So Led Zeppelin’s reunion gig – did here anyone go?  Are you “Big Mick” Hughes? Audiotechnews would love it if you were; you and your wife.

Robert Plant’s personal sound engineer, Roy Williams, was on the desk too! I suppose it was a case of one hand each on the desk, and the remaining digits meeting to form a bond of fear and mutual respect.  Yes ATN means holding hands.
Pro Sound News reports this.

As Big Mick admitted afterwards, “The pressure for this gig was definitely on!”

With that in mind, audio for the show was supplied by various UK-based sound rental companies, including Britannia Row and Major Tom Ltd., the latter of which brought an enormous Meyer Sound PA based around Milo and Mica loudspeakers, while the former had, among other gear, a Midas XL8 digital mixing system on hand for the FOH position and a Midas Heritage 3000 handling monitors at stage-side. Making an unofficial real-world debut, Klark Teknik’s DN9696 high resolution hard disk recorder was used to record the event for posterity.

To be fair, more than a few (reporters) remarked on rough spots in the mix early on, but The Independent, Billboard and Uncut all conceded that the sound was on track by the time “Black Dog,” the evening’s third number, began–and fans quoted in The Telegraph went so far as to call the evening’s audio “fabulous.”

“It was like a rollercoaster ride,” Big Mick laughed. “You had better hold on tight!”

Fantastic. Audiotechnews knew he wasn’t going to get tickets, so decided to forget all about it.  All of a sudden, he wishes he’d had the kick drum fader, and maybe some toms.

Ableton are taking ‘Live‘ on the road and offering some freebies, advice and deals to all attendees of the show.

Ableton is pleased to announce an exciting opportunity for all musicians, producers, DJs and composers! This October, the company are launching a series of events across the South and Midlands showcasing their Live software. (Scotland and the North of England will get their own tour soon – dates to be announced). The events are designed to introduce Ableton’s  software to any DJs and producers who are unfamiliar with the product, while offering hints and tips to existing users, plus some fantastic freebies for all attendees, including a free trial version of the software, plus a Loopmasters CD with over 700  samples.

There will be an introduction to ‘Live’ – together with a demonstration of its intuitive user interface for people who may not have used it before. This will include advice and information about using Ableton for all aspects of composition and performance in the live, studio and home environments. Our experienced Live specialist will then be on hand to talk to existing users about how to get the most out of the software, demonstrating some of its less well known features and offering advice on how to integrate Ableton with users’ existing set-ups.

Ableton are bundling Operator – a frequency modulation synthesiser worth £99 – free with Live and the end of this promotion coincides with the final dates of the Roadshow. In addition, there will be special offers available to those who wish to buy Ableton software during the tour.

You can register HERE

Everyone who attends will be entered into a prize draw to win a pair of KRK Rokit 5 monitors, a Novation Remote SL Compact, a Novation Nio 2/4 and Ableton Live Suite.

The tour dates and venues:
Sunday 5th October: Oxford, SAE – 12pm
Monday 13th October: Bristol, Digital Village – sessions throughout the afternoon
Wednesday 15th October: Cambridge, Digital Village – sessions throughout the afternoon
Friday 17th October: Birmingham, Digital Village – sessions throughout the afternoon
Monday 20th October: Southampton, Digital Village – sessions throughout the afternoon
Tuesday 21st October: London Clapham, Digital Village – sessions throughout the afternoon
Saturday 25th October: London, Point Blank – 11am
Tuesday 28th October: Guildford, Andertons – 4pm
Monday 3rd November: Liverpool, SAE – 6pm and 7pm
Tuesday 4th November: Liverpool, Dawsons – 11am onwards

More information here

Cheshire hire company, The Audio Group, recently employed Allen & Heath’s iLive digital system to manage a festival for M.A.D Sound and Lighting near Aberystwyth, Wales.

Comprising an iDR10 mix rack and iLive-80 control surface, the system was driven by Front of house man James Jewry audio for the 2-day event at Pafiliwnbont in Pontrhydfendigaid, which featured 10 top Welsh bands including Huw Chiswel, Sibrydion and Radio Luxemburg.

Audio Group’s director, Paul Adamson, said:

“We have been looking to purchase a digital audio system for some time and iLive’s audio quality and features make it very appealing. With everything on board, we don’t need to carry big outboard racks of EQ and FX processing.”

The iLive system was complemented by a Logic Systems VA Line Array at FOH and Logic LM20 monitors, with amplification from MC2.

