David Hallock is the Production Manager at Eccles Center for the Performing Arts, where he is responsible for all general venue oversight, which includes purchasing, scheduling, and design. He also oversees technical direction for all school district sponsored events. Being involved in so many aspects of the facility’s operations, it comes as no surprise that quality sound reinforcement is a high priority for Hallock. He discussed the Eccles Center’s purchase of eighteen Lectrosonics LMa beltpack transmitters, six HH handheld transmitters, three Venue mainframe receiver systems fully stocked with Lectrosonics’ VRS receiver modules, and a pair of ALP650 Log Periodic Dipole Array (LPDA) antennas.
“We purchased our Lectrosonics equipment in the fall of 2013,” Hallock reports. “From an audio quality perspective, Lectrosonics’ lack of companding offers truly un-colored audio performance and excellent response. Equally important, the very narrow band transmission capabilities of the transmitters, along with the rock-solid stability of the company’s Digital Hybrid Wireless system made this equipment the ideal choice for future proofing ourselves against the expected sale of the 600 band of wireless spectrum.”
Among the many projects at Eccles Center, Hallock recently utilized the new Lectrosonics equipment with the Park City School District’s staging of Bye Bye Birdie, the popular musical inspired by the phenomenon of legendary singer Elvis Presley and his draft notice into the Army in 1957. “We used the new LMa transmitters and Venue receivers on our production this past November,” Hallock said. “Using the Lectrosonics system in combination with our existing sub 600 MHz wireless equipment, we were able to run 36 channels for two and a half weeks with absolutely no dropouts. I was also very impressed with the durability of the equipment. The LMa transmitters held up to everything the students had to offer—without so much as a scratch.”
“For this production,” he continued, “the extremely flat frequency and phase response of the Digital Hybrid Wireless system made for a very high feedback threshold. Given that we had 34 mics on the deck at one time, this was a huge benefit. At one point, we had two lead characters standing directly in front of the house mains having an intimate conversation, and we had no problem getting enough level for them to be heard. Combine that with Lectrosonics’ almost non-existent noise floor, and the mix was greatly simplified.”
For venues such as Eccles Center for the Performing Arts, quality customer service is an important consideration for any equipment purchase. Here too, Hallock was very impressed with Lectrosonics. Scott Woolley, the Lectrosonics sales manager in our territory, was incredibly supportive,” he said. “Scott even made an on-site visit to help us set up and frequency coordinate the system with our existing wireless equipment. He was very helpful.”
Before turning his attention to the details of an upcoming project, Hallock offered these final comments on the new Lectrosonics equipment, “The Lectrosonics system has surpassed every claim. The audio quality is as good as having a wire, and the stability, quality, and ability to tight pack the frequencies means that we will be set on wireless for a long time. We are very pleased with our new equipment.”
About Lectrosonics
Well respected within the film, broadcast, and theatre technical communities since 1971, Lectrosonics wireless microphone systems and audio processing products are used daily in mission-critical applications by audio engineers familiar with the company