Tonmeistertagung 2012 in Cologne: Live Mixing Workshop for club sounds
How should you go about drawing up a sound concept for clubs and small halls - and what form should effective direct sound management take for such locations? This will be the subject of a Live Mixing Workshop offered by four top companies from the industry during the Tonmeistertagung to be held in the afternoon of 22nd November 2012. In cooperation with the Association of German Sound Engineers (VDT), sound specialists from d&b audiotechnik, N&M Veranstaltungstechnik, Sennheiser and Yamaha will be on hand at the "Vulkanhalle" in Cologne to pass on a wealth of practical knowledge and present concrete direct comparisons.
"The only parameter a sound technician can really influence is the production and distribution of direct sound," explains Janko Ramuscak from d&b audiotechnik. "Our workshop shows possible approaches as well as how they can be put into practice and what effect they have in a typical club situation." The workshop will be preceded by a presentation on the creation of sound concepts, which gives an insight into the resources sound technicians have at their disposal for distributing direct sound to the audience. The next step will consider speech intelligibility.
Later on, the Live Mixing Workshop will become even more practical and "audible": with the assistance of the English pub rock band "Drew Flanagan and the Blackbombers", direct comparisons will be staged concerning the topics of backline and monitoring. These are factors which often have a major impact on the FOH mix and sound in clubs. Technicians will switch over or change the set up between two songs - or even during a song if at all possible - to point out how various influences impact the overall result. Planned comparisons include: left-right bass versus bass array; in-ear monitoring versus wedge monitoring; heavy backdrop versus smooth wall as stage background plus further comparisons of instrument sounds such as drums and guitar.
The technology specialists are pitching their workshop at technically-minded school pupils and trainees in related professions as well as at young sound technicians. They will be assisted by students currently studying to become sound engineers at the Musikhochschule Detmold. The workshop is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. and end at 6 p.m. At 7 p.m. there will be a get-together for the companies' invited guests, where "Drew Flanagan and the Blackbombers" will play a 30-minute gig.
The initiators of the workshop will be presenting their companies at the sound engineer convention which takes place from 22nd to 25th November at Cologne Trade Fair's Congress-Centrum Nord. N&M will be providing information on their stand on sophisticated sound solutions such as those devised for the Oberammergau Passionplay. The companies will also be actively supporting the other practical workshops on offer in the congress area and will be providing the required equipment.