James had this to say

“We reached sound checks in no time and as I hadn’t used the iLive before on location I was surprised at what was to follow; the audio is rich and detailed, all the onboard FX simulations are superb, and the features and flexibility of the system really impressed me. As soon as you select a channel everything is in front of you, unlike other digital desks where you have to navigate a little to find what you need. We especially liked the mute buttons, which are like Allen & Heath’s analogue boards.”

“If you’re thinking of buying a digital board and you dismiss iLive, to put it bluntly you’re either deaf or stupid. “It doesn’t sound like a digital board should, it just sounds awesome. Enough said,” concluded Jewry.

This tour is turning out to be pretty cool actually. Don’t get me wrong, I’m working like a trooper, but getting a lot of laughs in between.

I’m not really sure who this girl on the left is, but she seemed to work at one of the venues, and obviously didn’t want her picture taken.

Wonder how that worked out for her.

Shout outs should definitely go to my tour family, who I sort of miss on the very welcome days off. I wouldn’t want to embarrass anyone by naming names, so I’ll just say that they’re all great, a pleasure to work with, and really top guys, keen to have a chat and share experience and knowledge.

Except for Monitors Dave who is just a nob. Hi Dave. Want a link to your website? OK.

By the way – Arbiter have bought out Sound Control to save them from extinction. You heard it hear first.

And so it is, and has come to pass, as it has been before, and will come to pass again, that Audiotechnews is off on tour. Bitchin’ schedules mean I only get to use free WiFi for around HALF of the 24 hours that calendar days give us, so don’t expect miracles.

The first few dates are already behind us, and we’re already into the swing of things. Gladly, Cheltenham Town Hall is out of the way, and can keep its slapback reverbs. No thanks, I’ve done Arenas you know!!

Out in the party town of Llandudno, Venue Cymru served us well, and thanks to the boys at Atlantic Audio, I not only got the band sounding really hot, but really really loud. I’m an earth mover, for sure.

So news will once again be coming at you between intervals of irregular occurence .

Only 2 months to go, and its all over

The owners of the Scala nightclub in King’s Cross, London, decided the sound system in the main area needed an upgrade. So what do they go for?

I’ll give you a hint. Whoever installed the new rig came out looking like a Smurf.

Yup – Turbosound.

This from ET Now

The original Turbosound Floodlight loudspeaker system was stacked on the stage so for the new system, a flown array was the way forward.

Jeff Woodford of LMC Audio Systems specified the Aspect TA-500 three-way point source enclosure with the two-way mid-high TA-500HM hung underneath as a down-fill. “This combination gives great front to back coverage with the TA-500HMs focused on the sunken dance floor and the mid/HF section of the TA-500 focused at the raised FOH position and elevated dance/viewing area at the back of the room,” said Woodford. “Low bass for both areas comes from the TA-500’s punchy low frequency section. Sub bass for the FOH system is delivered by six TSW-218s stacked on stage three per side.”

More on that over at ET Now.

EDIROL is still in shoving around in the moshpit of field recording technology, and with its new R-44, the company has its most compact, powerful and lightweight recorder to date.

It’s taken just four years for EDIROL to establish themselves as major players in the field recorder market. The ‘R’ range of recorders has already become the industry standard and has been used in every situation requiring professional quality audio recording. Musicians, journalists, podcasters, video editors, educators and broadcasters who need crystal clear, reliable and dependable audio recording have all become fans of the ‘R’ range.

The new R-44 picks up where the R-4 left off – a four-channel recorder that uses SD or large capacity SDHC card storage media for the ultimate in quiet and reliable recordings. It offers very flexible recording options with up to four channels of uncompressed audio available at selectable bit depths (16- or 24-bit) with sampling frequencies between 44.1kHz and 192kHz (stereo mode only). Broadcast wave is also supported and two R-44s can be synced together to offer up to 8-channel recording for surround sound applications.

The R-44 weighs in at just three pounds – despite the metal chassis – for true field recorder strength and features both XLR and ¼-inch TRS jack inputs. The high quality XLR inputs are derived from the EDIROL R-4PRO and come equipped with individual phantom power as well as a limiter. Eleven steps of input sensitivity enable the connection of multiple devices with a variety of input levels from microphones to musical instruments. The high-speed USB 2.0 port allows for quick and easy copy and archive to a computer. Conveniently the R-44 can also operate as a USB host.

Power is supplied by external PSU or onboard AA batteries.

The R-44 also offers comprehensive effects, including limiter, low-cut filter, 3-band EQ, 6-band GEQ, enhancer and de-esser, making it the ideal high-quality recording solution.

