990. The 

Equestrian Center isn’t his biggest job by a 

long shot, but he said it’s certainly one of 

the most interesting. 

“The job is unique in the sense that 

there is no other equestrian arena attached 

to a hotel anywhere in the Western 

United States that we know of,” Burke said. 

And there certainly are some challenges. 

“We have a lot to fight here because the 

arena area, there’s all that concrete, then all 

those seats—not very good acoustics. But 

then, we have dirt, which gives really good 

acoustics,” Burke said. “We have to get a 

blend going in order to get good coverage 

throughout.” 

Photo by Linda Evans 

Burke will use 20 EAW speakers as well 

as Atlas speakers for paging. QSC amplifiers 

will power up the main arena. Burke 

also plans to install a Yamaha mixer. 

While this 

is something 

of a simple 

equipment 

blend, Burke 

said they are 

very excited 

about doing 

the job. 

“It’s great to 

be a part of 

something like 

this, something 

that is trendsetting,” 

Burke 

said. “After 

some of the 

other hotels 

and casinos see this center and this 

installation, they just might want to build 

an equestrian center.” 



The Anklebiters 

Moving 

On 

Up 

Jamie Rio: Since the very first edition of 

Anklebiters, I have attempted to answer 

your questions and share my real-life, 

seat-of-my-pants experience of the sound 

biz with all of you. And with the help of 

some very capable fellow sound techs and 

anklebiters, I think I have done a good job of 

it. Well, after seven years of working my own 

small niche company, I am graduating to the 

next level. That means I have grown from a 

local guy to a more regional organization. 

This will be my last installment of Anklebiters 

and I would like to share some of my experiences 

of taking “the next step.” 

The first thing is: I didn’t just wake up one 

morning and decide I wanted to grow into a 

bigger company and make more money and 

hire more people and have more headaches. 

I actually have been planning my next step 

for the last two years. And before I took the 

plunge, I had a very fat contract for a major 

corporation in my back pocket and another 

one in the works. But all the planning and 

contracts aside, there still comes that moment 

when I had to put down some real cash 

for the hardware. For me, the next step cost 

roughly $55,000. I know some of you guys 

drop that much on a weekend in Vegas, but 

for an anklebiter, it represented a significant 

change. And for those of you who follow 

my writing, you know that I am opposed to 

financing anything. So, I laid down the cash. 

Actually, I put the various purchases on my 

AmEx for the miles, and then paid off the 

balance ASAP. 


By JamieRio JamieRio and Paul Paul H.Overson 

H.Overson 

But I digress. The thing is, I didn’t put 

myself in debt in order to progress. Now, 

mind you, I had at least that much invested 

in gear prior to my current purchases, but I 

accumulated the earlier stuff in smaller bites. 

So, here I am with a pile of new gear and I 

realize my two-car garage won’t hold it all. I 

just moved some of the gear to the garage of 

one of my employees while I look for a suitable 

and affordable warehouse. I knew this 

was coming, friends; I just didn’t think the 

subs were going to take up so much room. 

And of course, I need a new, larger truck. But 

I also anticipated this and will soon purchase 

an appropriate vehicle. 

Some of the things I didn’t plan are the 

fact that I need to incorporate my business. 

I am currently a sole proprietor, but I have a 

good attorney. And then there are my own 

personal feelings and growing megalomania. 

If I can supply superior sound for 5,000 

people, why not 10,000, 100,000, 1,000,000 or 

more? The hardest thing right now, however, 

is to find an FOH guy who is a good as me. 

Please don’t think that I am also an egomaniac. 

But I mix every show I do (except for 

the rental stuff ), and I am very good at it. In 

fact, that is how I have managed to build a 

successful and profitable business. So, how 

can I do two shows in two locations on the 

same day? I have to hire a guy who is good 

and responsible. Someone who can manage 

a show and bands and a crew. A person 

who can work with the acts and promoters 

and managers and jerks. Somebody who can 


think on his or her feet, who is faster than a 

speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive 

etc. In other words, I need a clone of 

myself who will work for less money. 

This predicament has led me to the realization 

that growing a sound company (or 

any business for that matter) is not just buying 

more gear and getting more clients. You 

certainly can’t grow without gear and clients, 

but you and I and anyone else who wants to 

achieve more must grow personally. 

