All about the sound at Elvis's recent shows

Pretty self-explanatory
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johnfoyle
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All about the sound at Elvis's recent shows

Post by johnfoyle »

The sound at some of Elvis's recent shows got a mixed, mostly negative reaction. Here are the people responsible. I can't understand most of it!

http://www.avidblogs.com/venue-s6l-on-t ... -costello/
FAVEHOUR
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Re: All about the sound at Elvis's recent shows

Post by FAVEHOUR »

Well, I don't understand it either. But the sound at the Imperial Bedroom shows was NOT good.

Dave
bronxapostle
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Re: All about the sound at Elvis's recent shows

Post by bronxapostle »

Atlantic City, in spite of 11th row center, was indeed oddly NOT quite loud enough. If i was to use a word of insult, i would add, kinda "muted." Brotherapostle sitting off center in the balcony area, found it very subpar.
SIimilarly, my other show 11/6 @ the Beacon, i was in the second row center in the lower balcony, usually a very sweet spot at the venue, sound-wise. The opening song was severely "off"...big time dull and muted. As the show progressed, there was improvement. Or was it my hearing adjusting and compensating for diluted sound? There's the word i was seeking, DILUTED!!! Hope he reverts to older, more satisfying sound people that treat the show correctly. We like being hit over the head when it is a ROCK SHOW.
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Top balcony
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Re: All about the sound at Elvis's recent shows

Post by Top balcony »

John
Could you run that through Google Translate please? Sound in Liverpool in July for the Imposters show was 'muffled', although my seat location, front row by Davey, could have been the cause.
Colin Top Balcony
johnfoyle
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Re: All about the sound at Elvis's recent shows

Post by johnfoyle »

A certain 'ChrisToast' is a recent , new member of this forum.....maybe he might like to comment on this . :D
bronxapostle
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Re: All about the sound at Elvis's recent shows

Post by bronxapostle »

Cool...i did not know Mr. Toast, my pal, posts here. Awesome. Maybe he can tell what he sees, knows, HEARS. :lol: :lol:
johnfoyle
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Re: All about the sound at Elvis's recent shows

Post by johnfoyle »

Someone of that name registered on Nov. 26th - it's not a guarantee that it's the same person. He/she hasn't posted yet.
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verbal gymnastics
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Re: All about the sound at Elvis's recent shows

Post by verbal gymnastics »

johnfoyle wrote:The sound at some of Elvis's recent shows got a mixed, mostly negative reaction. Here are the people responsible. I can't understand most of it!

http://www.avidblogs.com/venue-s6l-on-t ... -costello/
It appears we have a couple of contradictions.

The people in charge of the sound say it was unbelievably good etc yet the fans who were actually there have a different view :?

Perhaps it's just me being cynical...
Who’s this kid with his mumbo jumbo?
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King of Confidence
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Re: All about the sound at Elvis's recent shows

Post by King of Confidence »

Logging in to this site for the first time in years. Saw the show at the Chicago Theater on 10/29 and the sound was bad. Floor right, about 20 rows back. Anything that was loud was just a mass of undifferentiated sound. Really unfortunate, because the man worked hard for 2:45 and it was a great set with wonderful art. But really badly marred by the sound quality.
I'll put it to you plain and bluntly
I'm worried for my tired country.


Ted Leo
MOJO
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Re: All about the sound at Elvis's recent shows

Post by MOJO »

Went to the SF Detour show and was bummed about the sound. I've laid down lots of dollars over the years to see EC. He is always awesome, but what the hell!! It would be great to see the sound situation addressed. Music fans are smarter than his management might think. I know a sound guy that could blow away these sound guys and he is probably cheaper or same price than this co. Bummer to spend the $, get out and go the show, only to be dissappointed by the sound dude. Put in the effort, man!
bronxapostle
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Re: All about the sound at Elvis's recent shows

Post by bronxapostle »

As Mojo clearly states, it can be better and there are people better suited assuredly. The more i think about this, i imagine someone owed someone a favor. Or a business deal has transpired that was not entirely of Elvis ' own free will. :roll: :roll: Oh well, let us see what next time brings.
johnfoyle
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Re: All about the sound at Elvis's recent shows

Post by johnfoyle »

It is the 'real' Chris. He's confirmed that via a personal message on Twitter. He also says he prefers to remain purely observational on this forum.
stricttime81
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Re: All about the sound at Elvis's recent shows

Post by stricttime81 »

Elvis should have pulled a Trump and not paid the sound guys!! :lol:
AKA: Mike the Lawyer
MOJO
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Re: All about the sound at Elvis's recent shows

Post by MOJO »

Being always curious, I read a review about Avid's VENUE 6SL. Seems like it's the equipment that may be a bit botched and maybe released too soon. Or a combination of equipment and engineering effort.

These are interesting. Especially part 2, where the author says, "The Avid VENUE S6L 'project' is moving forward in many powerful and compelling ways." Using the word "project" to describe an already released product is not good. Also, take note of the published dates. Part 2 was written in April 2016 and mentions upgrades and patches to the release. Hmmm... I saw EC's Detour show in March 2016. The engineering team was probably still trying to sort out the kinks on the damn console - at the expense of the fans...