The R-44 will be available from March, price £499.

Key Features of the R-44

     Records up to four channels of audio at selectable bit rates (16- & 24-bit)      and sampling frequencies (44.1, 48, 96kHz – 192kHz for stereo recording only)

      Wide variety of input sensitivity levels

Uses SD and SDHC cards for quiet and reliable operation

Onboard effects

XLR and ¼-inch TRS jack inputs

Somehow Audiotechnews gets quite a few requests to review Sat Nav units, which has proved to be quite handy as he has recently taken over the position as tour manager.

Putting his trust in the Panasonic Strada CN-GP50 this time, and without the aid of multimap, Audiotechnews trooped off to Sommerset last week.

Multimap wouldn’t have convinced me that driving a van along narrow footpaths was the correct way to reach the venue in question. As it turns out, it was the only way, so the Strada was an absolute miracle.

The Panasonic Strada offers a comprehensive approach to in-car entertainment that encompasses the pinnacle of Panasonic’s mobile audio-visual technologies exemplified by ‘Strada Picture’ (high picture quality technology), Strada Sound (high sound quality design) and Strada Link (multi-media networking). The CN-GP50 is the first of these core units to be sold in the European market.

With its compact dimensions of 128 (W) x 84 (H) x 30 (D) mm, this slim package is designed for easy portability. Having parked the car, users can easily remove and carry the CN-GP50N, rather than leave it in the vehicle as a temptation for would-be thieves. The unit can also be used outside the vehicle or at home as a storage device for images, thanks to its built-in battery and charging adaptor offering approximately four hours of operation*.

Input of addresses is easy – the touch screen being responsive and accurate with large displays that even a sausage fingered alcoholic could operate.

Map data covers 37 European nations in total and multi-lingual Voice Guidance allows the user to choose from 19 different languages. When traveling across borders, the ability to receive guidance on routes in one’s native language helps support safe driving by avoiding the distraction of referring to maps.

Obstacles such as tall buildings or hills can often block reception of GPS data, but the GPS Assist system compensates by applying other available information. This enables a more viable representation of vehicle position on the navigation display.

Panasonic has also enhanced the convenience of map updating by enabling a USB connection as one of the media options. For greater driving comfort and convenience, the Strada system offers many feature enhancements including 3D Landmark display of major landmarks as three-dimensional icons, Lane Assistant to support smooth lane changing, and Speed Information to warn the driver when the vehicle exceeds the speed limit. The CN-GP50N also has Real-Time Traffic Information (RDS-TMC) display capability when used with a separately available receiver.

The CN-GP50N provides extensive support for Bluetooth capable mobile telephones, including not only hands-free operation, but transfer of mobile phonebooks and direct dialling of numbers listed for points of interest in the map database. The system can also display still photos stored in SD Memory Cards.

CN-GP50N has full built-in GPS antenna and fixing bracket included, however a full list of accessories is proposed such as external GPS antenna, charging adaptors, fixing bracket and TMC antenna among others.

Map Coverage (37 Countries):

• Albania • Andorra • Austria • Belgium • Bosnia-Herzegovina • Bulgaria • Croatia • Czech Republic • Denmark • Estonia • Finland • France • Germany • Great Britain • Greece • Hungary • Italy • Latvia • Liechtenstein • Lithuania • Luxembourg • Macedonia • Monaco • the Netherlands • Norway • Poland • Portugal • Republic of Ireland • Romania • San Marino • Serbia and Montenegro • Slovakia • Slovenia • Spain • Sweden • Switzerland • Vatican

19 Language Voice Guidance:

Czech • Danish • Dutch • English (UK) • English (US) • Finnish • Flemish • French • German • Greek • Hungarian • Italian • Norwegian • Polish • Portuguese • Russian • Spanish • Swedish • Turkish

US bluesman, Joe Bonamassa, is currently on the European leg of a world tour with a PA rig based around Allen & Heath’s iLive digital mixing system and a WZ312M compact dedicated monitor mixer.

Bonamassa’s FOH engineer, Jay Phebus, recently started using an iLive system, comprising an iDR10 mix rack and iLive-112 control surface, completing an intensive 4 month tour of America, as well as exclusive dates in Holland and Russia, last autumn with the system. Impressed with the flexibility, easy load in and set up, and fantastic sound quality, Phebus is using the same system for the current European tour.