So, my greatest challenge is really to 

become a better person. I know I will find the 

right FOH guy. And hopefully he will be better 

and sharper than I am. You see, my friends, 

my real goal is to mix from my cell phone or 

laptop while I enjoy the beach in Cabo San 

Lucas. Oh, by the way, I have a show there on 

Feb. 19. 

Anyway, thank you all so much for reading 

this column. I have really enjoyed writing it. I 

am sure that Paul and the new guy will be at 

least as informative and entertaining as I have 

been. For those of you who will miss me, please 

don’t worry. I will be popping up on other 

pages of this magazine in the near future. 

For now, good luck. Jamie Rio 

Paul H. Overson: Jamie, we will miss you 

very much! You have shown us the way to 

change our circumstances by planning and trying 

to do other types of gigs. It takes courage. 

In January of last year, I tried my hand at 

doing sound for a full-length movie. We hired 

a boom operator and I mixed and recorded 

the sound. It was a new experience for us, 

and we were not sure what types of experiences 

we would have. I had been an extra for 

several movies, but I couldn’t remember what 

the sound crew was doing. Since this movie 

was filmed indoors and outdoors, we ran 

into many scenarios, including water several 

inches deep in an old abandoned jail complex. 

We experienced blizzards, ice covering everything, 

car crashes and anything else that you 

can imagine. I have a newly-found respect for 

movie sound crews and will do my homework 

much more thoroughly next time. 

The point that I am trying to make is to 

try new gigs and change the way you are 

doing your work. We have done sound for rodeos, 

skiing and snowboarding events, plays, 

concerts, festivals, parties, weddings, etc. 

Change is the only constant in our business, 

so we must adapt to keep fresh and hopefully 

make a living. Sometimes, a new type 

of gig will open doors that you had never 

considered. Keep smiling and enjoy what 

work comes your way! Jamie, I’ll be happy to 

help you on Feb. 19 in Cabo San Lucas! 

Jamie’s move upward leaves a hole in our 

Anklebiter team. Think you can fill it? We are 

looking for small- to mid-sized local soundcos 

and would prefer one east of the Mississippi 

just to keep things better balanced. If you are 

interested, send an email to bevans@fohonline. 

com. –Ed.


Regional Slants 

In our pursuit to grow and expand our 

business, we must look beyond our 

current inventory and capabilities and 

be willing to take on risks and challenges 

that might be beyond our current level 

of comfort. 


Being Bigger 

Than You are 

By StevePoulton 

Sometime last year, we were awarded the 

contract to do a large event for the City of Albuquerque. 

“Freedom Fourth” was scheduled 

to run over four days with multiple acts each 

day at the Albuquerque International Balloon 

Fiesta Grounds—a large 94-acre park. With 


more than 30,000 estimated to attend the 

final day, it was an ambitious undertaking for 

us. But hey, there’s nothing like putting up a 

big honking sound system to crank out your 

favorite tunes. 

You know how it goes, right? When you 

get that big gig and find yourself stepping 

up to the next level? After we had all finished 

jumping around the office giving each other 

high fives, the reality of the situation started 

to sink in—like the fact that you’ll have a 

half-empty warehouse on the same dates 

because the gear has already been booked 

out on other shows. 

When we started Audio Excellence, it was 

always part of our master plan to be doing 

much larger shows in the future. Since we 

had a clear picture of what the company’s 

objectives were in the beginning, every 

purchase and system we built was a piece of 

that larger picture. In the early days, I spent a 

lot of time looking at what some of the larger 

sound companies were doing and how they 

were doing it to get an idea of how it could 

be done at a larger level. 

I also spent a lot of time making new 

friends with other companies nearby and 

forming working relationships with them. 

These relationships became paramount to 

our success later on. First, a level of trust was 

established that made it a lot easier to do 

business with each other. We knew we could 

get gear when we needed it. The other guys 

knew we could work the equipment in the 

correct manner and that they would get 

their equipment back in the same condition 

they sent it out in. They also knew we would 

pay for it in a timely manner. Yes, having payment 

terms can sometimes make or break 

your ability to do an event, unless you have 

large amounts of working capital available to 

you. As a small or medium-sized company, it 

can be tough to pay out thousands and even 

tens of thousands of dollars before you even 

see a cent of your money from an event. 

