In reply to:
Bren uses PRO level equipment per his day job. Things that would put your 'high end' items in a garbage bin if comparing according to the rules of the audiophile idea of 'quality'.
The funny thing about that, Chess, is no matter where I've been or who has rolled trucks in, the same basic rules apply:
- I've never had a producer/TA ask what kind of cable snakes are available in the building, nor have I ever seen the Monster/Kimber branding on theirs, just standard copper, just standard XLRs.
- Audio sources are almost exclusively hard-drive based now, either a laptop with 44.1/16 WAV playback software for events (with queuing, panning, crossfading), or the big boys (WWE, touring groups) use dedicated playback equipment that look like video switchers - they're a bit more resiliant to get packed and unpacked into road cases to hit 150 shows a year.
- for pre-produced music for file in, we use a Sony single disc CD-P, unsure of the model number, and I'm sure you could ask any of the techs or engineers around the building and not a single one could tell you.
- the only other pieces of consumer equipment up there are a Toshiba DVD/VCR combo that's rack mounted in front of my desk and runs into the Time Base Corrector/Frame-Stor of Misfit Toys (one TBC runs all the "stuff we just have on hand" and a BNC pigtail in case someone brings in Hi-8, U-matic, 2" quad or whatever), plus a consumer VCR that records a wide angle for security and insurance purposes (which wasn't quite wide enough to catch the drunk guy at Nickelback that snuck into the catwalks and fell into the scoreclock - he's just lucky it wasn't energized - the caps in that sucker are the size of my torso!)
- pretty much all the same things apply for every venue I've worked in, the arena, the Walker, Playhouse, Concert Hall, Stadium, video mobiles, ENG trucks.
Bren R.