In addition to the standard RAB, DSP, and CPU modules, the iDR10 rack is loaded with 9 individually selected module cards – 4 input modules providing 32 inputs, 3 output modules providing 24 outputs, and 2 multi-digital output modules providing 32 channels of ADAT, enabling live recording every night in preparation for Bonamassa’s forthcoming album, ‘Joe Bonamassa – Live from nowhere in particular’, which is due for release on J&R Adventures in June. The iLive-112 surface is also loaded with two input modules for local sources such as a CD/MP3/iPod player for BGM, and one output module, which allows the iLive to feed ‘racks and stacks’ from the stage and/or FOH position for added flexibility and convenience.

“Any competent analogue engineer can walk up to an iLive and operate it with no prior experience, as the surface has the feel of an analogue console. Once you press ‘Select’ on a channel you can see all of the processing like on an analogue mixer. If you’re still intimidated – you’re not really a legitimate analogue engineer!” commented Phebus.

Joe Bonamassa is a renowned blues guitar virtuoso, who at the age of 12 opened for B.B. King during his school holidays, and continued to play regularly on the New York scene. He formerly played with the band Bloodline, which featured other famed musicians’ sons Waylon Krieger (Robby Krieger’s son), Erin Davis (Miles Davis’ drummer son), and Berry Oakley Jr. (the son of the Allman Brothers’ bassist), launching his solo career in 2000.

Dates for the European leg comprise 15 “sold out” venues across the UK, with a month in various venues in Scandinavia, Holland, France, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland. The tour also included a command performance for the Prince of Bahrain, a special live recording at the BBC Maida Vale studios in London for the Radio 2 Paul Jones show, and a detour to India’s top rock, blues and jazz festival, the ‘Johnnie Walker One Tree Festival’ in Mumbai, where iLive systems were provided by local PA companies.

“The biggest advantage of digital is the ability to recall settings – this makes sound check a breeze, as all I need to do is load in, power up, and start where I left off at last night’s show. If we get put into a ‘throw & go’ festival situation, there’s no problem as we’re already way ahead of everyone else. A little fine tuning and we come off sounding like a million bucks! This happened at a blues festival in Dallas and everyone asked, ‘why did Joe Bonamassa sound some much better than all the other bands, including the headliner?’ ” continues Phebus.

“I love the fact I can colour code and name channels to customise the surface layout how I want. All the processing becomes immediately digitally accessible on the surface and is extremely accurate and easy to work with. The coolest thing about this interface is that your gate, compressor and limiter all have extremely accurate LED’s and a floating point of engagement that’s easy to see. As soon as you dial it in and connect, you start getting gain reduction; it’s the most accurate gate, compression and limiter I have ever seen. I also love the fact that I can use compression, limiting and de-essing, ALL at the same time! No choosing whether to use the compressor for soft compression or as a limiter – with iLive, I have it all!”

Bonamassa’s touring rig also comprises powered EV wedges for the band’s monitor sound, controlled by an Allen & Heath WZ312M compact dedicated monitor mixer, split from and fed to the iLive FOH system.

“Without a doubt, the best thing about this system is the sound. It sounds way better than other digital desks I’ve tried – it’s amazing. The tonal quality is distinctly warm and ‘analogue’. Allen & Heath has succeeded in producing a pre-amp that rivals a Midas. That’s why, night in and night out, I get the same compliment, ‘it doesn’t sound like a digital console’,” concludes Phebus.

Every now and again, we like to look after our subscribers by giving them access to information that no one else can get.

In the near future, we may have something coming along which saves you money as well as helps to find you work – but we’ll announce that if and when it happens.

For now though – sign up to our RSS feed to enjoy our interview with Marc Carolan – a truly big time Sound Engineer, great bloke, and someone who has achieved what many of us long to.

Wembley Stadium!

(I’ve done the arena, but never the stadium).

Here’s a taster for you.

Any favourite memories from recording sessions and/or live work?

Mixing an album for an amazing Irish jazz singer called Mary Coughlan in Kampo studios in New York (Tom Waits and Elvis Costello dropped by!).

My first recording session in Abbey Road. And the first album mix session i finished in my own Suite Studios, here in Dublin.

Marc works with Muse in the studio as well as in a live capacity, so it’s no wonder the shows are sonically brilliant. Audiotechnews wanted to know about Marc’s influence on the sound of the artists he works with. His gear preferences, if you will.

Do you have any particular gear that you consider puts the ‘Marc Carolan stamp’ on things?

Pre Amps - Live the XL4 pre’s cannot be beaten. Studio, loving my new John Hardys at the moment. Comps – All hail the Distressor!!