Being that we had prepared ourselves 

well for this level of show, we began putting 

the event together. The first task at hand was 

to get the key personnel together and map 

out our plan of action. Then secure the additional 

equipment needed to do the event. 

Guess who I called? Yeah, a couple of good 

friends; done deal, we were on our way. 

After weeks of preparations, we walked 

away from our offices the night before load-in, 

everything looking great. The weather showed 

no sign of rain, the crew was in place, all the subhired 

equipment had made it in, the system had 

been prepped and the trucks were all loaded 

and ready to go for the following morning. 

Load-in day. We all arrived at the event 

site, the trucks were cracked open and the 

hands started pushing. We opted to fly the 

main arrays off two 65-foot reach lifts, as we 

have had great success with this on a number 

of past events. These lifts also work well on 

political events, especially when you have put 

everything in place and the lead guy decides 

he wants to change it all around again. That’s a 

whole story in itself; maybe another time. 

The reach lift arrived and we got onto 

getting the first array up in the air. The 

second lift arrived, and we realized it only 

had a 45-foot reach. We called the vendor to 

see what was going on as we had been very 

specific about having two matching lifts. 

“Oh, the one you need we don’t have right 

now,” said the vendor. I informed them of our 

agreement and they said they would take 

care of it. The rest of load-in went fine, and 

we walked away that night with only one 

array to fly the next morning. 

At about 10:30 p.m. that night, disaster 

struck. I got a call from one of the key 

coordinators: “Someone neglected to turn 

off the park’s sprinkler system and our 

equipment is getting wet.” My reaction? 

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh, what the bloody 

heck is going on here? Breathe, mmm, hhhh.” 

It was always part of our 

master plan to be doing much 

larger shows in the future. 

There was nothing I could do about it. Fortunately, 

most of the equipment was out of 

harm’s way and the few pieces that saw any 

water dried off pretty quickly. There were no 

casualties, and we didn’t need to pull out the 

contract and have the client write us a check 

for damaged equipment. 

Show day rolled around, and we were still 

waiting on our second reach lift. Everyone was 

starting to get a little concerned, then finally, 

we got it taken care of. The last of the speakers 

went up in the air. We did our final tweaking 

on the system, then the show began. Setup, 

show, strike, setup, show, strike, etc. for the next 

four days, load-out and go home. 

The event’s audio met all expectations, 

and we walked away happy. 

The success of this event can be attributed 

to just a couple of key points: 

• The ability to think bigger than you are, 

and the belief that you can achieve it. 

• The event was completed on paper 

before it was started. 

• The forming of great relationships with 

other vendors. 

• Great people were put in place to 

execute a plan. 

I have saying I like use about what we do: 

“It’s just a mic, a mixer and a speaker.” I like to 

keep it simple. It also puts it all in perspective 

about what we do, large or small. Lay it out in 

its simplest form, and then THINK BIG! 

Steve Poulton is the president of Audio 

Excellence, Inc. He can be reached at steve@ 

audioexcellence4u.com.


In The Trenches 

Gary Thomas Wilson 

(10/21/1980 – 8/24/05) 

FOH Engineer, System Supervisor 

Spellcaster Productions 

Winslow, NJ 

http://www.spellcasterpro.com/GaryWilson. 

htm 

Quote: 

Stick with me, I’m gonna learn you something…boy. 

Services Provided: 

FOH/monitor audio and lighting duties, 

inventory management. 

Clients: 

Johnny O and the Classic Dogs of Love, the 

Collective, The Benderz and many more. Personally 

responsible for mixing FOH at more 

than 200 events annually. 

Personal Info: 

Gary passed away from injuries sustained 

from a tragic motorcycle accident, so his 

comrades figured it would be best to let 

others explain little bit about Gary: 

