ProAudio Review - July 2008 - (Page 59)

and introduce a whole new set of problems. Next, what’s a way to isolate the drums from the front, yet keep sight lines open? A clear, solid surface panel — such as from ClearSonic — or a custom frame with Plexiglas are both good options, depending on the ability of aforementioned carpenter. Finally, the last piece of the isolation puzzle is some type of “lid.” The key here is enough physical headroom to allow for overhead miking and so the drummer doesn’t feel completely trapped while inside. A heavy curtain can serve as a good doorway to allow access and easily closed to reduce bleed. Rounding out the booth is some sort of acoustic foam to line the back wall and around the front of the drums and a fan to create some needed airflow. This option will I recently worked on a stage install for exactly this type of HOW — a home for Sunday worship doubling as a wedding reception hall on Monday through Saturday — which was set up in a rectangular-shaped room (roughly 40 x 80 feet). We decided on the ClearSonic IsoPac A (pictured here) for isolation of the drums. ISOPAC-KED The IsoPac served two purposes. First, it was fairly easy to set up and tear down on a weekly basis. Second, the drums were isolated, which was a must to keep levels manageable for this room. ClearSonic was also the isolation of choice for a touring group where I served as their FOH engineer. We did evening concerts in churches every shape The ClearSonic IsoPac A elements of our mix at a manageable level. Our services are not concerts, and — although I use the word, ‘performance,’ our services are not a performance – it is important that we play well, but not for our own sake. We worship for reasons much bigger than ourselves, which is why we must all make some sort of compromise in order to create an environment conducive to worship for everyone — from newborns to the elderly. If they continue to banter, just smile and hand them a brochure of some electric drum set that you have been researching as an option. That should get them contently back into the iso booth. In the coming months I’ll be discussing other ways to better manage stage noise. Got a suggestion or creative way you have dealt with the drum isolation? Please drop me a line at dwothke@yahoo.com. Dan Wothke is the Media Director at Belmont Church in Nashville. He invites you to contact him at dwothke@yahoo.com. The first step is to scour the congregation for a good carpenter. Once you have the necessary manpower, make a road map for what you need. Casters are great but your iso booth should not easily roll around while the drummer is playing. serve as great isolation by providing for the look of the booth to be consistent with the rest of the stage, allowing for the choice of paint color, wood grain and style. DRUMS ON THE MOVE For a HOW that is on the move, the aforementioned ClearSonic (www.clearsonic.com) is a manufacturer of portable isolation enclosures specially designed for drums, amplifier stacks, and more. They have basic options with just a front Plexiglas cover — the ClearSonic Panel, or CSP — or a full enclosure including a lid and rear wall, which features their SORBER absorption panels. and size imaginable; having the ClearSonic isolation gave us a common starting point and setup for each concert. When the night was over, the Plexiglas and foam panels fit into a padded carrying case. Granted, not all drummers will jump for joy to be isolated from the rest of the group. They may banter with you about losing the feel of the performance, the importance for playing to the room and feeding off the other musicians. I then often draw the comparison to cutting a live record in a studio; from a sound perspective, this is really no different because we want — no — we need to have the www.proaudioreview.com July 2008 | ProAudio Review | 59 http://www.clearsonic.com http://www.sae.edu http://www.sae.edu http://www.proaudioreview.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of ProAudio Review - July 2008

ProAudio Review - July 2008 Contents Publisher's Page: Inside Broadcast Production Studio News and New Products Steinberg Nuendo 4 Digital Audio Workstation Developments & Trends: Digital Audio Workstation I/O JZ Microphones Black Hole BH-1 Apple Logic Studio Behind The Scenes: JBL Professional – A 60-Year Legacy Broadcast News and New Products WLOY: Real World Facilities For An On-Campus Radio Station Post News and New Products Hot Gear InfoComm 08 Chandler Limited TG1 Abbey Road/EMI Series Limiter/Compressor Live News and New Products Cerwin-Vega! Professional Active Series CVA-28 and CVA-118 Speakers QSC Audio Model GX5 Power Amplifier From The Road: A Week In The Life — Gear Essentials Contracting News and New Products Taming The Driving Factor — Drums UpSampler: sE Instrument Reflection Filter Buyer’s Guide: Live Sound Amplifiers Single Slice: Roger Powell “Fallout Shelter”

ProAudio Review - July 2008

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