I still plan on spending my hard earned money on EC shows, but I hope Avid is kicking down some $$$ on this S6L tour. Probably the Avid blog post was a trade off - we will offer free training and maintenance if you write a blog post with us. Oh, and by the way, it looks like the blog post was handled by an intern (WTF).

http://www.fohonline.com/current-issue/ ... sions.html

http://www.fohonline.com/current-issue/ ... art-2.html
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Re: All about the sound at Elvis's recent shows

Post by wardo68 »

The sound in Wallingford was pristine. No complaints from me. (or other people I asked who went to the same show)
johnfoyle
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Re: All about the sound at Elvis's recent shows

Post by johnfoyle »

http://www.radiomagonline.com/thewire/e ... /7501/view

Elvis Costello Chooses Cloud 44-A Ribbon Mic for Solo Tour

3/9/2017 3:38:00 AM

By Music Marcom


Front-of-house engineer Fernando Alvarez details why the 44-A is ideal for the iconic singer-songwriter’s live performances


Tucson, AZ — On his recent Detour solo tour, Elvis Costello accompanied himself on guitar as he sang his trove of hits. For a segment in which he performed inside a set designed to look like a life-size vintage television screen, he needed a microphone that not only offered excellent reproduction of his unmistakable voice, but that would complement visual look and feel of the era. Costello and his engineer Fern Alvarez, who has run front-of-house sound for the Dixie Chicks, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Katy Perry, and many other stars, chose the Cloud Microphones 44-A Active Ribbon Microphone.


“The 44-A has been a wonderful piece of gear,” said Alvarez. “It’s a piece he loves because, first, it gives him a great show aspect. It’s an aesthetic he’s been looking for for years — something that reminds him of what his father might have used when he was growing up. It’s the piece the press takes pictures of, and perfect for the sound and look he’s going for.”

Not only does the Cloud 44-A resemble the ribbon mics from the era of classic musical TV broadcasts to which Costello’s tour homage, but its ribbon design delivered the elusive character that the artist had been seeking.


“Sonically, Elvis is very in tune with what he wants to present,” explains Alvarez. “He’s all about the sound the Cloud is creating. There’s a grit he really likes and an aspect that the RCA* mics use to give back in the day. He knows when a mic is transparent, when it’s in-your-face. As soon as I presented this mic to him, he did his own research and asked about certain elements. He’s a student of the business.” The result of that research was that the tour purchased two of the 44-A mics without any prompting or incentive from Cloud, choosing to share their story with us after the fact.
Beyond evoking a vibe of yesterday, any mic used on tour with a musician as exacting as Costello has to handle the live sound challenges of today.

Alvarez found the Cloud 44-A was more than up to the task. “We’ve found that setting up the monitors at 90 degrees [relative to] the microphone gave him and us the best vocal volume through his monitor wedges — which we couldn’t get with any other mic. We tried quite a few during rehearsals and the Cloud was best for that application,” he says. “It’s in an upstage position in the ‘TV’ and very forgiving even with some foldback being used, since Elvis is in a position where he can’t hear the front-of-house mix as much. Not only are we able to use it for front-of-house and have a lot of gain before feedback, we’re able to run it back to his monitors. There are very few pieces that offer that.”

From there, the 44-A further simplifies Alvarez’s life behind the big board. “The first thing I’ll do is hit that high-pass filter on the console, but I’m happy to say this mic needs very little filtering. There are very few things we’ve had to do to let it sound as natural as possible. We’re not having to cut low-mids as I ordinarily need to, or boost the high end. Elvis does dig into the mic, of course, so compression is something we’ll always heed. But he knows how to use the mic where he’s moving his body; he’s kind of his own ‘dynamics’ when it comes to that.”

All these virtues can quickly fade without reliability, though. Fortunately, Alvarez has nothing but praise for the 44-A in this department. “It’s a workhorse. It’s very high-quality manufacturing,” he says. “Every other ribbon mic I’ve used in the past, after a year or more it’s been sent back to the manufacturer for some TLC, or replaced. We ask for a backup from every vendor and we have yet to touch the backup [for the Cloud] with this show.”

For more on the Cloud 44-A Active Ribbon Microphone, visit: http://cloudmicrophones.com/products-microphone-series/

About Cloud Microphones

Based in Tucson, Arizona, Cloud’s ribbon mics and Cloudlifter Mic Activators rank among some of the most acclaimed products in the professional audio industry. All of Cloud’s products are made regionally from start to finish, creating jobs and benefiting small businesses. This includes manufacturing in Tucson, Phoenix and on the Navajo Nation. In May of 2016, founder Rodger Cloud and his team received the President’s “E” Award, the highest accolade any business can earn for contributing to the expansion of U.S. exports. www.cloudmicrophones.com
*RCA is a registered trademark of Radio Corporation of America and is used here for historical reference purposes only. Cloud Microphones is in no way affiliated with RCA.
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Re: All about the sound at Elvis's recent shows

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Re: All about the sound at Elvis's recent shows

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