“I’ve been playing in a regional cover band 

for more than 15 years. I have seven or more 

instruments/vocals in my PM mix at one 

time. Occasionally, a monitor engineer would 

try to mix and EQ my monitors while I was 

playing—with disastrous results. Gary was 

While doing FOH at an outdoor gig 

in Victoria, B.C., with a fair-sized (six 

boxes/side + 6dual 18) EAW rig next 

to city hall, the local city representative and 

his trusty Realistic SPL meter came up BE- 

FORE we turned on the mains and told us to 

keep it down—the local bylaws say that they 

have a 90dB limit. The stage sound at FOH 

was around 90 to 95dB. The local system tech 

didn’t turn on the system for the first band, 

and we were the second of three bands in 

the lineup. Well, I hadn’t seen the city guy in 

an hour, and figured I could bluff and delay 

us through a 30-minute set, and mix with 

adequate volume. This, however, was not 

the issue. Halfway through the first song, the 

subs go down. No comms to stage, so I run 

to the deck and get the system dude to click 

the breaker back on. Bear in mind that I was 

peaking at about -6 on the output of the 

crossover. Went back to FOH and was there 

for a minute before the subs went down 

again. As I ran back to the stage, the high/ 

mids went down. The stage guy said I was 

pushing it too hard, but my mix was so conservative 

that there was NO WAY I was close 

to the red lights. The monitors seemed to be 

relatively stable, and the band I was working 

the only person I trusted to adjust levels and 

tweak EQing on his own while I was playing. 

He’s made some of the best-sounding monitor 

mixes I’ve ever heard. And Gary’s FOH 

mixes made my chest thump—that feeling 

you had as a kid when you were discovering 

the power of a live band for the first time.” 

– Chris Mazzone, The Zone 

“Gary was one of the MOST professional and 

dedicated engineers I have ever had the 

pleasure to work with. After working with 

Gary once, I called his supervisor to let them 

know I wanted Gary to handle 100% of our 

full production shows. He was always on 

time, always smiling and always getting the 

BEST mix possible for his bands. Gary was 

part of our family. He gave us 110% every 

show...and he made us want to give that 

right back. He will forever be loved. He will 

forever be missed.” 

– Joe Bachman, The Benderz 

Hobbies: 

Skiing and motorcycles. 

Equipment: 

Midas/Allen & Heath consoles. Yamaha, dbx, 

TC, Drawmer, etc. 

Don’t Leave Home Without: 

Your wallet. 

Welcome To My Nightmare 

Power 

for had been accustomed 

to no monitors, so I cranked 

the vox in the wedges and 

pointed them towards the 

crowd. The owner of the 

rig finally showed up and 

crawled under the deck, 

played with the distro and 

all was good. The last twothirds 

of the set went off 

without a hitch, at about 

105dB at FOH. But during 

the second-to-last song, 

the city guy reappears and 

gives his meter a good, 

hard look, and glares at me. 

I held my SPL, and nothing 

came of it. Had he asked 

me to turn it down, I may 

have inserted the meter in 

him. By the way, I found 

out later that a construction 

worker next door 

had plugged an electric 

jackhammer into our 

power distro. 

Bud, aka sawtoothwave 


By AllisonRost 

Simon Austin 

Audio Engineer 

Bellesongs Inc. 

New York, NY 

917.209.5330 

bellesongs@yahoo.com 

Quote: 

Please, pleeeeease get on the bus/ 

aircraft/stage. 

Personal Info: 

Started out playing in bands, toured for 

10 years in bands and crews and settled in 

NYC, doing FOH in clubs. Started tour and 

production management two years ago. 

Services Provided: 

FOH, monitor and studio engineering, tour 

and production management, installation 

and system integration. 

Clients: 

Numerous clubs, corporate and industrial 

clients. Presently touring on three continents 

with New York art rock band Fischerspooner 

and getting ready for another 

year of seven-day weeks doing freelance 

audio in NYC. 

Hobbies: 

Guitar. 

Equipment: 

XL4, Heritage, PM5D, D1/D5, Adamson, 

L-ACOUSTICS and NEXO line arrays, Crown 

amps, Shure microphones, Klark Teknik 

and Lexicon outboard. ProTools, Live, 

SpectraFoo. 

Don’t Leave Home Without: 

Obsessively-prepared production plans. 

If you’d like to see yourself featured in “In the Trenches,” 

visit www.fohonline.com/trenches to submit 

your information to FOH, or email 

arost@fohonline.com for more information. 

Gigs from Hell. We’ve all had ‘em and the good folks at FOH want to hear about yours. Write it up and send it to us 

and we’ll illustrate the most worthy. Send your nightmares to bevans@fohonline.com 

or fax them to 818.654.2485

Fig. 1 Fig. 2 

Every soundco has cables, endless 

numbers of them. From snakes to mic 

patches to speaker cords to AC power 

distribution. And like most newbies, you 

all start with the usual whatever-is-handy 

approach to transporting them—old roadcases, 

milk crates, suitcases, steamer trunks, 

plastic totes, etc. This article describes 

the art of cable keeping, and how the big 

soundcos do it. 

