Sep 1, 2011,
By Sarah Benzuly
Mixing for a 12-piece band can be challenging in itself—especially one that smoothly transitions from Cuban jazz to classical chamber music—but when Pink Martini throws in a full symphony orchestra, front-of-house engineer Pete Plympton’s board becomes quite full. Fortunately, Plympton isn’t about to break a sweat, having been one of the studio engineers on the band’s first album back in 1997 and having done their live sound ever since. Mix caught up with the crew at a July performance at San Francisco Davies Symphony Hall with the San Francisco Symphony.
...
Aug 22, 2011,
By guest reporter Andrew Mitchell
Strolling into Golden Gate Park, you could feel the cool ocean breeze and smell the delectable tidbits of California's bountiful harvest. Outside Lands is a very special festival, featuring wine, local food, arts and, of course, music. Attending the festival a few years ago when it was just developing was great, but it has truly become something special. This year's festival featured a bike valet, solar-powered eco-village/stage and circus tents, as well as many other unique touches.
...
Aug 2, 2011
The 2011 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, also known as Jazzfest, recently wrapped up another successful run with 12 stages cranking out music for an estimated 400,000 fans. Chris Brown, whose company, New Orleans–based SOUNd CHeK, handled sound for the Fais Do Do stage. Two APB-DynaSonics Spectra Ti consoles, one for FOH and one for monitors, were brought into service, with Mike Montero handling the FOH board and Brown taking on monitors....
Aug 1, 2011,
By Sarah Benzuly
When Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam put together a big band for their current tour, he needed someone to mix the new arrangements. As front-of-house engineer Jeremy Lemos knew most everyone in the band, bringing him onboard was a no-brainer. With 11 bandmembers onstage, it was imperative to bring along their own monitor package as most of their stops—ranging from Chicago’s Millennium Park for 15,000 people to a beat-up rock club—couldn’t accommodate that many monitor mixes; monitor engineer Tim Iseler is manning an Avid SC48. The tour also has a full Shure mic package, with Lemos saying it’s the only way he can tame so many variables in different club P.A.s and mixers every night.
...
Aug 1, 2011,
By Sarah Benzuly
Currently out with Jay Sean, FOH engineer Al-Tee is mixing on a Yamaha PM5D, noting that it’s a board he can easily find no matter what venue he finds himself in. “The console’s dynamic performance helps [Sean] keep the rhythm pumping on the stage. Jay and I flew into India for a show with no time to do a soundcheck, and I was able to load my scenes into the console and make some EQ changes, and off we went. I was mixing monitors and front of house from the same mixer.”
...
Aug 1, 2011,
Photos and Text By Steve Jennings
Florence Welch is having a good run, basking in the critically acclaimed success of her debut, Lungs. As for “The Machine,” it can be Welch and a drum kit or a piano, but right now it’s a seven-piece band including long-term collaborators Rob Ackroyd (guitar), Chris Hayden (drums), Isabella Summers (keyboards) and Tom Monger (harp). “I’ve worked with most of them for a long time and they know my style, know the way I write, they know what I want,” says Welch. And she’s bringing them out onstage for her current run of dates. Mix caught the first show of the tour at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, Calif.
...
Aug 1, 2011,
By Sarah Benzuly
You’re never really quite sure what to expect from a Blue Man Group performance. It’s a visual experience, with numerous antics onstage to draw the eye—tickers displaying political messages; commentary on social media and human interactions; directions for the audience; flashing-lights costumes; very large inflated balls bouncing around the hall. And for those seeing their current tour—which is happening simultaneously in a number of cities—you get the best of all “Blue Man” worlds, a “greatest hits,” if you will. From their iconic “three guys pounding on bottom-lit oil cans” splashing colored paint on every down stroke, to booty-shaking hits from their album The Complex, to striking their mallets on instruments created from PVC piping, the Blue Men enthrall their audience.
...
Aug 1, 2011,
By Candace Horgan
It's the voice that first hits you. A mixture of yearning and heartbreak, delivered in a raspy, delicate fashion that bypasses the ears and punches deep within. You realize that the music is very well written, a perfect backing track for that sad, aching voice.
...
|
The Wire, a virtual press conference offering postings of the latest gear and music news, direct from the source. Visit the The Wire for the latest press postings.
|
NAMM 2011: Fairlight CMI
State of NAMM 2011