Sometimes we just don’t learn, but typically, 

plenty of clues are dropped by those 

witnessing your load-in ritual. Sayings like, 

“How many trips are you gonna make?” or 

“Hey, it’s getting cold in here. Wanna hurry 

up?” What those less-than-polite comments 

should be telling you is that you are not very 

efficient in getting your gear from the gig rig 

into the venue. 

So to resolve this, 

the natural way to do 

it is consolidate those 

suitcases and tubs into 

bigger storage items. 

And the natural path to 

this involves work trunks, 

work boxes or work 

cases. Whatever you call 

them, it means cases on 

wheels that hide all those 

cables for fewer trips in 

and out. And you do not 

have to go my way with 

custom cable trunks, as 

many case makers and 

pro sound retailers offer 

standard-size trunks that 

are nothing more than spaces to fill with 

the necessities of gigging. 

For example, the two figures in this 

article are cable trunks built for me specifically 

for stowing cables and related items. 

For my “C” rig, I have three such cases with 

nominal dimensions of 22 by 44 by 22 

inches tall. They all have dolly boards, and 

castor cups for stacking; although with 

cables, it would take two to four roadies to 

stack them. All these cases are constructed 

with lower “wells” and two upper trays for 

smaller items. 

Cable case one has slotted sides to 

the well for main snake storage, and the 

trays mostly hold XLR patch cables and 

sub-snakes. Case two is everything AC, 

with bigger 12-gauge AC cables in the 

well, and short patches and quad box 

breakouts in the trays. Case three has 

a well-divider in the long dimension 

for keeping K&M tripod mic stands on 

one side, and Speakon patch cables are 

on the other side (arranged in order of 

length). The trays on case three hold mic 

pouches, extra mic clips, windscreens, 

By using the figure-8 

technique, no tangles 

or twists occur when 

extracting or retrieving 

the snake cable. 

DI boxes and the beloved muso convenience 

store inventory (spare drum 

sticks, drum keys, guitar and bass strings, 

batteries, guitar cables). And the whole 

mess moves in only three trips using 

one person. 

Keeping 


Cable Rolling 

For smaller cables like XLR patches, I teach 

my cable-rolling helpers to coil in about 7inch 

circles using the over/under technique. 

The technique is better shown than described, 

but depends on a lot of common sense and 

a bit of Navy seamanship. Generally, you attempt 

to get the cable loose from all others 

and wrangle it somewhat in a straight line. 

You grab one end with your holding hand, 

and the other hand grabs about 2 more feet 

of cable back to the holding hand. As you coil 

the cable, you alternately twist the cable one 

way and then the other, with your thumb and 

fingers making cable half-turns as each coil is 

formed. You will notice that the far end of the 

cable will not be twisting if this is done correctly, 

as it prevents looping and tangles. 

Now, on to the 

subject of cable ties. 

My cable ties have 

been the evolution 

of my rolling cables 

since the early 1970s. 

Back then, Velcro was 

still too new and tape 

left way too much 

residue. And if you 

knotted your cables, 

you quickly found 

out they would not 

last very long. But 

being of practical 

means—and also an 

office janitor between 

gigs—I had a ready 

supply of yellow 

Glad garbage bag plastic ties perfect for mic 

and guitar patch cables. As my occupations 

improved and my source of free cable ties 

dwindled, I switched to Velcro ties. 

But the yellow Glad ties were easy to 

spot after gigs, and had reasonable life 

Theory & Practice 

By MarkAmundson 

spans; even today, I still have a few in use. 

But today, I have given up the fancy cable 

ties for “gecko tape.”My half-inch yellow 

gecko tape is still made by Rip-Tie Inc., but 

comes in 150-foot rolls with hooks on one 

side and loops on the other. By cutting 

6-inch lengths of this tape, I have cable 

ties that cost barely a nickel each and last 

through dozens of gigs. I make it a habit to 

stash all ties near the snake patch box for 

easy tracking at the end of the night. Fig.1 

shows my 7-inch coils of XLR patches with 

yellow ties in the trays. 

Taming Snakes 

Coiling up snakes is straight seamanship; 

just figure-8 the snake in the cable trunk, leaving 

about 10 to 20 feet of patch box hanging 

out until the rest of the snake is stowed. Fig. 2 

shows my less-than-perfect figure-8 stowage 

of the snake cable. By using the figure-8 

technique, no tangles or twists occur when 

extracting or retrieving the snake cable. And 

the extra bit of patch box and cable is for leaving 

the case at monitor beach and pulling just 

the required amount of snake to FOH, leaving 

the rest stowed neatly. 

AC and Speaker Cable 

These beefy 12-gauge cables with black 

jacketing get a similar treatment as XLR 

patches get, but in a 12- to 15-inch coil size. 

But I have a little tip to share with you. If you 

can get some theatrical black “trick” line, 

cut healthy lengths of it (about 2 feet) and 

square knot the middle of the trick line on 

one end of these kinds of cables next to the 

connector. If you can tie your shoes, then you 

can tie off the coiled cables quickly and toss 

them into your cable trunk. If trick line is not 

handy, then black boot laces will make a nice 

substitute. 

January 2006 

41




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Case and Rack 

Hardware 

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PLSN, FOH Bookshelf 

Your #1 

resource for continued education. 

Order today 

www.plsnbookshelf.com 

www.fohbookshelf.com

COMPANY PG# PH# URL COMPANY PG# PH# URL 

AKG 37 615.620.3800 www.akg.com 

A-Line Acoustics 28 814.663.0600 www.a-lineacoustics.com 

Ashly Audio, Inc. 06 800.828.6308 www.ashly.com 

Aviom 17 610.738.9005 www.aviom.com 

CAMCO 24 800.828.6308 www.ashly.com/camco 

Crest Audio 07 866.812.7378 www.crestaudio.com 

Crown Audio 13 574.294.8000 www.crownaudio.com 

dbx 33 801.568.7660 www.dbxpro.com 

DiGiCo Consoles 39 877.292.1623 www.digico.org 

Digidesign 31 650.333.2137 www.digidesign.com 

EAW 05 800.992.5013 www.eaw.com 

Hear Technologies 10 256.922.1200 www.heartechnologies.com 

ISP Technologies 08 284.673.7790 www.isptechnologies.com 

Klark Teknik 03 800.392.3497 www.telex.com 

Littlite 38 888.548.8548 www.littlite.com 

Meyer Sound C2 510.486.1166 www.meyersound.com 

Power Plus 24 760.744.8555 www.ppslinc.com 

Rane Corporation 29 425.355.6000 www.rane.com 

Selenium 11 800.562.0510 www.seleniumloudspeakers.com 

Shure C4 847.600.2000 www.shure.com 

SLS Loudspeakers 36 417.883.4549 www.slsloudspeakers.com 

Spectr Audio 36 800.549.1990 www.spectraudio.com 


Sunnybrook 08 408.421.9999 www.micmute.com 

TC-Helicon C1 818.665.4900 www.tc-helicon.com 

TCS Audio 25 858.487.1600 www.tcsaudio.com 

TMB 15 818.899.8818 www.tmb.com 

Westone Music Products 04 800.525.5071 www.westone.com/music 

Whirlwind 35 888.733.4396 www.whirlwindusa.com 

WorxAudio Technologies 43 336.275.7474 www.worxaudio.com 

Yamaha Commercial Audio 01,09,19,C3 714.522.9000 www.yamahaca.com 

January 2006 

INDEX 

MARKETPLACE 

Audio East 42 866.274.4590 www.audioeast.com 

dblittle.com 42 423.892.1837 www.dblittle.com 

Hi-Tech Audio Systems 42 650.742.9166 www.hi-techaudio.com 

Hybrid Case 42 800.346.4638 www.discount-distributors.com 

Kangaroo Cases 42 800.890.1073 www.kanagroocases.com 

Northern Sound & Light 42 866.796.6232 www.northernsound.net 

Sound Arena 42 818.609.9972 www.soundarena.com 

Sound Productions 42 800.203.5611 www.soundpro.com 

For advertiser information go to www.fohonline.com and click on Instant Info. 

Everly Brothers Still Selling Out Tours 

continued from page 8 

rig. We’re using it to EQ the Martin Audio W8Ls 

on the main hangs, W8LCs on the side hangs 

and W8Cs for the choir fills and it’s also acting 

as a matrix. I don’t have any standard graphic 

EQs in the racks anymore.” 

Wooster has found the DP428 invaluable. 

He has the first four outputs as two 

stereo pairs; the remaining four outputs 

can be switched between mono or stereo, 

depending on how things are running on 

a particular day. “And I don’t have to alter 

anything on the mixing console, a Midas X 

L4. So we can have mono fills everywhere, 

or we can have a smaller stereo ground 

stack. It’s really flexible,” he adds. “After us- 

ing the DP428 on the League of Gentlemen 

theatre tour, I knew it was going to be 

very handy, but I didn’t realize it could be 

quite this effective for equalization, switching 

and moving things around in the system 

as a line driver.” 

Wooster is using XTA’s AudioCore 8 software 

with his XTA Walkabout Kit, which he 

found particularly helpful in the notoriously 

tricky Royal Albert Hall. “It means I can go between 

floors without any issues,” he explains. 

“I can sit in a seat and say, ‘OK, here we need to 

fix that: a bit louder here, a bit less here.’ Running 

three different columns of speakers isn’t 

my ideal situation, but the wireless system 

means I can get around the place easily. 

“We flew the right hand side of the 

system first and I EQ’d that while the lads 

were flying the other half of the system. 

This doesn’t save a huge amount of time, 

but you can get quite a good feel for the 

venue by doing one half and then just 

mirroring it across to the other. Again the 

tablet has proved invaluable, especially in 

a venue of the size and complexity of the 

Albert Hall, with the floor arrangements 

the way they are. You do need to be able 

to move around quite quickly.” 

Wooster has his XTA SiDD inserted across 

the stereo buss on the console for final 

EQ during the show. “It’s very musical and 

controls things very nicely,” he says. “The band 

is very consistent. There are no real highs 

or silly lows and the guys are singing 

very well. The SiDD just gives a bit of a 

mastering. It’s not excessive, it’s just a final 

piece of compression and EQ, which SiDD 

does very well.” 

Additionally, XTA C2s are used on the bass 

drum, the toms group, the keyboard group 

and the guitar group, as well as on Don’s 

acoustic guitar. “And it’s just perfect,” says 

Wooster. “The C2 is acoustically transparent 

and does exactly what it says it’s doing. I seem 

to have more XTA C2s in my rack than any 

other sort of compression. Not only are there 

two compressors in 1U, but they’re two in 1U 

that really work!” 


43

FOH-at-Large 

You 

Want 

STRUCTURE? 

A 

colleague of mine has recently discovered 

the joys of mixing Front of House 

without the compulsory addition of 

a 31-band graphic equalizer across his main 

left and right output, and is now espousing 

his newfound technique as though it were 

a revolutionary breakthrough in live sound 

reinforcement. While (in theory) it is true 

that the sound is better 

without this extra piece of 

outboard gear, the idea is 

neither revolutionary nor 

new, and for all of those 

who find this approach 

intriguing, may I suggest 

that you not unscrew the 

equalizer from your rack 

just yet? 

A one-third octave 

31-band equalizer is one 

of the many tools available 

to an audio engineer, 

and when used correctly 

in conjunction with 

amplifiers and speakers, 

it can prove to be a very 

useful asset as a component 

in the sound system. 

When used improperly, 

the resulting effect can 

be phase-shifting and 

lack of system response. 

Excessive boosting of the 

graphic, especially in the 

lower frequencies, can 

stress the amplifiers and 

the loudspeakers, while 

at the same time reduce 

overall headroom of the 

system. Extreme cuts in 

the graphic equalizer 

can cause a noticeable 

loss in segments of the 

program and, again, is not 

a desirable effect, but I am 

getting ahead of myself. 

I should really start at the beginning for this 

to make any sense at all. Bear with me while I 

explain my version of “gain structure.” 

I say “my version” because while there are 

some certain rights and wrongs in setting 

up one’s gain structure, there is no definitive 

way to build a great mix. Anyone can 

get behind a console and mix, and while a 

little knowledge certainly helps, one does 

not need an advanced degree in electrical 

engineering to be an audio engineer. Much 

like driving, it is not necessary to know how 

to build the car as long as you learn the essential 

tools needed to drive the car. 

Think simply by trying to think of the 

whole and not just the individual parts. The 

idea is to take an audio signal, send it to a 

pre-amp, then to an amplifier and finally to 

a loudspeaker, with the final result being a 

clear, amplified reproduction of the original 

signal. To achieve this end, it’s always nice 

to have a computer and some software that 

applies to the speaker system, but unfortunately, 

this is not always the case. Thus, I 

have devised my own method, which I will 

share with you now: I usually take a Shure 

SM58 microphone, and on the input strip, 

roll off about 3dB of 400Hz. After that, I solo 

the channel and, while doing my best James 

Brown impression, I yell, “Ha!” into the mic as 

loud as I can while turning up the input until 

the VU meter peaks at zero. I then set my 

output fader of the channel to zero and send 

the signal to the left and right main out, both 

of which are also set at zero. This routine is 

often the cause of much snickering and unwanted 

attention, so I try to get past this part 

of the process as quickly as possible. 

Then, with the amplifiers open all the 

way, I adjust the levels of the crossover by 

turning down all the fields and then adding 

them back. I balance the highs, high-mids 

and low-mids as I listen to myself speak 

through the speakers, utilizing the typical 

droll soundman patter: “Check one two, one 

two, check, check, check.” Once I achieve 

the desired sound, I then go into the DSP 

to adjust certain errant frequencies. Most 

digital signal processors have two parametric 

equalizers per field with which one can finetune 

and contour the frequency response 

of the console output for improved intel- 


ligibility. I try to tune the system so that my 

voice sounds unaffected and natural at FOH 

position. I add the subs in while the band is 

playing since some music requires the subs 

wide open, while other types of music—such 

as jazz, folk and classical—do not require an 

abundance of sub frequencies. At this point, 

with the 31-band graphic still flat, the system 

should be quite responsive and sounding 

clear and natural, regardless of musical style. 

Touring engineers know that it is impossible 

to do a show without the proper amps 

and speakers, which is why most sound riders 

on contracts state that the system should 

be capable of 120dB at the FOH position. 

If there is enough power and the proper 

amount of well-placed speakers to cover the 

venue, then it should be relatively easy to 

get a decent mix without using the graphic 

EQ, but if system isn’t large enough for the 

venue, or if it is incapable of reproducing 

certain frequencies, then it makes it very 

difficult to set up a decent gain structure at 

the console. 

The system is now set for the engineer 

to come in and mix, and it doesn’t matter if 

the engineer likes to do a fader mix or to do 

an input mix with all the faders at zero. The 

gain structure of the system should, at this 

time, be balanced, and hopefully, the sound 

By BakerLee 

emanating from the loudspeakers is an 

accurate reproduction of the input signal. A 

good way to check the sound of the speakers 

is to cue up an audio program in the 

headphones and compare the headphone 

sound to the speaker sound, with the signal 

output to the speakers at peak level. Instead 

of immediately reaching for the 31-band 

graphic to balance any wayward frequencies, 

try equalizing the input of the program from 

the channel strip instead. The idea is to maintain 

the dynamic range of the loudspeaker 

system so that the mixing console becomes 

a responsive tool without having to make 

drastic cuts or boosts in the channel EQ. If 

it becomes apparent after the show starts 

that a few frequencies need to be cut a bit to 

clarify the sound, then I might reach over and 

notch the graphic, but these frequency cuts 

should be minor (generally, no more than 

3dB) and usually no more than two or three 

frequencies at the most. 

Gain structure is commonly known to 

be how one sets up the various increases in 

input and output signal power. While many 

gain structure articles explain the mechanizations 

of setting up the mixing console, it is 

important to note that if the speaker system 

is not properly set, then it will be harder to 

build a great mix. That is when an engineer 

might find themselves struggling with the 

equalizer or other various components of the 

system.I am not saying that everyone who 

mixes on their small system can go out and 

mix a large show, but I am saying that the 

goals are the same. That goal is to amplify 

the program and fill the space with the most 

pleasing and natural sound possible. 

Coming 

Next 

Month... 

• FOH Interview 

Chicago goes from 

Broadway to the road 

with Mary McFadden. 

• Product Gallery 

Mid-market digital 

consoles. 

• NAMM 2006 

Audio gems buried 

amongst guitars.

Pollstar: U2 is Number 2 - FOH Online

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